Thrall Life
Posted by Apostate on 11/10/19
Q: What is life like for thralls? What rights do they have? Is corporal punishment used against them?
A: It's not great. Due to the Alaric the Great's reforms on freedom of movement, brutality against serfs tends to be uncommon, but this varies by the domain. Some serfs are kept so destitute that the means to travel and the hope of going to Arx to become crownsworn is a distant one, which can result in some extremely abusive lords. This is relevant to thralls as it provides a convenient counterpoint to Islanders defending thralldom as an institution, as some serfs live little better.
Thralls traditionally have virtually no rights while their debt is unpaid. This does include corporal punishment, torture and even summary execution, and House Grimhall and Thrax during the times of Duke Eugine or Donrai Thrax very explicitly used terror to keep thrall populations in line, as far more effective deterants than the hope of freedom which was an unrealistic goal. Any possessions owned by a Thrall can be confiscated at whim to count towards their debt, but as that is effectively up to the interpretation of the debt holder, it has historically meant no possessions at all. Emaciated thralls on starvation rations used as chained oarsmen on ships are not uncommon for many Islander vessels, but this varies, and many Islander houses see that as a distasteful sign of greed on the part of the House, as theoretically fewer, healthier thralls is only slightly less efficient for oarsmen.
Surprisingly, thrall soldiers is not unheard of either. This is particularly true among thralls that are NOT taken from Abandoned populations on raids, but Islanders forced into thralldom for violent offenses. Ironically, much of the raiders taking Abandoned prisoners to become thralls are, in fact, thrall raiders, and Islanders can pay their own thrall debts by taking several in turn. This also means many commoners owning shops were violent criminals forced into thralldom and then acquired their own thralls from Abandoned on raids, and they tend to not be well known as the most empathetic of debt-owners despite their own thrall past.
A: It's not great. Due to the Alaric the Great's reforms on freedom of movement, brutality against serfs tends to be uncommon, but this varies by the domain. Some serfs are kept so destitute that the means to travel and the hope of going to Arx to become crownsworn is a distant one, which can result in some extremely abusive lords. This is relevant to thralls as it provides a convenient counterpoint to Islanders defending thralldom as an institution, as some serfs live little better.
Thralls traditionally have virtually no rights while their debt is unpaid. This does include corporal punishment, torture and even summary execution, and House Grimhall and Thrax during the times of Duke Eugine or Donrai Thrax very explicitly used terror to keep thrall populations in line, as far more effective deterants than the hope of freedom which was an unrealistic goal. Any possessions owned by a Thrall can be confiscated at whim to count towards their debt, but as that is effectively up to the interpretation of the debt holder, it has historically meant no possessions at all. Emaciated thralls on starvation rations used as chained oarsmen on ships are not uncommon for many Islander vessels, but this varies, and many Islander houses see that as a distasteful sign of greed on the part of the House, as theoretically fewer, healthier thralls is only slightly less efficient for oarsmen.
Surprisingly, thrall soldiers is not unheard of either. This is particularly true among thralls that are NOT taken from Abandoned populations on raids, but Islanders forced into thralldom for violent offenses. Ironically, much of the raiders taking Abandoned prisoners to become thralls are, in fact, thrall raiders, and Islanders can pay their own thrall debts by taking several in turn. This also means many commoners owning shops were violent criminals forced into thralldom and then acquired their own thralls from Abandoned on raids, and they tend to not be well known as the most empathetic of debt-owners despite their own thrall past.