by Lord Anthony Marsaela
Traditionally, it’s one of the worst fates that a person can imagine. To become a slave in the tropical heat of Moraithe. Although most of us know that slavery is a reality in that land, few of us know much about the whys and hows of the establishment.
Slavery is not an uncommon practice throughout the world. The Sereg and many fae have taken humans as slaves for as long as we’ve existed, and in provinces such as Japura, Shavay, Lantrielle, and Tirané, humans keep humans as readily as they keep animals.
Moraithe, however, offers us a different perspective on this particular cultural artifact, for the reason that it is the only province that has successfully established slavery from a Masallan standpoint.
In Masalla, where the Moraithians originally emigrated from, slavery has long been outlawed. So it was a breach of cultural standards for those first Moraithians to even consider keeping slaves.
How did it all begin?
When the Masallan explorers arrived on the shores of Moraithe, they discovered a land that both repulsed and intrigued. Its lush fruits, heady beauty, and exotic splendor lured them in, while the dangerous denizens of the jungle urged them to find another land. The intrigue proved more powerful.
Among the dangers of the thick and twisting jungles were a strange, dark people who lived among the steaming leaves. These were the Native Moraithians, the original human race present on the isle. They were an unusual people, difficult to comprehend for the Masallan mind. But they also knew the ways of the jungle – which fruits were poisonous, which were delicious, which plants cured disease, and which plants harbored it. The Masallans, in their warfare with these people, soon learned that if captured, the Native Moraithian could be made into a sort of ‘pet’, which, after some means of communication were established, could do much to lessen the dangers and discomforts of the isle.
Early on, then, the Moraithians began keeping slaves. When they decided to become their own province, they realized that the gifts of their isle could make them quite wealthy if trade could be established. The most determined among them staked out claims of land and used the forced labor of native slaves to clear the jungle and plant specific trees that would bear fruit of the most popular varieties. The plantations were born, and it was during that time that the first of the non-native slaves was used.
From the journals of Keran Asenelle –
My slaves brought in a man who had wandered out of the jungle. He was obviously of Masallan descent, with a pack and sword that marked him an explorer of some sort. He was quite ill, and I set my servants to nursing him back to health. Well, a bit of asking around discovered that he was not an ‘official’ explorer, for no one had heard his name. And I suddenly gained a novel idea. He was, after all, much more strongly built than any of my slight natives. Why not keep him as a slave? And so I did!
It was the birth of a tradition. These explorers and adventurers kept arriving on the isle, lured by tales of its beauty and danger. Most of them were of low birth, and would only be assumed dead if they didn’t return home. A thin set of chains and they were quite effective at clearing, planting, and harvesting, with the added advantage that the communication problems, so difficult to surmount with the natives, were non-existent.
Before long, however, word leaked out that Masallans were being kept as slaves, and when King Avorine the First demanded an explanation for the accusations, Moraithe was faced with a choice – either free their slaves, or, taking the newly discovered province of Lantrielle as their role model, they could make the establishment of slavery official and legal.
Having much to lose in relinquishing their slaves, the Moraithians chose the latter tactic. As no one of royal significance had been taken as a slave, King Avorine at last decided to stay out of the affairs of Moraithe. He did, however, present them with the Proclamation of Masallan Citizen’s Freedom, which stated that Moraithe was not to enslave any citizen of Masalla. The proclamation was written and delivered, primarily for political reasons, and has not, to this day, been enforced.
Once official, slavery became a growing business in Moraithe, with new slaves delivered to Boroth by professional slave capturers and sold to plantation owners. Before long, as the occasional beautiful or highly talented slave was brought to market, wealthy people of the city began to purchase slaves to act in the stead of servants. This not only saved gold over time for the owners of the slaves, but also became a matter of prestige among one’s peers. Slavers soon grew quite selective in their captures, knowing that a single quality slave could bring as much gold as four or more lesser slaves.
Today the problems of slavery continue to be many, not the least of which is angry people from other provinces who are family or friends of the captured person. Moraithe has thus developed a complex system to ensure that any problems be minimized.
A slave must first be captured. Most slavers take precautions to make sure that their slaves are ‘clean’ of ties. They capture people who are alone- hunting in the forests, fishing along a lonely shore, or walking alone in the city at night. Or, doubling as pirates, they take a ship and kill many of the passengers and crew, bringing the ‘prime’ slave material back to Boroth. In any case, it is their desire that the disappearance of the person will be attributed to other causes.
The slave is then assessed, for he or she must be marketed in one of two places. Boroth takes the bulk of the slaves, who are destined for work in the plantations or service in any of the lesser houses of the cities. Truly exceptional slaves, however, who possess great beauty and highly developed talents, are taken to Staladin, where the High Market sells to the wealthiest people of the isle. It is not unknown for a slave to sell from the High Market block for more than a million silver coins. Usually, of course, a normal slave destined for the fields sells for about four thousand silver.
Staladin has but a single slave house, while Boroth has over twenty of various sizes. Depending on the house the slave is initially sold to, they will go through a different process. But in general, the slave is first held in a cell for a period of a few days, in order for the sellers to get an idea of the slave’s temperament and emotional state. During this period, the slave will receive some basic education regarding the nature of Moraithian slavery. They’ll learn what will be expected of them, what rights they possess, and are also encouraged to put on the best show that they can when they’re up for auction. They are told that the better price they fetch, the better family they will go to.
This holding period also gives the sellers a chance to research the background of their new slave in order to ascertain whether the slave is from an especially noble or renowned family. Such slaves, of noble blood, are referred to as "well-blooded". If such a fact is learned, the sellers can either take the dangerous road and sell the slave anyway, fetching a remarkably high price, or they can inform the family that their son/daughter/etc. has been delivered to them as a slave, and return the person to their family. This action is usually accompanied by a letter which sets the blame of capture upon pirates, expounds upon the heroic and responsible research done by the slave house, and requests a good sum of gold to cover the various expenses of ‘rescuing’ their loved one.
Then comes time to make the person into an official slave. Two things mark a person as a Moraithian slave – a slave tattoo and an official record that stays in the possession of the slave house. Under Moraithian law, once a person is recorded as a slave, they are forever a slave, unless they purchase their records from their slave house. Thus, an escaped slave, even if they have been living in freedom for tens of years, could still be captured as an escaped slave if they lay their shadow upon Moraithe.
The records consist of a description of the slave’s appearance and skills, a name (usually the real first name of the slave – surnames are discarded), and a note telling which type of slave tattoo the person receives.
The tattoo, more than anything, instills in a person the sense of slavery. The Moraithian slave tattoo, most believe, consists of a trailing vine that begins upon one finger and loops up the wrist and forearm. It is quite lovely, with delicate leaves and flowers, and is thought to enhance the attractiveness of a slave considerably. What people don’t know is that there are twenty-three variations of the tattoo, each made different by the presence of a small insect, flower, or animal hidden in the vines, discernable only to the trained eye. A slave’s description, coupled with one of these tattoos, securely marks them from all other slaves.
The application of the tattoo also serves as a devastating psychological tool – it imbues a sense of permanence to the person’s situation, at a time when they are likely still thinking of escape.
The Boroth slave is now ready to be sold, raw, to be put to work in the plantations, while the Staladin slave has a moon or more of training ahead of them, where they will learn how to cook, clean, and act with etiquette. They may also receive education in numbers, history, languages, or any variety of other skills and knowledge. If you purchase a slave in Staladin, you can expect a slave of great talent, who is already knowledgeable of what it means to be a slave.
There are numerous laws in place to protect a slave from unscrupulous masters, including prohibitions against severe beatings, forced sexual contact, and various cruelties. These prohibitions, however, are largely unenforced, as a slave must plead their case against their master. Such an undertaking can be extremely difficult for a slave who is bound to the master’s property and might suffer severe repercussions if their case fails. Still, a few famous cases, most of which saw repeated accusations by numerous slaves, have resulted in the former master being bound into slavery themselves.
The last step for a slave before they find themselves with their master or mistress is to be placed upon the auction block. Wise slaves follow the suggestions of their house-masters, and put on the best show they can. It’s a general truth that if a slave fetches a higher price, they will be considered more valuable property, and will probably receive better treatment. Still, emotions can get out of control on the block, and it’s not rare to see tears, anger, or vivid fear in the eyes of the slave to be sold.
Of course, not all slaves run so smoothly through this process. Some captures refuse to submit to slavery, and make every attempt possible to escape or to kill their keepers. Such slaves are placed in confinement until they resolve to correct their behavior – it is rumored that some, belligerent to the end, die after literally years of confinement. When complaints are lodged against such practices, the slave houses argue that they have no choice. If they let even one person go free due to poor behavior, word would soon spread that giving trouble would win a slave freedom.
The reality of a slave’s life after being sold can vary greatly. Plantation slaves look forward to a fairly rough existence, even in the best of plantations. The work is hard under the hot sun, and the dangers of the jungle always threaten. The average plantation owner can expect to lose at least ten slaves a year to heat, venom, attempted escape, or sickness. On the other extreme, a slave sold in Staladin to a wealthy household might wear the finest of clothes, have the freedom to walk throughout the city on errands, and may even receive gold from their master or mistress. Such a life can be quite easy, especially as some slaves are kept mainly for their beauty and witty personality. These slaves have little more than being pleasant on their list of responsibilities.
While the institution of slavery is not, perhaps, the terrible nightmare imagined by some, it still is a controversial subject, and one which grows more so whenever a slave is captured who has family and friends elsewhere in the world. Moraithe has its share of problems with mercenaries and angry families that come to ‘recover’ their charges or loved ones. In one recent case, a Masallan lord, whose name was not high enough to save his daughter from slavery, sailed over to the jungled isle. He confronted the girl's master, a plantation owner of much influence, and slew him. The lord is currently being held in the Staladin dungeons, but an outraged gathering of lords from Masalla is applying pressure that he be surrendered, and the daughter returned, as well. Such events, and the decisions made regarding them, play a large part in the ever-shifting tides of Moraithian slavery.