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HARD-BARGAIN HOLD~III~ :Slavery By Waddie Greywolf CHAPTER THREE: SLAVERY Longing for the freedom of my chains~ Bobby Mc Gee~K. Kristofferson With the decline and reinvention of society many question were tossed about in the Male sweat lodges about what to to with people who had committed crimes. They did not have money nor resources to keep prisoners in containment and maintain them. They were primarily an agrarian society and while they were prosperous enough to sometime share they certainly didn't want to keep feeding non-contributing people. So it was decided that rather than kill criminals they would be sold into slavery and depending on their sentence would spend that time in servitude. There was mixed opinions when the major Clans decided to initiate slavery. Some feared that there would be great room for abuse but others argued that as a Freeman no one had to commit a crime against his family and those that did deserved what they got. The Core established Codes concerning the treatment of a slave while serving time. If it was a short sentence the Freemen that purchased them couldn't alter them physically. They must be allowed to serve their sentence and then return to freedom as they entered. Much like an indentured tenure. The females could not be forced to bear a child. But if they chose to do so with their Male Master they knew that the child would be freeborn. If their sentence was more than eighteen years then they also knew when their child turned eighteen they could be released from slavery. If they chose to do so they had to appear without their Master in front of the Core and express their wishes without coersion and request permission. The Core found nothing wrong with a Freeman or Woman using even a short term male slave for sex. He could not be altered but he could be expected to do as his Master wanted. Slaves that had been convicted of henious crimes such as murder, child rape or kidnap, the rape of a FreeWoman, treason to the Clan, and those captured in battle were treated as cattle. The had no rights nor gained any sympathy from the community in the way they were used. They couild be trainned as anything from plough animals to sex slaves. Codes were established defining the ways a person could be sold into slavery and whether slaves should have any rights. There was several ways a freeman might find him or herself being sold as a slave. The most obvious would be criminals.Then there were the captives of marauding tribes which, until slavery, were killed. They were usually the hardest to break to accept the idea of spending the rest of their lives as a slave. In the early days of slavery there were outsiders that would come to the Gates of the Clan and request to be sold into slavery rather than to starve to death. Usually, situations like that were done under indentured contract. Occasionally, there was someone, usually male, for some obscure reason would simply give themselves to a freeman voluntarily sell themselves to pay for family debts. Sometime 'tweeners felt it necessary to form the bond-of-bonds and would petition the Core for one to become the others slave. It was rarely denied but the Core insisted on counseling by the Spirit Guide, the Medicine Man, and the Witness. If a Freeman was going to give up his freedom they wanted to make sure that he understood the ramafications. Especially the future. What happens to the Slave if his Master should die suddenly by accident or battle. Once banded as a life time slave you couldn't go back to being a Freeman just because your Master died. If the reporting counseling members agreed and the Core vote was a majority then the ritual ceremonial release of status as a Freeman would be performed. The candidate would ceremoniously be given to his Master to be branded and banded before the Ney'bros. The slave, once banded, could never again enter the chambers and sweat lodges of the Freemen. It was much debated whether slaves should have rights. After much soul searching it was decided that anyone once banded as a slave for life would have no rights. An owner had total control over their property and literally held their lives in his hand. Many times to psychologically break a slave faster, a Masters would have them neutered and sometime completely de-sexed. The Freemen often discussed the care and trainning of their slaves as they would discuss cattle. The general consensus was that a new slave became more productive quicker if he was de-nutted and most felt that since you were going to have that done then you might as well have the rest removed to keep them out of trouble. There was little patience to work and train incorrigable slaves so they usually went under the knife to remove everything. "Calmed 'em right down!" some of the Freemen would say. If a slave became to vocal and would not stop bitching about everything it was not uncommon to have their vocal cords cut. The codes began to cover all aspects of slavery and because of their faith and hope for the children of the community, it was written that no child should be born into slavery. Therefore, the child of two slaves was a Freeman or Freewoman. It was decided by the Core that a child was innocent when they came into this world and should not have to suffer for the sins of their parents. It was up to him in what direction his life should go. The child would become a part of the Freeman community and had no less status than the children born to Freemen. It became a great deterrent to crime to see the way his parents had to live compared to the freedom he enjoyed. A child of two slaves was far less likely to repeat his parents mistakes. Someone remembered a saying from the old times: The drunkard's son is a sober man. Slavery was not looked upon as an evil thing. It was considered a necessary idea to punish criminals and invaders caught in battle.No one would consider buying slaves from anyone but a recognized slave dealer for all the Clans. Slavery was not something that they wanted to encourage it became simply a means to an end. It worked very effectively. After the initial start of slavery crime in and around the Keeps had been greatly reduced. (Author Note: O.K. This takes a while to get to the good shit! I apologize, that's just the way I write. I would much rather write like Paul B! (Mounded series. Hot stuff!) Could I have some feedback on this. Is you is or is you ain't finding the concept interesting and willing to ride along tell the good stuff happens! If you e-mail don't forget to add the "8" I've fucked up several times and left it off my addy. Best! Waddie) End Chapter III Waddie Greywolf Waddie8@earthlink.net
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