Slavery and Immortals
by James MishlerHere's my rundown of the various philosophies of the Immortals on slavery. This includes only the major Immortals. Once again, all IMC, but for the most part as Canonical as possible.
al-Kalim (L/LN) - al-Kalim was, as a mortal, unsure about the rightness of slavery. He felt, beyond a doubt, that it was wrong to enslave True Believers, as they properly honour the Immortals and follow the Way of the Eternal Truth. He was less sure about non-believers, though. He felt, to an extent, that slavery was better than death; after all, as a slave the infidel might eventually come around and thus be freed and become a valuable member of society. Heretics and sorcerers, of course, were not given any such room to manoeuvre, and were to be slain outright. In the end in his wisdom, al-Kalim decided to leave a slightly mixed message for his followers, that they might discover better truth that al-Kalim had not yet discovered himself. The Way is still young, however, and has a long way to go.
Alphaks (C/CE) - Alphaks feels that the conquered should serve, then die horribly. Anything goes with slavery. And his followers, when captured and enslaved. well, they were weak, and deserved what they got. Any cleric of Alphaks that is enslaved loses his clerical abilities until he frees himself.
Alphatia (L/LN) - Alphatia lived her mortal life in Elder Alphatia, where things such as slaves were not necessary, as almost everyone had the ability to perform magic, and those very few that did not were taught to excel in other ways. Thus, she finds the practice of slavery distasteful, and believes that it is evil. However, she also believes in the superiority of the Alphatian way of society, and has not worked to eliminate it entirely; her followers are, instead, instructed to develop ways (usually magical) that will eliminate the "necessity" of having slaves in the empire. Her followers also struggle to better the lives of slaves, while at the same time ensuring the internal strength of the empire. Her clerics fight against any attempts to conquer new lands, and strongly stand against the enslavement of any new subject races.
Asterius (N/N) - As the Immortal of commerce, Asterius tends to see things entirely in terms of trade and production. Thus, he perfectly understands the economics behind slavery, and while he does not approve, he tends to turn a blind eye to it. He does have a bit of an anarchists streak, though, which rises from time to time regarding slavery, as he himself had been enslaved for a time as a mortal in Blackmoor. Thus, his good followers will sometimes strike out at slavery (usually legally, and under the broad philosophy that a free man works harder than a slave), while evil followers might continue on as slave traders!
Atruaghin (L/LN) - Like his surface world followers, Atruaghin abhors the concept of any of his people being enslaved, and does not believe that his own people should hold slaves. He is, however, generally ambivalent about anyone else being enslaved by others. He deplores what has happened in the Azcan Empire under the rule of the followers of Atzanteotl, and in that realm does fight against slavery, as part and parcel of everything he does to fight Atzanteotl.
Atzanteotl (C/NE) - Atzanteotl is all for slavery. He revels in the misery it causes. He and his followers believe that the weak were born to serve the strong, and the strong are, of course, the followers of Atzanteotl. Like other evil Immortals that hold this belief, enslaved (though not simply captured) clerics will usually lose their clerical powers until they regain their freedom, as a sign of their patron's displeasure at their weakness.
Calitha (N/N) - Calitha has no particular philosophy on slavery. She does not like to see her followers enslaved, and will do what she can to help, however, her followers do not crusade against (or generally practice) slavery.
Diamond (L/LN) - Diamond does not stand for or against slavery, in general, as most races that can be enslaved generally have little to do with him. He despised the very concept of a dragon being enslaved or subdued, however, and, if the victim is deserving of help will try to provide some form of assistance. In the various Adakkian mortal kingdoms that he is worshipped in, the followers of Diamond feel that slavery is a part of the natural way of life, and do not object to it, as long as slaves are both treated according to the law and remember their place.
Diulanna (N/NG) - Diulanna abhors the concept of slavery and has her followers fight it wherever it rears its ugly head. She feels that it is better to let your opponents die in the struggle for their freedom rather than fetter them in chains.
Djaea (N/NG) - Djaea opposes slavery because it is (she believes) the work of evil and the entropic Immortals, not because of any deeper philosophy. She was a mortal in an age when slavery was common and expected, and thus has a somewhat blasé attitude toward the personal experiences of slaves. Her followers fight slavery on the grander scale; they generally do not fight to free individual slaves, instead they fight against the practice of slavery itself.
Eiryndul (C/CN) - Eiryndul doesn't take well to the concept of slavery; he believes everyone should be free to do pretty much whatever they want to do. Besides, slavery means that too much time and effort is being taken in keeping things orderly, and that's just not the way to do things. Individually, followers of Eiryndul will fight against slavery or not based on their own personal whims and experiences. The more embarrassment and trouble they can bring to the slave owners while freeing the slaves is simply a bonus.
Faunus (C/CN) - "Slavery? Bah! It just gets in the way of having fun! Bonds are made to be broken, so break them! What? You aren't strong enough? Hmmm. have a sip of this. :hiccup: Now, where did that redheaded wench go?"
Frey and Freyja (L/LN) - unlike their co-religionists, Frey and Freyja despise slavery in all its forms, including the thrall-slavery practiced in the Northern Reaches. They and their followers fight against it (usually as guerrillas) at every opportunity.
The Great One (N/N) - The great One is unconcerned with the doings of the mortal races. He does not care whether they live in peace, kill each other, enslave one another, or eat each other, they are all beneath his notice.
Halav (L/LN) - The Traldar were a slave-keeping race and Halav was a king of the Traldar at their glorious height. Thus, he sees nothing wrong with slavery, even other races enslaving Traldar. However, he does believe that slave have certain rights, and that slave owners have responsibilities toward their slaves. His followers continually struggle toward the betterment of the condition of slaves, though not necessarily toward the eradication of slavery. He abhors the nature of Alphatian slavery; his followers strike against Alphatian slavers at every chance.
Hel (C/CN) - Slavery is just fine with Hel. She does not necessarily go out of her way to sponsor it, but she has no problem with it whatsoever. She has also been known to have her followers sponsor slave uprisings, though not with the welfare of the slaves in mind; she enjoys the chaos they cause, and, if at the right time, can assist her followers to gain further power or influence.
Ilsundal (L/LG) - Ilsundal abhors slavery, and fought against it back when Blackmoor was young. His paladins and clerics vow to fight it wherever it may be, and to defend the freedom of people with their lives. In ordered and lawful societies, the followers of Ilsundal fight slavery through legal means; elsewhere, they take to martial means to free slaves.
Ixion (N/N) - Ixion, never having been mortal (as far as he can recall), has worries little about slavery. He does not like to see his followers enslaved, unless they have failed him somehow. The few times he ever does speak out or have his followers act against slavery are usually at the behest of his mate, Valerias (q.v.).
Ka (N/LN) - Ka does into really understand the concept of slavery and what it means to mortal races. Thus, when the subject comes up, he usually turns a blind eye to it, unless it involves his favoured followers or strengthens the power of entropy.
Kagyar (N/N) - Kagyar dislikes the concept of slavery in general and will fight it most ferociously if his followers are concerned. However, he and his followers generally go not get involved with the affairs of other races and religions when it comes to slavery.
Karaash (N/LE) - Philosophically speaking, Karaash has no problem with slavery. He and his people practiced it when he was a mortal; his followers practice it today. Slavery frees his followers to pursue martial rather than simple subsistence ways. It is, to Karaash, a natural by-product of military conquest. However, he does not believe in its extensive practice, as such would weaken the martial spirit of the slave masters, as they become weak from indolence. He and his old sponsor Diulanna had a falling out over slavery centuries ago, which is why she is no longer an ally of his.
Khoronus (N/N) - Khoronus believes that slavery was one of the factors that contributed to the eventual downfall of the original Blackmoor culture (he knows the Great Rain of Fire destroyed Blackmoor, but he feels the civilisation fell long before the end). Thus, he has a genteel-dislike for slavery and the entire institution. He and his followers do not generally actively struggle against slavery, but they do try to mitigate its excesses and limit its growth.
Korotiku (C/CN) - Korotiku abhors slavery; after all, freedom is required to generate new thoughts, and thought is what life and existence is all about. Thus, his followers usually (and violently) oppose slavery. They fight it on the individual and societal level, ranging from assassins that take out slave owners and traders to senators in Thyatis that fight against it on the floor of the senate.
Koryis (L/LN) - Koryis dislikes slavery, and feels that it inhibits true prosperity and peace. Thus, he and his followers fight it - but they fight it over the long term, on a societal level. They are determined to change the status quo only through slow, deliberate negotiation and philosophical evolution. However, some followers (generally mystics and other martial-artist types) often take it upon themselves to hurry things along.
Loki (C/CN) - Slavery is meant for those who haven't the wit to remain free; this means just about everyone but Loki. Followers may practice slavery or not, as they wish. However, this license is a double-edged sword, as those clerics of Loki that are enslaved lose their powers. They must not only free themselves only using their own wits, they must also perpetrate a grand prank on their former master before they will regain their clerical status!
Masauwu (C/CE) - Slavery is the bread and butter of this Immortal con man. He is a patron of slave traders that gain their wares through guile and lies; he is the unofficial patron of the Black Ring and other slaver organisations. Like other entropic Immortals, clerics that are themselves enslaved lose their powers until they regain their freedom.
Mealiden (L/NG) - Like his patron, Ilsundal, Mealiden despises slavery. However, unlike Ilsundal, he is less concerned with it when it deals with races other than elves, and thus he tends to have a somewhat flippant attitude about its practice by other races. This has changed somewhat in recent centuries, as he gains followers outside of his natal race, but thus far has only caused him to extend his philosophical blanket of freedom over his non-elven followers, not mortals in general.
Noumena (N/LN) - Noumena was raised as a mortal king of a slave holding nation. He thus sees slavery as a natural thing. However, he fights against it wherever slavery is predominant to an "unnatural" degree, or where it has caused the wholesale corruption of society.
Nyx (N/N) - Nyx is unconcerned with the lifestyles of the living. Her people are all slaves. slaves to the Night.
Odin (L/LN) - Odin believes that slavery is a natural way of human kind. He also believes that it is a far more preferable result than the wholesale slaughter of enemies in battle. Thus, in societies that followed him, he instituted varying methods of slavery, most of them with the end goal of induction of the slave (or barring that, the slaves' progeny) into the society that took the slave. Unfortunately, he has seen this system corrupted again and again into a mode of debasement and inhumanity. He is no longer certain as to the system, but he figures he can keep trying to get the balance just right. He has plenty of time.
Opal (N/N) - The Sun Dragon is not well disposed toward mortal races, especially humans. She feels that most of them should probably be slaves, and live a life of misery. However, she also has a soft spot for lone survivors of raids that are enslaved, and will at times do what little she can to help them gain revenge over their enslavers.
Orcus (C/CE) - Orcus likes slaves. He believes that the best place for the conquered is in the slave pits, just before they are sacrificed to him. He does not, unlike most other entropic Immortals, take his follower's powers away when they are enslaved. To the contrary, he usually grants them a few extra spells, in order that they can cause more chaos and destruction in their attempts to escape.
Ordana (N/N) - Ordana has a mixed history where slavery is concerned; after all, she created the elves to be the "friends and protectors" of the forest - whether they wanted to or not! Thus, she effectively created the elves as a slave race! However, she eventually realised that there was an innate wrongness of the situation, and freed the elves from their servitude. Since then she has had little to do with slavery, either for or against, as she is less concerned with what mortals do to each other than with what they do to the forest and its inhabitants.
Pearl (C/CN) - Pearl recently discovered the concept of slavery, and is all for it - the draconic enslavement of the other races, that is. She has only just started putting together a philosophy on the idea, so it might take her a couple of decades (or she might just start it tomorrow, you never know with her), and thus the civilised mortal races could well be in danger from draconic slavers very shortly!
Petra (L/NG) - Petra is less blasé about slavery than Halav; they are always getting into heated discussions about the practice. Petra learned more about the nature of slavery than Halav has, mostly through her interactions with the day to day society of the Milenian Empire. Thus, she and her followers struggle to mitigate the wrongs of slavery while they also fight to eliminate it.
Pflarr (N/N) - Pflarr was created as a slave, and never questioned his existence as a slave. Thus, slavery is natural to Pflarr. However, his experience with the Hutaaka and the Traldar has made him question the methods (though not the morality) of slavery. Today his followers generally do not care one way or the other, and do not get involved.
Protius (N/N) - Protius neither condones nor condemns slavery, unless it is his followers that are being enslaved. In those cases, the seas roil and boil and people get hurt. Otherwise, he could care less with what the surface folk do to one another.
Rad (L/LN) - Rad doesn't much care for slavery, however, being young (as far as Immortals go) he also doesn't really feel there is much that he can do about it. It really isn't his concern. He does, however, give his blessing to his followers that seek to fight it, provided they don't go causing too much trouble.
Rafiel (N/N) - As a mortal Rafiel disliked the Thonian institution of slavery. Thus, Rafiel doesn't allow the practice of slavery among his followers. However, he also does not become involved with slavery practiced by others, unless, of course, they enslave his own people. He doesn't feel he has the time or the resources to take concentration away from the survival and well being of his followers to fight for any such cause.
Rathanos (C/CN) - Rathanos is not opposed to slavery, especially with regard to the enslavement of females. He does not go out of his way to promulgate the idea, however, nor in general do his followers. However, most of the societies that follow him practice slavery in one form or another and consider it to be a natural part of society.
Razud (N/N) - Razud is philosophically opposed to slavery, however, he also believes that it is up to the individual to free himself. Self reliance is the nature of the way of Razud, and it would be against the faith to take another's fate into one's hands. Basically, his philosophy is that if one is a slave, and does not do something to change that status, you get what you deserve. He and his followers disapprove of large-scale slave uprising, however, they also disapprove of wholesale enslavement of populations.
Talitha (C/CE) - Talitha was once a slave while a mortal, and did not like the experience one bit. However, rather than learn from the experience and find community with other slaves upon regaining her freedom she immediately turned around and started buying and abusing her own slaves. Her faithful follower her example; many slave traders and raiders are her followers.
Tarastia (L/LN) - Tarastia despises slavery. However, she is a realist, and has done little to try to change what she believes to be human nature. She has done what she can to alleviate the suffering of slaves, and ensures in her courts (where she can) that slaves have rights and that those rights are respected. Her followers will often buy slaves and will usually free them at the first opportunity. Many of her followers are former slaves that have been freed thusly. Her temples run several repatriation charities that help captured and then freed slaves return home.
Terra (L/LN) - Slavery was and remains the way of life on the Elemental Planes, where Terra first lived as a mortal. Thus, she believes slavery to be a natural way of life. She dislikes cruel and vile treatment of slaves, however, seeing such as a path toward entropy. Therefore, she usually has her followers support laws and rights for slaves wherever possible. Followers of Terra will hold slaves and generally treat them well.
Thanatos (C/CE) - Thanatos does not understand slavery. Why keep the conquered alive when it is so much more entertaining and enjoyable to kill them? His followers will usually "free" slaves in just that manner, and consider themselves to be doing their victims a favour.
Thor (L/LN) - Thor believes that warriors bested in battle deserve to die in with honour battle. Otherwise, he supports the ancient tradition of thrall-taking while at the same time fighting against other slave-taking traditions, which he believes dehumanises the victims. Thor and his followers see nothing wrong with this strange dichotomy in their philosophy.
Valerias (C/CN) - Valerias believes that all living beings should be slaves. slaves to passion, that is. She really does not have any feelings one way or the other, except in cases where slavery interferes with a romance. Then she gets downright furious about the whole idea, calls upon Ixion to do something about it, and, when some other romance catches her fancy, completely forgets about it.
Vanya (N/N) - Vanya actually frets about her stance on slavery. She herself fought against it during her whole mortal life, yet, somehow, she finds herself happily supporting the enslavement of whole populations when her own followers conquer them. At times she questions her own lack of discretion in this matter. She is coming more and more to the conclusion that slavery is an indelible part of mortal society; one that will always be there, should not necessarily be encouraged, but also should be regulated and, if possible, kept to a minimum. Note that, as the Patroness of War, she has often supported both sides in slave uprisings, in an attempt to let human nature and fate decide the outcome and the righteousness of slavery. Generally the slaves have lost.
Zirchev (N/N) - Zirchev is unconcerned with the ways of civilisation. He believes that slavery is but another sign that civilisation is corrupt. His human followers, generally loners, hermits, and barbarians have little desire or need to hold slaves. Zirchev and his followers will fight against slavers only when they threaten their own way of life, or somehow threaten the balance of the forests.