Thay's Slave Trade: An Insider's Perspective

This post is an in-character overview of how slavery is conducted in Thay at its height, and after hundreds of years of supporting the ownership of other sentient people. It's offered as an inside view of how many Thayans see and participate in the practice, which can be helpful when building Thayan characters. Whether they are commoners, nobles, or slaves, everyone in the country will be faced with such views and have to respond to them. If you want ample reasons to despise Thay more, feel free to keep reading. If any of this already upsets you, consider passing on this post.

To make it abundantly clear, this post does not represent my views or feelings in any way; quite the opposite. I hate slavery in all forms with all I have, and believe that we all should. Few things have done as much harm to humanity as the slave trade. However, this is a work of fiction, and I hold imagination in a special place. I firmly believe we can explore things we despise in our minds, our stories, and our games without condoning them in real life. We might even understand these wrongs further - and how to combat them - by doing so.

What you will read below is a twisted perspective that seeks to justify grave crimes and invalidate ethical or humane concerns. These justifications are usually presented as part of national mythology and social rules. In this case, they're presented as a coming-of-age instruction manual to a younger noble who's expected to toe the party line, so to speak. The character speaking, Tari Govannon, has been reared with these views, and has benefited from her station as a noble and from slave ownership, her entire life. Part of the horror of this work is how completely she buys into this worldview. Another horror is that she's teaching it to the next generation, hoping young Salia Valgon will approve. 

It's even worse to know that, given her own warped perspective, Salia probably will.

From the Pen of Tari Govannon

My Dear Salia, 

Now that we are officially cousins, and now that you are on the verge of womanhood, you should learn about a cornerstone of our country's history, present, and future: the slave trade. You have grown up surrounded by slaves of every description, so you might think you already understand all you need to know. But soon, you will be given permission to pick your first personal slaves, and everything about their lives will be up to you. Eventually, you may want to replace them, but how will you know where to find what you're looking for? And someday, you will be sent abroad to find the best slaves for our house first-hand. But do you even know why we do any of this?

The answer is: probably not, because we take it for granted that every Thayan understands what's at stake. But people will take advantage of your ignorance when you're in other lands. They will try to twist the truth and sway you to their side, against your own kin. And they will never accept you as one of their own, no matter what they say. As soon as they are done using you to sabotage us, they will turn on you, and you will either end up dead or in prison for the rest of your life. I would not see that happen. We're better than that, and we are certainly going to be smarter.

So, let's begin with the broad view: Slavery in Thay is a year-round industry. Generally, slave-hunting begins across Faerun in the spring, since more people are on the move and in need of coin after the harshness of winter. (Or at least, the harshness of winter in other regions; our magical weather net saves us from that drudgery.) Caravans, ships, and other mundane means are used first and foremost to gather our servants, which are sent back to Thay through the fall. Winter does not stop our efforts, but it does slow them down on this plane. It's bad enough that Talos hates us and attacks our shipments whenever he can; there is no reason to battle the cold in other lands when we can just wait for the warmer seasons to come around again.  

The whole point of having slaves is to make our lives more comfortable, but that doesn't mean we do not work for our comforts. You have to make some moves to get the best out of this world. But I know you might be wondering why we expend so much effort, when we could just use magic instead. The simple reason is that half the time, we don't have to do more than show up.

Tried and True

Many kingdoms make a big production about outlawing slavery, but their people still contact us with leads. Some of these informants are desperate in one way or another, and we can help them. To a nobody in need of an expensive cure, we offer magical healing; to an official under pressure to make undesirables go away, we offer a solution. Others have grudges they want to take out on their neighbors, and that is their business. In the end, debtors, prisoners, beggars, and orphans are all easy targets, but remote villages and farmsteads work, as well. Never forget: a good portion of our slaves come from "good" and "neutral" lands where the locals sold each other out for a bag of gold or cache of magic items. They are a reliable avenue of opportunity; all we need do is wait. And no amount of self-righteous denial can undo that fact.

Spells are often used to subdue, secure, and transport targets, but selectively. We don't want to kill our prizes before we have the chance to profit from them, after all. Contrary to rumors, however, portals are rarely employed, even though they would bypass most threats. Why wouldn't the Red Wizards push for such an advantage to be used at every opportunity? For many reasons. One is a matter of history and pride: Thousands of years ago, Imaskar relied on portals to gather hundreds of thousands of slaves, but doing so was far too easy. They were able to gather more than they could handle, and then they blocked communication with their gods, which eventually led to their downfall. We are not interested in making the same mistakes of the Imaskari artificers before us.

On a more practical level, the pursuit of slaves keeps us busy and sharp, but focused outward. Rivalries and competition exist, but schemes are difficult to carry out when we are spread across Faerun and using different methods. In the early days after we gained independence, there was a lot of civil strife as families battled for power in the new Thay. No one will tell you this out loud, but it is a truth I have seen all my life, and it seems to be used for our benefit: Engaging nobles in the slave trade keeps us from getting lazy or tearing each other apart. 

It also shows us why we should be proud and present a united front to the world. You will see the conditions of other lands - the weakness, the poverty, and the simpering simplicity. Quaint notions of what is good for all strangle innovation and progress. We have many laws and rules, and some of them are necessary to keep fools from killing us all, but we allow for survival of the fittest. We do not coddle each other. We earn what we deserve, and we know what we deserve. So when we are outside of Thay, we present a united front and show our lessers how it should be done. We are already suspected and disliked by foreigners just for being who we are and having everything we've gained. If we don't at least pretend to get along, we will not make it back home. Expect to be punished harshly for infighting, and avoid it at all costs. Because in the end, we are working for the same goals.

One of the reasons why we have been so successful is because we use what is already present and give it their own twist, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. For instance, we resort to piracy regularly, but we don't do so openly. Although we have a noble house that maintains proud pirate traditions and connections, House Ankara has been given orders by the Zulkirs to keep any Thayan involvement quiet. As a result, seafaring nobles often work with unaligned pirates or disguise our ships as everyday vessels from other kingdoms. Through our whisper networks, we spread misinformation that makes sorting out the truth a difficult endeavor, even through spells. After all, someone can't tell you the truth if they they do not know it to begin with.

We also see opportunity in every tragedy. We have been known to show up after wars, natural disasters, and magical curses to offer vital aid - in exchange for a certain number of slaves, of course. We let the locals agonize over who is sent with us; we only step in if violence threatens their profits. We give help to those in need and simply ask for what the survivors have to offer in exchange. You could say that we work to keep the peace. The price we ask is small compared to everything we do for strangers in awful circumstances.

Innovations in Tyranny

When we finally felt the need to innovate, we struck gold. The embassies we have arranged across Faerun are another robust source of slaves, whether they wish to be or not. Officially, all enclaves must be allowed to accept slaves as payment; this is part of the basic agreement with a host city. In reality, slaves are rarely used as currency in "good" or "neutral" lands unless the person is a willing adult or a convicted criminal. In a few locations, anyone can sell anyone else, provided they can secure and transport their prisoners. But if slavery is heavily policed and strictly forbidden in the surrounding kingdom, an enclave won't usually waste time trying to sell slaves there.

In every case, we appear to follow and respect local precedent to the letter. Wherever slavery is allowed, House Zurn is in charge of intake and presents a kinder face to the public, keeping most slaves out of sight and only showing them in decent shape. Wherever it is forbidden, it's kept out of the enclaves. In practice, this means that visiting Thayans will hold meetings elsewhere, work through proxies, and operate in secret so an enclave has plausible deniability.

Any error that compromises an enclave's stability - especially its treaty with a host city - will lead to a rash of particularly grisly executions. Anyone responsible will be hunted, found, and delivered back to the motherland to meet their fate. And while lesser conspirators will be slain first (and quite publicly), whoever should have been watching them will be next - and their deaths might be worse. We nobles are usually punished in private, but this is one of the few exceptions, so executioners tend to make a particularly brutal show of disapproval.

In more recent years, House Dasselath has gained prominence by taking slaves from different planes during the leaner winter months. They have access to portals to many other places, including the City of Doors. They barter openly where they can and lead assault strikes where they can't. Since they are only one noble house, however, they often have to ally with others to get the manpower they need. They also refrain from slave-hunting during spring and summer, when their contribution is less likely to be noticed. During those seasons, they maintain connections, gather capital, and harvest information to plan their next moves.

Allies and Ringleaders

The lion's share of Thayan slavery is carried out by merchants, poachers, and pirates. This is one route for our commoners to become wealthy and respected, and a good number of them participate. Not everyone involved is Thayan, however, and some are not even aware of who they really serve - but those in the know are richly rewarded for their efforts.

The highest levels of power in the slave trade are reserved for Thayan nobility, for a number of reasons. It's not just because we can't trust foreigners or the lower classes to be loyal or competent (although we certainly can't). It's because being in charge of every major endeavor is how those in power stay in power. The real capital in the country lies with the noble houses, the Red Wizards, the Zulkirs, and the Guild of Foreign Trade, so the industry can't move forward without our support. And since we are the primary beneficiaries of the system, the houses are the only entities allowed to buy and own slaves en masse.

This is yet another way Thay has distinguished itself from Mulhorand. In our former country, slaves are the property of the temples. Mulan families and organizations can use and transport them, but only with permission. Clergy decide who else might be lent slaves, how many, and for how long. Anyone who draws the ire of a local temple can expect to have some of their slaves repossessed. In this way, the theocracy is maintained and every slave owner is indebted to the temples. 

So in Thay, the situation is reversed: only noble houses, the Red Wizards, and the Zulkirs can own as many slaves as we'd like. Temples are forbidden from owning anyone and must rely on the faithful for their laborers; guilds and most other groups can borrow slaves from patrons for periods of time. The numbers of slaves they employ are watched carefully, and if these groups get too aggressive, they can expect to lose a significant portion of their labor force. Individual citizens can own up to 5; individual nobles can own as many as 15.

This is why no matter who appears to be in charge of slave trading, once you go high enough up the food chain, you will find a Thayan noble who really calls the shots. Since we use magic, proxies, and other means of secrecy, however, it can be difficult to find or prove our involvement. And since most Red Wizards don't bother supervising this enterprise, you might use this path to power, if you choose. Magic is nice, but it is not required to lead most of these operations. 

House Canos and Kul, which specialize (and compete) in shipping, are vital to this process, along with House Ankara, which is dedicated to piracy. House Darnak's caravans are essential, and House Volkos' diplomats have also come in handy. House Kallos usually smuggles objects and forbidden goods into other lands, but has also helped to smuggle living cargo back home. House Focar and Thullos both range far and wide as explorers, and they find their share of prisoners. House Lectos and Mishkov are usually locked in vicious competition to find and tame the most impressive exotic beasts, but when they hunt outside of Thay, they compete to find the most slaves, as well. Houes Qarto and Rhaenys offer trained mercenaries to any other house or Thayan enterprise, and their members are all over the slave trade.

Several other noble houses are actively involved in the hunt for new slaves: Metron, Xeraston, and our own House Valgon. One reason for this is because our houses teach slaves special skills so they can create specialty products. While House Metron has taught alcohol brewing since ancient times, Xeraston and Valgon are young houses that focus on forging and courtesans. Each house is looking for people who already have skills or traits they can build on, but the most promising are usually sold before they reach Thay's heart. We have all had better luck tracking down our own slaves, and as you know, House Valgon's exploits abroad have also garnered grudging respect back home. Never forget that doing what your rivals don't expect of you can reap great rewards.

Closing Thoughts

Now that you know how widespread and intricate our system is, I hope you appreciate how much it takes to bring slaves to our markets and keep them doing the dirty, menial jobs that keep our nation strong. I hope you see the house's slaves in a new light and consider the value of your own property someday. When you see guard patrols keeping the rabble in line, consider that they are securing our investment. When you notice groups of slaves being transported to new tharchs, realize that this is how we maintain our power. And if you hear that spies are conspiring to sabotage a shipment, or hear rumors about runaway slaves, I hope you will consider it your duty as a Thayan noble to crush their efforts relentlessly. Because that is what we do to those who would steal from us.

Cousin Zelsea can teach you the finer points of pricing, bargaining, buying and selling at our markets. While I can do well in such endeavors, she has many decades of experience more than I, and as your cousin Augustus says, she has an abacus instead of a heart and knows the worth of everyone she sees, down to the last copper piece. In short, I bow to her expertise.

You would do well to find the right opportunity to show off this new knowledge to my husband. Augustus is always looking for evidence that your mind is being sharpened, as well as your body, and learning the art of tyranny is sacred to those who serve the glory of Bane. He is, after all, tyranny personified, and has no shame in it. Follow that example: whatever you are, be it completely and unabashedly.

I am ever at your service and watching for your best interests.

Sincerely,

Tari Valgon, née Govannon

The Slave Way - The Key Road Through Thay

Dear Salia Valgon, daughter of High Cleric Fury Valgon, squire-in-training to Bane's Blackened Fist, Augustus Valgon (glory to Bane) - 

I could not help but overhear your inquiry about the Slave Way at your family's last gathering.  Unfortunately, I was unable to answer your inquiry right then, but as an aspiring warrior and a noble Thayan young lady, you should know about that road's very special place in our lives.  (Which is why your father probably shushed you; it was harsh, but he saved you some embarrassment, so hate him a little less for it, if you can.)  With this letter, I offer you a less boring way to learn about a path you will travel many times in your life.  Because until you work your way into one of the flying corps, you will be using it any time you travel south.
  

Excerpt from the official map of Thay

You already know why it is called the Slave Way - it's the route we force the slaves to walk once they get here so they can see just how far from help they are.  It weeds out any of the sick or weak we might have missed and gets any escape attempts out of the way.  Those who attempt to flee are brought down mercilessly in front of the rest.  By the time they get up the First Escarpment, most slaves have little fight left in them.  The journey is hard and slow, but it works wonders for morale.  Those who are not sold along the way and make it all the way to Eltabbar are docile and awed.  They accept their fate.

But we did not build the road in the first place.  Mulhorand seized this territory after Raumathar and Narfell blew each other to bits, and the basic path up the middle of the plateau was already in place.  There had been trade between the lake and the sea, but the road was torn apart in the war.  The Mulhorandi improved it when they rebuilt Kensten (which is called Bezantur now), but only as much as necessary.  At the time, Eltabbar wasn't much more than a series of docks and warehouses called Pyceles (its Raumviran name), so the trading was much slower and less valuable.  Like everything else about Mulhorand.

Plans really started to take shape after we won the war for independence.  When Eltabbar was remodeled and chosen as the capital, we knew the road would have to be redone, too.  It led right through Tyraturos, which was already a larger city, and many Thayans had schemes for a more impressive interior.  The Mulhorandi hadn't put many resources into the land because it was so far away from the center of their empire.  Now it was our empire, and once we stabilized our first cities, we began to build it up.

Foreigners do not understand much about how our interior works, which is for the best.  For one thing, the Slave Way has never been just one road, and it was not built all at once.  Different stretches were funded by various patrons between 1000 and 1200 DR.  They have their own styles, defenses, and upkeep.  They also have their own names that locals use.  The Slave Way no longer "starts" in Bezantur, either; acquiring Murbant and Escalant in 1357 gave us an excuse to extend the road out across the Wizards' Reach.  Slaves do most of the basic repairs and cleaning, but citizens take care of any serious problems.  The road carries caravans and our humanoid allies where they're needed, and maintaining the road is much cheaper than trying to teleport everything everywhere.

The main stretches of the Slave Way are:

Escalant to Bezantur: This part is called Wizards' Row, since it's marked with plinths bearing symbols of magic and the Red Wizards.  Some of them are enchanted and some of them are not at any given time, but they are always reminders that we own the area now.  (Anyone found vandalizing them is given a very public execution, but idiots still try.)  The surrounding land is also rigged with magical traps for those who stray from the road without a guard bearing the chosen glyph.  They wear many glyphs stashed on their person to confuse slaves who try to pick-pocket the right one.

Bezantur to Galresh (just before the First Escarpment begins): This stretch is called the Tower Gauntlet because it's lined with impressive watchtowers all the way to Galresh, which is the town at the base of the cliff.  Some say that the towers are based on Raumviran ruins that have been found deep within Thay but no one knows how much.  Spells have been cast from them, but whether they were cast by wizards or the towers themselves is anyone's guess.  Most caravans will stop to rest at Galresh before starting the climb, and the town stays alive by catering to visitors and watching over slaves until they are ready to be moved.

Up the First Escarpment: The road that leads all the way up the cliffside is steep and long, with few alcoves dug into the cliff face for a rest.  It is a place begging for accidents and attempts at revolt, along with attempts at suicide and infighting.  For all of those reasons (as well as the ruddy color of the bare rock), it is called the Red Road by those who survive.  And more survive than you might think.  We learned long ago that crazed slaves will try to throw themselves over the edge because they think they would rather die than serve us - so we have nets and magic in place to catch them.  There are also secret entrances to caves that belong to our humanoid allies.  That is where those who fight or fuss are sometimes sent to be punished.  Most are returned, worse for wear but alive.

Rise to Delabbar: After reaching the main plateau, the path to Delabbar is named Yadara's Way for the patron who finally saw fit to develop it.  It was one of the last lengths to be given a Thayan touch, mostly because those who got past the Red Road didn't care what it looked like, as long as it was mostly flat.  Yadara was the last of her line and too old to bear children, so she chose to leave behind another legacy.  She commissioned statues of Thayan heroes who were not nobles and even placed a likeness of herself among them as a way of revealing that she had been adopted from commoner stock.  She killed herself at the opening ceremony and her ghost is said to wander anywhere along the path she pleases.  She terrifies slaves back to their masters - but she also delights in tormenting nobles who act too proud for their own good.  Trying to replace one of the statutes (or dishonor it) without her leave will result in immediate attack.

Delabbar to Mophur: Tyraturos held a city-wide competition to bring in the bones of the largest creatures their heroes could kill.  Nothing less than gargantuan sized foes would do for what they had in mind, and Spine Row is the end result.  Ribs, tails, other bones and carapaces are embedded in the dirt beside the road all the way up the middle of the plateau.  Closer to Delabbar and Mophur, the ground is moist and the bones stand out from greenery.  Closer to Tyraturos, the bleached remains gleam against desert sand.  At first, there were only so many, but they have been added to ever since.  These trophies make the journey to the massive gates of Tyraturos truly impressive and stand as a warning to any big monsters that might want to drop in on us.  Nobles can submit their trophies for use in the project even today.  I would not be surprised if your cousin Augustus added to the collection someday.  Tyraturos is the city of his birth, after all.

Mophur to Nuthretos: Mophur is the city of satisfaction (because it is the center of the drugs we spread across Faerun, not because they necessarily have more fun).  Nuthretos is the city of poison and basically dedicated to Talona.  Their solution was to sew the area with narcotics and dangerous plants, and good luck figuring out which is which.  Locals refer to it as The Wandering, but most of them won't risk stealing from the noble houses involved.  Slaves sometimes grab what they can, hoping to die, but they only become mildly ill.  Sick enough to wish they weren't.  Others just want to zone out and if they find the right leaves, they have a much better trip.  Some of the slave masters will spread rumors to calm the herd.

Nuthretos to Eltabbar: The influence of Eltabbar begins at the doorstep of Nuthretos, where the road becomes a marble expanse lined with columns.  This is one of the most costly stretches of the Slave Way to maintain but it is also the most elegant, as you've seen for yourself.  The problem is that you have not traveled much or far yet, so you cannot appreciate just how glorious it is.  One day, you will.  One day, you will ride out of the Wizard's Eye gate on your own steed and take the Steps of Thayd at your own pace.  If you follow your cousin Augustus's teachings, you will return a conqueror for certain. 

For you see, it is the Slave Way for the conquered, but it is the High Road for the conquerors.  You will not hear it called the High Road often, even though that is its official name, but it leads to the mightiest cities in Thay and there is no higher path to power here except the one that leads to the Thaymount.  Since neither of us were blessed with the gift of magic, mastering the High Road is our lot.

I hope this will be of use to you, and feel free to show off your newly acquired knowledge at the first available opportunity.  Just do not tell anyone where you learned it from, even if your cousin Augustus asks.  Let this be between us, and between us, let us make your house look even stronger in ways that others do not expect it to be.

Sincerely,
Tari Govannon

Rumor #3: Shaved Heads for Citizens, Long Hair for Slaves

Art by fantasio

<Nuaros shakes his head, sweat and water flying from the ends of his black hair as the small boat he's on plies the waters of Lake Thaylambar. He and his crewmates are swapping stories as they work, because they're not just flinging and drawing in nets at boring intervals this time. Instead, they have to continually search the haul for a particular type of fish that supposedly comes up through the portals to other planes at the bottom of the water.

Any other fish are supposed to be tossed back over the side on the captain's orders, but Nuaros has already pocketed a few tasty beauties. Later, he and the others will collect their pay, leave the captain behind, and begin to bargain for the morsel they want for dinner. He's keeping a notable prize for Vosala, the most alluring of the women in the boat, in the hopes that he can trade it for a drink and some time with her. She's always toyed with him in the past, but this is the sort of fish they serve in that fancy restaurant with the hanging garden. She won't be able to just make a joke and walk away this time.

It's Vosala who's just brought up the next point of conversation. She visited Bezantur last tenday, the only city in Thay where foreigners are welcome, and noticed the tourists trying not to stare at her hair, which is only shaved along the sides and back. The rest of its length is pulled back into a pony tail with ties at intervals to keep the strands from getting free over the course of the day. The tail falls half way down her back and might not be a point of confusion or note in other lands - but this is Thay.>

They really are stupid, aren't they? Either that, or all the patrols and magic are working and keeping them out, since their rumors are a few hundred years out of date. Probably both.

They're idiots for a few reasons with this issue. First, they think all Red Wizards shave their heads and keep them that way so they can show off their tattoos. It's part of our 'ethnic folkways' or something like that, but Red Wizards supposedly keep it going, and then commoners do it to be more like them. It doesn't help that the Wizards who travel abroad do shave to mess with other people's heads and make an impression, even if they don't stay shaved at home.

We know damned well that if a Red Wizard wants to shave their head, they will, and if they don't feel like it, they won't. Nobody is forcing them to do anything except their superiors, and most of the higher-ups don't care if the novices burn their hair off. There are plenty of reasons why some of them keep their hair longer at home. Why show off their secret defenses if they don't have to? And if they get to stay in cushy positions, there's no risk. Some of them shave everything off in the old way, but most of them get over it after a few years. Maybe they'll do it if they have a dangerous assignment or they know they're going to be in an alchemy lab for a few months. But with magic to take it off and grow it back, it's not a big deal.

Yes, shaving all the hair on your head is an ancient custom, blah, blah, blah. But it was never for the common people; it was for the upper crust Mulan in Mulhorand, and that's it. If you go there now, you'll see it. Some of the nobles decorate their heads depending on which god they serve and which titles they have in their temple, because that way they can announce themselves just by walking into a room. Others wear those fancy wigs with different decorations that let you know who they serve.

Their commoners only shave to keep their hair out of their way, and their women rarely have the courage to do it because their beauty is in their hair or some such nonsense. Here in Thay, any citizen can shave without shame, or do it in sections, like our Vosala. We have some wicked styles, too. Our women know their worth isn't in their hair, and a few of them are more striking without it. It's a bigger deal in other lands because the people need all the help they can get to keep from looking ugly.

You've heard the rumor that our slaves can never cut their hair, just so we can tell who's a slave at a glance? That's Mulhorandi bullshit again. That's in their laws. They don't mind if their slaves are tripping all over themselves; everything is slower in Mulhorand, anyway. It's practically the land that time forgot. Hasn't changed much in thousands of years and they wonder why their empire is falling apart? But never mind that. Can you imagine if we did such a thing? We'd get some good laughs, sure, but the slaves would die even faster than they do now, catching on all kinds of things. 

We mark our slaves, but we have a few different ways of doing it. Some are branded on their necks, chests, arms, or hands in ways that can't be healed without some powerful magic. Others are pierced or bound with special jewelry they can't get off without tools and help. The slaves who do the dirtiest work in Thay on big projects, like the mines? They might have a pink finger or earlobe taken off. For the most part, they won't miss it. The gossip about how we mutilate our slaves all day long is for the pearl-clutchers in Silverymoon. Most masters won't do anything permanent that'll make a slave look disgusting or struggle to work. There are a few exceptions, of course, but some of us are necromancers who have very different ideas about beauty.

The rumors that our slaves run around half-naked are usually true, though. And why not? It doesn't get cold in most places, and it's hard to hide a weapon when you're in rags. Most of us aren't bothered by naked bodies, either. We all have the same bits and pieces. We wear the clothes we need to get a job done, or because we damned well feel like showing off, not because we're afraid of showing some skin.

When we do dress slaves up, they only get to wear light colors or white. That's right - man or woman, halfling or human, they get pastels, creams, or white. No one's going to waste rich dyes on slaves, and light shades make them stand out right away. (There's also the joke that they're walking dead anyway, so why not dress them as mourners?) We're not going to give them earthy tones that'll make it easier for them to hide or blend in with the commoners. We're also not going to load them up with jewels or the latest fashions. The most pampered slaves only get a few pieces of plain jewelry and simple cuts of cloth. And if they look dirty too quickly, that's on them.

It's not that hard to recognize a slave in Thay. You'll certainly never see a fat one, even among the dwarves. The humanoid patrols can tell the slaves from the citizens, and they aren't the brightest embers in Kossuth's brazier, if you know what I mean. The penalties for slaves being found with contraband are horrible enough to take care of most problems. The penalties for helping slaves disguise themselves take care of the rest.

But the rumors just show how gullible foreigners are. We fought a hell of a war to do it our way in Thay, so why would we keep blindly doing the same old thing? The nobles started changing it up right after we took our independence, and the Red Wizards did the same a few decades after they established their hold. Fashions come and go, and sometimes shaved looks are in, but we're not slaves to tradition or fashion. We are not slaves at all. We are free in ways other lands can only dream. We are Thayan.

<The atmosphere in the ship has become electric, and with a shared glance to confirm the need, the lot of them raise their fists and shout in unison, "Hail Thay!" Some follow it up with a hail to their deity, but some do not, and nobody cares who does or doesn't. And that is also very natural for most Thayan folk.

Nuaros notes a heartening gleam in Vosala's eye as she regards him. The evening could be worth the hard work of the day after all...>