Slavery

Slavery is one of the oldest industries in the world. It has been occurring for about as long as mortals have been fighting, which is to say, as long as they have lived. While the definition is debated, most agree slavery refers to many forms of forced labor that the victim is unable to free themselves of. Mortals are made slaves in many ways; some are prisoners of war in the aftermath of battles, some are captured in raids from settlements, while others find themselves made slaves through debts, and yet others are born slaves in societies that enslave the offspring of people in bondage. Depending on the society, slaves often do not enjoy rights and can be abused with impunity, sometimes even killed.
In the modern world, slavery exists in some form in many but not all of the societies of the continent of Sol and is considered a facet of the law in most civilized countries. In a few corners of the world, the slave trade is outlawed while the practice of owning slaves persists. Some even ban the practice entirely with the threat of legal punishment.

Perhaps unfairly, the dark elves of Daeruin have gained for themselves a reputation as slavers and oppressors, exploiting the lands they subjugate in their imperial expansion in many ways, including the capture of the natives for slavery. Most famously, they have a generational rivalry with the snow elves of Mistvall, having put their people in bondage for thousands of years. Though it should be noted slavery is not a dark elven peculiarity or invention.