Slavers' Market was a slave market in the Lower Port of Skullport in the late 14th century DR.[1]
Description[]
The Slavers' Market was an open-air marketplace encircled by businesses and warehouses, dedicated to the display and sale of slaves. Here, one could find a wide range of enslaved individuals, from dwarves valued for their strength and loyalty, to svirfneblin gemcutters, and even slaves chosen for their beauty. Buyers from various regions, including Calimshan, Thay, drow cities, and representatives from Unther and Mulhorand, frequented the market.[1]
The market featured three sets of stone risers located on the northern, southern, and western sides, where slaves were displayed for bidding. Slaves, usually grouped in chains of 10 to 20 individuals, were secured to iron rings embedded in the cobblestones as they awaited auction. The bidding concluded with the ringing of a bell or the slamming of a gavel, marking the sale's completion. Skilled laborers and artisans commanded high prices, sometimes in the hundreds or thousands of gold pieces, while unskilled laborers were sold in large groups for as little as ten gold pieces each.[1]
Vendors offered candied meats and sweet beverages to the crowd. Bidding was fast-paced and competitive, with agents and runners weaving through the crowd, negotiating offers on behalf of buyers and sellers. An intricate gestural language used by bidders and agents signaled bids and counters, which seemed like a foreign dialect to outsiders but was quickly understood by regular attendees.[1]
Once a sale was finalized, administrators from the Skullport Island Registry handled the transaction. They collectted payment from the buyer, deducted a fee (typically a flat five gold pieces or a percentage of the sale), and disbursed the remainder to the seller. The Registry's scribes then created a bill of sale in triplicate, providing copies to the buyer, seller, and a Registry clerk. Although buyers customarily paid the Registry fee, the administrators acceptted payment from any party involved. Following the transaction, the slaves were either returned to Skull Island to await transport, delivered to the new owner's vessel, taken in a caravan to the Underdark, or otherwise managed according to the purchaser's wishes—including, in rare cases, being granted freedom.[1]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Joseph C. Wolf (1999). Skullport. (TSR, Inc), pp. 33–34. ISBN 0-7869-1348-7.