Helheim is a place of freedom, provided that freedom aligns with the Crown's goals and needs.
As a kingdom of freedom and culture, slavery has been outlawed and in its place is the Office of Labour.
Some say this is slavery by another name.
Helheim is a kingdom which is always moving forwards, always building, always expanding its military and seemingly forever ripping up and re-laying its streets. All of this work requires coin, but it also requires labour. When the citizenry is not enough, the Crown looks to other methods and these typically include using prisoners to work some of the most dangerous jobs, along with persons down on their luck. These methods, though, have their detractors.
After turmoil and manoeuvring, what has emerged is a tiered system of control, with the official Minister of Labour employing a Commissioner to oversee the day-to-day operations and logistics on behalf of the Crown. With this commission, the the Office’s staff are expected to not only prioritize the needs of the Kingdom’s government, but support and encourage cooperation between the many interests that might call on it to supply workers and enforce standards of both quality and station.
Types of Labourer
(Criminals)
Under judgement by the Crown, magistrates or Council Members for crimes committed, criminals may find themselves committed to forced work. This has the possibility of coming as a “choice” between sitting idle in a cell, undergoing more esoteric punishment, or agreeing to a period of service. As such, the Office maintains that all its operations come as a matter of consent, though there is little effort made to ensure the provenance of this consent.
Force labourers have next to no rights, other than the right to life. Food, sleep and length of punishment are all variable depending on conduct and performance while paying off depts to the kingdom.
(Service to the Crown)
Those with few prospects or a simple desire to be useful may self-register to the Office of Labour to be put to work as required. Guaranteed greater rights, including to at least three meals and access to shared quarters for personal hygiene, Indentured Servants serve out contracts under specified terms, including future payment or relief of debts. Payment per day withheld until the contract is complete.
Indentured Servants are labourers by choice, but have signed away their rights to depart this function until their contracts end. Though their work days are slightly shorter and meals more hearty, they are to follow the same rules as forced labourers.
(Personal Slave)
To help fund the Office and provide legal recourse for disputes over matters of personal labor, Overseers can create and seal contracts of service between private parties. The terms of these contracts are as varied as the people who seek them, but all parties must agree to abide by the set contract, which may not violate any Helheim laws. Officially, it is expected that clear and direct consent be required to make a contract enforceable.
Once set, contracted parties may seek out an Office of Labour staff member to help arbitrate disputes in terms, confirm relationships of service to third parties, and assist in corrective action for possible breaches of contract. The contract itself is kept on record, but a copy is provided to all signing parties for presentation to Guard and other city personnel.
These contracts also provide a way for serving parties to attain freedom if the terms of their service are exceeded, and seek protection from retaliation once contracts are finished or voided.
To ensure that those making such arrangements have the means of care and responsibility, as well as cover the paperwork, there is a one-time 25 copper fee to register a service contract, with 10 copper fees for any future alterations to the terms.
All labourers assigned to the Office of Labour are afforded the right to life and to leave service in the same health as which they began. All laws apply to them in service as they would in freedom. All time served is accumulated at the end of service, that is to say any labourer who escapes their work and returns, shall have no credit for previous work done and restart their service form the beginning with additional time for punishment.
Work
All labourers assigned to the Office of Labour shall be assigned work as per Crown requirements. When not required for Crown projects, they may be hired to individual citizens. Examples of work are listed below.
The majority of punished workers shall be assigned to repair non-essential infrastructure, haul goods and materials, be committed to generally dangerous work. As the Crown recognises that workers are no good if weak, food and health care to a basic standard are provided for these projects.
Businesses that require extra labour at short notice, for a short period of time or require a certain specialist may seek an Overseer from the Office of Labour to hire an individual for a set amount of days. The business or guild takes responsibility for feeding and taking care of workers as any damage inflicted will be chargeable. Businesses are encouraged to train labourers with the intent of taking them in to service once their contracts to The Crown are complete.
Persons wishing to hire a labourer from the Office of Labour may also hire on a day by day basis for their requirements. Health care and food are also to be provided by the individual and damages made good.
Due Care
All labourers are to be considered employees of the Crown for purposes of treatment. Any corporal punishment must allow workers to continue in their labour.
Time in the infirmary will not count towards a labourer's time in service, giving them the incentive for self care where possible.
Office of Labour Staff
Officers who serve as something between contract law experts and day-to-day managers, Overseers have a broad mandate to register new contracts and sentences, as well as ensure that each is seen through to the letter of its terms.
They may assign tasks, issue punishments, and arbitrate for private service agreements.
These staff members escort labourers to work sites, ensuring that work is continuous with only assigned breaks allowed. They also help maintain relationships with other entities in the Kingdom, relaying potential labour needs and keeping track of any mishaps that might occur on a jobsite.
Informally, Foremen also have a reputation for being enforcers when a Guardsman or a helpful citizen can’t be counted on to make a point clear to a particularly troublesome worker – or even a particularly obstructive protestor.
OOC
As with all roleplay, private or Crown servitude through the Office of Labour is a matter of mutual consent. While characters may be cajoled or sentenced to work, all RP, from hard labor to ERP-oriented play, requires the full consent of all involved players.
This is not primarily a group for ERP slavery. There is room for a broad interpretation of the terms above, but most sentences and contracts are expected to be for set time periods, under largely consensual terms, and there should not be an assumed erotic element to the experience.
Escape or discharge is always permitted, though it is courteous to work out an IC solution that preserves immersion for all parties. Likewise, anyone can act as a Labourer, with the assumption that they have signed away any other rights for the duration of their service.
Given the nature of the roleplay, it is encouraged to take any punishment or “training” style play to relatively private spaces, though public breaches of contracts or sentencing terms may result in public correction. In-character abuse will likely have in-character consequences, as the Office maintains a delicate balance of pressure to produce results pressure to be seen as more legitimate that Sincadere’s formal slaving rings.