Ponos, in Greek mythology, was the god of labor, toil, of hardship. Labor, hard work, wasn’t just something you have to do, but a virtue — something divine that defines the character of a person. Egyptians saw works as essential to the maintenance of the harmony of the universe. Greek myth has the Labors of Heracles, the voyage of Odyssey, Sisyphus’ punishment — work so difficult that it requires the aid of the gods, themselves. 

This notion of work being tied to the order of the universe is an idea people have forgotten. Work is just there to make a living. But heroes — their work should move the world, set things right (or tear them down). That kind of work is hard it’s a burden (day 5) — something more than just a mundane day at the shops. It takes resolve (day 8), it brings loss (day 12) and strain (day 13) that requires endurance (day 15), and grit (day 22). It can’t just be a milk run: a labour is something for people to remember for the ages.

In a fantasy game, these labours can build up — from the small, clearing out bandits around a town or destroying a seemingly-unkillable monster; to going through to raiding Hades or destroying that ultimate evil.