Anthropia: Food Chain and Slavery
#4 of Anthropia Adventures
A bit of an explanation in the social order of Anthropia's society.
Food Chain: The dreaded Food Chain system was established when the beast folk began to create their own societies, and the carnivores realized they still needed meat in order to maintain healthy eating habits. The Food Chain is created from a strange combination of anarchy and social order, a contradiction that still manages to hold together.
The Food Chain system dictates that the strong survive and rule and the weak either perish or serve. Rulers are not elected based on popularity or campaigns, they claimed their positions through shear force of will and having the resources necessary to overthrow their former governors. In this new way of social structure, the so called "noble" families are merely those who have managed to hold onto their wealth and power for several generations. Politics have taken a radical turn from being about charisma and swaying the minds of the people, to a nature survival exercise about conquering threats and subjugating your inferiors.
Yet, openly assaulting one's rivals is not only brazen, but also foolish and dangerous. Not everyon rises to the top singlehandedly, there are those in power who have formed alliances in order to help stave off threats together, and even if you have the resources to invade a rival on their own, they can still call for assistance from others, reinforcing their troops in battle. It is much more common and wise to take your rivals out during a time of weakness. Play ball serving by their rules until they least expect it, then make your move while suffering as little retaliation as possible. Form stronger alliances with their allies or even unite their enemies under your banner. Start with small targets, businesses or outposts. Only when their resources are cut off, and their troops outnumbered, will they become vulnerable to a full on war.
The food chain system is divided up into 3 social tiers of Carnivore, Omnivore, and Herbivore. Under most circumstances, Carnivores are at the top of the social order, but this is not always the case. While they may not feed on meat, there have been some cases of Herbivores possessing enough power to elevate themselves to higher ranking status, even if their rule ends up being a short one before some predator muscles in.
Carnivores: Strictly meat eaters, the Carnivores are usually built to kill. They possess a variety of natural weaponry such as claws, sharp teeth, powerful muscles, and so on. Most of them are also rather large, or at least much stronger than lower tier species. Due to the fact they must feed on meat, and thereby killing their victims with every meal, Carnivores are usually at the top of the food chain and fulfill the ranks of society's elites. When comparing two or more carnivores, the one who is the most deadly is ranked higher than their peers. For example, bears are superior to wolves, who are superior to foxes, and so on.
Omnivores: Capable of surviving on both meat and plants, the Omnivores are considered to be the middle class in most societies. They possess some degree of natural killing power, but rarely enough to challenge a true carnivore. Omnivores often fill out the working class citizens of society.
Herbivore: Possessing virtually no means of natural weaponry beyond what is reserved for self defense, the Herbivores are strictly plant eaters. As a result of not having to feed on meat, they rarely kill for survival and are considered to be the lower class of society. It is most common to see Herbivores being used as slaves, and they are the meat of choice for many predators who don't feel like getting into a heated battle with an Omnivore.
You may be wandering how a society that devours its own people could survive for as long as it has. Well the answer is that while they may appear humanoid, there are some bestial features that still remain. Namely, the rate of growth, Beast Folk do not merely produce 1 or 2 children at a time, they tend to spawn entire litters of 4 or 6 for some species. Insects and arachnids, on the other hand, can produce hundreds or even thousands of children at a time. Because of this, insectoid meat has become very easilly accessible and is the most common meal for carnivores and omnivores. The insects and arachnids reproduce so rapidly, that they have willingly signed contracts with the slavers to sell some of their older and weaker members as food in order to stop their population from growing wildly out of control. In addition, beast folk tend to age faster than humans. The average life span for a strong, healthy beast folk is between 40 to 60 years, although magic users can vastly increase this to many centuries. Because of their shorter lives, beast folk age quicker, and thus their age is determined biologically, rather than chronologically. This allows them to repopulate the adults considerably faster than expected, usually within 1.5 decades.
Thankfully for the prey, their predatory overlords have a more refined sense of taste than their feral ancestry. They don't simply pick a victim and tear them appart, they use them in recipes complete with seasonings and sauces. Having dinner at a carnivore's home, you are more likely to find cooked, sliced meat that is seasoned to perfection, rather than just a hacked up corpse strewn about the table. Prey are often sold into butcher shops where they are chopped or ground up as meat, though there are many instances where citizens prefer to do their own hunting, either because of the rush, or honoring their ancesters.
Social Status: Just like the old days, society is tiered into various ranking systems based on power and status. They are as follows.
Royalty: An elite noble family. Royalty status is represented as a family that controls a vast region of several hundred miles, referred to as their kingdom, or their empire. They have maintained their control for many generations and have had significant, historical impact on society.
Nobles: A family that has managed to establish wealth and power, and maintained it for several generations. Their fame and fortune allows them to hold sway in many social and political events. They own many plots of land or property, and can afford to hire dozens, if not hundreds of various workers.
Mages: Those gifted with the power of magic. They are not subjected to the rigorous climbing of the social ladder as the other, less blessed citizens. However, even they must adhere to the law, which explains why they are not ranked higher than Nobles or Royalty. Mages are beyond the reach of slavery or being made into food, but they are not above the confines of the law.
Military: Trained soldiers under the employ of Royalty or Nobles, tasked with enforcing the law, and protecting the peace, or what constitutes as peace. Because of the fact they are trained to kill, as well as given proper equipment such as armor or weapons, they inspire fear and respect among the lower classes. Military has its own infrastructure of rank, but that's different from the Food Chain social structure.
Clergy: Technically speaking, both nature and the gods do not take a direct hand in mortal affairs, but that does not stop the mortals from forming religious dedications to them. Clergymen are believed to be the agents of the gods, and as such, they hold power over the minds of other mortals because of faith. Attacking a member of the Clergy is often considered not only dangerous, but also blasphemous. Details on Anthropia's pantheon of gods are in a completely different article. Some mages actually join with the Clergy, using their magical talents to better serve the gods
Merchants and Artisans: Although they are not actually nobles, Merchants and Artisans are often very wealthy due to the nature of their trade. They produce and / or sell wares to others. Such products can be just about anything people are willing to pay for, such as food, clothing, jewelry, weaponry, construction, land, slaves, paintings, sculptures, and so on. Examples of various merchants include, but are not limited to Inn Keepers, Slave Traders, Restaurant Owners, Blacksmiths, Tailors, Construction Workers, and Jewel Cutters.
Adventurers: Mercenary folk who make a living hiring themselves out to perform life risking jobs in exchange for a well deserved reward. Adventurers are often combat trained, well stocked on supplies, but they are not bound to any one particular employer, unless they happen to sign any form of contract regarded prolonged service. Adventurers are travelers by nature, and very rarely own any sort of property or land, because their traveling would make keeping it maintained too difficult.
Servants: The basic term for worker who are under the employ of nobles, royalty, or business owners. They can fulfill a variety of roles such as cooking, cleaning, raising children, providing basic medical treatment, mine working, and so on. Servants are sometimes referred to as the next worst thing to slavery. Their pay grade is often just enough to survive without any form of luxury spending, and their jobs are rarely glamorous, but at least they get some level of income, and they are free to leave anytime they are fed up with the work. Of course, leaving the job puts them out of a flowing income, and might anger their employers, resulting in less than desirable consiquences.
Slaves: The lowest rank in the social ladder. They are forced to work, regardless if they want to or not, and they receive no payment in exchange for their services. Even if their work is dangerous, they can only expect medical treatment if their masters are otherwise unable to afford a replacement at the time. A Slave's job performance can fill similar roles to those of a Servant. More description on Slaves is located below.
Slave Trade: Along with the Food Chain's struggle for survival came the reinvention of the Slave Trade organization. Fully endorsed by most predators, the capturing, selling, and owning of slaves is once again legal in society. Slaves perform a variety of uses, but they are generally divided up into the following classes.
Meat Slave - This class of slave has a shorter life expectancy than normal. Their only purpose is to be used as food. When a meat slave reaches their prime of age, they are taken to slaughter. In oder to make them healthier and more delicious, most Meat Slaves are pampered, so its not such a bad life growing up. That is until you find the master who raised you is about to shove you into a giant meat grinder pit! Meat Slaves that are born into captivity are raised much like cattle. They are given no form of education unless their parents can somehow smuggle in some home tutoring lessons, and they are raised on farm lands, having little to no connection with the outside world until its too late. As a result, Meat Slaves are often the stupidest and most primitive of the slave classes, unless they have been raised in society and captured later.
Pleasure Slaves - Without the influence of nature guiding them, the beast folk have begun to mingle with other species besides their own. Pleasure slaves are reserved for entertainment purposes, the most common of all being used for sexual needs. However, the refined and dignified predators have also been known to use pleasure slaves for the purposes of music, relaxing massages, dancing, and visual effects to please their guests. Depending upon your point of view, Pleasure Slave may be either a very enjoyable life, or a very humiliating one. Some pleasure slaves grow to enjoy the sex and life of luxury, but when you think about it, they really don't have a choice in the matter. Even if they grow to enjoy it, its still technically rape, and their masters still exploit them for their own personal enjoyment.
Labor Slave - Just as humans used beasts of burden, so too do the slave masters rely on their slaves to perform heavy duty work. Labor Slaves are often chosen from the strongest and toughest of prey races, such as Equine, Elephants, and so on. They are used for such work as mining, plowing crops, construction working, and so on. Labor Slaves used for farming purposes help raise crops that are used to feed the prey races so that they might continue to prosper, even if only to be captured by slavers later on.
Breeding Slave - Not to be mistaken for a Pleasure Slave. Breeding Slaves are used to repopulate the slave ranks. They are selected for quality, health, and pedigree. Once their owners find a suitable match for them, they are forced to mate until the female is impregnated, and the child is then born and raised into slavery. The use of Breeding Slaves allows slavers and owners to restock their property without having to spend thousands on buying a new one, or waste energy hunting and capturing a free citizen. Because breeding slaves are used purely for the act of procreation, they do not receive as much sexual training as a pleasure slave. They are paired up, they fuck, they cum, then they are separated again. In fact, slaves who are born from Breeding Slaves only very rarely know the identity of their father. Once the impregnation is successful, masters usaully have no further need to keep the two with each other, unless they intend to continue breeding such a pedigree.
Of course, while slavery may sound like a corrupted business, it does have its own laws and regulations that its members abide by.
Law 1 - If a slave child is revealed to possess magic, they are to be freed immediately in order to join the Mage Academy and undergo training. This training is to ensure the mage does not accidentally lose control of their powers and become more of a threat to society than necessary.
Law 2 - Unless they are born and raised in captivity, it is preferred that slavers only target victims who are middle age or older when collecting meat slaves. This ensures that freshly captured meat is already in its prime. Younger and more energetic slaves would be a waste as food, at least until they age and mellow out a little.
Law 3 - Despite the fact that there is a slave trader organization, it is up to each slaver to personally oversee the capture of any targets they set their goals on. The organization is not in the habit of mustering reinforcements to help an incompetent or unprepared slaver, just as nature is not in the habit of supporting a predator who loses its instincts to catch its own prey. Of course, there is no law that states slavers can not band together in organized packs to increase the odds of success.
Law 4: The food chain is constantly about trying to surpass one's peers for dominance. As a result, nobody (with the exception of mages), whether they be a lowly citizen, or an established noble, is exempted from becoming a slave. As long as a slaver is able to subdue and capture it, they can sell it. Of course, targetting those who are high in status is often a very poor move. Not only would they have enough influence and resources to defend themselves, but they would likely have powerful family and friends who would strike back in retaliation, accidentally starting a war against the slaver guild that costs far more trouble than the target was actually worth.
Slave Marking: There are many different ways to recognize a slave. The most common of all being that of a collar. However, other masters choose to use various methods, either because it is family tradition, or for more personal interest. The following are all the different methods for marking someone as a slave. Keep in mind that a master is in no way restricted to only using a single one of these methods. Some have been known to use 2 or more!
1 - Collars and Shackles: Similar to how humans once kept domesticated animals as pets, the Slave Collar has become the most common, and merciful way to identify a slave. They come in many styles, such as leather straps, or reinforced steel rings. They often have a metal loop where tethers can be attached to lead or restrain a slave. Likewise, they sometimes come with cuffs attached to the wrists and ankles, where a chain or tether can be attached to various loops, to restrict the Slave's freedom of movement. Among slavers who can properly afford it, they have been known to hire Enchanter mages to infuse the collars and shackles with magical effects, making them more restrictive and dangerous.
2 - Forced Exhibition: Only a very particular set of mind ever willingly agrees to become a slave. When someone is forced into doing something against their will, they often rebel. The Forced Exhibition method includes forcing a slave to wear very little clothing, or even going full nude all the time. This ensures they can not hide stolen property or weaponry on their person, and it also ensures they have very little defense, should their masters decide to punish them. Examples of clothing allowed through Forced Exhibition generally included tattered loin cloths, shredded rags, or transparent fabrics.
3 - Branding: A very painful, yet lasting way to mark a slave is with that of the hot iron brand. The iron comes in any number of insignias or designs, often in the form of the master's family crest. Once the iron has been super heated, it is pressed against the slave's body, searing its mark into their flesh with a gruesome sizzling. If it is done correctly, the slave is marked for the rest of their life. If it is done incorrectly, the brand might disfigure them with charred flesh, or it might heal within a few months and need to be reapplied. Favored places to brand a slave are the shoulders, chest, buttocks, wrists, or back side. Very cruel masters, however, have been known to brand the slave's face! An improper brand just might receive medical or magical treatment, if their master wishes their slave to not be marred by such disfigurement.
4 - Carving: In the old days of humanity, some ranchers would mark their cattle by carving their ears in a signature pattern or style. Masters who aren't squeamish about a little blood letting have taken this tradition and use sharpened surgical tools to mark their slaves with intentional disfiguration. Such acts can include scar patterns, removal of certain limbs or body parts, clipping the ears, and so on. Some examples of Carving have included, but are not limited to declawing the slave if they are a predatory species, castration of males who are not intended to be used for breeding stock, clipping ears in various patterns like an ancient rancher, surgically removing tails, spikes, tusks, horns, poison glands, and so on for either cosmetic or safety precautions.
5 - Body Paint: A far less painful version of simply branding a slave. Body Paints are sold at various slave markets and are made from special dyes that work on skin, feathers, scales, and fur alike. By using these dyes, a master can mark their slaves with signature patterns and styles, displaying them as their property. The Dyes, when dried, are resistant to many elements such as water, or smearing. An attempt to remove the body paint would require several hours of vigorous scrubbing with soap and rough cloth or spunge, or the assistance of magical spells, so there is little need for a master to worry about their paint washing off when a Slave is bathing.
6 - Cattle: Some masters are able to afford entire legions of slaves. Such a feat is most commonly found among those who make a living by distributing meat, or breeding. With the Cattle method, Slaves are contained inside of plantations, usually walled in fields or camps. Here, the slaves live in large groups and receive virtually no education beyond what is necessary to accomplish their assigned duties. Cattle Slaves, for this reason, are often very poorly educated, being more akin to domestic pets, than sentient life forms. Most don't even know how to read or write, and may only have a basic grasp of english, enough to understand commands, but not enough to hold a meaningful conversation. For obvious reasons, Cattle slaves are born and raised into captivity, where they are the easiest to manage and control. A freshly captured slave would be too smart or rebellious to serve as proper cattle.
Hunting Performance: When capturing a slave, there are various things to take into consideration. For example, rarity, gender, health, species, hazard risk, and so on. This section is primarily for those who wish to follow the life as part of the slave traders, to help them get a better sense of how to fulfill their job.
Rarity! - The rarity of a slave can greatly effect how much they are worth on the open market. A slave that the majority of the population can afford, or already owns is not very impressive. An exotic slave from a far off land, or a local slave who's people are known for being notoriously difficult to capture, however, will fetch a much higher price, especially among the higher members of society who wish to use them like a trophy.
Health - Capturing a sick or crippled slave is not only a waste of time, its a waste of money. Who is going to shell out the coin for a slave that can barely work properly, or who might spread disease to their other slaves or servants? Such consideration does not limit itself to just these two, of course. Think about what kind of training you wish to give the slave. You're not going to capture some 90 lbs weakling and sell them to the mines, for example, just as you're not going to capture some traumatized rape victim and sell them off as a house cleaner. Look for someone who's physical build and mental stability fall in line with the type of training you want, and what kind of customers you are likely to find on the open market.
Chastity and Verility - Virgin slaves, most especially females, although some homosexual masters also enjoy virgin males, rake in huge sums of coin when sold as pleasure slaves. As a result, it is ill advised to break a slave's virginity, when a customer is willing to pay for the pleasure of doing it themselves. Also, some customers may intend to use the slave for breeding stock, or worse, may choose to completely negate their chance of breeding so they don't accidentally cause their slaves to become overpopulated, or spawn any bastard offspring that could ruin their master's reputation and family ties. When such customers are concerned, surgical neutering is likely to be desired in a slave, or the ability to produce many young with few pregnancies.
Hunting Tools: Slavers have been known to utilize a variety of tools and weaponry for catching their slaves, such as follows.
Hired Mages: Either purchasing magical equipment, or hiring a mage to accompany them on their hunts, the power of magic increases the chances of a successful slave hunt by 67% in addition to the pre-existing chances.
Weighted Nets: A specially constructed net with 20 lbs weights attached to the ends. When thrown, the weights force the net down upon the target, and considering the net is thrown, it likely forces them to the ground from the crashing weight. Great skill and practice is needed to successfully master the weighted net, however, as the combined weights equal to around 100 lbs, making it considerably difficult to throw. The chances of a successful throw can increase when multiple users are working with the same net.
Beast Catcher: The same device as a man catcher, though renamed. It is a long pole with a crescent shaped tip on one end that is used to pin targets to the wall, or ground, while keeping them at a safe distance. On the other end is a circular ring with spikes facing inward that can be fastened around a victim's neck and be used to guide them like a stiff leash. This tool is used to catch and subdue, not for prolonged combat, and as such, it is not suitable as a weapon. Beast Catchers are traditionally between 10 to 12 feet long, keeping even the largest of species well out of arm's reach.
Shackles: For restraining a slave's movements once captured, the shackles come in many different lengths and sizes, depending on species you intend to capture. The most common variety, however, are designed for a beast of average human size, with a 3 inch length of chain fastened around the wrists, and 2 feet worth of chain attached to the ankles.
Drug Darts: Applied with a variety of toxins, from sleeping droughts, to nerve suppressants, these darts can either be thrown by hand, or fired with a blow gun, injecting targets with their drugs. The effects have been known to last several hours, plenty of time to subdue and capture.
Bull Whip: useful as both a weapon and a tool such as catching or disarming a target, the 6 foot length bull whip is the weapon of choice for most slavers. Some artistic slavers have been known to customize their wips for intimidation, such as attaching a blade to the end of the tail, wrapping spiked wiring around the length, adding several more tails to the whip, and so on. Whips are tricky to master and take special training before they're ready to perform any kind of tricks or flourishes.
Retractable Cable: This device is worn on the wrist, and when used, it fires a flexible, yet sturdy cable up to a maximum distance of 20 feet. The cable snaps tight after a certain distance, and the spring loaded device can retract it to drag any targets caught by the cable towards the wearer. The cable is able to support up to 400 lbs worth of weight, without snapping.
These are just some examples of the various tools slavers have been known to use when capturing a target, they are by no means the entire collection.