Consecration, a Status held by the top 20-10% of the Slave Population.

While Punishment is a critical tool of the Drow to keep the slave population in line, reward has it's role as well and is often more cost effective. A slave that's been flogged for not meeting his daily quota is probably not going to be in the best shape to meet his quota tomorrow, but to those who live in a barracks and are forced to work long hours of heavy labor for basic rations the prospect of a tankard of cold beer at dinner and a sweet bun for dessert for those who've exceed their quotas can be powerful motivators. Position can be another motivator as one can one's self and children either rise to prominence within the system or fall down the social latter possibly into Disposability through bad actions. On the other end of the spectrum is, a Status held by the top 20-10% of the Slave Population.







A Drow Household is largely free to set up it's own internal org chart for it's chattel, but Consecration is a legal status backed by the state. Certain sensitive Jobs can only be preformed by Consecrated Slaves and their workmanship is held to be of higher quality than that of unconsecrated Slaves. In turn, there are laws in place for the treatment of Consecrated slaves. In seven of the nine of the Drow States slave owners do not possess the Right of Life and Death over their Consecrated Slaves and unlawful termination of the life of one can incur a fine of up to 500 scimitars. In the other two the Right of Life and Death is limited. Corporal Punishment is limited to some degree. There are also standards in regards to rest periods, standards of accommodation and similar which need to be met for anyone owning Consecrated Slaves. A family which repeatedly abuses Consecrated Slaves can be barred from owning them for a period of up to a century or until the death of the current head. While the existence of this privileged class is occasionally annoying to the upper strata of Drow societies and they face resentment from the Discarded of the Drow it's precedents go back to the First Dark Emperor herself and ultimately it is a necessity for their society.





This status obtained through a variety of mean, Janissaries are automatically Consecrated (though they are a special case and rules that apply to them while on active duty negate most of the benefits of Consecration, mostly it applies to Consecrated Veterans), the Children of Consecrated Parent have an easier path to Consecration and one can strive to Consecration through dutiful hard work, mastery of skills, reverence to their masters and displays of piety. Religion is another means to control the slave class, if one more subtle. The Slave Religion and it's various sub orders of the Drow is a variant on the Dark Elves own take on Elven Religion and the Crucible of Life. In Short, Dark Elves believe that this world was created by the gods to give rise to new gods. Souls begin existence in microbes and are reincarnated as plants then insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammalian beasts, then humans, then elves and finally gods. This ascension of life is largely automatic at the lower levels, but at the higher levels a soul needs to actively strive to fulfill their role in life to move up and the risks of sipping back because of sin down become more pronounced. The lot of all non Drow sapient creatures in the Dark Elven view of things is to learn to learn the virtues of humility, thrift, duty, hard work and obedience to their superiors the Dark Elves who's role is to rule. It also teaches them to spurn. If they do, they might become Dark Elves themselves in time. These beliefs are preached by Slave Priests.





Though there is some variation from State to State Slave Priests and Priestesses are easy to recognize among the chattel of the Dark Elves in distinctive clerical robes and headgear bearing the symbol of the First Dark Emperor, bronze plated chain necklaces, arms bearing numerous ornamental manicles and a slave handler's grasper pole, which symbolizes the responsibility of a Priest to lead their charges along the proper path. Drawn from the ranks of the Consecrated (in about half the cases from the Children of Priestly stock and in almost all cases from barracks bred slaves) Slave Priests may be rented, bought or sold, but the government of each state has a monopoly on their training and ordaining through their seminaries. Usually there is one slave priest for ever three to four hundred Drow Slaves. For most slaves there is an hour long sermon once a week and daily prayers at every meal and at the beginning and ending of every ritual. Slave Priests bless infants, give the dead their final rights of those which die honorable deaths (of old age or are put down after being maimed to the point of non functionality in some accident beyond their control and similar, not rebels or traitors and similar) and officiate funerals. They also provide other slaves with emotional guidance through rough times. They help in the tending of creches. They also compile reports on individual slaves for their masters and the state. Among which are lists of of recommended candidates Consecration. They play a role in the Ceremonies of Consecration and in the opposite Ceremonies Deconsecration for those which have said status but failed to live up to it's higher standards.



