Lore parts - Humanity and slavery (Patreon)

As I figured out, I don't really have enough details 'in the ground' about game universe so currently I'm working on fleshing out main setting of the actual game, so I won't have to face situations like 'it happens because plot needs it to happen', which I deeply loath in modern media. This is a setting explanation.

The Organization of Humanity

The current era represents humans as the dominant race, as they belong to the most populated and organized structures of land. Humans are led by groups of magi who, many centuries in the past, have established control over many towns. The Order of Magi play the role of government in each corresponding region, but they also comply with the High Order located in The Capital, which may assume control in the event of danger.

The Order is not just a governing structure, but also plays a primal role in magical and technological research and warfare. Hence every person in The Order is not necessarily a mage, but powerful and rich people often join it, as members receive special privileges over normal people and are able to participate in lawmaking and management. At the same time they contribute to The Order and the city by playing a role in various activities, providing money, people, or property as needed. In this way, The Order was able to maintain itself for a very long time, even after the role of magic became less vital for survival.

Magi Orders are led by Grand Mages who are reelected by members of The Order every 10 years and who must also meet the needs of the High Order. The High Order, instead, is led by a small group of individuals.

The High Order operates and plans around every location and provides directives and goals for smaller instances, but those still have enough freedom to act on their own; basically acting in unison like a federation. At the legislative level, there aren’t any real prejudices against any other humanoid race, as they are all regarded in the same manner that any human would be. However,  occasional domestic conflicts may raise up, as it is in society's nature to look for a common enemy.

Slavery.

Slavery is a widely common occurrence in the world, and has been implemented in nearly every region in one form or another. Slaves are generally used for small tasks and as valuable sources of mana for mages. With food production being poor,  and its distribution unreliable,  keeping a significant number of slaves around seems almost like a luxury, although in more prosperous regions it's not uncommon for middle class people to buy one or two servants for personal use.

The Order of Magi regulates the practice of slavery and tracks possible escapees; as in the past, slaves played a massive role in magical experiments. Branding is what defines a slave, but branding may only be performed by either members of The Order or the Slavers’ Guild. The Order keeps track of every local member's marks so that their slaves have no problem being recognized. However, anyone in possession of a slave not belonging to The Order (such as when buying from the guild) must register his slave and brand to prevent his newly acquired property from being taken away. Unidentified slaves are considered to be the guild's property and are generally used for various social assignments and sometimes end up being released after diligent service; eventually even making a considerable career.

While owners possess nearly unlimited control over their slaves, they are also expected to keep them fed and sheltered, making it a considerable option for poor people to sell themselves into slavery, provided that they are attractive or useful enough to be taken. However it's not acceptable to forcibly enslave locals without agreement from their relatives, and doing so results in a penalty. Relatives are also able to buy out such slaves, but not for a lesser amount than what was paid, which holds true even for non-locals.

Given the nature of laws, exotic or high quality slaves are often taken by individuals raiding other regions and trafficking captured people for sale. Some mages went a bit further and employed personal portals for easy access to fresh candidates for their experiments.