

While many Consecrated Slaves do work which can be done by the unconsecrated masses, there are a decent number of jobs which are limited to this upper stratum. Priests and Janissaries are some that have been listed before, as well as at least some of the armorers which work on weapons and armor made for direct Dark Elven use as well as scholars, senior clerks and other jobs which are considered sensitive. Among these are those slaves which have authority over other slaves. While the general image of outsiders is that those that toil under the Drow's yoke work under the stern gaze and lash of their Drow masters many would be surprised on how often that task is delegated to the slaves themselves. For those assigned to manage groups of Slave Artisans and especially Consecrated Artisans the role of manager is similar to how a guild of free workers would set up said position in many regards. For those assigned to manage unskilled and semi-skilled laborers the roll is that of "Slave Boss" or "Strawboss" (for agricultural work) which fits the mold of slave driver more.





Slaves are often organized into teams of between five to twenty assigned to various tasks. While some teams are directly supervised by the Dark Elves themselves for unskilled work for large scale work the usual arrangement is usually a Drow overseer managing one to two medium sized teams or a single big one, each team has a slave boss. Some have likened this to the to the relationship between Officers, NCOs and the rank and file of the army with the task master being involved more directly deferring to the Drow supervisor in matters. They usually have some distinguishing garb in addition to better clothes. A padded cloth vest adorned with spikes is a common uniform for Strawbosses. Even so a cane is the true mark of their station which they have authorization to administer up to five strokes for summery punishment at their discretion to their charges, though this can be countermanded by their Drow superior. Never the less they often directly pitch in with work to some degree. Leading by example can be more effective as leading by intimidation and it often means another pair of hands. Some fieldbosses actually care for the well being of those under their charge, others are petty bullies, others are somewhere in between. Most cultivate a stern attitude.









Most Consecrated slaves get some measure of education (this includes adult education for those elevated to Consecration from the masses) and the majority of Slave Bosses as a rule can read and write well enough to fill out a few basic reports. In addition to keeping them productive another key part of their operation is to keep track of the performance of the individuals put under their charge. Identifying which individuals are productive and which are troublemakers compromising performance. If overall performance is high, the recommendation of a Slaveboss can (in conjunction with other things) lead to eventual Consecration. Likewise the disapproval of a slaveboss when things are low can lead to resale various disciplinary measures including (in conjunction with other events) reclassifying an individual as a Disposable . Even so, protracted poor performance of a team under their watch can earn the ire of their masters.





Most Slavebosses were either "raised from the ranks" of regular slave workers, the children of Slavebosses or the children of other Conscerated Slaves which did not measure up to be fit to serve as Janissaries, Artisans, Mechanics, scholars and similar and were put in charge of managing labor groups. As such Slavebosses often find themselves looked down upon by those in those posts as being little better than the Unconsecrated masses. To those under their charge they can be either respected, feared, respected and feared or despised. It's notable that on those occasions where there have been slave riots in Drow history Slavebosses make up a remarkably high number of casualties inflicted by rioters.



