The Slaves
All slaves in Gulg are technically the property of the state. The majority of these slaves are used to tend crops and herds in the fields of the client villages. Others are “contracted” from the state by dagadas and individuals in exchange for a greater share of taxes. Unlike the slaves of Nibenay and some of the other city-states, slaves in Gulg are never compensated for their labor, and there is no way for them to earn their freedom except through escape or death. Slaves are easily identifiable by their meager dress and the deep blue patterns tattooed on their faces and arms. The system of markings looks like ornate decoration to the uninitiated, but a templar can decipher a slave's lifelong service record at a glance. Slaves in Gulg tend to be treated with indifference. The indifference can, however, often result in neglect. Gulgs regard slaves as mere animals, and would no more take a slave into their confidence than they would a kank or crodlu. People do not dare abuse or damage state property, but a difficult slave will be returned to the templars who have no such concerns about the care of their chattel.
State Slaves
There are whole quarters of the city comprised of the dagadas of slaves. The huts in these clusters are made entirely of thatch and are often overcrowded. Each dagada has an overseer who is responsible for tending to the slaves. The slaves serving the state are used primarily in the state-controlled fields of the client villages. Many serve the templars and the army as laborers. Templars are often assigned slaves as personal attendants. Some slaves are actually used as gatherers in the forest surrounding Gulg, but their labor constitutes only a minor part of the citystate's production.
Contract Slaves
Dagadas may turn over an additional portion of their production to the state in exchange for the service of a state slave. These slaves may stay in the state slave dagadas or may take up residence with their keepers. If a slave lives in a residential dagada, the people of the community are responsible for feeding the slave out of their own resources. The dagada is also responsible if a slave escapes. Consequently, one tends to see only a few slaves in the residential areas and fewer still traveling with their patrons. Hunter nobles often contract with the city for the service of a slave to maintain their equipment and prepare their gear. The hunters prefer to contract gladiators to train with and to serve as squires. These slaves often develop lifelong relationships with their masters and care for them into old age. Ironically, in Gulg it is only the slaves of the nobles who are not treated like animals.
Becoming a Slave
There are three types of slaves in Gulg: those who are born into slavery, those who are captured enemies, and those who have broken city laws. It should be remembered that the power of the templars is so absolute that even angering a disciple of the queen can constitute grounds for enslavement. Any child of a slave is by law a slave. There are three slave Peoples whose kin have been slaves in Gulg for centuries. These slaves may not have the skills or abilities of other slaves, but they are valued for their docility. Gulg's many forays against Nibenay, neighboring villages and various raiding tribes yield scores of prisoners of war. Warriors are usually sent to the gladiatorial games of the seasonal festivals or released in the Red Moon Hunt. Others wind up in the fields of the oba under a templar's lash. Even the breach of a local custom can land a person in the oba's dungeons. This fate, however, usually awaits dangerous criminals and prisoners who have some political value to the arresting templar. Most criminals wind up enslaved. This is particularly true if the transgression was seen as a breach of the property rights of the state, such as when a citizen cannot pay a tax or debt to the state. Individual citizens of Gulg who have difficult, meeting a tax or fine imposed by the templars can usually rely on their dagada or family to pool their resources to prevent the person from being cast into slavery. Consequently, it is only those outcasts who have managed to alienate their families, their dagadas, and even their Peoples, who wind up in bonds. The violation of the social order required to achieve such a result is so severe that the natural born slaves of Gulg look upon such unfortunates with more contempt than they do the captive slaves.
Life of a Slave
The imprint of Gulg society is so deeply ingrained
in the consciousness of all city dwellers that both the
slave-born and the former citizens seem to accept their
fate with a certain fatalism not seen among the slave
populations of the other cities. It is the captive slaves who
create the most difficulty for their masters and who hunger
most for freedom. It is also the captive slaves who are
given the most back-breaking work and receive the most
brutal treatment. Such captive slaves are even brutalized
by the slave-born of Gulg.
The slave-born of Gulg are raised within slave dagadas.
The social structure of a slave dagada is a crude parallel
to that of the free citizens, with templar guards serving
as ambos. Slaves receive daily rations of grain and water
from the templars, but contract slaves must be fed by the
dagada they serve.
The slave-born of Gulg are raised to serve as farmers
and laborers but may end up learning a craft if they are
contracted by a craft dagada. Some are employed in the
military, which is considered an honor among the slaveborn. The citizen slaves and lawbreakers are generally put
to use where the skills of their previous life can best serve
the city. Captive slaves are separated from their families,
kept in closely supervised work teams, and employed
primarily as field workers and laborers.
Templars select a slave's mate. The mated slaves are
permitted to live in the same slave dagada when one or
the other is not under contract. The templars particularly
make a point of matching up captive slaves with Gulg
natives. They believe that this both ennobles the offspring
of the foreigner and decreases the likelihood of an escape
attempt. Partnerships that form and produce children
without the direction of the templars are not discouraged.
Such a pair, however, must be prepared to be separated and
rematched if the templars think it appropriate. In general,
the templars only direct the matching of particularly
talented slaves. Unusually strong or dexterous slaves are
especially valued for breeding potential gladiators.
Slaves have no rights except to request that a templar
recall them from their contracts. Beyond that, a slave's life
belongs to the state. Citizens may not use unreasonable
force in dealing with contracted slaves. Any means of
coercion that is considered appropriate for a beast of burden is acceptable, however. Whipping, prodding,
leashes, bits, and pack saddles are all a part of a contract
slave's daily routine. However, accidental deaths or
crippling injuries result in serious penalties for the keeper.