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Message: <blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 869654" data-attributes="member: 5808">Sidebar: Slavery in the Halmae(On the off chance that it is about to become relevant to the narrative, the management is pleased to bring you the second in our series of informational supplements.)--spyscribeSlavery in the Halmae:Slavery, as an institution, is a long-standing part of society in the Halmae.  Slaves are used as laborers, servants, and in many cases aides.  Halmae slavery is based on a Greek or Roman model, rather than American chattel slavery.  This means that slaves, although considered property, do have some basic legal rights.  Killing a slave for no reason is considered murder.  It may be easier to justify killing a slave than killing a free person, and the penalty may be less harsh, but there is a punishable crime there.  One legally becomes a slave in a finite number of ways:Prisoners of war are enslaved for lifeAbandoned children are enslaved for lifeCriminals may be sentenced to slavery, often for a finite term, though the duration is dependent on the crime.People in debt may be enslaved for a term of eight years to repay their debtPeople may voluntarily become slaves for a term of eight years in exchange for moneyPeople may voluntarily choose to stay slaves after their term is up. These people are branded, to mark them as individuals who have deliberately chosen slavery over freedom.Slaves may be bought and sold freely in places where slavery is legal.  Non-criminal slaves may be freed at any time, though they are automatically freed if their master dies.  Criminal slaves who are no longer wanted by their masters are sold back to the city-state or to another owner, unless their terms have expired.    This, at least, is the system on paper.  Naturally, there are some abuses to be found.  Unscrupulous individuals have been known to keep slaves after their terms have expired.  The degree to which such abuses are prosecuted varies from case to case and city-state to city-state, but law-abiding slave owners tend to frown on those who abuse their power over their slaves.There is no formal Abolitionist movement in the Halmae.  There are small organizations in each city-state opposed to it.  The Universal Law Caucus opposes slavery, but chapters have been known to abandon that aspect of their platform to forge political alliances in slave-legal city-states.    Slavery is legal in the Empire of Ebis, Dar Henna, Dar Und, Dar Aego, Dar Thane, and Mynope.  A de facto form of slavery exists in the Kettenek Sovereignty, which has a severe feudal serf system.  Slavery is illegal in Dar Darine, Dar Karo, Noran, and Sirrus.  Dar Pykos, as noted, has an odd situation; citizens of Dar Pykos are not allowed to own slaves, but foreigners from lands where slavery is legal are allowed to keep theirs. (addendum for those readers unfamiliar with the geographic references in the preceeding paragraph:  Any locale with the prefix "Dar" is a city state and member of the Darine Confederacy.  The Empire of Ebis and Kettenek Soveriegnty are their own entities, and all others mentioned are independent city states.)</blockquote>

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