Chores for kids in a temple in a small D&D town?

[Pinjata]

Hey guys,

My players will start as kids in a small town. They were all adopted by local priest of Chauntea, who is kind, but quite a bit absent-minded, mostly studying his godess and praying to her.

So - what chores are logical for kids (age 15) to be tasked with in such an environment?

thanks

[tedcahill2]

Hey guys,

My players will start as kids in a small town. They were all adopted by local priest of Chauntea, who is kind, but quite a bit absent-minded, mostly studying his godess and praying to her.

So - what chores are logical for kids (age 15) to be tasked with in such an environment?

thanks

Laundry, sweeping, dusting, greeting people as they enter the temple, restocking candles and incense, cooking (which could be a huge task daily if the temple runs a "soup kitchen" or something like that for the poor in the town).

[Kaptin Keen]

At 15, you're propably long past mere gopher jobs. It's easily old enough to have begun your apprenticeship - carving statues, copying and/or illuminating scrolls, digging graves, performing whatever round-the-clock rituals and prayers the faith in question requires, and so on. Writing penny blessings on slips of paper for the gullible faithful to buy.

[SirGraystone]

15 years old is mostly adult in the medieval time, so they would do most job adults could do. Chauntea being the goddess of agriculture, I would see a lot of working the land and gardening in their daily life.

[Lord of he Dank]

You could also make them spend most of their time fixing something that was broken in a recent event, or ensuing a large and very symbolic tree is ready for the coming harvest festival, if you wanted something with a little world building.

[Honest Tiefling]

15 years old is mostly adult in the medieval time, so they would do most job adults could do.

I think this would make things more interesting, if you are doing what I think you are doing. Someone keeps the few old tomes of cracked yellow parchment repaired and tries to teach younger kids how to read and write, or possibly even keep track of the money of the temple due to the priest's failing memory. Another does farmwork which is hard but they have a burly strength score. Another tends to animals and knows simple herbalism. Another has learned to forage and scout because they are a rebal and the priest isn't their REAL DAD STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO. Presumably they are being trained for various jobs.

I like the idea of tending to a sacred tree, as that can also be a plot point later. It would be pretty funny if the party had to keep something from catching on fire as opposed to trying to light it on fire themselves.

[Cespenar]

There can be some physically very grown 15 year olds, so you could give them positively anything, I'd wager. A bit dark, but to make a point: historically there have been many findings of 12-15 year old "soldiers" in battlefields even as far as the 19th century. Middle ages would be a lot less picky. Basically, if you had your growth spurt, you'd be an "adult" for all intents and purposes.

Now, age 10 or 8 would be a different story.

The farming-gardening idea mentioned above is a good one for Chauntea, for example.

[Cluedrew]

Between aging "faster" and the fact that the upper clergy seems small (and hands off) they are probably actually running the temple on a day to day level at this point. From other replies Chauntea seems to be a farming god, so they might have the list of the fields that need a blessing and help organize any regular services, get supplies the temple needs from market and collect donations. The priest probably organizes any festivals or special events, but even then they probably would help out there a lot.

Not to mention if their are any younger adoptees they are probably looking after them as well. All the household tasks, because they live there after all, fall to them to do or see done.

[LibraryOgre]

Hey guys,

My players will start as kids in a small town. They were all adopted by local priest of Chauntea, who is kind, but quite a bit absent-minded, mostly studying his godess and praying to her.

So - what chores are logical for kids (age 15) to be tasked with in such an environment?

thanks

15 years old? Pretty much anything. While they aren't fully adult, I tend to agree that they'll have almost all of the low-level work in their hands, depending on their talents. Some might be overseeing littles, but I wouldn't be surprised if that fell on the even younger kids (i.e. 12-13), while the 14 and 15 year olds were doing pretty much anything that requires hands, but not a ton of experience or power.

[jayem]

In one narrative the servant's (possibly young men and the main priests sons) ought to arrange the priests share of the meat from the sacrifice, (in practice they cheated and got it before, so they could cook it fancily). They also took the holy objects to a battle to encourage the soldiers.
An even younger servant (left by the parents) at least slept near the lamp and image* (presumably keeping some kind of watch), opened the temple doors, and was presumably open to instructions from the priest. And 'ministered' wearing priestly robes.
There were also women who served at the entrance somehow (and in the narrative the 'young men' were sleeping with them), quite what either arrangement was is left unclear.

*modified slightly as the narrative is based on real world religions.

[redwizard007]

At 15? They are doing everything short of performing service. Cutting wood, gardening, clearing land, sowing seed, repairing fences and roofs, and old carts, weeding, harvesting, tending livestock, slaughtering and butchering livestock, hunting, cooking, tending the younger kids, caring for the elderly, running messages and errands, cleaning, painting, scribing, aiding pilgrims, training for battle, treating the sick and injured (with oversight,) picking up rumors for the clergy, stoking the fire, acting as alter boy or the equivalent, beginning training for a career...

[denthor]

What do you want them to become in the future of game. The chores are really just skill sets. Or put another way if 3.5 or pathfinder these are the skills they have cooking listen/ perception. Knowledge..., profession ...

Climb what ever skill you want them to have

[Personification]

Saying as this is D&D, if the priest is actually a full cleric of any level they are most likely, in addition to all of the other chores that people have pointed out, practicing and memorizing the hymns, chants, and rituals required to perform cantrips and even maybe first level spells.