Tethyr - Types of Service

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Hadwyn
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Tethyr - Types of Service

Post by Hadwyn » Fri Jun 10, 2016 10:01 pm

I have always been a bit curious about the operation of the Foaming Bath House in Zazesspur. Originally, I had assumed it was some version of a Turkish or Roman bath where many of the girls were slaves and watched/managed by Mistress Penelope. However, when I started doing some research, it seems to indicate Tethyr outlaws slavery.

Here are a couple of links for general reference that I have used for information so far:
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Tethyr
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Slavery

My query than is, what types of service are allowed in Tethyr? Are the girls indentured servants (barely more than slaves) or some other type of independent service professional?

My query is story-line driven and I was suggested to put my question to the Imms here.

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Re: Tethyr - Types of Service

Post by Harroghty » Sat Jun 11, 2016 2:56 am

Tethyr has a long history darkened by the shadow of slavery and thus it is outlawed, yes. It is still practiced in some of the upper echelons of society.

I know that the Foaming Sands is not staffed by chattel as it's described in books. For example, in Silver Shadows by Elaine Cunningham the staff are clearly hired; Mistress Penelope interviews applicants and talks about those she's employed. The NPCs depicted in the Forgotten Kingdoms version do not explicitly spell out that they are chattel or employees, but I'm not sure I see anything that implies the former. Did you see something that made you think so?
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Hadwyn
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Re: Tethyr - Types of Service

Post by Hadwyn » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:56 am

The type of business is more the focus. Rarely are places such as these dens of professional employment. Even with slavery out as an option, it would be rare that the girls did not have some terrible contract to be held to or some for of indentured servitude. Historically, there are virtually no indications such an establishment survives without some form of servitude. I know that the real world need not always apply to such a situation, but I was looking to see if there was more clarification out there to be had.
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Re: Tethyr - Types of Service

Post by Gwain » Mon Jun 13, 2016 4:10 am

I've never noticed anything in the area that would denote that the mobiles depicted were not paid wages for working there. We could post a sign that the bath house does not employ slaves though.
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Re: Tethyr - Types of Service

Post by Yemin » Mon Jun 13, 2016 2:18 pm

From purely player experience of the Bathouses, I have often thought that such places in that portion of the Sword coast coastline are rife with unofficial slavery. The experience of Zaz comes off as a seedy barely maintained city with the nobles and rich merchants able to do what they like with a weak ruler who only maintains his attention within the walls of his private keep as long as the city doesn't burn down.

Now, this is all said without doing any research whatsover. I can understand how Hadwyn would get this impression because it's one I had as well from my very first character. Take it with a pinch of salt though. I tend to see any bath house attendant place suggestively in such locals as endenchered through force, blackmail, debt or the usual plethera of levers used by criminal elements where human product and trafficking are concerned.
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Re: Tethyr - Types of Service

Post by Harroghty » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:41 pm

For what it's worth, whilst I lived beside a large military base there was no shortage of this sort of voluntarily employment (within and outside the spectrum of what was legal). I don't believe it's unbelievable that such a place would therefore be staffed by employees, not chattel.

That all being said, I am not sure how much investment we really want to dedicate to fleshing out (pardon the pun) such a place in the game because it runs contrary to our policies on sex and lasciviousness.
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Re: Tethyr - Types of Service

Post by Yemin » Mon Jun 13, 2016 5:15 pm

Harroghty wrote: That all being said, I am not sure how much investment we really want to dedicate to fleshing out (pardon the pun) such a place in the game because it runs contrary to our policies on sex and lasciviousness.
Can't resist a good pun myself but eh. I'd say forgo any sign and let conclusions be drawn as is. Ambiguity will spawn a better range of imagination I think and I don't see any harm in one person's background siting some slavery there where another would site differently. If such obscure elements of these two character's should come out I can only see it sparking interesting roleplay.
I trained up double-edged bananas because the uber-plantain of doom I scored from the beehive quest was the best weapon in the game. Now it's being treated like a bug and they have gimped its damage! That's not fair! My character is ruined!
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Re: Tethyr - Types of Service

Post by Lorelie » Mon Jun 13, 2016 5:56 pm

I always thought the place was a brothel :)
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Re: Tethyr - Types of Service

Post by Althasizor » Tue Jun 14, 2016 4:28 am

And here I've just been visiting for a bath...
What are you talking about? What, that guy?
That was like that when I got here.
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