Slave Prices in Ancient Tevinter

Fenris: I didn't realize you were in the market for a slave.  Hawke: A.) I will pay her.  B.) Slaves are useful.

In our first tabletop session of Dragon Age, the questions came up: How much would a single slave cost?  Could someone who is not a noble afford one, if they were so inclined?  Since it was a serious inquiry on behalf of the player character, I looked into it at the first opportunity.  A search of the wiki brought up nothing when it came to actual pricing.  A search of the internet came up with an old thread on the now defunct BioWare forums (I had to use the WayBackMachine to read it).  The thread was mostly full of bickering, with very little discussion of the economic aspects.  

I am still getting a handle on the currency and value system in Thedas, so I started asking around on RPG.net, the Green Ronin forums, and a Dragon Age group of Facebook.  I was curious to know what people would use to establish a baseline price.  Some folks turned to historical figures from the real world, which is understandable.  Others turned to the value of other types of property in Dragon Age, such as magic items or horses.  Some referred to the video games, while others referred to food and lodging costs in the tabletop core book.  All in all, I was glad and proud to see folks taking the question as an academic, fictional exercise.  Nobody got nasty or pointed fingers.  The conversations stayed adult and helped give me a lot of food for thought.

I am no stranger to gameifying slave costs for a tabletop campaign.  I had to do it for D&D years ago, but I was much more familiar with the monetary system and values at play.  I am also working in a historical period set well before any of the video games or novels, during a time when slavery in Thedas was the norm and not done on the sly.  While I don't want to deal with complex formulas and every possible variable, I do want some variation based on a few factors.  So I went back to my chart for D&D and started fiddling with it, adjusting it for the races, classes, and stats of Thedas.  

I decided against trying to fall in line with real world historical precedents and to stick with the game's setting, instead.  There are too many societies that have had slaves and too many variations in the prices in the historical record.  From there, it seemed best to start with the basic wage a day laborer would earn as a baseline figure.  The cost for a meal and a stay at the cheapest inn is 10 cp, so that seemed like a reasonable daily wage.  Based on a suggestion on RPG.net, an average day laboring slave would cost 600 days' worth of the daily wage at the time.  In Thedas, this means the slave would be paid off and begin to generate profit after about two years (and would start at a price of about 60 sp).

In ancient Tevinter, I've already established a few things: First, dwarves are never sold as slaves by the empire, not even the casteless.  That is due to their rock-solid dealings with the dwarven kingdoms (and the dwarves' desire to keep the casteless close by and desperate enough to do their dirty work).  Secondly, mages are not sold as slaves, period.  If they are punished with servitude for some kind of wrongdoing, they are placed under the control of a senior mage, but no mage is sold out of fear of what the local Circle would do.  Elven mages are slain immediately upon discovery.  That eliminates some basic choices but leaves plenty to work with. 

In a previous post, I established that the entire elven race is kept in bondage.  They alone cannot earn freedom after a period of service or have it bestowed upon them by a master's death.  Any elf born is an elf raised in slavery.  While this is grim for the elves, it also reduces their overall value since they are far more plentiful as slave stock than humans.  The Qunari haven't made a real appearance yet in 800 TE, so they are not available.  And since humans can be sold for terms of indentured servitude that will end, that will also have to be accounted for, since they will eventually have to be replaced.  Based on all of the above, I have come up with the following:

Race	Base Price	Classes	Base Price	Level	Multiplier
Dwarf	-----	Mage	------	1	-----
Elf	15 sp	Rogue	20 sp	2	x2
Human	30 sp	Warrior	30 sp	3	x3
Qunari	------	NPC Combat	15 sp	4	x4
		NPC Non-combat	10 sp	5	x5

The base price is established by adding the cost for race to the cost for class and then multiplying by the slave's level.  Then, that figure is adjusted based on the slave's stats, age, and term of service (for humans).

Statistics	Adjustment	Age and Adjustment	Human Adjustments
Weak -2	Subtract 30 - 50%	Child: -5 to 20%	Permanent slavery: +50%
Slow -1	Subtract 10 - 20%	Adult: no change	Term of service (less than 10 yrs.): -20%
Average 0	No adjustment	Middle aged: no change	Term of service (more than 10 yrs.): -10%
Gifted +1 - +2	Add 10 - 20%	Old: -25%
Exceptional +3 and up	Add 30%, + 10% per point above 3	Venerable: -50%

Some institutions or individuals are so wealthy that they can afford to buy slaves in bulk.  Generally speaking, a lot of slaves is assembled from a group of people with below average and average statistics.  Most lots are made up of the same type of slave, from one race and one class, at first level.  Individuals with player character classes are not usually included in bulk sales.  When purchased in large lots at once, the price for all of the slaves is totaled and then reduced as follows:

50 slaves = 5%  
100 slaves = 10%  
200 slaves = 15%
300 slaves = 20%
500 slaves = 25%
1000 slaves = 30%

Last but not least, Investigating the seller(s) and market ahead of time with a successful Cunning: Evaluation or Research test could grant a small bonus to the haggling check.  The final deal is sealed with a Communication: Bargaining test to try to reduce the final price one more time.  Communication: Deception or Persuasion tests or a Strength: Intimidation test might be substituted, instead.

For most Soporati citizens of Tevinter, it is not worth the upfront price or the extended risks to own slaves.  It is easier to hire voluntary workers when and if they need them.  Likewise, it should be noted that some citizens would rather not own people and find slavery less than palatable in their daily lives.  As a way of repaying crimes, it is acceptable to most; beyond that, many are glad not to participate directly.  A few of the lower class will purchase individual slaves as status symbols or as a kind of family heirloom (or even out of hidden affection or a desire to make sure they are treated well enough), but they are not the norm.

Hopefully this guide will provide enough variation without being overwhelming, and can be easily altered for other historic periods or conditions, if anyone needs prices for their games.  

Please keep in mind that this is entirely fictional and is not meant to advocate for slavery, past, present, or future, in any way.

Slavery in Thedas, 800 TE

Art from Dragon Age II

Slavery in Thedas is different in 800 TE from what it's like in the Dragon Age in a few key ways, though some things remain the same.  

Casteless in the Dwarven Empire

There is no official slavery in the kingdoms of the Deep Roads, but the casteless dwarves seem to be even worse off for it.  No one owns them or even wants to acknowledge them.  They gain very little for any work they manage to gain, have no recourse when the castes wrong them, and gain neither food nor rest even for the most back-breaking efforts.  King Darbir's reign has already come and gone, which means that it has been declared that the casteless can't perform work done by those within the caste system.  This leaves them with very few tasks they are allowed to do.  

Many are approached for more dangerous enterprises like testing mines, clearing cave-ins, and other types of scouting.  Not only does this mean that the casteless might not live to return, but it spares the lives of skilled dwarves, their mounts, and their property.  Of course, many are approached for criminal activities.  They might also be sent to deliver last-minute missives to Tevinter outposts close to the surface.  The brave (or foolhardy) few who have left the Stone have not been missed.

"Dust towns" are found in every dwarven stronghold to separate the casteless from the rest.  These are always the most unpleasant, unwanted spaces, usually on the outskirts of major population centers.  They are drab worlds unto themselves, with their own pathetic hierarchies and paltry economies.  These dust towns also keep the casteless available in one place for punishment or approach by those who will lower themselves to put them to use.

Those born and branded casteless for generations might have an odd type of prestige among their own.  Those who manage to live to be older in such conditions garner pity but also admiration.  Only those who are the most vicious and able to lead others earn lasting fear and respect.  Political maneuvering leads to disgraced dwarves being condemned on an irregular basis, but there is no sure route to forgiveness for any of the casteless.  

The Tevinter Imperium does not accept dwarves as slaves (even when casteless have offered themselves) due to agreements between the empires.

Those Who Serve in the Tevinter Imperium

The Tevinter tribe extended instant citizenship to the Neromenian tribe when Darinius brought the two together in -5 TE.  Human tribes that agreed to parley and become part of the new empire could bargain for their freedom.  The upper echelons were usually allowed to become citizens not through slavery but through deeds, gifts, and marriage.  Commoners became slaves, but only for a period of ten years, after which they were granted citizenship as Liberati (unless they rebelled and made themselves criminals, which would extend their period service, sometimes indefinitely).  Serious criminals would be handed over as permanent slaves and sent to other settlements than their home towns.

Human tribes who refused to bargain were conquered and enslaved en masse for the next decade.  Members of the upper crust were usually kept together and made to serve Tevinter Altus or Laetans.  Once released, if they had pleased their masters, they could expect better than just becoming Liberati.  They might be offered marriages with Laetans or positions of minor authority.  Others were divided and shipped away from home, which helped to break down the tribal lines and identities that had made them recalcitrant in the first place.  But most captives earned their freedom and most of their grudges faded over time as their descendants were born free and full rights as Soporati.  Any slave who showed magical talent was given over to serve the Laetans and upon finishing their term of service would become part of that class.

The war with the elves and the destruction of their power in Thedas changed the face of Tevinter slavery forever.  The entire race was declared slaves from birth until death, fit for nothing but lives of service to the empire.  There were no exceptions to this rule.  Elven slaves who were able to wield magic were usually slain outright, since it was assumed that they had somehow stolen the power from their masters.  It was also an immediate affront to those who believed that magic was directly bestowed by the Old Gods.  Whether the elf in question had converted to worship of the Old Gods or not was irrelevant.  This is the case for elves in the empire of 800 TE.  There are always rumors that some Tevinter masters hide elven slaves with magic abilities and keep them as hidden weapons, but if it is proven, the elf is seized and slain and the master becomes a slave for the rest of his or her life.

There are no long-term prisons in the Imperium per se.  Those who are discovered in the act or accused are held at home or in a local jail, depending on their class.  Laetans and Soporati can usually expect jail while their fate is decided, and then fines and/or corporal punishment for the least crimes, but they can receive time as slaves for any trespass.  The more serious the offense (or the more powerful the person offended), the longer the sentence is.  Anyone who is too dangerous to serve as a slave is given over to the Altus for their experiments or any other measure that results in the death of the condemned.  Altus never see the inside of Tevinter jails.  They might be forced to serve another mage but they are rarely known as slaves.  Those who betray the empire or the Old Gods are made examples of; otherwise, any death sentences are carried out in secret.  Ridiculing a fallen Altus in public is punished if you are from a lesser class, and deeply frowned upon if you are not.

Slaves who belong to the Imperium at large are Servus Publicanus and are routed into public projects in cities, quarries, boats, or anywhere else labor is needed.  They have been the builders and maintainers of the Imperial Highway.  They can be purchased by private citizens at nearly any time, and then they are known by their primary duty, such as being kitchen or farm slaves.  Those condemned to a term of slavery can be consigned into public service or granted to a specific owner (usually in the family of someone they wronged) by whoever sits in judgment (either an Altus of a Circle or of a temple, depending on the most powerful organization in the area).

Slaves can run out a term of service, be granted freedom in their owner's will upon their death, or be set free before a judge with their owner's testimony.  All become Liberati - free to own property (including slaves), arrange their own marriages, and apprentice in trades, but forbidden from serving in the military or in governing positions.  As long as they remain in good standing, their children are born as Soporati, though repeated terms of slavery can end in this being revoked.  Citizens of the Laetan and Soporati classes can also sell themselves into terms of slavery to cover debts, but upon ending their contract, they return to the class they were in before.

Cruelty to slaves is not mandated but strict discipline is encoded in law.  It is vital to the stability of the empire that the slaves obey and have enough fear of their masters to stay in line.  Occasional (but not exactly rare) uprisings reinforce the need for such treatment and are put down violently.  Leaders can expect slow and public executions and display after the fact.  Masters who are thought to coddle their slaves can expect a visit from clergy of Andoral, Dragon of Slavery.  If their behavior does not change and especially if their slaves act up, masters can lose their slaves either temporarily or permanently.  They are, after all, putting the safety of the Tevinter Imperium at risk.  Masters who are renown for being harsh and sadistic will not be corrected; at least they are handling their property and duty.

Unconquered Tribes

Those peoples who have not yet been incorporated into the Imperium rarely look kindly upon slavery.  It is one of the reasons the Almarri tribes of Ferelden have fought so hard against Tevinter incursions.  The Anderfels quickly abandoned the practice during their rebellion and most slaves in the region now are public servants rather than privately owned.  Individuals who are seduced by the idea of owning their own slaves have defected from their tribes time and again, only to find that they must first serve to earn their citizenship.

Music I was listening to while writing this: Magi playlist by knarize.