Unknown Armies

Avatars

The True Slave

Lose yourself in servitude…

Attributes: There is a point in enslavement when resistance stops, when the victim breaks and gives over to the work. This is not a moment of choice; this is when she becomes a Slave. Sartre wrote that existential Sadism is futile. He was wrong.

Also known as The Broken Man, nobody ever becomes a Slave of their own free will and accord. Those born into slavery often walk this path naturally. After long periods of servitude, many Slaves may develop genuine affection for whoever it is that controls them.

Identity is a central facet of True Slavery. The Slave is bound to an Other on an essential level, and loses herself in the process. A Slave's name is usually taken away, and she is given a new name, her Slave name. In many cases, there is a practical act that symbolizes the theft of her identity or the imposition of someone else's upon her. This can be as simple as taking away her passport, or as severe as tattoos and branding.

Taboo: True Slaves must be forced into bondage, but not resist the role. Fighting back and resisting orders break taboo. A Willing Slave must have a master, and she must be in some kind of servitude. Some forms of slavery, especially sexual slavery and blackmail, generate a lasting coercion that makes physical constraints unnecessary.

Symbols: Cages, shackles, collars, chains, brands, single-letter names (eg: X, O.).

Masks: You can't fake being made a Slave, but there are variations on the theme. The traditional distinctions are between House and Field slaves, and conscripted soldiers.

Suspected Avatars in History: Everything from the American agricultural stock, to the Japanese forcing Koreans to be "comfort women," to the abducted child soldiers of any number of African civil wars. This world has more than there ever should be.

CHANNELS:

01-50%: A Slave is made to do horrible, depraved things, but somehow still manages to function. Whenever she fails a stress check, make an Avatar: Slave check as well. If the second roll is successful, the Slave still freaks out, but doesn't gain a Failed notch from the exposure.

51-70%: The master's will is now the Slave's greatest motivation. The Slave may flip-flop all rolls made while explicitly and directly following her master's commands, so long as the result would be under her Avatar: Slave rating.

71-90%:: Psychically speaking, the Slave is joined with of her master. She is now a significant Proxy for him and he may transfer wound points to and from the Slave with a touch. (The use of these benefits transfers along with ownership of the Slave.)

91+%: The Slave's very existence depends solely on her master's consent. She cannot die unless he allows it. It is hard for others to even hurt her without her master's permission. All other significant attacks against the Slave inflict the sum of the dice, not the normal result (or whichever is lower). Hand to hand attacks inflict only the "tens" die, instead of the sum. If beaten down to 0 wound points or below, she falls into a coma, maybe even brain death, but she does not die without her master's permission.

Menzoa | profile | Jul 14, 04 | 7:29 pm

Visitor Comments

Neat, and it fits with UA, but how roleplayable is it? At the point that a character's will is broken wouldn't s/he loose all personal initiative and volition?

I guess what I'm saying is that in a group setting I think you'd end up with one player esentially running two characters, even if there's a second person there to roll the dice for the "slave".

For GMCs it presents a cool/confusing twist if the person sent to annoy the PCs has no personal animosity, and keeps getting healed of near-lethal damage.

Would you allow "wage-slaves" to partake of the path? The guy trapped in a dead-end job who just does what he's told?

Greykev | profile | Jul 16, 04 | 8:13 am

It is intended as more of a GMC archetype. It fits for forced wives, conscripted soldiers, as well as the traditional "owned person" types.

As for the "wage slave" angle, they would have to be forced into the work and/or unable to leave. The kind of man that just goes to work all the time would be more of a Loyal Laborer type, or maybe a separate archetype altogether. (Feel like doing a write-up?) There must be the element of coersion -- not just desparation -- to be a True Slave.

But people have posted Emperors and Usurpers that step on the True King's toes, so I figure they can co-exist... there's room for 333, after all.

Menzoa | profile | Jul 16, 04 | 3:13 pm

It should be pointed out that a person walking this path does not actually have to be "broken." They only have to act that way. They must face coersion, and give in to lasting servitude without further resistance.

Of course, the ones who are really "broken" find it much easier to follow this rather difficult path.

Menzoa | profile | Jul 16, 04 | 5:49 pm

Is the "forced" aspect necessary? I could see a submissive in a consensual S&M couple following this archetype.

BillionSix | profile | Jul 18, 04 | 12:05 am

This is not just "The Slave," it's "The True Slave." That whole consent issue gets in the way of being "broken." If you are seen to choose your situation, it lacks the raw force of the archetype.

Perhaps a co-dependent could squeek by if threatened with "or I'll leave you," but this is not "The Willing Slave," or "The Masochist." Those, in my opinion, would be a related, but separate archetype like "The Necessary Servant" vs. "The Loyal Laborer."

... or not, maybe you don't want to split hairs on these things. Every inclusive definition I went through just sounded like "The Loyal Laborer" dressed up in leather. But that doesn't mean you can't solve/ignore the issue. I still think it'd be overbroad, though. Hell, any social heirarchy can be re-phrased as subordination of individual will.

Perhaps if it focused on subordination of identity instead of will?

Menzoa | profile | Jul 18, 04 | 2:01 am

I can't help but think that this Archetype looks a lot like the ascension-through-degradation we see in the undiscovered but well-known archetype of The Naked Goddess.

TedPro | profile | Aug 13, 04 | 8:13 pm

I beg to differ. Was the Goddess forced to do anything? Was there any element of coersion in her degredation? Who controlled her? Who owned her?

The True Slave is less about degredation than it is about ownership and control, or rather, lack of it over yourself. There is no post-modern "unattainable" tweek that is so key to the Naked Goddess's concept and MO.

I'd put latest addition to the IC as closer to "The Object of Desire" -- the trick being that once attained, it is no longer desired (at least not in the sense that a porn stars would be, and that is relevant to her going up in the big light show).

Menzoa | profile | Aug 15, 04 | 2:46 am

but then again, theories about the Naked Goddess are like belly buttons...

Menzoa | profile | Aug 15, 04 | 3:13 am