The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

[Ragitsu]

We all have read a story where a bard, squire, or even farmer becomes a hero of legend in a fantasy game.

 

However, how often is the character a fisherman, sewage collector, tanner, vintner, accountant, etc, or part of another such vital-yet-unglamorous (not to mention not too popular) profession?

 

Any examples come to mind?

[Escafarc]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy, Simon is a kitchen boy at the start.

[Steve]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

I think the Disney movie "The Sword In The Stone" had young Arthur working in the kitchens.

[Shadowsoul]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

Not sure about a sewage worker but there are some unusual professions amongst fantasy characters.

 

In Piers Anthony's Prostho Plus the protagonist is a dentist.

 

In Storm Glass by Maria V Snyder Opal Cowyn is a glass-blower.

 

Anvar from Maggie Furie's Artefacts of Power series is a servant who becomes the second most important character in the series.

 

Garric and Cashel from the Lord of the Isles series start out as a shepherds. Ilna, another main character, is a weaver.

 

Tiaan, the main character in Ian Irvine's Well of Echoes series, is basically a factory worker at the beginning of the book.

 

And don't forget the legions of thieves, orphans and street kids who make good in an epic way.

[Enforcer84]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

Winter Witch's Protagonist is a cartographer

[Manic Typist]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

Winter Witch's Protagonist is a cartographer

 

....that's actually perhaps the most sensible and yet amusing origin for an adventurer that I've yet heard.

 

"Oh, yeah. I always liked drawing, even as a kid. One day I saw this beautiful map being used by some travelers, and, well, I thought to myself: 'That's it. I want to make beautiful tools that help people, to bring foreign lands to people everywhere.' Plus, I'd get to explore and travel myself. Who would of thought that being a reknowned cartographer meant becoming very good at killing all kinds of things? World's a dangerous place."

[Enforcer84]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

Well, he was a failed magician first. But his artistic talent is what got him his money at the beginning of the novel. Pretty good read.

[Enforcer84]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

We started a 3.5 campaign where the players were all friends from the same town...everyone had one class level and one level of NPC class (2 if we chose commoner)...so our Adventuring party consisted of the Lord Mayor's second daughter(aristocrat/mage), a Farmer's son (Commoner/Ranger), the Brewer's Son (expert (brewer/cook/innkeeper)rogue, The Blacksmith's son (expert/Fighter), and the town scribe's daughter (expert/Cleric).

 

We were pretty amused that our healer handled the groups' forgery needs.

[Christopher]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

Thungdil Bolofar from the book "The Dwarves". He's a Dwarf raised by humans. At the beginning of book one, he's a smith and has as much fighting experience as a normal traveller. At the end of book one about two months later, he kills the demon, saves the world and gets the (dwarven) girl. And that is were is where his story really starts (book 1 of 4).

Of course he had a little bit of genetic "born warrior" thing to help him get up to speed in battle, has something to do with the clan he comes from...

 

There is some evidence suggesting that robin hood could have been a Lumberjack, before becomming an outlaw.

[Christopher]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

We started a 3.5 campaign where the players were all friends from the same town...everyone had one class level and one level of NPC class

I did try to rebuild Thungdil once in D&D 3.x, gave him one Level of Expert or Commoner/the rest was pure, dwarven Warrior. Gave me a lot of Skill Points I couldn't have gotten elsewhere.

 

And I once had the Idea for D&D 3.0 Hireling:

There was the Prestige Class to make a rogue better suited for dungeon crawls (traps, sneaking). But, the prequsites where so that an level 7 or 10 Expert could qualify, thus gaining the ability to disarm high level Traps at first level of the Prestige Class.

As good as a rogue for traps and sneaking, not really fit for fighting however...

[teh bunneh]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

In the Chronicals of Prydian, our hero Taran is a pig-keeper (actually, the assistant pig-keeper).

[Ragitsu]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

In the Chronicals of Prydian' date=' our hero Taran is a pig-keeper (actually, the assistant pig-keeper).[/quote']

 

Well, that'd mean they have good wrestling skills to start with .

[Zeropoint]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

Mr. Nutt from "Unseen Academicals" starts the story as a candle-dribbler at Unseen University.

Moist von Lipwig starts as a con artist.

Discworld in general is a place where anyone can become a hero.

[Ragitsu]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

Eh, thief/con-artist/huckster/etc is not too uncommon for heroes.

[GhostDancer]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

Eh' date=' thief/con-artist/huckster/etc is not too uncommon for heroes.[/quote']

 

True- consider Fafhard and Gray Mouser, Simon Templar, etc.

 

Jesus of Nazarath was a teacher. His adopted father was a carpenter.

[GhostDancer]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

King David was a shepard.

[Christopher]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

Sarah Connor started as a Waitress.

 

Several Freedom-based real live Heroes started as slaves.

 

Gandhi means "Greengrocer" and Mahatma Gandhi himself was a Lawyer.

 

Of course, such origins work for villians to:

How many of them were small-fry criminals before thier Radiation Accident?

One very well knowm German from the years 1933 till 1945 was the son of a Costums Officer and a "failed painter".

[Escafarc]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

There is some evidence suggesting that robin hood could have been a Lumberjack, before becomming an outlaw.

And that's OK

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

Didn't he actually want to be a girlie?

[Starcloud]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

In the Chronicals of Prydian' date=' our hero Taran is a pig-keeper (actually, the assistant pig-keeper).[/quote']

 

Reading between the lines of that series: Taran was an initiate Druid. The "pig" in question was an oracle.

[Narf the Mouse]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

The main character of Salvatore's "The Woods Out Back" series, where an ordinary recycling center worker falls into Fairyland.

 

In the third book, he's an accountant (in the "waking world").

[Ragitsu]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

The main character of Salvatore's "The Woods Out Back" series' date=' where an ordinary recycling center worker falls into Fairyland.[/quote']

 

What heroic deeds do they eventually accomplish?

[Narf the Mouse]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

What heroic deeds do they eventually accomplish?

Riding around in legendary armour that happens to fit them and overthrowing an Evil Witch and killing a dragon - The former enemy being more impressive than the latter.

[Christopher]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

What heroic deeds do they eventually accomplish?

For Tungdil it was:

Creating the ultimate Axe to Kill the Demon, Learning unmatched Battle Power, uniting 3 dwarven clans in Battle, making certain they get a good high king, foiling the the future kings evil advisors plans, Killing the Demon, beating the Ork/Albae (Dark Elf) Army, saving the world, discovering his origins and getting the girl. (and I am certain I am forgetting something here....*)

And that was book 1...

 

Edit: *Now I remember:

Getting the Humans, elves and the 3 Dwarven Clans to fight togehter, founding his own clan and reestablishing the 5. Dwarven fortress/home (each of the five clans/fortresses is there to protect the humans from various outside forces).

[L. Marcus]

Re: The Badass Sewage Collector, or, "THEY became a hero?"

 

Pug started as a keepboy.