(men, vingans), 
(women, nandans), 
(helerings)Here we have descriptions of each occupational keyword.
Some of the occupation descriptions talk about a gendered division of labor. This is generally accurate for men and women, but does not attempt to describe the siutations of vingans, nandans, and helerings, as they tend to be more varied.
In addition to the full description, each occupation has these bullet points beforehand:
(men, vingans), (women, nandans), (helerings)You are the backbone of society, a free farmer who provides food for the clan. You know the land. You know the seasons and you feel the weather in your bones. In addition to working the fields, you own a small herd of sheep or, if you are wealthy, cattle, as well as lesser animals like pigs and poultry.
If you are a man, you plow the fields. Plowmen work the soil with a team of four to eight oxen. It is hard work. You goad your ox team to drive your plow – a simple wooden ard with a bronze plowshare – through the soil. You must be strong to lift the rocks and boulders. You may have to work without rest. There is always a lot of work on the farm from fencing and dry stonewalls to barn building, wood chopping, and haymaking. You are part of the clan militia – the fyrd. You do your duty, turning out for practice with your strong hat, sharp spear and stout shield. Maybe you have a sling, a bow or throwing javelins. If you are wealthy, you might own a sword and even metal armor.
If you are a woman, you sow the open-fields with seeds and coordinate the efforts to bring in the harvest. You spin wool and flax on the spindle and then weave it on your loom to make cloth. You participate in the ceremonies that bless the fields and the harvest.
If you are successful, you are a carl with your own long house and enough oxen to form a plow team. The clan allocates you fields to raise crops, and grazing rights for your herds. If you are poor, you might be a cottar, living either in a relative’s hall or in a small cottage. You help a carl to work the lands the clan has apportioned to them, for which the carl gifts you with a share of the farm’s produce. Even worse, you could be a stickpicker who cannot even afford to keep a cottage and must sleep in another person’s house with the animals. Stickpickers are charcoal burners and wood gatherers, and few have a good word to say about them.
You have been chosen by the gods to lead your kin in worshipping the Orlanthi gods. You know the myths of the gods and tell their stories around the hearth. You know the holy days and how to observe them. You can lead rituals, make sacrifices and divine the will of the gods. Your flock respects you and listens to your wisdom and judgment. The clan grants you the legal status of a thane – if not the wealth. You know all the clan, for you performed the ceremonies at their important events: birth, initiation, marriage and death.
You do not work full-time leading worship and must choose another occupation to support you. You must be an initiate of a specific god.
You heal the people and animals when they are sick and injured.
Life is filled with accidents and violence. You know how to give first aid, sew up cuts, set bones, and treat burns. You can perform surgery if needed, to cut out an arrow or spearhead, to amputate a ruined limb. On the battlefield you must be strong enough to carry a stretcher, quick enough to dodge a blow, and kind enough to comfort the fallen. Disease is an ever-present threat. You know the signs of main illnesses and how to treat them. You can drive out fever and ease pain. If you are a woman, you can act as a midwife, easing the mother’s pain and ensuring a healthy child is delivered.
Healers are herbalists who know the lore of medicinal plants. You know where to find healing herbs, how to cut them, and how to prepare poultices and brews from them to cure the sick and speed the recovery of the injured. You also know the use of creatures in healing such as bleeding with leeches or putting maggots on festering wounds.
Healers are often called upon as peace-weavers when there is trouble between bloodlines or clans as they are skilled at healing broken relationships.
The clan’s herds are its greatest wealth, and it is your responsibility to care for them. You are a full-time shepherd or herder; you guard the herds, track strays, ease the birthing pains, and treat minor illnesses. You have to be self-sufficient for you are often alone in the hills. You need to be skilled with your sling to ward off predators and raiders; you have a thrusting spear to fight more determined foes. You are hardy and fleet of foot; you can climb and scramble the rock slopes and find your way through the wilderness. You have trained an alynx – a unique species of large cat - to help you watch over the flocks and help to herd them. Your alynx can respond to your whistles and calls.
You are a hunter who makes their living from stalking and trapping game. You work with a pride of alynxes that you have trained to help you in the hunt. You set nets and then flush small quarry such as rabbits into them, or use the alynxes to chase down larger game such as deer or boar and then spear them with your thrusting spear. Some hunters prefer to stalk their prey; you search for signs of their prey, and then track them, camouflaging yourself for a stealthy approach. Once you have spotted your prey, you strike with bow and arrow to bring it down. You know how to mimic your prey’s calls to signal your companions. You might work with birds, usually the red-tailed hawk, which you train to fly from your hand to catch small game. You also use a sling, line, and nets to catch small birds for the table. All hunters know how to skin and butcher animals and then tan their hides or prepare their furs. You also know how to turn bone, fat, oil, and sinew into tools. These by-products of the catch are an important source of income.
If you live near a river or lake, you might be a fisher. You will have a boat, perhaps a coracle or a rowboat. You fish with nets and wicker baskets filled with bait. Sometimes you build a weir and spear fish, especially at a salmon run.
You are knowledgeable in the law and traditions of your clan. You can recite the law codes from memory. You can interpret the codes and understand how they apply to any case. People seek you out to ask your advice on matters of the law. Your wisdom in such matters carries great weight. Only fools would pursue a court case without your support.
You are a talented public speaker. You are a skilled debater and know the tricks of rhetoric. If you are especially talented, people may travel for miles to hear you argue and dispute your points.
You know the history and lore of your clan and tribe, and can recite the genealogies of the important people in the region. You witness many aspects of day-to-day life such as cattle loans and reports of injuries. People may ask you about the legality of them. You take oaths and memorize them. People may ask you to recall those promises. You are a trustworthy and upright member of the community.
It is most likely that you are a juror, a respected member of the local community, instead of a full-time lawyer. While you earn respect and gifts for your legal services, you have some other occupation from which you make a living. A lawspeaker is a full-time lawyer for the clan or tribe. The chieftain or king respects your advice. You must be a skilled diplomat as well as a good lawyer.
You make your living from fighting, and sell your sword to whoever pays best. You know how to use a sword or axe as well as the commoner’s weapon,the spear. You can use a javelin, sling or bow and arrow to kill your enemies at a distance. Whilst most people quake with fear at battle, you are brave enough to stand your ground in the shield wall. Your war cry intimidates your enemies when you charge across the battlefield. You have fought in enough battles to understand tactics. You know how to set an ambush and can lead others in battle. You can ride a horse but likely dismount to fight, although a few clans have a tradition of fighting from horseback. If you must, you can march long distances on foot.
Most likely you are a retainer of a chief or thane and called a “huscarl” (meaning “hall person”). They feed and clothe you. You defend them and their property from enemies. You work for your lord because they are generous to you with gifts of gold and silver arm-rings, horses, and fine weapons. Earning wealth through your skill at war will make you the envy of other people. Perhaps you hope to be appointed a thane of a chief or king.
You might fight for the love of coin. A mercenary might be a huscarl, or might fight for a wealthy merchant or caravan. Or you might be a soldier in a mercenary company that fights in the many conflicts that rage through Dragon Pass. Or perhaps you fought in foreign lands and know their languages and customs. In that case you know how to survive in large battles and the tactics of foreign enemies. You know how to maneuver to the call of horn and pipe. You understand how to fight as a disciplined unit. You might have been a foot soldier wielding a two-handed axe or long spear, or you might have been an archer or slinger. Rarely, you are a cavalryperson who learned to fight with a mounted spear or bow from horseback.
You are a full-time leader of divine and magical activities. You have learned all the myths of the gods, their sacred stories and teachings. You know how to call upon the appropriate sacred story as suggested by the gods. You know the sacrifices to please the gods and to bring blessings and atone for guilt. You know how to perform divinations to determine the god’s will. You know how to cross to the other side and reach your god’s house on their holy days. If you fail in your responsibilities, your people will likely suffer terribly.
Your community chose you as a priest and they fully support you with lands, herds and a portion of all sacrifices given to the gods.
You are a poet who has memorized hundreds of stories from history and myth by rote. You know profane stories and sacred mysteries. You compose your own poems too and know the mysteries of rhythm and meter. You have a rich vocabulary full of poetic phrases, or kennings, you can call upon. You have a good singing voice and accompany your recitals with the horn, harp, or pipes. You can make people laugh with your wit. You can move people to great passion with your songs. You are more than a simple entertainer; you are the treasurer of your people’s rich oral culture. Everyone fears the bite of your satire; a skald’s wit has brought even great people low!
You probably live in a chieftain or king’s hall. You sing stories of their deeds in return for a bed, ale, and meat from the high table. You are the keeper of history, the teller of sagas and epics. When you wander, clans welcome you for the joy your stories bring. You know secrets, many secrets, hidden within your tales and stories.
You are often employed as a messenger. Your memory makes it trivial for you to recall words and details. You are skilled in choosing just the right words in negotiation. A tribal skald, in service to a king, may come and go as they please, entering any clan’s tula without fear of attack.
You are a community leader and part of the clan or tribal elite. You were appointed to your position by the clan or by the tribal king and have been given lands and herds to support you and your household. You are given armor, weapon, horses and other treasures from the clan and your lord. You might have a hall where you live with your family and retainers, who work your fields, watch over your herds, and keep your house. Or you might live in the hall of the chief or king, and farm your land and herds out to carls and cottars. You have horses and know how to ride.
You might be one of the chief ’s elite bodyguards or the leader of an important family or bloodline. Regardless, your most important responsibility is to be one of the clan’s elite military leaders. You are trained in the sword, the spear, the javelin and the bow. You can fight equally well from foot or from horseback. You are given the best weapons and armor the clan can provide: swords, chainmail, metal helmet, and heavy shield. You lead assaults and raids against the enemy, and lead the defense of the clan’s nobles in battle.
You know how to lead people and get them to do your bidding. You can speak inspiringly or bellow commands. You can spot lies and tell them if you need to. You know tactics and strategy and know how to plot and plan before acting, to win greatest advantage. And you are ruthless if you need to be: “a brave heart and bold action wins the day.”