Servile Slave

Servile slaves are personal property of their owners, and serve in many different roles within the homes and businesses of their owners.

**All newly born or imported slaves are currently made into Labor Slaves. New Servile Slave characters MUST have been reclaimed in the slave reclaims.**

**All Servile Slaves must have a PC owner.**

## Overview

Servile Slaves are considered essential for any well-to-do household. Ownership of a Servile Slave is a status symbol, and typical for the middle class and higher. Upper classes and nobility usually own several; the richest nobles may own several dozens.  Servile Slaves work in a great variety of tasks - slaves owned by the middle class tend to be general servants and laborers, while nobility enjoys the ability to purchase specialized slaves, such as nannies, cooks, pleasure slaves, teachers, decorative status symbols, personal guards, and many more. If there’s a need for it, there’s probably a slave trained to fill that need.

The price of a Servile Slave varies wildly depending on training, bloodline, skillset and appearance. A Servile born of a premium bloodline and brought up by an experienced slave trader may fetch thousands, if not millions of shards. An illiterate, freshly captured Vagabond of questionable health and origin who doesn’t know any basic service skills will sell for barely a hundred.

Any private citizen can own slaves, as long as they can afford the purchase price of one. However, slave ownership is most common in the large cities of New Valore, Bloom and Opulence, and they are rarely owned by people living in small, rural villages. Harborside is notably a large settlement without a single slave. The overwhelming majority of Aodh’s slaves (of any type) live either within or in the immediate vicinity of New Valore.

Compared to Pit Fighters, Serviles generally face less physical dangers in their daily lives, and compared to Labor Slaves, they can often expect better housing and feed. While they are at the complete mercy of their owners, many Serviles consider their position relatively lucky, and some even believe themselves to be more fortunate than many free equines.

## Breeding & Pedigree

Servile Slaves are a divided bunch. Many Serviles are imported, captured or simply born without any planning, and thrust into slavery with very little means. However, where there is value, there are those seeking to profit from it - and with a thousand years of history in keeping slaves, Aodh’s Slave Traders have perfected breeding them into a fine art.

Most reputable slaver businesses breed and train their own slaves - a pedigree is considered a sign of quality and good temper, especially in comparison to the “wild” or imported slave stock. Simpler breeding operations are often small scale, relying on breeding desirable colorations and builds, as well as offering specialized training. The slave industry is not immune to fads, and certain looks and styles may come and go. The end of a particular trend may often be seen from a slave market crowded with slaves of a similar physique and color.

On the more extreme end, breeding becomes very selective. Within Aodh exist many special lineages, almost like brands of their own, from which slaves of a consistent quality and appearance are bred. These enterprises are often multi-generation projects for the Slave Traders who create them, passed on from parent to child. The prices of well-branded and marketed slaves from these lines can move in the millions of shards - more than a typical commoner makes in a lifetime. While the profits are high, the expense of breeding and trading has to be taken into account as well; most Slave Traders are not millionaires, and establishing a proper project takes decades.

A typical breeding project will buy a number of cheaper slaves of suitable color and confirmation for breeding stock, and use their own line to stud. This means the slave trader can sell most of their premium slaves rather than saving them for breeding. It also keeps the need for linebreeding at a palpable level.

The perfected products of these lines often carry names, such as Kirin Touched or Marble Drake, and have very specific traits, such as certain rarity roll traits, specific colors and markings, and sometimes even specific ornamentation. The failed attempts - which are unavoidably many - are sold out of the program at a discounted, but still notable prize. What counts as a failure depends entirely on the line.

### **Established Premium Lines**

* **Kirin Touched** - Any base color, but always have somatic markings on the topline. Always unicorns with dual gemstone horns. (Open to creation; examples: link, link, link (failed). Credited to queerly & Fauna)
* **Marble Drake** - Any base color, but always have a marbled chimera pattern. Always pegasi, always have dragon wings. (Open to creation, ask Denver. Examples: link. Credited to Denver)
* **Dragon’s Breath/Phoenix Flame Pegasi** - Red base coloration with splash, brindle and/or gulastra plume. Always pegasi, has both dragon wing and feather wing variants. (Open to creation. Examples: link. Credited to IceeNights)

## Legal Status

Slaves are considered property of their owners, and as such, do not have any rights that a citizen would have. Their possessions (accessories, familiars etc) legally belong to their owner, including any children they bear. They cannot own property, earn money, enter into contracts or marry.

This does not mean they are completely unprotected, however. As slaves are private property, damaging someone else’s slave leads to a fine proportionate to the slave’s value and the damage done - or even heftier consequences, should you happen to harm the valuable slave of some irate noble. While special circumstances (pit fights, a Chevalier wrestling down an uncooperative or escaping slave) allow some leeway, for the most part slaves do not face random abuse from strangers, and can expect to carry out their duties in relative peace.

From their owner, slaves are protected by proprietary laws - while basic disciplining is fine, taking out your anger on a slave in public is considered disturbing the peace, and may lead to a fine. Repeat offenders may face heavy fines and even jail time.

As property, slaves can be sold, rented or loaned. Slaves can have families, but owners are in no way required to keep the family unit together. The only exception to this are twins, who are never separated, and always sold as one unit.

The children born from slaves are automatically slaves themselves, regardless of the status of the other partner. If a free person carries the child of a slave, they can use deniability to allow the child to become a citizen - however, this means the slave parent can never openly be a father or mother to their child, as this would risk the discovery of their deception. This would, in almost all cases, see the citizenship of the child revoked.

## Rank Levels

* **At 25 AP** | Your life hinges on the ability to serve. You may gain your **Tier 1 Talent** early (for your first talent only).
* **At 50 AP** | You’ve received a gift from your owner, if one can call it that. Receive a **Collar** and **Fabric**.
* **At 75 AP** | They can subjugate your body, but not your mind. Receive +15 SP to your Cunning or Wisdom.
* **At 100 AP** | Whether as a reward for good behavior or simply a whim, your master has decided to grant you a pet. If your familiar spot is open, receive an **Aodhian** **Level 1 Familiar**.