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Thoughts On Slavery
A Brief Overview
A Brief Overview
[OOC:]
Slavery In Kaiphen
A Turbulent Past
It is unknown exactly whether Eypharians of the past kept slaves. After the Valterrian much information was lost, and in the 100 years spent in the tunnels and cellars any slaves (if indeed there were any in pre-Valterrian Eypharian society) would surely have taken the opportunity to cast off their chains and live a life of relative freedom. However, when the Eypharian race began to emerge again from under the desert, it became more and more desirable to have slave workers. Life in the beginning was tough for everyone involved- there was no chance for luxury or wealth, as the city needed to be rebuilt. Eypharian hands laid the first stones of the city, but as it developed and grew and society as a whole became better off, the need for slaves increased to work the jobs that the more wealthy eschewed.
In the beginning, slaves were simply the poorest in society, those who were starving, destitute, ill and dying. They were taken into the homes of the better off and allowed a place to stay, on the condition that they work for a living. Without payment, these citizens were destined for a life of slavery without many means of escape. It was an unfortunate life, but a necessary one. However, the cultural climate began to favour the Eypharian race, so much so that those Eypharians who were poor and destitute were usually given more chances to succeed, and as a result they started to avoid slavery altogether.
The attention turned to foreigners such as humans, who were now a more common sight in the city due to increased curiosity and wealth across Mizahar. They were often treated with contempt due to not being Eypharian, and it was easy to turn this contempt to outright capture into forced slavery. Any traveller that was not a trader was forced into slavery in this manner. But although this practice worked for a time, these slaves were restless, aggressive and rightly thought the practice was unfair. After a handful of expensive and disruptive uprisings, forced slavery of travellers was hastily smothered as uprisings threatened the economical stability of the city and trade began to falter. This allowed foreigners peace of mind again as they returned to the city (albeit with some wariness).
Yet now there was a problem. Eypharian slaves were few and far between, and the practice of ensnaring foreign travellers was stopped, meaning that foreign slaves were becoming rarer and rarer also. So a debate raged in the council until a solution was proposed that tried to offer the best of both worlds.
1) Criminals (excluding murderers, who were executed) were to be put through three steps of conditioning, and then sold into slavery as both punishment for their crimes and a way to better themselves through honest work. For Eypharians, there was always a chance to become a free citizen again as well, provided they proved themselves worthy through certain actions.
2) Visitors to the city were required to work as servants for half a year before they were allowed to seek their own employment. Although this is not as cheap as slavery, these well-travelled and thus usually more wealthy/skilled visitors were usually housed with more well-off families, where although they work a menial job, their intriguing tales and unique view of life were absorbed readily and they were often (not always) treated with kindness. However, if a visitor was proven to have not fitted in well, or had broken the law, mistreated their employers or otherwise got into the 'bad books', then they were to be made into a slave permanently, as a punishment for their crimes.
3) If you find yourself in financial difficulty, you were allowed to sell yourself into slavery, where you would have a secure and guaranteed life. This practice was usually done to alleviate family financial difficulties.
The numbers of slaves began to increase, but there were still teething problems. These swept the city into a slave uprising in the year of 437 AV, with many casualties. Prior to this, slaves were still treated with a great degree of injustice, where many of the rules were twisted or outright ignored and beatings were frequent. Those that were working as servants were often treated as slaves, and some owners would refuse to let them leave once that half year was over, and would instead make up a crime so that their servant would be forced to become a slave. But since that year, it became imperative to treat slaves well. Slaves have been important to Kaiphen since before many can remember, and to avoid further heartache, misery and blood-loss many Eypharians know that it is important to look after the ones that are keeping the city afloat.
The Three Steps
1) Discipline
Slave Training & Acquisition
An Overview
There are two slave training encampments in Kaiphen. Both are old companies, formed many years ago in Kaiphen's past. One, the Soltza Company, is run and owned by the family of the Alazar, although the Alazar herself no longer has quite the same amount of power in the company. The second is run by a maverick named Muuna Fula, and is a place of sadness and a kind of twisted hope.
The Soltza Company
The Soltza Company is both a slaving business and a trading company, and is run by Powel Soltza, who took over the reigns when his sister became Alazar. They sell salt to other Mizaharian cities, and buy jewels from Riverfall [tbd]. Their company headquarters is located near the docks, and is where new slaves are housed and trained, before either being sold straight to the buyer or being sold on to the Aratazium Market. -OOC-The Aratazium Market is the general slave market for Kaiphen
The Chorad
Sometimes called the Kindly Captor, Muuna is the charismatic, down-to-earth woman with a soft voice and delightful smile who runs and manages the Chorad. She offers a service to the poorest in society. It is a service that is unpalatable for most, but the only option for some, which is why it is necessary. She pays mizas to take in young children that parents cannot support. She raises the children as if they are her own, teaching them, giving them a trade skill, giving them food and water and a life that they would otherwise have struggled to achieve. The only drawback is that they never lead a free life. Muuna raises the children until they are 16, and then sells them into the slave market.
- As it is apparent that slavery is an important feature of Kaiphen's history, present, and future I thought it was a good idea to listen to Sayana & Rhodri and see if I could work out how any issues might be addressed. Therefore, here is a rough (read: very rough) draft of the history of slavery in the city and it's current state. Any feedback would be welcomed.
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-Note-
I did consider whether visitors to the city would all have to become slaves, but decided that it was a) too unfair in an IC way, and b) would likely deter players from visiting/roleplaying in the city. Obviously there is a delicate balance between making a believable IC history and making a city that is accessible for players. Thanks for all your suggestions!
Slavery In Kaiphen
A Turbulent Past
It is unknown exactly whether Eypharians of the past kept slaves. After the Valterrian much information was lost, and in the 100 years spent in the tunnels and cellars any slaves (if indeed there were any in pre-Valterrian Eypharian society) would surely have taken the opportunity to cast off their chains and live a life of relative freedom. However, when the Eypharian race began to emerge again from under the desert, it became more and more desirable to have slave workers. Life in the beginning was tough for everyone involved- there was no chance for luxury or wealth, as the city needed to be rebuilt. Eypharian hands laid the first stones of the city, but as it developed and grew and society as a whole became better off, the need for slaves increased to work the jobs that the more wealthy eschewed.
In the beginning, slaves were simply the poorest in society, those who were starving, destitute, ill and dying. They were taken into the homes of the better off and allowed a place to stay, on the condition that they work for a living. Without payment, these citizens were destined for a life of slavery without many means of escape. It was an unfortunate life, but a necessary one. However, the cultural climate began to favour the Eypharian race, so much so that those Eypharians who were poor and destitute were usually given more chances to succeed, and as a result they started to avoid slavery altogether.
The attention turned to foreigners such as humans, who were now a more common sight in the city due to increased curiosity and wealth across Mizahar. They were often treated with contempt due to not being Eypharian, and it was easy to turn this contempt to outright capture into forced slavery. Any traveller that was not a trader was forced into slavery in this manner. But although this practice worked for a time, these slaves were restless, aggressive and rightly thought the practice was unfair. After a handful of expensive and disruptive uprisings, forced slavery of travellers was hastily smothered as uprisings threatened the economical stability of the city and trade began to falter. This allowed foreigners peace of mind again as they returned to the city (albeit with some wariness).
Yet now there was a problem. Eypharian slaves were few and far between, and the practice of ensnaring foreign travellers was stopped, meaning that foreign slaves were becoming rarer and rarer also. So a debate raged in the council until a solution was proposed that tried to offer the best of both worlds.
1) Criminals (excluding murderers, who were executed) were to be put through three steps of conditioning, and then sold into slavery as both punishment for their crimes and a way to better themselves through honest work. For Eypharians, there was always a chance to become a free citizen again as well, provided they proved themselves worthy through certain actions.
2) Visitors to the city were required to work as servants for half a year before they were allowed to seek their own employment. Although this is not as cheap as slavery, these well-travelled and thus usually more wealthy/skilled visitors were usually housed with more well-off families, where although they work a menial job, their intriguing tales and unique view of life were absorbed readily and they were often (not always) treated with kindness. However, if a visitor was proven to have not fitted in well, or had broken the law, mistreated their employers or otherwise got into the 'bad books', then they were to be made into a slave permanently, as a punishment for their crimes.
3) If you find yourself in financial difficulty, you were allowed to sell yourself into slavery, where you would have a secure and guaranteed life. This practice was usually done to alleviate family financial difficulties.
The numbers of slaves began to increase, but there were still teething problems. These swept the city into a slave uprising in the year of 437 AV, with many casualties. Prior to this, slaves were still treated with a great degree of injustice, where many of the rules were twisted or outright ignored and beatings were frequent. Those that were working as servants were often treated as slaves, and some owners would refuse to let them leave once that half year was over, and would instead make up a crime so that their servant would be forced to become a slave. But since that year, it became imperative to treat slaves well. Slaves have been important to Kaiphen since before many can remember, and to avoid further heartache, misery and blood-loss many Eypharians know that it is important to look after the ones that are keeping the city afloat.
The Three Steps
1) Discipline
- -First, a slave must know discipline. Life as a slave is very different to life as a freeman. Your time is not your own to spend how you wish, and other tasks that you might known about are now your daily life. The first step in any new slaves training then, is discipline. Violent slaves are punished where necessary, but always taught and convinced that this new life is better for them. Sometimes trainers utilise hypnotism to ease the more difficult slaves into their new life. It is vitally important that every slave knows that they are only in the situation they are in due to their own faults or problems, but that if they work well they will have a good life.
- -Discipline is embedded into everyday life for a new slave. This is brought into practice through lessons. A path is chosen for the slave, sometimes based on a pre-existing skill but otherwise chosen depending on what is in demand, and they are given training in these tasks. This happens until they can do it naturally, without complaints, escape, or errors. Slaves-in-training are never usually trained away from the slavers they are associated with.
- -Throughout, it is important that slaves are treated with kindness. Of course, these individuals are seen as lesser by some of the population, but that does not mean you should treat them poorly. Although unsavoury behaviour towards slaves does still sometimes happen, slaves are required to be treated with kindness, and made to feel comfortable. This is to ensure that they do not have an uprising more than actually caring about their wellbeing, but there is an illusion of care that must be upheld if slaves are to be the productive workers the city needs.
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Slave Training & Acquisition
An Overview
There are two slave training encampments in Kaiphen. Both are old companies, formed many years ago in Kaiphen's past. One, the Soltza Company, is run and owned by the family of the Alazar, although the Alazar herself no longer has quite the same amount of power in the company. The second is run by a maverick named Muuna Fula, and is a place of sadness and a kind of twisted hope.
The Soltza Company
The Soltza Company is both a slaving business and a trading company, and is run by Powel Soltza, who took over the reigns when his sister became Alazar. They sell salt to other Mizaharian cities, and buy jewels from Riverfall [tbd]. Their company headquarters is located near the docks, and is where new slaves are housed and trained, before either being sold straight to the buyer or being sold on to the Aratazium Market. -OOC-The Aratazium Market is the general slave market for Kaiphen
The Chorad
Sometimes called the Kindly Captor, Muuna is the charismatic, down-to-earth woman with a soft voice and delightful smile who runs and manages the Chorad. She offers a service to the poorest in society. It is a service that is unpalatable for most, but the only option for some, which is why it is necessary. She pays mizas to take in young children that parents cannot support. She raises the children as if they are her own, teaching them, giving them a trade skill, giving them food and water and a life that they would otherwise have struggled to achieve. The only drawback is that they never lead a free life. Muuna raises the children until they are 16, and then sells them into the slave market.
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