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New to Slavery?
Whether you’ve been sentenced to servitude by a magistrate in a court of law, or you’ve come to slavery to pay off unrelenting creditors, you have just gone through (or you are about to go through) one of the biggest life changes it’s possible to experience. You are probably feeling shocked, upset, anxious, and these are all valid emotions. However, these feelings won’t help you navigate your new circumstances, and that’s where this article can help.
First, many people have gone through a very similar experience to the one you’re going through now. It is possible to survive this, however impossible that seems right now.
You should comply with the instructions of the court official or Bureau employee overseeing your registration, and answer all their questions as best you can. They will note your date of birth, height, hair colour and eye colour. They will take your fingerprints, all ten of them - this will allow you to access your records and pecūlium account later on. You will be required to strip so that the official can note any distinguishing marks, or the lack of them; your word and oral description no longer carry any weight and such things will need to be verified by the person authorised to perform registrations. Just remember that they will have seen many people go through the same process, you will not stand out unless your behaviour is particularly marked. Be aware that the official examining you may not be the same gender as you. This is perfectly normal and acceptable, and you are not entitled to have someone of the same gender carry out the physical examination.
You will be given your new identification number. It is usual to have this given to you written on a piece of paper (some offices give a card, and you can ask your master to request a record card for you) and we suggest you learn it by heart; the letter and six-digit combination are what you will use to identify yourself every time when even formal filiation is not enough.
One of the hardest things to get used to is that you no longer own yourself. Someone else has the rights to your body, to see it and handle it as they choose. While you may struggle to let them do so, it is in your own best interests to allow it to happen, no matter where you are or what is going on around you.
Another hard thing to remember is how to address free people. Unless you are told otherwise, you should default to ‘Master’ or ‘Mistress’ for your owner and ‘Sir’ and ‘Madam’ for other free people - no matter how old or young they are. You know how you would have expected slaves to treat you a few months ago, and that is how you should treat free people now. Your master may give you some leeway to begin with because he knows how new all this is, but nobody else will know and therefore they won’t give you the benefit of the doubt.
When referencing another free person to your mistress, you should use their title (if they have one) or their nomen and cognomen. You should not use a single name to refer to a person who has more than one name, unless you are referring to a previous owner or a close friend of the family, in which case the form ‘Mistress Gaia’ or ‘Master Gaius’ is permissible.
Along those same lines: Don’t look free people in the eye. They will consider you to be impudent, or worse, and meeting the eye of a free person, unless ordered to or it is obviously inadvertent, will be to risk receiving a slap - and even your master is unlikely to object to that sort of correction. A good rule of thumb is to look no higher than the tunic collar of the free person who is speaking to you.
Another basic rule that is understood by all those who have been slaves for longer than a few months is not to talk unless you are addressed. Even if a conversation is going on right in front of you, about a subject that you are an expert in, you should not say anything unless directly addressed and told that you can say something. If that happens, you should be polite and succinct, falling silent again. Even if everybody else is wrong, it is not your place to say anything - your voice should not be heard by any free person without being given a direct order, unless the building is on fire and they are in danger. You should keep your thoughts and opinions to yourself at all times, confining yourself to verifiable facts, unless directly asked for your opinion - which is generally limited to those who have served their master for several years, and only on specific occasions.
When given a direct order, you should acknowledge it - the usual form, as you know, is “Yes, Master” (or Mistress) - unless the free person giving the order is not your owner and the order is countermanded, or the free person immediately returns to their conversation. In the latter case, a murmured acknowledgement is acceptable but you should not interrupt the conversation with anything louder than a murmur.
You are likely to be required to ask for very basic things, such as permission to leave a room. You should receive the absolute necessities of life without question, but everything else at all is for your master to bestow or not, as he chooses. This includes the answers to any questions you might have, or even whether you can leave his presence or not - even if it is two in the morning and you are supposed to be up and working by five.
What to expect from a sale
All slave sales, whether in a slave market or a private sale between citizens, will look similar. You will be nude, without even underwear, so that the buyer can see whether there are any marks or scars. You may be told to open your mouth so that they can examine your teeth. The chances are high that you will be handled or felt up in some way, so don’t be surprised when buyers get handsy.
You may not have much notice to prepare to be sold, especially when it comes to your first sale. You will be allowed to pack your own things - gifts, clothing and small items you buy with your pecūlium are yours and you are allowed to take them with you. Pack them in a small easy-to-carry bag and keep it with you unless you are told to put it somewhere, in which case it should be labelled with the same sale number you are given.
You may already be familiar with slave sales from the perspective of either buyer or seller, so you will know that every sale requires the slave being sold to give a fingerprint. This will allow a fraction of the purchase price to be allocated to your account in the Pecūlium Fund - slaves serving in households will be able to add to their fund throughout their service, as can corporate slaves and certain public slaves. The pecūlium fund allows you to save your pocket money for small purchases, or to save up over time to purchase your freedom, although if you have come to this turn of fortunes via the courts, your term of servitude is limited to that set by the magistrate, and you will not be required to buy yourself free at the end of your term.
Your basic rights
You have the right to suitable food and drink in suitable quantities - this really only means that you have the right to basic nutrition. Slave kibble and slave slop are labelled as emergency foods, or supplements, but there are still people out there who believe that such things are suitable for a complete diet. You will get all the calories you need from a diet consisting only of these things, but you are entitled to more - however, it is not a good idea to confront your owner if he has decided that is all he is going to provide you.
You are entitled to a suitable sleeping place. All this means is that you should have a dedicated bed, bunk, cot or mattress - you may end up stashed in the utility room along with the washing machine and vacuum cleaner, on a cot that must be folded up against the wall during the day.
You have the right to request sanctuary at a lararium (either your master’s, a neighbour’s or even the public neighbourhood lararium) if your master is abusive. This does not mean if he raises his voice, or gets out a whip if you have been disobedient. It generally means if you are genuinely in fear of your life or mental or physical well-being. All such cases are investigated and lead to one of two outcomes: there is no abuse found and the slave is returned to their owner, or abuse is found and the slave is sold on. The exception will be if you have sought sanctuary in your own master’s lararium and he does not take it further, for whatever reason.
Clothing and Collars
As a slave, you cannot automatically expect to be or to remain clothed. This doesn’t mean that you won’t have clothing, of course, and (as you should be aware already) slave clothing is simpler and therefore cheaper than clothing worn by most free people. Whether you are male or female, your tunics are likely to be shorter than those worn by free people. Strictly speaking, the regulation length for a slave tunic for a male is three inches above the knee (unbelted) and for a female slave, three inches below the knee (also unbelted) although this regulation is not often enforced. You are unlikely to be given underwear - large-chested women will probably get a strophium, however.
There isn’t any regulation about collars, although nearly all airlines insist that slaves travelling with them wear a collar. If you have a medical condition such as asthma, epilepsy or anaphylaxis, you may be given a medicollar which will usually have a phone number and unique identifying number. Even if you don’t have a medical condition, it is not unknown for slaves to have to wear a collar. If your master decides you should, you are not alone and should not feel embarrassed or humiliated by it. Being collared is a sign that your owner considers you a valuable investment that he doesn’t want to lose, after all.
Basic slave etiquette
Your master or mistress should always receive your complete attention, even if you do not have theirs. Let us suppose that you are cutting vegetables for dinner and your mistress comes to the kitchen to ask you a question or give some instructions. You should set the knife down, turn towards her and assume the basic position of attention - feet shoulder-width apart, hands clasped in front of you, eyes down, and say nothing until addressed.
Different owners may prefer you to give a verbal acknowledgement of their presence, but until you know that, it is far easier and safer to wait until you are addressed before you say anything.
If your day-to-day duties require you to sit at a desk, you should remain seated when a free person comes in, unless the citizen speaks to you or otherwise demands your attention, in which case you should stand. You should stand at any other time a free person comes into a room where you are, even if your duties have ended for the day - a slave is never off-duty and free time is a privilege not a right. A good master will allow you to have some down-time and a full eight hours of sleep a night, but you should not count on it as a right.
You are likely to be ignored by free people, or to be treated as an object which cannot hear or react. This is not unusual and you should get used to it, holding the basic position of attention and waiting for orders, which you should carry out quickly and efficiently to the best of your ability.
Sex
Possibly the hardest thing about your first few months in servitude is remembering that your body isn't your possession any more, but your master’s, and therefore your owner has the right to demand sex of you at any time, either oral, anal or (if you are female) vaginal.
You may be permitted to have a relationship with a fellow slave, either within the same household or belonging to a neighbouring one. You should ask for permission before embarking on any such relationship, and do not expect your owner to respect it and allow you exclusivity with your fellow slave if he has already ordered you to his bed.
Help and advice
There are many places where you can turn for help and advice during this time of servitude. This publication has articles covering most topics and questions that come up, of course, but you should also seek advice from your fellow slaves, especially those who have been in servitude for a while. There are several organisations, as well. Of these, SIPAS is the biggest and best known, and has a free phone advice line. If your master is ill or indisposed and you need a free person to help you by acting on his behalf, the Slave Advocacy Service has an office in most major cities, and a free phone number that you can call at any time.
Remember that you are not alone, and there are plenty of places to seek help if needed. Ave, serve!