Sample thrall PC origins
(a special for James) 1. The PC is the hereditary personal thrall of a Maver who for years has lived by themselves as a homesteader on an island off Malfa. Recently the Maver has been told by their house that they owe some contribution to their House in Malfa, which the Maver has done by sending off the PC to work in the household in Malfa. This means the PC is in a grey area; they work for the House, but they’re thrall to the individual Maver. 2. The PC is a fey or semi-fey creature summoned by a Maver wizard. This in itself isn’t enough to constitute thralldom, but if the Maver does some service for the PC, such as saving their life, disposing of an enemy, whatever, then the Maver might claim service in thrall as repayment. Fey creatures also understand this kind of weregild/honour debt. This arrangement might mean that thralldom is temporary, until the thrall repays their debt with some kind of service—usually not some length of time, but “until my enemy is dead” or “until I find this artefact.” 3. The PC is a new thrall, having been captured in sea-raiding. This is generally a gesture of respect by the Maver who didn’t simply kill them, so the PC has something interesting going on. Are they trying to escape? Are they bound by honour? 4. The PC is new thrall who grew up poor in Malfa, and has recently been taken into a House’s household. This means all the other thralls will lord it over them, and they still have something to prove. Alternatively, the PC is a second-gen thrall whose parent was brought into the household, as lowest possible thrall. They're determined to become a higher-rank thrall.