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Okay, I have a few questions that really don't connect much at all:
1. Is slavery legal/tolerated within Solku? I got a definite vibe from Dark Markets(while I had it, all my LoF stuff has gone over to a friend who's running Legacy of Fire for us) that slavery wouldn't exactly be popular among the populace, considering the strong Sarenraen following and the slave raids that saw their people sold in the city of Katapesh.
2. Sarenrae in Osirion. I thought she was one of the more popular gods in Osirion, but I've seen mentions here and there of pogroms against her worshippers at some point. Was this just at the time leading up to the assassination of the Qadiran ruler by the Dawncult, or is worshipping Sarenrae still unpopular in the country? Is Sarenrae's church allowed within Osirion? I had thought Osirion was one of the major centers of Sarenrae worship until recently.
3. Nexian demographics. Nex's population is primarily Garundi with Keleshites coming in second, right? Is there any ethnic classism at work that would keep the Mwangi, Chelish, and other ethnicities out of Nexian high society? Or is one's place in society more dependant on one's skill, wealth, and power?
4. Slavery in Nex. Is it prevalent? Considering their neighbors, I assumed so, but then again with it being Magic Land it seems the perceived need for forced labor would be lessened.
5. Freeing a slave in Katapesh and Osirion. How difficult would it be? Are there any legal hurdles one must jump through, or is it as simple as their owner declaring them free?
6. Is it possible for a town within Katapesh's borders to declare a ban on slavery or slave-trading within its walls?
7. Do you figure Sarenrae and/or her church would be cool with someone technically owning slaves but giving them as much freedom as he can get away with AND paying them for their work? And if so, do you think a paladin of Sarenrae could manage this without compromising their code?
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8. And on that same subject, what even constitutes legal enslavement in Katapesh? Is it just a matter of anyone too weak or unable to defend themselves from slavers being fair game, or are citizens afforded some form of protection? The city of Katapesh didn't seem to have any trouble buying the citizens of Solku from gnolls way back when, and gnolls are still taking slaves from Solku as recently as nine years ago.
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**Remembered to copy before I hit POST- and good thing! It would have been eaten by the Post Monster**
Well, I think an interesting thing is also to define the nature of the slavery. For example the life of a slave in Rome was substantially different from the slaves of America.
Now, granted, I could be very wrong here, my reading of ancient slavery is somewhat limited. I studied Latin in high school and we studied slavery only in passing (public school and all so don't want to upset anyone). In college we discussed various forms of slavery in philosophy. And I have read a book or two that dealt with slavery on a tangential level. In other words, I am NO EXPERT on ancient slavery.
That being said, my understanding of ancient slavery is that the slave's life was much different from what many imagine. Slaves worked many hours during the day as laborers for their masters at no pay. But they did have free time in which they could wander the city and earn money on their own. They could use their earned money to buy out their slavery, though the costs were usually so high they could never actually do so. The life of an ancient slave was no picnic though. They could be beaten and abused by cruel masters, though outright murder of a slave was discouraged and usually prosecuted as damage to someone's property.
Compared to the life of a slave in America the nature of slavery is very different. Slaves were often (not always) kept confined, their movements limited and restricted. They had no possible way to earn money. They had no leisure time except when they were not being worked. Punishments for abusing slaves were lax, and beatings were regular and normal.
Additionally a major difference in slavery was the nature of who was to be enslaved. Ancient slavery usually resulted from either being defeated in battle or as punishment. American slavery was based solely upon the color of one's skin. While I do not believe either form is correct, these qualifications are vastly different.
The defined nature of slavery in the game changes the flavor of slavery to a great degree. Slavery is still slavery, but like I said the flavor, the tone, the fluff changes. Perhaps the change is as subtle as reprehensible to vile.
You have also to consider the different nature of the service a slave in ancient Rome was obliged to do. A slave who teached his master's children, a galley slave or a worker in a stone quarry - they were all slaves, but their lives were quite different.
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So, where did I put this blasted key?
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Katapesh doesn't really strike me as the place where slaves typically have protection of any sort though, save as being someone's property and thus illegal to damage/kill by anyone but their owner. It seems like more of a free-for-all.
If it is legal in Nex though, that country seems the sort to be more "progressive" in that area.
I kind of imagine Osirion falling in-between. I can't help but imagine the vast majority of Osirion's slave population being native Osirianis and that enslavement could be seen as a form of duty to pharaoh, gods, and country.
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3. Nexian demographics. Nex's population is primarily Garundi with Keleshites coming in second, right? Is there any ethnic classism at work that would keep the Mwangi, Chelish, and other ethnicities out of Nexian high society? Or is one's place in society more dependant on one's skill, wealth, and power?
4. Slavery in Nex. Is it prevalent? Considering their neighbors, I assumed so, but then again with it being Magic Land it seems the perceived need for forced labor would be lessened.
As I understand Nex, there is a built-in bias towards arcane proficiency. A Chelish or whatever 'ex-pat' with significant arcane power would have much greater status than a full-blooded Garundi blacksmith. But the country isn't a magocracy, either, so 'old families' of Garundi might have mercantile and other means of non-arcane status, and consider our hypothetical Chelish conjuror a bit of an upstart, a 'nouvou riche' sort, hobnobbing above his station (or, a sign of the decline of standards in the nation, that he has such influence merely as a result of his arcane standing, as if breeding no longer counted for anything, they might grouse over brandy).
Magical labor, particularly if limited to golems and animated objects, isn't cheap, and I could see arcanists of standing purchasing slaves to construct their ivory towers and shelve books in their libraries and teach their children to read and write, just as so many real-world cultures have.
7. Do you figure Sarenrae and/or her church would be cool with someone technically owning slaves but giving them as much freedom as he can get away with AND paying them for their work? And if so, do you think a paladin of Sarenrae could manage this without compromising their code?
In Golarion, Sarenrae is the primary faith of the nations most active in the slave-trade, so I'm not sure if she's really all that 'agin it.' It's possible that slaves taken *officially* in areas under Sarenrae's watchful eye tend to be the sorts of people who become slaves under contract, in some cases selling themselves into a couple of years of servitude to be absolved of debts, or in repayment for crimes, or to earn some boon for their family (and, yeah, they could be pressured into that, and not really have a choice, like the teen girl 'sold' to another family as a bride to a much older man to cement a political alliance, but it would still have the *appearance* of being all legal and on the up and up). Sarenrae's faithful might regard that sort of slavery, self-chosen terms of servitude to pay off debts (whether real financial debts, or debts to society), to be honorable and just, and encourage the faithful to treat such individuals fairly, honoring their choice to take responsibility for their misdeeds (or just their bad financial situation).
But with so many slaves, *many* are no doubt bought from dubious sources, and it's difficult, if not impossible, to verify whether or not they should be slaves, or that they chose the terms of their service. If any slave could just say to a new owner, 'No, I never agreed to this!' and get released immediately, it would be argued that slavery as an institution would cease to exist, as every slave, no matter their circumstances, would 'avoid justice' and 'break their obligations' by claiming false imprisonment or to have been kidnapped by gnolls and sold in Katapesh or whatever. And so the law would be quite strict about slaves serving out their full term, and the many slaves who *were* kidnapped by gnolls, or sold by their family without their consent, or just nabbed in a dark alley and tossed on a boat, would find themselves with few sympathetic ears for their tales of woe... They might instead be regarded as 'complainers' and 'ingrates, who don't understand the opportunity they have been given to make restitution and better themselves' and whatnot.
In any event, I could see a Paladin, in a culture steeped in the traditions of Sarenrae, that nevertheless strongly supports slavery as an institution, accepting the place of that institution. Such a Paladin would be *very* inflexible on matters of honorable intent, and credible evidence that a slave of theirs *was* wrongly shackled would lead to the Paladin taking steps to not only free the slave, but also seek out the merchants who sold them and have them held accountable to the law, as they weren't just 'selling fraudulent goods,' they were engaged in *kidnapping.* Indeed, the law in a slave-society might contain an ironic option for someone who falsely sells another into slavery to have to pay their debt by serving time equal to that of those they have falsely sold!
But still, society being what is it, such a Paladin wouldn't last long if they ran around the street questioning every slave as to their status, any more than a Paladin in a standard medieval setting would last if they spent the game trying to enforce various laws on passersby in Greyhawk or Waterdeep. Faced with injustice, the Paladin must act. But a Paladin, even if they don't personally like a law of their community, can't just run around attacking people and stealing stuff (and that's what freeing slaves would count as in some societies, theft of property, while in others, it would be regarded as more 'theft of services' or causing a 'breach of contract,' a euphemism that would probably be commonplace in Cheliax, where slavery would likewise probably be euphemized as 'contract service').
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I have to admit, that's one of the main reasons I'm eagerly awaiting the Qadira book, to see if it elaborates on the relationship between Sarenrae, her faithful, and slavery in that nation. While I can easily imagine the arrangement you've described, there's also things like Sedeq(as described in the Campaign Setting: "where slaves are broken").
I'm hoping it's touched on at least.
Yes, there are notes on the relationship between the church of Sarenrae and slavery. It is not a concise treatise, but notes scattered here and there, but it is interesting. In Quadira, Sarenrae is seen as a somewhat more cruel goddess (in contrast to the picture people have in other lands), but her good and caring aspect prevails.
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So, where did I put this blasted key?
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Yes, there are notes on the relationship between the church of Sarenrae and slavery. It is not a concise treatise, but notes scattered here and there, but it is interesting. In Quadira, Sarenrae is seen as a somewhat more cruel goddess (in contrast to the picture people have in other lands), but her good and caring aspect prevails.
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So, where did I put this blasted key?
Oh man, NEED. I'm always big on seeing how different cultures in settings percieve the same gods.
I kind of figured Sarenrae's focus in the area was more on keeping an eye on the Pit of Gormuz, hence the harsher vibe. Looks like I'll get to see if I was close.