Sewer Patrolman

It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.

The fact of the expansion of civilisation from small settlements into large cities, is that waste has to go somewhere. With the advent of extensive sewer systems running under the streets of cities like Valliné, Laranna  & Éternité, the populace have enjoyed an previously unprecedented level of civic sanitation and cleanliness.
With these sewers, however, comes a whole new set of dangers. The dark, winding passages of a well constructed sewer, so close to a near-limitless supply of food, victims, and other temptations, provide a perfect home for all manner of beasts, monsters and dangerous entities that pose a true threat to the people living above them.
This is where the job of Sewer Patrolman comes in. Every large settlement with a sewage system has their own particular variety of this profession, but no matter where they are found, the job is to venture below into the dank and stinking depths and hunt out any lurking dangers, before they before they become a problem for the city.
Never seen as a particularly attractive career, by and large, it takes a certain type of person to join the Sewer Watch voluntarily. Usually a sub-department of whatever form of City Watch the settlement employs, typically, a city watch will be somewhat of a motley crew, consisting of a mix of full-time professionals, freelance adventurers (perhaps down on their luck and willing to take any paying job), and those who have been assigned to the Sewer Patrol as a punishment detail.

Turnover in the detail can be very high, compared to the rest of a City Watch, as a result of both the danger of the profession and the usually terrible working conditions. Inevitably though, many Patrols will have their 'lifers' - individuals who have found their niche, and it is below the streets, ankle deep in raw sewage and monster blood.

Career

Career Progression

The nature of the job means there is really not much in the way of advancement oppurtunities. Each patrol is usually formed of an ad-hoc team, led by someone whose only qualification is having lasted in the job longer than the others.
The entire city's Sewer Watch will usually be commanded by a Watch officer, who by virtue of their rank will rarely see the sewers themselves; instead acting more as an adminstrator, deciding patrol routes and squad rotas.
Those who have been assigned to the patrol as a punishment tend not to continue with the job any longer than they have to.

Payment & Reimbursement

Compared to their surface-side colleagues, professional Sewer Patrol members tend to be paid slightly more, in an effort to compensate them for the cramped, dark and stinking working conditions, as well as the inherant additional danger of the job. This increased pay usually does not extend to those who have been assigned to the detail as part of a punishment.

Type

Public Services