In
the following tables I will attempt to provide a decent framework for Game
Masters to have at hand a reliable, simple way of working out slave costs. Of
course a good DM will not use these as the final word; for example how much
would a beautiful concubine with high level bard abilities cost a unscrupulous
noble? a hell of a lot more than my tables would suggest. I could have gone into
a lot of detail explaining the costs of a slave with a strength of this, a proficiency
in that, and a level of this but I wanted to keep things simple to use. The
process of acquiring slaves should be role-played out with both player and DM
and never just assumed with tables.
A slave trader would always
ask much more than a slave is worth and it would be very unlikely to part with
one for less than the base cost + modifier for a slave regardless of the slaves
condition. I would enjoy hearing some comments about my suggestions for slave
costs both good and bad. Just be aware you could suddenly find yourself in my
personal slave pit if I do not like your comments...
Class
Descriptions
Laborer
slaves make up the bulk of the slave population commonly found on Athas. This
class of slaves can be divided in to two different occupations workers
and farmers. Farmer slaves work the fields of crops and tend the herds
of carrus and kitsus that feed the cities. Nearly half of all slaves in a city
serve as farmers, enduring rigorous and hardship-laden lives.
They are considered beasts of burden, tilling the soil, weeding the
fields, and fetching water with back-breaking regularity. The worker slaves
also have just as hard jobs such as construction, mining, tree-felling, and
quarrying are some of the roles a laborer slave fills.
Domestic
servants attend to the daily needs of the households they're bound to.
Cooks, baby sitters, chamberlains, butlers, maids, and majordomos are all
examples of domestic servants. The
wealthiest slave owners keep dozens of specialized slaves to handle these
duties, while templars and lesser nobles own one slave who fills all these
roles. Most nobles have come to
rely so heavily on domestic servants that they can't accomplish anything
without them.
Tradesmen
are the various skilled artisans who are use to produce the aesthetic items
that the nobility and freemen appreciates but considers too laborious to
create for themselves. Carpenters, stone-masons, armorers, weapon-smiths,
caravan & wagon builders, artists, potters, sculptors are all fine
examples of this slave class. Some tradesmen slaves were once freemen who
through bad luck or a jealous rivals deceit came to the attention of the
cities authorities and were sold into slavery. Although many of these skilled
slaves come from caravan raids and sold on the numerous slave traders.
Soldier
slaves are servants used to bolster the regular army units of the sorcerer-
kings, nobility, and even some of the merchant houses. Often, slaves are taken
from other duties and assembled into armies when something threatens their
owners. The sorcerer-kings only raise slaves to the ranks of soldiers in time
need, for they're reluctant to keep large forces of armed slaves within city
with the exception of a select number of special units, like Nibenay's
half-giant legion. The nobility, however, does train slaves to be soldiers,
raising them from early childhood to create fighting machines loyal to their
houses. In most cases soldier slaves have little actual military training.
They receive a weapon and sent out to provide whatever help they can to the
regular soldiers.
Scholars
are a rare breed of slave kept specifically for their ability to read and
write. They are found only in the
depths of merchant house headquarters or in the service of the Shadow King of
Nibenay. Those working for merchant
lords help keep the accounts of the house. Nibenay uses his scholar slaves to
study ancient writings found in the ruins near his city. These slaves work in a university that Nibenay prepared especially for them deep in
the confines walled inner city. They
never emerge from this place, and rumors persist that texts drive them mad or
that the sorcerer-king kills them so that they don't reveal secrets they've
uncovered for him.
Concubines are slaves
kept for the physical enjoyment of their owners.
Male and female concubines live pampered existences, for they are expected
to pamper their owners in return.
They're experts in all forms of physical pleasures, but rarely viewed
as more than attractive furniture.
Some sorcerer-kings were known to keep harems of concubines, while most
nobles rarely own more than one two. Templars, however, keep as many
concubines on hand as they can afford to attend to their pleasures.
Gladiators
often receive almost as much pampering as concubines, but the end
result is vastly different. Slaves
used as gladiators are expected to provide momentary distractions from the
daily adversities of life on Athas by participating in combat for the
entertainment of the masses. Templars,
nobles, and merchant lords have gladiator stables full of powerful and highly
skilled fighting slaves. Of
course, some slaves become gladiators because of their exotic or troublesome
natures though these rarely survive more than one bout in a city arena.
In addition to the spectacle gladiators provide, wagering on the
outcomes of each contest has become big business.
