Historian

There is a rich and often misunderstood history to the region of Westlo, and in particular, human history is full of legend and myth. One key reason for that is that it has always been illegal for a human of Westlo to be a professional historian or teacher of history.

Career

Qualifications

Anyone wanting to teach or seriously study the history of Westlo must obviously be literate and well-versed in common. Older texts written in Elven, Lurian, Orcish or other ancient languages are also important in researching the pre-modern era. Most importantly, the historian should not be a human. Gnomes, halflings and catfolk are often sought as tutors for children.

Perception

Social Status

A human that feels an inclination to learn history will have to quickly learn either to ignore that inclination or to find a way to satisfy the shameful urge in another discipline. For example, while studying history is wrong, researching spells or learning about architecture is respectable. 
Given that any tutor or scholar is either a criminal or a "non-human", there is a tendency among the humanfolk of Westlo to look down on practitioners. As always, there are exceptions, and well-to-do families that have travelled in the world will often appoint tutors for their children. One example is the Adderley family of Yarn, who have a tradition of appointing gnomish tutors, the most recent being Ianpip Urina Lilly Sakasys Verin.

Type

Illicit

Legality

The illegality of the profession creates a number of issues in Westlo. One is that humans are largely ignorant of history and otherwise interesting historical sites and museums are under-patronised. There are also some positive aspects. Firstly, much of the seemingly innate confidence of humanfolk can be put down to this blissful ignorance of the past. Secondly, minds are focussed on the present and the future, which is said to reduce mental strain. Thirdly, oral tradition, rather than researched history, is often much more entertaining and less complicated for the listener.