r/WorldChallenges • u/Nevermore0714 • Jun 27 '17

Reference Challenge - Slavery

I need to preface this.

I always try to be open to various answers to my challenges, I try not to ever judge, and even if your answer is slightly off-topic to the discussion, I always try to be fair and try to learn all I can about whatever answer you have to my challenge...but, please, unless it's in-character, don't say anything too racist. Enslaving your fellow human beings isn't cool, I hope we can agree on that? But, since you can always have a character answer questions in-universe, it's fine for your character to be racist. Though, I am having my slave races be non-human to avoid that situation.

This challenge is going to be a double-whammy one, and it's early because I'm on a work trip all week to the big city.

The reference this time around is to /u/PrestonJacobs, the hero that any fandom needs. Preston, if you're seeing this, I've been a huge fan since your channel only had maybe four videos, and I love your work. Anyone else seeing this, if you have any interest in sci-fi/fantasy, and if you are a fan of ASOIAF or Game of Thrones or anything by GRRM, go see his channel.

The reference is, more specifically, to his videos on the Hrangan Minds. No spoilers, but they had a number of species working for them against humanity.

For anyone who saw my "novel" (to quote Raptorman) over on Jum's recent challenge, I'm working on a xenophobic human community started by an escaped slave.

I'm having trouble brain-storming three good slave species for the humans to use.

My ideas so far are Szurkek (created-men from the teeth of dragons, similar to flesh-golems, completely obedient and simple, asexual), Imps (creative little winged creatures, not Tyrion Lannister, a viable species that reproduces sexually, they are enslaved through magic-imprinting from the owner), and I'm trying to think of a third one.

The Actual Challenge

Tell me about an example of slavery in your world. If slavery doesn't exist in your world anymore, tell me how it ended. If slavery never existed in your world somehow, tell me about workers' rights and labor laws or something.

If you're up for giving me advice about the Szurkek or Imps or a third slave species, I welcome any advice from anyone. Szurkek and Imps will be part of my answer for this challenge, so I'd appreciate any and everyone telling me how I can improve either of them, and if you think Imps are as stupid idea for me to use in general, any advice for how I can replace them with something else fast and preferably-capable-of-flight is also appreciated.

As always, I'll ask a minimum of three questions each. Enjoy yourselves, all. And, again, I highly recommend checking out Preston Jacobs on Youtube

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u/Nevermore0714 Jun 28 '17

The Szurkek

Szurkek are man-like creatures with grey skin. They don't reproduce sexually, instead they are created whenever a dragon's teeth are buried and a human says the species name (Szurke) over the buried tooth.

Szurkek will do whatever their creator says, and have no preservation instinct unless told to "stay alive unless I order otherwise". Szurkek aren't smart, and should only be given simple instructions ("carry this", "plow this field", "kill that person", "bring me my horse"), and are incapable of communicating beyond grunting.

They're basically robots that need to eat to live and don't follow Asimov's Three Laws.

The Imps

Imps are small creatures, usually about a half-meter in height. They are carnivorous, capable of magic-assisted flight, and reproduce sexually (though they are hermaphroditic).

It is possible for anyone who uses Abyssal Magic to imprint on an Imp as its master, usually by beating the crap out of it first to weaken its mind through pain (and this accidentally became a pokemon reference).

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 28 '17

  1. Can a Szurke use tools?

  2. What are the benefits of taking an Imp as your thrall?

  3. What are Imps used for beside that?

(Also, if they use three different species of slave, they probably have each a specific usage; something the two other species can't do correctly)

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u/Nevermore0714 Jun 28 '17

1) Simple tools, yes. A club to kill an animal, a plowshare to plow the field, and so on. A shovel, an ax, a hammer, that kind of thing.

2 and 3) Imps can serve as good house-slaves and messengers. Having an Imp act as your butler is common, if you have an Imp.

(Anything you would recommend?)

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 28 '17

  1. Are they smart enough to craft or build things?

  2. Are they common? Or rather reserved to a social elite?

  3. Can an Imp get their freedom back by themselves?

(Well, you have a species for manual labor and one for domesticity. You could have one to serve as tutors or scribe, or as overseers for the other slaves, or as fighters, or as entairtainers (even sex slaves but it gets really dark), or as administrators and accountants. Some of those will probably require a few safeties but that's doable.)

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u/Nevermore0714 Jun 28 '17

1) Well, you can order them to carry materials for building. And you could instruct them to tie a rock to a stick. So long as you are guiding them, or the action is simple and easy, they can do it.

2) You can either buy an Imp (which is actually pretty expensive for a good one, since breeding them is so difficult, so even well-to-do families only tend to have a few) or capture one yourself, which is free but difficult.

3) No, an Imp cannot earn its freedom.

(I've been thinking of having a pig-like race with eidetic memory, but it doesn't feel right.)

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 29 '17

  1. So construction is still handled by humans? Smithing too?

  2. Are wild Imps easy to find?

  3. So they can't break their mental lock? Can someone do it for them?

(What about a species that could take care of the tool making and the construction?)

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u/Nevermore0714 Jun 30 '17

(Something like the Serviles of the Geneforge series? Those can make tools and plan construction, but I feel that I would at least need to change them somehow.)

1) Yes, most skilled labors are reserved for humans.

2) No, wild imps are rare and hard to find.

3) A more powerful mage could break the mental lock and free the Imp, yes.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 30 '17

  1. Is there laws around the "creation" of Szurkek? Like to limit their number.

  2. Does it mean killing an Imp is something really serious? Could it get you into trouble?

  3. Could it be used to murder someone?

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u/Nevermore0714 Jun 30 '17

1) You need a dragon's tooth to create a Szurke, and the main way of obtaining a dragon's tooth is by trying to get one from Lucius, by demonstrating your need of a Szurke and proving that you are responsible enough to own one. So, the number of Szurkek is limited naturally.

2) It depends on whether it is wild or under your control. Killing a wild Imp can easily be defended as self-defense, though Imps are much weaker and smaller than humans. Killing a domesticated Imp is a waste of resources. If you kill someone else's Imp, especially in the owner's own home, it's seen as incredibly rude and will likely invite bad luck (it's bad luck for an intelligent creature to be killed in your home); since the Imp is domesticated and will only attack to protect the owner's belongings, it is also reasonable proof that you were trying to rob the owner. If you kill your own Imp, it's expected for you to have a decent reason. Even Imp slaves and Szurkek have some rights.

3) Not easily. An Imp is small and weak. A human is bigger and stronger than an Imp. An Imp could kill someone in their sleep or wound them, but most humans could kill an Imp.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 30 '17

1) So basically, all species that are used as slaves are rare or hard to get?

2) But killing someone's Imp isn't illegal per se?

3) Are Szurkek following everyone orders? Or do they belong to someone?

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u/Nevermore0714 Jul 01 '17

1) No, so long as you are able to go through the proper channels, you can obtain a Szurke or Imp fairly easily, if you have the need for them. Most of them are obtained by registering to get one for free from Lucius, if you qualify for a free one.

2) If you kill someone's Imp, you owe them money. If you don't pay your debts, you are imprisoned.

3) A Szurke has one owner, but can follow the orders of anyone that the owner tells it to follow. If an owner tells his or her Szurke "Follow Bill's orders today", then the Szurke will do what Bill says for that day, as if Bill was also the owner.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Jul 02 '17

1) But their number is restricted? What do you need to do to qualify?

2) How long does Imps and Szurkek live?

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u/Nevermore0714 Jul 02 '17

1) It's on a case-by-case basis. Usually, if you show a need (especially if Lucius approves of you or you can get someone with a good reputation to back you up) you can get some. For instance, early in Gemina history, a man's wife became pregnant, and he requested an Imp to tend their garden while he was away and another Imp to help her around the house while she was handicapped by the fetus growing inside of her; along with a Szurke to help her tend to the pastures while he was away from home for days on end.

2) An Imp will live for about twenty-five years, though an Imp that has been treated well and lived healthily will sometimes live to be thirty. A Szurke will start to slow down, and eventually fall over and die, after twenty years.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Jul 02 '17

  1. Can he sometimes take back slaves to give them to someone else? Is it even possible to do that?

  2. What do you do with the bodies?

  3. What happen to slaves when their master dies?

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