fatal

Animal
and
Slave
Trading
Animal/ Slave
Cost
1 . Bull
100
s.
p.
2 . Camel
1,
000
s.
p.
3 . Cat
3 s.
p.
4 . Chicken
2 s.
p.
5 . Cow
20
s.
p.
6 . Dog,
domesticate
d
20
s.
p.
7 . Dog,
wild
2 s.
p.
8 . Donkey
300
s.
p.
9 . Falcon
500
s.
p.
1 0.
Goat
10
s.
p.
1 1.
Goose
5 s.
p.
1 2.
Hare
4 s.
p.
1 3.
Hawk
300
s.
p.
1 4.
Horse,
Bedouin
500
s.
p.
1 5.
Horse,
Brabant
700
s.
p.
1 6.
Horse,
Percheron
600
s.
p.
1 7.
Horse,
Pony,
Dartmoor
200
s.
p.
1 8.
Horse,
Pony,
Exmoor
250
s.
p.
1 9.
Mule
50
s.
p.
2 0.
Ox
100
s.
p.
2 1.
Pigeon
60
s.
p.
2 2.
Sheep
10
s.
p.
2 3.
Slave,
adult
female*
500
s.
p.
2 4.
Slave,
adult
male*
400
s.
p.
2 5.
Slave,
boy*
200
s.
p.
2 6.
Slave,
girl*
300
s.
p.
2 7.
Swine
10
s.
p.
2 8.
Wolf
200
s.
p.
*Prices for slaves vary by race and specialty
Descriptions of these animals may be found
in Neveria, a companion book that details animals
and beasts. The animals listed above are considered
to be sold alive or as food; the prices are not set
here for skins or pelts.
419
Slave-trading is popular in many cultures. In
human societies, slaves are expensive. Female slaves
are more expensive than male slaves 1 . Many noble
families display their status by owning slaves from
exotic places. Slaves may be obtained of nearly any
age and race, and for nearly any purpose ranging
from farming, housekeeping, physical labor, and
sexual favors. Slaves may only become free if the
master dies of natural causes with no heirs and the
local community does not claim them, or if the
master chooses to free the slave.
Before a citizen may buy or sell slaves, they
must register with the local government, paying 300
s.p. as a fee that is good for the rest of the master’s
life in that locale. Masters are obligated to properly
feed and take care of their slaves, and masters may
be executed for murdering their own slaves (see Justice
in Chap. 6: Sociality).
There are many reasons why slaves are so
numerous. The most popular claim is that slaves
are prisoners of war. Once slaves reproduce with
other slaves, the slave population self-perpetuates.
Less popular is the fact that many slaves are citizens
who are abducted by pirates and sold elsewhere as
slaves. Another prevalent source of slaves is when
a husband acquires a debt, and must sell his wife
and children into slavery to pay his debt. Finally,
since baby boys are valued far more than baby girls,
female infants are often abandoned. When found,
the child is usually raised as a slave.
SERVI.AUT.NASCUNTUR.
AUT.FIUNT
Slaves are either born
or made.
1. This comment on the gender of slaves is referenced from Wage Labor and Guilds in Medieval Europe by Steven A.
Epstein. For more information, see the References section at the end of this book.
Chapter 9: Equipment