Wall-runners

Most people prefer, if they can, not to think of the Mist. It is, after all, nothing but a bleak reminder of the great, wide world that was taken from them and the dangers that threaten them when they step outside the Walls. Though some travel in the trade caravans or venture out to hunt, these are considered to be necessary evils.
It is said that if you look into the Mist for too long, you will go mad. Yet there are those who have no choice but to be faced with it day in and day out. The unlucky bunch of eccentrics, ne'er-do-wells and poor souls who earn their keep atop the walls, staring out over the roiling whiteness below, are called Wall-runners. A slight misnomer, as their work requires generally very little running. Rather, it requires a great deal of trudging around inside or atop the wall looking for imperfections, damage or anything else of concern, or long hours spent sitting atop it staring into the mist for any sign of trouble. The only real running occurs when trouble is spotted, when bells must be rung and guards notified of a caravan in trouble or a Beast sneaking around far too close to the Wall. In general, only the youngest and newest wall-runners are assigned to watch duty, and with age they are required less and less to climb all the way to the top.
The stigma against wall-runners is quite strong in most Cities. Not only is it tedious work with meager pay, but it is considered to be dangerous for one's psyche and anyone who takes such a job when another is readily available is regarded with suspicious and often fear or scorn. Yet without them, how much could a Wall crumble before anyone noticed?

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