Indenture

"I have been a slave for twelve years, ever since I surrendered at the Battle of Ilrenar. I haven't been mistreated, but I do regret marching to war that day."

History

Indenture has been an accepted practice in Maecodia since the beginning. Abolitionist movements occur every other generation or so, but so far none have gained widespread popular support likely due to the fact that as a matter of tradition one can only wind up in slavery due to choices they have made for themselves.

Execution

*Indenture – Under the laws of Maecodia, no man is born a slave. Every resident of Maecodia must be allowed their Becoming upon coming of age, so they then become free and full citizens. That being said, a system of indenture exists. Masters are responsible for the care, feeding, and housing of the indentured. At any time, the master can release the indentured early. This is sometimes the fate of serious offenders that can't pay their geld.
            Apprenticeship – A family can pay a master tradesman to take on their child, raise them, and train them in their craft. Upon coming of age, the craftsman either declares the apprentice worthy of becoming a journeyman or a failure. Occasionally, a free citizen may pay for their own apprenticeship, though most masters prefer to teach the young. This is a common sentence to be passed to children that break laws, with the idea that giving them a trade will eliminate career criminals.
            Labor – A sentence of labor can be declared by a magistrate as part of penance for a crime. This is most often a response to violence or murder, where the indentured supplement the blood geld with their own labor with the intention of finishing the unfinished labors of the injured or deceased. In cases where the deceased was lacking such unfinished business, the magistrate may put the indentured to work for the public good. Vandalism also often carries a sentence of labor, as the accused rebuilds or repairs what they have damaged.
            Debtors – Either as part in parcel of the loan itself or as collected collateral for a defaulted loan, the indentured works for a period of time until the debt holder is repaid. Many Plutarchs will pay up front for a service over a period of time, renewing the ‘debt’ at the end of (most often) a year or so as agreed upon by their employee.
            Captives – While civilians are generally free from violence during the inter-village or inter-canton micro-wars of Maecodia, one of the risks of stepping onto a battlefield is being taken captive. More often than not, these captives are ransomed. The majority of the remainder is sold to taskmasters who put them to work in mines or on ships. What’s left is taken as personal servants to the warrior that captured them. These relationships vary wildly, though conventional wisdom is that ingratiating yourself to your captor is a good way to shorten your indenture.
            Altar Sworn – Be it voluntary as an expression of zeal, through some sort of duress or debt, or because they had nowhere else to go, some allow themselves to be indentured to a church. They give up their freedom in exchange for room and board, and often get an education as well. Most monks are altar sworn, but they also include some priests, templars, and even menial staff that maintain temple grounds. With the exception of templars, who swear an oath to let only their church determine where their sword falls, they all have an oath of nonviolence, poverty, and charity. In exchange, violence against the altar sworn is one of the only offenses for which beheading is the most common punishment.