Retirement

The majority of folk dream one day of having enough, and living a calm life of leisure. For most this is not a fabulous mound of wealth, or vast tracts of land to lord over, but a simple home with a touch of space to surround it with ready nourishment and recreation. Perhaps this is a cottage on the sea, in an orchard or forest with game, or along a rich plot of garden soil that they can retire to. Few achieve it though, sustaining an illness or injury that shortens their time dramatically, or are unable to retain enough rewards for their hard work to put down the tools of their trade.   Support of theaters of mercy and common healers of the land will likely sustain most folk not seeking out or blundering into danger. Furrow Maker's blessings and similar rites ensure that few in cultured societies go hungry without dark powers inducing famine. The greatest common obstacle can be finding their place where securing the comforts and support needed can be sustained.   The great majority simply scrimp and save what they can, trading simple labors for the necessities of life. Few will achieve the wealth or influence needed to coast into leisurely retirement. Their best chance at a form of the dream is to cultivate a family who will care for them and carry the burden of their infirmity. Risks taken on this path are low, but so too are the odds of achieving the goal.   For some the life of a pensioner is an ideal culmination of this dream of retirement, achieving suitable recognition of a lord or patron served at an active age and awarded an annuity and perhaps a smallholding to enjoy it on. The surest way to such a boon for most smallfolk is to serve as a petty officer of the court or army. If you should survive such an environment for enough years of service a goodly lord will grant such favors to loyal servants. One will hope that the sense of loyalty carries on to the next heir, or there is a risk of the boon being withdrawn to reward someone else, or purchase a new gilded chamber pot instead.   More entrepreneurial spirits may take greater risks in hopes of affording their own retirement. Merchants, mercenaries, and explorers seek a series of growing payoffs that may add to or culminate in sufficiently large proceeds to purchase their own little corner of paradise. Surviving the trials along the way is the greatest hurdle for many of these adventurers, followed by the chance of being maimed early and diverted to one of the other tracks. Those souls not deterred and blessed by the gods with luck may find fortune and leisure in their waning days.