The Devil is in the Details: Slaves of Shkeen

Mr. Maliszewski has thrown down the gauntlet:

John Laviolette, over at The Nine and Thirty Kingdoms, has even suggested that the old school renaissance would be wise to offer up more examples of tables and systems in this style in order to better demonstrate the old school approach to character generation and background. I think he's absolutely right about that and I'd like to suggest that, in the coming days, my fellow bloggers and forum-ites share their own "The Devil's in the Details" tables.

And he shares with us his table for the elves of Dwimmermount.

In the port city of Pitsh, there are two sources for henchmen and hirelings considered the most sure: the pubs and taverns of the freebooting treasure-hunters on the southern end of the town and the slave market at the Temple of Shkeen.

Justice at the hands of the priests of Aratshi is rather Aristotelian; gaols are only used to hold prisoners until the time of their trial, and sentences are nearly always in the form of fines and weregild. Those who cannot pay are handed over to the Shkeenites. By use of magic, mind-bending drugs, and disturbing sciences, the will of the convict is bent to the service of society. The slave is marked with a magical tattoo which records the slave’s remaining debt to be paid (which includes the costs of feeding and “training” the slave before sale). Slaves are supposed to be given opportunities to earn the coin they need to purchase their freedom, though how many actually manage this is a matter of much conjecture.

While slaves are nearly always more expensive to purchase than henchmen are to hire, their owners enjoy bonuses to the slave’s moral and loyalty.

Many slaves for sale in the temple market (roll 1d20 three times):

1. Are trained in local etiquette.
2. Are trained in the culinary arts.
3. Are trained in the erotic arts.
4. Are conditioned to never cause harm to a priest of Shkeen.
5. Have a pathological fear of all clerics.
6. Still have contacts in the local underworld.
7. Still have friends in the local community.
8. Suffer from recurring nightmares.
9. Have friends or family who were also sentenced to enslavement.
10. Can recognize certain poisons by taste.
11. Prefer to wear as little as weather and local custom will permit.
12. Prefer to go barefoot so their toes can grip the earth.
13. Have a budding artistic talent.
14. Are preoccupied by how much they might be currently worth on the market, to the point of vanity.
15. Are deeply concerned with their appearance and health.
16. Are fastidious about their owner’s appearance and health.
17. Are hesitant to use speak their owner’s name aloud.
18. Pray every night before going to sleep.
19. Are adept at catching catnaps whenever possible.
20. Are exceptionally graceful and poised.

Some slaves for sale in the temple market (roll 1d16 once):

1. Are conditioned to never lie to a priest of Shkeen.
2. Still have contacts in the local Thieves’ Guild.
3. Are recovering gambling addicts.
4. Are recovering alcoholics.
5. Are addicted to a psychedelic substance.
6. Are addicted to sex.
7. Know where the loot is buried.
8. Know where the bodies are buried.
9. Suffer from amnesia.
10. Are literate.
11. Have family or friends eager to see them freed.
12. Have victims still eager for revenge.
13. Is a dwarf (1-2 on 1d6) or half-orc (3-6 on 1d6).
14. Is an elf (1-4 on a 1d6) or goblin (5-6 on 1d6).
15. Have holes in their memories.
16. Was taken as a spoil of war and thus their owner is not obligated to allow them to purchase their freedom.

While most slaves are sold stark-naked, they may possess the following (1d16, 1d3 times):

1. An unusual tattoo.
2. A significant birthmark.
3. Nothing.
4. More nothing.
5. Even more nothing, and do not roll again, even if the d3 roll indicates otherwise.
6. A set of orichalcum acupuncture needles.
7. A jar of peppermint-scented massage oil.
8. A small pouch of rock salt from home.
9. A collar and leash of braided leather.
10. Manacles for wrists and ankles.
11. A hollow tooth.
12. A tiny wooden statuette of a loved one.
13. A prophetic vision.
14. 1d3 gemstones worth 2-200 gps total value, still working their way through the slave’s guts.
15. The answer to a riddle.
16. A secret name.

Art by John William Waterhouse.

Place Your Bets

So, if you can lay bets on someone's ancestry, I have to wonder -- what other kinds of things do people bet on in Pitsh? And where does most of that go on?

Well, there are the usual games of chance played with dice, cards, notched sticks, and shells. There are also variations on cock-fights. The most popular in Pitsh currently are games with scorpions, spiders, snakes, and lizards.

All of these games are fairly common in the taverns, inns, and brothels of Pitsh, but the best place to go for this sort is currently the temple of Tiamat just outside the city walls. That's also the best place to bet on gossip and scandal, such as someone's ancestry, or whether or not a certain lady's child will, in fact, resemble the father, when it's born.

Down on the docks and those places which serve sailors, there's a very complex system of betting around the arrival of ships and cargoes. This is actually part of a byzantine system of insurance and very localized futures trading. Widow Kat of the Oarsman's rest is involved in this.

On the southern end of town, there's a far more informal system based on the treasure hunters who head out into the jungle. The sums tend to be pretty small, and it's primarily about bragging rights. The adventurers also frequently engage in impromptu competitions to show of their skills. These contests always spur a flurry of betting.

Clerics of Hasrit can really swing the odds wildly, since most assume they have some inside information when it comes to matters of chance and fate. Some bookies refuse to take their bets, and there are very stringent rules on how they can get involved in the shipping bets. Hierodules and witches are watched with the same attitude when they bet on social matters and gossip, since they seem to know everybody and everybody's secrets.

Any bet witnessed by two others is considered legally binding. Failure to pay up can get the clerics of Aratshi coming down on you. Those who are unable to pay are handled like any other debtor: handed over to the clerics of Shkeen to be sold into slavery.

Photo credits: pepperfoster and pedrosimoes7.