Gravekeeper

Career

Qualifications

Most gravekeepers come from meager beginnings and as such don't have much in the way of formal education. If they hope to survive, however, they need to have basic knowledge on dealing with most forms of undead, as well as have some degree of skill in combat. These skills are typically handed down from a master to an apprentice.

Career Progression

Keepers start as apprentices, and train for about six months until they are ready to strike out on their own.

Perception

Purpose

It is the duty and speciality of Gravekeepers to keep watch over cemeteries to ensure the dead rest peacefully. Corpses are often restless in Velhamia, and it falls to the Gravekeepers to help return them to their slumber. They are well versed in methods of containing undead, and while they aren't necessarily the most skilled fighters, most can hold their own with a blade or firearm. Many gravekeepers also serve as town gravediggers and sometimes executioners.

Social Status

While they are not necessarily disliked and are seen as an essential role to be filled, gravekeepers' association with death and violence lends them a somber and negative air, which causes most people to avoid them. It is considered a lower-rung job, as it does not pay particularly well, and the gravekeepers themselves are often disposable since the job can be quite high risk. Those who seek out this job are often ex-criminals or otherwise have few or no other options for a job.

Operations

Tools

As gravekeepers are not a single unified organization, there is no standard uniform or tools of the trade. However, there are several items that are common among gravekeepers. As they also serve as gravediggers, keepers almost always have a metal shovel. Sometimes this shovel is sharpened, so that it may function as a weapon as well. Saws are also common tools used to dismember bodies, a very common way of dealing with undead without access to silvered weapons. Gravekeepers also carry weapons with them, although these vary widely for self defense. Most keepers use chopping or cleaving weapons to aid the severing of limbs, and many also use serrated blades for the same purpose, so that their weapon may double as a saw. Bludgeoning weapons are typically shied away from, as they are seen as brutal by the church, and lack the same ability to remove limbs as other weapons. Those who prefer ranged weapons may adopt weapons typically used by monster hunters, such as the stake driver, which fires a high-velocity wooden stake with pinpoint accuracy at long range. Others have developed their own specialized weapons. One example which has become quite popular among gravekeepers is the saw slinger, a sort of slingshot which launches spinning circular saw blades, perfect for chopping off legs, arms, and heads at medium range. Traditional pistols and rifles are typically not used, as they lack sufficient stopping power against the shambling undead. Many gravekeepers also carry wooden stakes and holy water to help deal with undead. A source of light is also essential, and many opt for an oil lantern, as the oil can be used to light a corpse on fire. Like tools, keeper's clothing also varies widely. Most keepers prefer clothes that keep them warm, dry, and that they don't mind getting dirty. Long waterproof coats are common, often made from oiled leather, as it protects them from the elements, is easy to scrub mud and viscera off of, and the tough leather gives a bit of extra protection against the undead. Wide-brimmed hats are also common, as the protect from the sun and rain, as are woolen hats which cover the ears, as they keep the wearer warm at night. Gloves are common, especially fingerless ones as they allow for better grip and dexterity. High boots are also common.

Workplace

Gravekeepers work in cemeteries. They are typically enclose by high, spiked iron fences to ensure nothing crawls out. The Keeper has a house on the cemetery grounds. It is usually small, but has the comforts of home, such as a small fireplace, bed, and kitchen area. Adjacent to the living quarters is a room designed for corpsework, which includes a wooden table with restraints and multiple tools and materials. Undead are often dismembered, staked, or otherwise neutralized in this room.

Provided Services

Gravekeepers keep watch over their local graveyard. They are not monster hunters or exorcists, and in fact they often hire monster hunters or exorcists when they know they are out of their depth. In other words, they do not deal with undead threats from outside their cemetery gates unless there is cause to believe the threat came from within those gates. Gravekeepers do not do commission work or travel from town to town. They do have basic knowledge on how to deal with most types of undead, however.

Dangers & Hazards

Many gravekeepers do not last very long in their position, as the vary nature of their job is extremely dangerous. Undead are not to be trifled with, and can easily overpower the average human.

Alternative Names

Grimwarden

Type

Public Services