Slave Market (Fantasy World)

The average citizen earns about 20–30 Solars per month.

A minor noble can spend 2000 Solares without going bankrupt.

The high nobility houses control fortunes of more than 100,000 Solares.

Strange creatures—mermaids, succubi, shapeshifters:
Exotic, seductive, and nearly impossible to tame. They fetch between eight and fifteen thousand Solares. Nobles acquire them more out of vanity or desire than for utility. They are often kept in enchanted cages or under soul contracts.

Slaves of pure soul or ancient lineage:
These have no fixed price. Some are descendants of heroes, others carry divine blood. They are used in rituals of power or as offerings. Their value starts at twenty thousand Solares and can climb to legendary figures. They are bought in secret, under oaths of silence.

(Using the “Valdora Sun” as currency, a piece of pure gold with a magic crystal core.) The value of living flesh in Eredhal

Ordinary humans:
They are the foundation of the market. Reliable labor, without magical gifts or notorious rebelliousness. Nobles buy them to clean, cook, or work the land. Their price usually ranges between one hundred and fifty and three hundred Solares, depending on their age and physical condition. They cost little, but they die easily.

Orcs and beast races:
Pure brute force. They are bought for mining, construction, or as gladiators. A young, healthy orc can reach five or six hundred Solars, and with military training, up to seven hundred. Tamers mark them with runes of containment to prevent mutiny.

Common elves:
Elegant, long-lived, and well-mannered, they serve in mansions as scribes, musicians, or junior advisors. Due to their beauty and natural obedience, they cost between 800 and 1,200 Solars. They are expensive, but their lifespan is twice that of a human.

Highblood elves and dryads:
Luxury items reserved for kings and courtiers. They are not bought out of necessity, but for prestige. A pure specimen of elven lineage or a trained dryad can cost between fifteen hundred and three thousand Solares. They are symbols of power and refinement.

Young Draconians:
Hybrid creatures, half human, half dragon. Their skin is as hard as steel, and their loyalty depends on the seal that binds them. They are elite guardians or gladiators. The strongest reach four thousand Solars, the youngest around two thousand. Their power makes them feared even among their masters.

Captured magicians or sages:
The dangerous jewel of the market. Though enslaved, they retain their knowledge and, if controlled, can serve as living weapons. They cost from five thousand to eight thousand Solars, depending on their magical level and the risk of rebellion. They are always sold with a double seal of ownership.

In certain regions, a slave can earn their freedom through years of service or exceptional achievements.

Some masters free their favorite slaves, granting them the status of "bound," beings who are free but magically sworn to their former master.

In this world, slavery is not only an economic practice, but also a language of power and magic.
To dominate another living being implies dominating its essence, its destiny, and its vital energy.
That is why the seals of slavery are made with soul runes, and the contracts are guarded by the very spirits of the dead, guardians of the eternal pacts.

Every full moon, the Day of Chains is celebrated:

The slaves are displayed before the public.

A herald announces his lineage, talents, and starting price.

Buyers offer gems, gold, or magical favors.

The victor receives the seal of ownership, a mystical contract signed with a drop of blood.

The rarest or most powerful slaves (such as draconic beings or sorcerers) are sold in secret, under oath of silence.

Slavery sustains a large part of the economy:

Agriculture → orc and human slaves.

Construction → giants, ogres and living golems.

Servitude → elves, succubi, half-elves.

Magic and research → captive wizards or wise races.

The most powerful traders are called Blood Merchants, and they possess imperial permits to hunt or import slaves from wild regions.

There are even soul banks, where conscious beings are pawned as collateral for debt.

Not all races can own slaves: only those recognized by the Council of Thrones.

A slave's social position depends on their race and magical purity.

A dark elf can be a slave to a human nobleman.

But an orc could never possess an elf, no matter how wealthy he was.

Slaves born in captivity are more valued for their docility.

Those captured in war often retain pride and defiance, being sold cheaper or used as gladiators.

The market is built in concentric rings around a central tower where the Merchants' Council is located:

🔹 First ring – Reception and purification

Newly arrived slaves are marked with containment runes, a magical form that prevents their escape or aggression.

Then they are bathed, disinfected, and evaluated by examining wizards.

Healers detect physical illnesses or curses.

Slaves are classified by species, condition, and ability:

Exotic races (dryads, succubi, shapeshifters) are destined for luxury.

Strong races (orcs, minotaurs, goliaths) go to industry, mines or armies.

Wise races (elves, naga, arcanists) are either study slaves or magical advisors.

🔹 Second ring – Exhibition and auctions

Each race has its own pavilion, decorated according to its culture (elves under glass domes, orcs in iron corrals, merfolk in enchanted tanks).

Slaves are displayed on floating platforms or mana cages.

A magical illusion is projected onto them, showing their age, race, strength, talents, and level of obedience.

Buyers use valuation amulets that indicate the “estimated soul price”.

Elite auctions are held in the Golden Dome, with bids sealed by arcane seals.

🔹 Third ring – Transactions and ownership stamps

Once the purchase is finalized, the slave receives a Seal of Domination, a magical mark inscribed on the skin or soul.

This seal binds the slave to his master and magically punishes disobedience.

In some kingdoms, the seals are physical pain, in others they are mental or submission enchantments.

The contract is recorded on register crystals, guarded by the market's guild of scribes.

Each transaction pays a tithe to the council, which maintains the magical defenses and guards.

Magic is the foundation of the world, divided into three levels and six main schools, each with civil, military, or slave-owning uses.

Levels of magic

Arcana (innate): natural energy, manipulated by elves, dragons, or gifted humans.

Runic (structured): engraved on symbols, seals or contracts (most used in slavery).

Anima (forbidden): manipulates souls, memories, or emotions. Used in rituals of total control.

Schools of magic

School

Element

Main use

Aetheria (light and healing)

Vital energy, purification.

Keep slaves healthy, detect corruption.

Umbra (shadow and soul)

Control, manipulation, domain seals.

Magical slavery, memory erasure.

Pyros (fire and destruction)

Raw energy and combat.

Punishments, military training.

Terram (earth and body)

Physical strength, runes of resistance.

Create guardians, reinforce cages.

Aquaelis (water and emotion)

Empathy, seduction, illusions.

Entertainment, courtly servitude.

Aerith (mind and knowledge)

Psychic and mental magic.

Mind control, rapid teaching, interrogation.

How it all comes together

The Council of Thrones maintains order: each race governs one facet of magical trade.

The Blood Merchants are the only ones authorized to possess capture and sale licenses.

The Seals of Dominion are created with Umbra + Aerith magic, engraving the master's name upon the slave's soul.

Rune Mages (usually elves or humans) are the ones who run the auctions and certify each contract with their mana.

Eredhal is divided into five large regions, each dominated by one of the major races, and connected by trade routes controlled by the Blood Merchants.

Valdora, at its center, is the heart of the human trade. A fertile plain dotted with walled cities, cobbled roads, and gilded harbors where caravans and galleons of slaves dock.

To the north, the crystalline forests of Syltheren are home to the elves, where magic sparkles in the air and contracts of slavery are written in living runes.

To the east, the volcanic mountains of Khar'Zuun are the domain of the Draconians, a militaristic nation that buys slaves by the thousands to forge its armies.

To the south, beyond deserts and ruins, lie the Kingdoms of the Abyss, where demons and succubi trade souls as much as bodies.

Finally, to the west, floating above the misty sea, the Neutral Magocracy dominates the arcane arts and regulates the flow of mana, watching over the balance between the powers.

At the center of it all, on a peninsula bathed by three seas, stands the Great Market of Altheryon, the crossroads of the world.

Government and power

The continent is ruled by an unstable alliance known as the Council of Thrones, made up of five great dominant races:

The Human Empire of Valdora – controls trade, laws, and currency.

Ruler: Empress Lysara Valdora III, a long-lived human thanks to blood pacts with sorcerers.

She is cold, pragmatic, and sees slavery as a civilizing tool.

The High Elves of Syltheren – masters of pure magic and guardians of soul seals.

Ruler: Archmage Eryndor Vael, an immortal elf who only appears in astral projections.

Their magicians seal market contracts, and control legal magic.

The Draconic Domain of Khar'Zuun – a warrior and mercenary race.

Ruler: Red Queen Zariss, an ancient dragon in humanoid form.

It demands tributes of slaves in exchange for military protection.

The Dark Realms of the Abyss – demons, succubi, and races of shadow mana.

Ruler: Prince of the Veil, lord of infernal contracts.

Its magic allows one to enslave the soul, not just the body.

The Neutral Council of Magocracy – a mix of arcane races (naga, vampires, humans, dark elves).

It regulates the use of forbidden magic, and oversees the Seals of Dominion used in slavery.

The Great Market of Altheryon is under the joint jurisdiction of the five thrones, making it neutral territory, protected by non-aggression spells and elemental guardians.