Editing Xethressan (section)

==Slavery==
Chattel slavery has been practiced throughout Xethressan since its founding. Enslaved individuals remain so in perpetuity, owned by the clan they were purchased by or born into. They serve virtually all roles in society, be they farmers, cooks, soldiers, spellcasters, or advisors. All slaves wear a manacle around one wrist stamped with the emblem of the clan they belong to. Relative to slavery in other parts of the world, Xethressan slaves live in relative comfort: they are provided good food, homes, and equipment, are often given gifts by their clans, and are frequently even paid fair wages. Indeed, as a result, many skilled outsiders have come to Xethressan and voluntarily enslaved themselves, willingly trading their freedom for a guarantee of food, shelter, and peace.

This state of affairs is not due to any benevolence on the part of their half-dragon masters, however; the nobles of Xethressan are fully aware of how dependent they are on their slaves, and go to great lengths to keep them satisfied largely to avoid a slave revolt. While slaves may have some limited freedoms, they are forbidden from owning land, real estate, or other slaves. They cannot marry outside of their clan, and any children born to them also become slaves. Punishments for disobedience are often both harsh and public, and sentences of mutilation or death are common.

Though rare, slaves are sometimes able to obtain their freedom. Those who have found particular favor with their masters are sometimes allowed to pay to emancipate themselves, though the cost is often very steep. Such individuals are usually given a grace period in which they are allowed to leave the clan estate to earn their emancipation price, but second chances are rarely offered should they fail. Additionally, slaves born as half-dragons are automatically freed and raised as nobles of the clan, though their parents are not typically afforded the same consideration.

There has been only a single slave revolt in Xethressan's history. Approximately two hundred years ago, an elven slave of Clan Fyrr named Yshara secretly disseminated a collection of poetry known as the Calls of Unbinding. Eventually she convinced the enslaved guards of her clan to join her cause. This slave army steadily grew as it marched across Xethressan over the next year, liberating slaves from the other clans and slaying whatever half-dragons they encountered. The Scaled Council responded by uniting the armies of the clans, encircling the revolutionaries, and slaughtering them at what would come to be known as the Battle of Songs. Though some survived, Yshara was killed, and with her died the heart of the revolt. Since then the Scaled Council has sought to destroy all extant copies of the Calls of Unbinding, though underground networks still circulate it in secret.