Serfdom in Greyhawk

[haakon1]

A while back (years ago), we had a discussion of social classes. I copied & pasted it into my campaigns' resource document, and people like it.

But I realized I have a gap -- I didn't define where serfdom and slavery, are part of the social system, and where they are not.
Here's my personal guesses. What do you think?

Baklunish West:
-- Serfdom: Doesn't officially exist
-- Slavery: All countries for war captives, but next generation is supposedly born free, at least in the civilized countries. In Ull, the Plains of the Paynims, and the Tiger Nomads, the rules on slavery are informal, and it's more or less hereditary.

Great Kingdom:
-- GK tradition was serfdom. Slavery was rare, typically for war captives.
-- Iron League abolished serfdom and slavery in their lands.
-- Rel Astra and the Sea Barons have mild and rare serfdom, and trade in war captive slaves. It's not uncommon for slaves to earn an income and eventually buy their freedom.
-- In Ahlissa, many peasants gained freedom during Ivid's War as rulership lapsed for over a year in many areas, while others gave up freedom for protection.
-- In the North Kingdom, serfs are being oppressed and losing rights and income. Slavery, however, is not common.
-- In Ratik, most peasants are serfs, but with rights nearly equivalent to freemen, and most are happy with their lot. (Hey, gotta be like that somewhere.)

Sheldomar Valley:
-- Neither. Serfdom never existed, and slavery for war captives is no longer a tradition.

Hold of Sea Princes, Cauldron, Sasserine, and Scarlet Brotherhood:
-- Built on slavery, capturing prisoners from the Amedio Jungle and Olman islands. Slavery is inherited.
-- Cauldron prohibits bringing slaves into the city itself.
-- Maroons (escaped slaves in their own wildernesses villages) are common in the Hold and between Cauldron and Sasserine.

Bitter North & Northern Reaches:
-- Serfdom: GK tradition with significant additional rights in Blackmoor, near slavery with no rights in Stonefist
-- Slavery: All of Iuz's possessions, everyone is essentially a slave. Slavery was a tradition before him in the Horned Society and Bandit Kingdoms, mostly for war captives, but it lasted for as long (multiple generations) as possible for the owner.

Old Ferrond:
-- Serfdom was abolished when Ferrond left the Great Kingdom -- that was one of the reasons for secession.

Wild Coast:
-- Greyhawk had serfdom as part of the Great Kingdom, but it was moribund by the time GK rule ended, and it's extinct now. Greyhawk has banned slaves.
-- The rest of the Wild Coast has war captive slavery, and slaves like those of the Hold of Sea Princes in some cases. The Slave Lords of the Pomarj were also an important source of slaves.

Old Nyrond:
-- Like Furyondy, Nyrond abolished serfdom at independence, and County Urnst, the Pale, and Almor followed suit.
-- However, the Duchy of Urnst and the Duchy of Tenh have kept GK serfdom (with some rights, like Blackmoor) intact.

Thillonrian Peninsula:
-- Takes captives on raids against the North Kingdom. Some are sold in Dekspoint free city, and some end up working in the North Kingdom again, or sold in Rel Astra.

 

[howandwhy99]

Is it possible for you to post the other social classes as well?

 

[haakon1]

Is it possible for you to post the other social classes as well?

Here's what I have on Cauldron, where the players are currently. For Bissel when they were there, it was the same, except no slaves or maroons, and traditional nobility.

Social Class in Cauldron

The socioeconomic classes in the Cauldron region can be roughly understood as follows:

Slaves: Slaves are Amedi (Suel taken from the Amedio Jungle) or Olman taken from the Olman islands. They live and work on plantations in the valley between Cauldron and the port of Sasserine. Slaves are not allowed to enter the City of Cauldron. On the mainland of the Flanaess, slavery is illegal in most civilized lands, though it is common among humanoids and in the Hold of Sea Princes and the Scarlet Brotherhood’s lands.

Maroons: Maroons are escaped slaves with their own villages, in the jungles and highlands around Cauldron. There is no love lost because the escaped slaves and their former masters, so Maroons not infrequently raid outlying settlements and plantations, or attack travelers on the road between Cauldron and Sasserine.

Destitute (Underclass): The destitute have no steady source of funds, and either no living space or a makeshift squatter’s lean to. Typically they what meager possessions they have everywhere they go. They eat poor quality food, mainly scavenged from settlements and stolen from farms and gardens. They wear all the clothes they own, typically a worn peasant’s outfit.
The destitute are typically vagabonds, drifters, criminals, outcasts, or refugees. Half-orcs are assumed to be of this class, and often are. (In game term, most people in this social class use the Commoner NPC class.)

Cottager or Laborer (Lower Working Class): Basic peasant subsistence is 1 sp/day, or 3 gp/month. That's what an unskilled laborer is paid if there is plenty of surplus labor. It's enough to keep an active human male from starvation. It's also the cost of a maidservant in at a great house – she’s not really paid much, maybe an occasional sp at holiday time, but feeding her & keeping her supplied with clean linens and so on adds up.
This class works for other for wages/subsistence as a hired hand. Farm hands, shepherds who tend flocks owned by someone else, dockworkers, freight handlers, day laborers, and ditch diggers typify this class. They do not own or hold rights to any land of their own. They typically wear a peasant’s outfit (and own two), and can rarely afford to eat meat.
In the country, a cottager would, of course, live in a small cottage, usually provided by their employer.
In a city, where the economy is more cash-based and employment may be more informal, a laborer might sleep in a ragged blanket on a dry(ish) reed-covered stone or packed earth floor, shared with 30 other men, for 1 cp/day, eating food from the market with plenty of hot broth and porridge for 5 cp/day. If there’s steady work, that leaves 4 cp/day for patching clothes and drinking plenty of weak beer at 2 cp/gallon. If there’s no regular work, their meager savings can go fast, with hunger or beggary beckoning. (In game terms, typically Commoners.)

Crofter, Sharecropper, or Tradesman (Middle Working Class): A farmer in this class might be a crofter, who owns a poorly developed farm on the frontier or a poor quality farm on marginal land, or a sharecropper, who owns very little land – perhaps just a house and a garden – and rents the rest of their land with a share of the crop. These farmers likely share expensive tools and livestock (like oxen and a plow) with their neighbors, or rent it from their landlord as part of a sharecropping agreement.
Though freemen who grow their own crops and tend their own herd, the lot of the crofter or sharecropper is little better than that of serfs. Most earn about 2 sp/day, or 6 gp/month. They wear a peasant outfit, and own 2-3 each, including a “Sunday best” version.
In a city, a tradesman of this class is an apprentice artisan, or a semi-skilled laborer.
A mercenary infantryman also costs about this much. The money nicely covers equipment repairs, good eating, and booze money. (In game terms, typically Commoners or Warriors.)

Yeoman or Journeyman (Upper Working Class): A yeoman farmer owns a reasonable amount of land, a sturdy home, and likely at least one beast of burden (ox, mule, or horse). In the militia, they may serve as light crossbowmen or longbowmen.
In a city, the equivalents are journeymen artisans or the lower professions (such as scribes), or a petty merchant with a market stall. A teamster who owns his own wagon team, or a fisherman with his own boat would also fit in the yeomanry.
Mercenary soldiers at this level of wealth are elites, perhaps horsemen or junior sergeants.
A novice or unsuccessful adventurer with income at this rate could sleep 5 to a room (for 1 sp), eat 1 good meal a day (2 sp), with equipment repairs, clothes, booze, and sundries using up the rest.
Someone of this class typically owns 2-3 artisan or traveler’s outfits, and earns about 10 gp/month. Halflings and Gnomes are often assumed to be this class. (In game terms, typically Commoners, Experts, or Warriors.)

Middle Class: The middle class are “middle” between the working class and the gentry. This is not a typical person – that would be a working class Cottager, Crofter, or Yeoman – but one whose socioeconomic status is neither low nor high.
A middle class person owns a pleasant home and wears appropriate to his role, such as artisan’s, scholar’s, or traveler’s outfit, and owns several changes of clothes. Their income is about 30-40 gp/month.
In the city, a master artisan, successful merchant, or skilled professional (such as an alchemist or barrister) is middle class. A soldier with similar income and social status would be a lieutenant. Dwarves and elves are often assumed to be of this class. (In game terms, typically Experts.)

Gentry/Gentleman/Esquire: The traditional definition of the gentry is those who hold enough assets to live on rents without working. Their income might be 200 gp/month, enough for a stately home, several servants, and a large and fashionable wardrobe. Some gentry may possess great wealth, social respectability, and useful contacts, but they are not nobility.
Members of the gentry are often well-educated by private tutors. Some even go on for advanced studies in Keoland, Greyhawk City, or Rel Astra.
Those at this level of wealth and prestige who work are likely to be a guild master, a great merchant, a cleric, in law or politics, or in another educated pursuit, such as an artist or alchemical researcher. Such employment may well be more of a hobby than a source of income.
Soldiers who attain a rank of captain or higher are according the courtesies, and the income, of this class. (In game terms, typically Aristocrats, but Expert and adventurer classes, particular Cleric, Wizard, and Paladin, are also possible.)

Nobles: Nobles in Cauldron, Sasserine, and the Hold of Sea Princes are essentially self-made. Owning a plantation, being a member of the Cusp of Sunrise club in Cauldron, and being accepted by the other nobles are the generally accepted requirements, but there are no written rules. The Lord Mayor of Cauldron is chosen by general agreement amongst the noble families.

 

[haakon1]

To be clear, I didn't right most of that. Most of it is a cut and paste, with some modification on my part, from an earlier discussion here.

My view on variation by country within Greyhawk, combining in the original post.
Baklunish West:
-- Serfdom: Doesn't officially exist
-- Slavery: All countries for war captives, but next generation is supposedly born free, at least in the civilized countries. In Ull, the Plains of the Paynims, and the Tiger Nomads, the rules on slavery are informal, and it's more or less hereditary. In the Sultan of Zeif, sons of slaves are often chosen for the military or bureaucracy, and can rise as high as the equivalent of Gentry within a generation.
-- Nobles: Hereditary in all Baklunish lands.

Great Kingdom:
-- GK tradition was serfdom. Slavery was rare, typically for war captives. The nobility is hereditary, but in some cases generals or other important followers of Overking were ennobled, a tradition the successor states have followed.
-- In Ahlissa, many peasants gained freedom during Ivid's War as rulership lapsed for over a year in many areas, while others gave up freedom for protection.
-- In the North Kingdom, serfs are being oppressed and losing rights and income. Slavery, however, is not common.
-- Iron League abolished serfdom and slavery in their lands. The nobility is relatively weak in Onnwal and Irongate, stronger in Sunndi.
-- Rel Astra and the Sea Barons have mild and rare serfdom, and trade in war captive slaves. It's not uncommon for slaves to earn an income and eventually buy their freedom. Nobility is relatively weak compared to the Upper Middle Class (merchants and ship owners) in both countries.
-- In Ratik, most peasants are serfs, but with rights nearly equivalent to freemen, and most are happy with their lot. (Hey, gotta be like that somewhere.) Ennoblement as a reward to service to the land is also more common in Ratik.

Sheldomar Valley:
-- Neither. Serfdom never existed, and slavery for war captives is no longer a tradition. Nobility exists in all countries of the region except the Yeomanry and Gran March. In the borderlands areas of Geoff and Sterich, self-made nobles are more common.

Hold of Sea Princes, Cauldron, Sasserine, and Scarlet Brotherhood:
-- Built on slavery, capturing prisoners from the Amedio Jungle and Olman islands. Slavery is inherited.
-- Cauldron prohibits bringing slaves into the city itself.
-- Maroons (escaped slaves in their own wildernesses villages) are common in the Hold and between Cauldron and Sasserine.
-- The Hold of Sea Princes has traditional hereditary nobles (of Sheldomar origin) and self-made pretenders. Sasserine and Cauldron have only the pretenders. The caste system of the Scarlet Brotherhood has no nobility per se.

Bitter North & Northern Reaches:
-- Serfdom: GK tradition with significant additional rights in Blackmoor, near slavery with no rights in Stonefist.
-- Slavery: All of Iuz's possessions, everyone is essentially a slave. Slavery was a tradition before him in the Horned Society and Bandit Kingdoms, mostly for war captives, but it lasted for as long (multiple generations) as possible for the owner.
-- Nobility is essentially extinct in this region, with the exception of the Archbaron of Blackmoor.

Old Ferrond:
-- Serfdom was abolished when Ferrond left the Great Kingdom -- that was one of the reasons for secession.
-- Nobility remains strong throughout the region. Furyondy's king's power is limited by the nobles.

Wild Coast:
-- Greyhawk had serfdom as part of the Great Kingdom, but it was moribund by the time GK rule ended, and it's extinct now. Greyhawk has banned slaves.
-- The rest of the Wild Coast has war captive slavery, and slaves like those of the Hold of Sea Princes in some cases. The Slave Lords of the Pomarj were also an important source of slaves.
-- Nobility in this region exists, but it's weak and not typically taken very seriously by nobles of other lands, or the people of these lands. Money talks in the Wild Coast; titles only matter if cash or force of arms back them, which is not always the case.

Old Nyrond:
-- Like Furyondy, Nyrond abolished serfdom at independence, and County Urnst, the Pale, and Almor followed suit.
-- However, the Duchy of Urnst and the Duchy of Tenh have kept GK serfdom (with some rights, like Blackmoor) intact.
-- Like Furyondy, the nobility of GK origin remains intact in much of this region. However, Nyrond is more centralized -- with a strong king -- than Furyondy. And in the Pale, nobility has been replaced by religious authority.

Thillonrian Peninsula:
-- Takes captives on raids against the North Kingdom. Some are sold in Dekspoint free city, and some end up working in the North Kingdom again, or sold in Rel Astra.
-- Nobles are for the most part hereditary, but outstanding raid leaders are often promoted to nobility, sometimes by challenging a noble to single combat (often combat against a champion) to prove who is the better war leader.

 

[howandwhy99]

Thanks a ton. This is awesome stuff!

 

[Starfox]

My take on slaver in Greyhawk is that it became a matter of Oerdian cultural pride. Since the Suel were avid slavers, and the Oerdian identity formed in opposition, Oerdians always looked down on slavery.

From 1E canon we know that slaving was done from the Pomarj by evil humanoids secretly coordinated by Scarlet Brotherhood and others. These others can be assumed to be from the other island nations still dominated by the Suel.

Sasserine is an interesting example, as it has Suel ancestry but is under heavy influence of modern Greyhawk. I assume Sasserine has slavery, at least on the plantations in the countryside, less so in the more cosmopolitan city.

 

[Bleys Icefalcon]

I hope there isn't any doubt just what a serf was... a different - exact - definition, but a slave nonetheless. The property of their Lord, with only thoise rights an privileges they deign to grant them.

 

[Starfox]

Except in the extremest cases (late Russia), there were important differences between Serf and Slave. A serf was usually considered part of a property; if the property changed hands, so did the serf. But in many cases this was a kind of security too - the serf had someplace to belong, a home. The lord could punish the serf, perhaps even capital punishment, but the lord also had certain responsibilities to a serf - basically food for work. And serfs could often volunteer for military service, which was a way out of serfdom. A serf might have been in the service of the same family for generations, and as such have a certain status and be trusted with certain responsibilities.

A slave is chattel, and can be bought, sold, and given away. Rarely would they have the opportunity of military service. When a slave colony in the Carribean was attacked, slaves were often offered freedom if they would fight, which they often did, but just as regularly they were denied the freedom after the fact.

Most important however was status. A slave was rarely considered a citizen/native of the country they lived in, a serf was.

 

[haakon1]

Sasserine is an interesting example, as it has Suel ancestry but is under heavy influence of modern Greyhawk. I assume Sasserine has slavery, at least on the plantations in the countryside, less so in the more cosmopolitan city.

I agree -- that's what I did for Cauldron in my campaign, and I think Cauldron and Sasserine should be the same.