Legends of Belariath
Slaves, Slavers and Slave Owners
Slavery - such an emotive word it can be. Enough to spark a civil war at the least. But in Belariath it has a lot less serious connotations. It's a way of life. Might makes Right, so why shouldn't you take what you want and slap a collar on it to mark it as your property?
Important Note:
No one can force your character to be a slave if you do not give OOC consent. Not for any reason. And no one can tell you, as a player, that you don't belong here if you don't want to roleplay as a slave or a slave owner.
While many people do play those games, it is only essential that you accept their existence within the roleplay. Not that you do it yourself.
Slave Ownership Explained
What is slavery here in the world of Belariath? A justified question indeed. Slavery within the world of Belariath means one character is either captured by another, who becomes their owner, or they choose for themselves to give up their freedom and let a Master or Mistress rule over them and control their lives. It means putting on a collar. Now, what's a collar? No not what you've seen dogs wearing though the symbolism relates closely to that situation. The collar symbolizes your freedom given over into another character's hand. It symbolizes a tag or the name of the Master/Mistress to whom you now belong.
In roleplay, a tag, as we refer to it, will be put on to the end of your nick like this "Wynona{JaE}". Notice the {--} within those brackets is where you put your Master/Mistress tag name. These brackets represent a tag that either hangs from the collar itself or is embedded into the collar, depending on what the collar is made of and what you and the owner-player prefer.
Can anyone become a slave? No. Depending on the racial write up or class write up, some are not allowed to become a slave so before taking on that race or class read it thoroughly.
Can I come into the game as someone's slave? Yes you may but you must also go through the proper channels to wear that tag. You must post into the Slave Registration with a clear ooc consent given to be collared to another character.
How do I post clear OOC consent? Consent is posted on the Message Board in the Slave Registration forum. An example of clear OOC consent is, 'I the player of Giggles, give my ooc consent to be collared by BigMac'. BigMac's response on the board should be, 'I the player of BigMac give my ooc consent to collar the character Giggles'. Once you've completed this, an Imperial Slave Authority (ISA) worker will stamp their approval and set the collaring dates. Collaring dates run from the day the ISA has seen the post to one week following. You have that time frame to get yourself and your slave to the ISA offices and complete the registration before the date is up, but it cannot be finalized until the last date given. Once your time is up, you the character that is to be collared may now wear your tag proudly. Example, Giggles{BMac}.
Being a slave is no easy ride however, so think carefully before you delve into this aspect of Belariath. You must follow not only the laws your Master or Mistress lays down, but you must also follows the laws of the Empire and the ISA. You are not allowed to start fights nor kill unless you are defending yourself. Your Master or Mistress cannot send you in to fight his or her fights for them. This does not mean that in character you must suddenly shed your aggressive nature but be aware that if you do break those laws, the ISA and the Empire will take action. By taking on that sort of roleplay, you are giving implied OOC consent for any punishment that follows.
Its real fun to play the slave that constantly acts up, but be aware of what your actions could bring to not only you but your Master or Mistress as well. They are responsible for your slave's actions in an In Character fashion. OOC of course, no one can control another. Remember also that just because a collar was slapped about your neck, that you do not suddenly have to start kneeling and begging and saying yes Ma'am no Ma'am three bags full Ma'am. A new collaring and time to train makes more sense, a sudden change of attitude does not. It's also far more fun for your role play as well to have that time with your Master or Mistress to be trained or perhaps to find another to help train you. Above all, have fun with this.
You cannot under any circumstances be collared or enslaved without your ooc consent. In other words you cannot be forced into a collar, except for one ruling factor, Indentured slaves.
What are Indentured slaves? Indentured slaves are those that have committed a crime against the Empire and, after arrest by the Imperial Guards, must now serve out their time working for a shop or for the Palace or a Noble. There is a list on the site of crimes for which you could be arrested and what punishments result. I do suggest you read those carefully so you are aware of what the IG and the ISA can do in such an occurrence. Note that by choosing to roleplay one of those crimes, you are again giving implied ooc consent to what follows.