[Kenash Development] How About Slaves And Freeborn?

[Gossamer]

Hi Folks!

I'd like to start several conversations. I think both Banickle and I would love to hear your thoughts on what sort of rights and regulations we should have in terms of the non-Dynasty PCs. Banickle is drafting up rules and guidelines for creating and maintaining slave PCs and Freeborns, so we'd like to hear your thoughts on them.

I know for myself, I'd like to see the slaves bought and sold among the families for various reasons. For example... one of the Dynasty PCs has a thing for a slave girl or boy and the matriarch of the family sells the slave to a rival family as punishment for the Dynasty PC not following instructions elsewhere etc.

Freeborns are a bit more tricky and need to be treated carefully. They are not going to be Dynasty folks, so privilages will be restricted. But they need enough rights they can come to the city and settle in as residents without being completely predatorized by the Dynasty folks there. So I'd like to hear thoughts on them. By taking a brand, what rights should freeborn have?

The Rujaro, the runaway slaves, are going to be the most fun of all. The Kenash staff has big plans for them. Any thoughts on those as well?

[Opal Draer]

Speaking strictly as a snobbish dynasty brat... I think that when a freeborn takes the brand, they earn the right to contribute to Kenash society in a beneficial, but non-threatening to the dynasties way. Maybe they have a limited spectrum of businesses/industries they can enter? So that the dynasties would have a corner market on certain areas, profits never to be infringed on by the great unwashed? Or perhaps, useable land being at a premium, freeborn can't buy land in Kenash? Could rent housing or business space, but ownership would be restricted to members of the original dynasties? I don't expect many freeborn are going to start in kenash with the funds to buy land in any case, but it does give freeborn a reason to pick a side/family to align themselves with. Marry in, and you can buy land.

Just some top-of-the-head stuff. Feel free to poo-poo it.

[Rathe]

I was thinking along the same lines of what Opal said, but she types faster!

I was also thinking Freeborns might not have access to certain establishments, areas of Kenash etc.

Also, what might make a freeborn "invaluable" to Kenash?

As someone who's here to learn a new type of business/trade, with the possibility of taking the idea home, I like the idea of being able to work for the families, but how far up the ladder can a Freeborn's role go?

[Opal Draer]

Hmm, I think I typed too fast. How about income restrictions? "Hey, Freeborn, come work here in Kenash and contribute to the economy, but we're only paying you a bottom-level wage - regardless of your actual skill level"...

[Rathe]

What about taxes? Is there such a thing in Kenash?

[Gossamer]

The inherent nature of the city is going to be that you Dynasty folks are going to need some competition and conflict. You'll have each other, but you'll also have those that are not in your social class ie outside influences. I dislike the ideas of limiting income or levying taxes (or what they can sell or profit) on freeborn or slaves or anyone for that matter just because we have enough complex money systems in place in Mizahar that intimidates the average player to begin with.

I don't want 'normal' players to start in Kenash at a disadvantage. I want them to start the SAME as where they would start anywhere else. Dynasty characters can start out with an advantage that doesn't stay an advantage long because if you don't show any effort with your PC within just a few short seasons, bad things are going to happen when your head of Dynasty (controlled by us mods) finds out.

Slaves' lives are going to suck. That's all there is too it. But the remarkable thing is a lot of players join Mizahar and WANT to be kicked around and play slaves. It's weird, I know, but some people are into that kind of kink, and frankly you Dynasty brats are going to have a field day with those types. I've taken to calling you Dynasty brats because each and every one of you have thus far came off delightfully snobby and superior. And truthfully we have no human place (aka city) where that can happen, which is why Kenash is definitely filling a niche. I think you guys will have fun.

I expect to see a ton of drama here. I really do. So its important to have some guidelines for different castes. But at the same time, we dont' want to discourage the free agents. We really don't. We want some loose cannons and unknowns in the city.

[Rathe]

Your post clarified things a lot. Thank you. I'm even more excited to be a Freeborn now.

It'll be nice to have some kind of rule set though. I'm glad that Banicle is drawing up guidelines for the separate groups. It'll clear things up even more.

Bring on the drama.

[Opal Draer]

In thinking about it - and I realize this isn't something that would necessarily be set down as a guideline from the get-go - it seems to me that the freeborn, or some sector of them, would be on the side of the rujaro.

So NPC-ly, there might be a need for a freeborn who is actively against doing business with the families. He'd probably grudgingly do business with a few of the families who treated their slaves better (esp. the Zulacas, where slavery isn't a life sentence?) and might downright refuse service to the more oppressive families. And, of course, the freeborn patronize his business because they get a discount (for not owning slaves? ).

Maybe the Dynasties could benefit from a little reverse discrimination?

I think this is getting off-track, but I'm going to post it anyway. Might get someone else's creative vibe on, at least. I've pretty much just gotten lost in a potential, half-fleshed-out future story arc.

[Banickle]

My take on Freeborns... Secret :

[Mitti]

Something I've been pondering... As a player, how much control and say do we have over our slave PC? Honestly, I expect very little control over what happens to Mitti. Being able to say no if someone wants to kill her, and potentially vetoing her being sold if it's something like the tenth time in a season, is the kind of control I would expect. Perhaps it's the pessimist in me, but I can foresee someone simply refusing to let their slave PC be sold. To me, that kind of defeats the purpose. Might there be a rule put into place stating that your PC can be sold x number of times a season and you can't say no to it, but the player is able to negotiate the terms such as which Dynasty the slave goes to?

That's probably more OOC inclined than what you're looking for, though.

I can picture some anti-slavery freeborn really kicking up a storm in Kenash. A true vigilante freeborn, once they've settled into Kenash, might potentially start up something similar to the underground railroad of the American south. Smuggling slaves to freedom and the like. It would take considerable time to set up of course. Dynasty members could then forbid their slaves from interacting with freeborn, if they don't already, and possibly even not allow freeborn onto the plantations.

I've been really thinking on it, but I just can't come up with anything in regards to rights/regulations/guidelines for slaves. A slave doesn't have rights, period. It's certainly possible that a Dynasty PC could bend the rules, and lull a slave into a false sense of having rights, but that can all be taken away at a moments notice by another PC or NPC. Which is as it should be.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. I hope something in there made sense, even if it's something wrong!