So, you want to know my thoughts on Slavery in the Kingdoms, eh? I'll tell it straight and simple—there's two kinds of slavery: the kind you get the collar put on you, and the kind you put the collar on yourself. Slavery looks a little different in every kingdom, but that's true in each of them.
In Civen, it's almost patriotic to be a slave—well treated too, with laws on your conditions. Being a slave there means you broke a law or owe someone money, and you're paying your debt either way. You likely will die free, and so will your children. There will be traveling papers that prove your status as a slave, along with the duration of your servitude, should anyone ask.
In the Dellin Tribelands, and some degrees of Gersh, slavery is more liberal—it means you lost a fight, and the victor decided you were more valuable as a slave than a corpse. Better than being dead I guess, but worse too. Both those kingdoms have little compunction about where they find their slaves.
Vlean has serfs, not slaves, which only means their collar is in their mind, not their neck. If you're a serf, then you'll always be a serf, you'll die a serf, and so will your grandchildren if they allow you to marry. But at least you're not a slave, right?...right.
The Elves and Terrans don't practice slavery, being 'enlightened' as they will be happy to point out to you, at length, ad nauseum. However, in Terra and Evanandra, if you entered the kingdom as a slave, you usually leave the country a slave. But only Fionn A’ilean—that means 'Great Forest' in the common speech—has the rarest and most magical of air. Air that, if a slave but breathes the air of the Great Forest, their collar magically pops off their neck and they begin their free life. Of course, the hundreds of arrows pointed toward the slaver dumb enough to travel the Great Forest would have something to do with that as well.
In general, a slave is well treated, and can even have some status, if they are sufficiently skilled. A weaponsmith slave in the Tribelands will live a comfortable life, being very valuable. A slave who can run budgets, books and numbers will not want in Civen; and a courtesan who pour tea especially well will not hunger in Gersh.
Except, not a single one of them will ever lead their own life. Their choices aren't their own. Their success, or failure, all belong to their owner. A slave cannot, by definition, carry honor.
Other than the elves of the Great Forest, most beings understand slavery, or accept it on some level. But no one, not one, likes a Slaver. Not even their mother. When a slaver looks at you, look them in the eyes, and you'll see someone running numbers. They are calculating what they could get for you at auction.
Slavers, I'm happy to report, are a clumsy bunch. Especially around Elfmeet, slavers trip and fall into unmarked graves all the time. So clumsy, slavers.
--Ambrose Farfallen, Elfmeet Militia