Slaves
Slaves are captured from various countries throughout the region, but almost all are brought to The Ember Isles /The Bloody Islands and sold to the Sea Princes. Slavers use a combination of magical and non-magical tools to manipulate, and intimidate kidnapped individuals into submission, stripping them of their identities. The Ebrelia Trading Company preys on individuals from small coastal towns where oversight and resources are scarce. These victims are isolated and luered onto ships where they are bound and shackled.
Voyage
The shackles are all connected: neck, hands, and feet. You can barely move two feet without tripping. The chains are not unlocked until you reach the Bloody Islands. I was one of the lucky ones. I was kept in a small room not long enough to lie down in, but it was just me. My descent to madness was a private affair.Slaves are treated as precious cargo, and are typically kept inside hidden bulwarks throughout the ship. Because the slave trade is banned in Keoland, slave ships rarely hold more than four slaves at a time. The slaves are kept in confined areas where movement is limited. Each ship will have its own slave areas. Some will be hidden behind false walls in cargo areas, others will be kept in narrow sections between the floorboards. Silencing spells are used to help conceal slaves. Although the journey can be anywhere from two to five weeks, the areas are rarely cleaned mid-voyage. While several methods are used to encourage slave compliance, mental manipulation is generally preferred over physical violence. During the first few days aboard the ship, a slave's food and drink are drugged so that the shackles have time to attune. Once attuned, shackles provided by the Ebrelia Trading Company reduce the wearer's intelligence to that of a dog. This reduces the efficacy of escape attempts while still allowing the slave to be trained in simple tasks and etiquette. In some cases, slaves are charmed. While this leaves the individual more mailable to suggestion, it also protects them from physical harm. When a slave is out of the bulwarks, their contact with crew members is limited and their movement closely monitored.
Very interesting. The mental coercion instead of brute force is unnerving, to say the least.