Slavery
Throughout much of the world of Avaria, some form of slavery exists as a part of many different societies. Enslaved people perform important roles in many of these societies, from agricultural labor to teaching to military service. Some forms of slavery are harsher than others, just as some of the jobs are more difficult and demeaning. Some slaves can rise to positions of prominence and even power in their societies, while others remain condemned to a life of drudgery. But while the burden of some enslaved persons may be lighter than others, there is little doubt that most would prefer to be free, and that ultimately, even in the best circumstances, the relation between master and slave is an exploitative one. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that while some peoples are more likely to be slaves than others, in Avaria, slavery is not defined by race or skin color.
Slaveholding Societies
Within the playable game world and its immediate surroundings, the Sirdabi Caliphate and the Kalentoi Empire are the places that practice slavery on the largest scale. Both societies generally frown on enslaving other people of the Song, which is to say, followers of The One True God -- those peoples who practice the Kalentic or Azadi faith, as well as the Yehani. In practice, Kalentians are sometimes kept as slaves in the Sirdabi Caliphate, and Azadi are sometimes kept as slaves in the Kalentoi Empire, though this is not terribly common except during times of especially bitter conflict between the two peoples.
Most commonly, enslaved people among the Kalentoi and Sirdabi are pagans of various heritages. Typically they are captives in battle, so they tend to be drawn from the population of those peoples who are longtime enemies of the Empire and the Caliphate. Since the Kalentoi are often in conflict with the pagans of Jadniez and nearby regions, Rusalvi slaves are commonly taken in the Empire. The Sirdabi, having a greater expanse of pagan territory at their hinterland, take slaves chiefly from central Ruleska and the Gilded Plain of Idiri, as well as from the Angrosh of the Great Hazari Desert, and often purchase Irulao from their Jalanit trading partners. But slaves are a commodity widely in demand through the region, so they may be sold and traded far afield from the lands in which they were originally captured.
Outside the Kalentoi Empire and Sirdabi Caliphate, slave raiding and trading is still common, but is generally not undertaken on so large a scale or so wide a geographic area. Most other societies that practice slavery will enslave neighboring rivals during times of war, but their servitude is less likely to be hereditary, and there is also a somewhat greater chance of being released within their lifetimes or liberated in retaliatory raids.
The Life of a Slave
The life of enslaved people can be extremely varied. Their labor can be in service to a single individual, to a household or family, to a particular organization, to a provincial court, or to the caliph or emperor himself. The most harsh and cruel lot falls to slaves who are sent to labor on the plantation islands of the Adelantean, where both the Kalentoi and the Sirdabi have large landholdings where grain and sugar are cultivated. On the opposite end of the spectrum, slaves in either the imperial or caliphal court may rise to positions of great power and influence as ministers or viziers. The most exalted units of the Sirdabi Lion Guard, the Manes that serve as personal bodyguards of the caliph and of provincial beys, are made up entirely of enslaved individuals. The vast majority of slaves occupy some position in between these two extremes. Most commonly, slaves perform domestic labor such as cooking, cleaning, running errands, and caring for animals or children.
Attitudes Towards Slavery
Being both widespread and vital to society as most people know it, slavery is accepted as an institution without much thought. From an ethical standpoint it is considered important to treat slaves kindly if not leniently, but actual treatment of enslaved people varies as widely as the individual temperaments of their owners. Many people consider slaves to be inferior to themselves in some key aspect, whether in intelligence, morality, honor, or some other quality, just as they consider the original culture of those slaves to be far less enlightened and civilized than their own. As in the real world, cultural prejudice is alive and well in Avaria! At the same time, the slaveholding societies often assign certain attributes to enslaved peoples in which individuals from this city might be considered excellent tutors, or that tribe to be the most wonderful dancers or musicians, or this kingdom to be superlative warriors. In this way the enslaved are seen as having their own peculiar virtues and value, while still being in overall character inferior to their owners.
Despite the prevalence of slaveowning and trading in the Sirdabi Caliphate, some Azadi believe that owning slaves is actually antithetical to the Azadi faith. These individuals believe that mortals are meant to labor in bondage only to Annour itself, not to other mere mortals. Al-Azad's own story is one of redemption from captivity, both physical and moral, and central to this is the recognition that all women and men are bonded only to the will of God. Azadi who believe that slaveholding is immoral believe that this precept applies to all mortals, whether or not they knowingly follow the will of the One True God -- while they may worship other gods and pursue other ends, all are laboring in service to Annur though they may not realize it. Although many very devout Azadi have believed this, and some have been honored as saints and persons of great wisdom and virtue, this viewpoint is sadly not very common. Most people, if they consider it much at all, believe that this applies only to followers of the Azadi faith, or at best all followers of the One True God, and all others may be forced into a lifetime of slavery in order to appropriately serve the One True God's people.