The Emancipators are a secret society in Thyatis who are opposed to slavery, and seek to free slaves where possible, usually without paying slave owners. This sets them at odds with the Thyatian government and law which accepts slavery, and views freeing slaves without the owner's consent as theft. Thus the Emancipators work in the shadows. They have been doing this for over 200 years, since its founding in AC 788 by Praetorus Validor, a nobleman of Kerendas.
Philosophy and Alignment
If this were AD&D it would be a simple case of neutral good and chaotic good Emancipators against lawful evil and neutral evil slave owners. But with B/X D&D's single-axis approach to alignment being reflected in the cosmic forces of Law and Chaos this has led to heated debate within the Emancipators as to whether slavery is lawful or chaotic and therefore what does that make them? The consensus within the group is that the Emancipators are on the side of Law. Although the law of the land and Thyatian society accepts slavery and what the Emancipators try to do is illegal, the Emancipators believe that the true philosophy of Law requires some respect and dignity for all intelligent beings. Slavery does not allow this respect and dignity and is therefore chaotic, and so by opposing slavery, the Emancipators are on the side of Law. It is worth pointing out that there are quite a few members of the Emancipators who do not care for the cosmic forces of Law and Chaos and who declare themselves neutral in such matters but they still think that slavery is a terrible wrong that they are trying to set right. A few members would admit they have chaotic tendencies (not caring for authority or societal norms, prefering individualism) but then strongly deny that this would make them evil (in AD&D terms chaotic neutral or perhaps chaotic good) and they view slavery as Law but in its worst, most extreme form.
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| scene from Spartacus (starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis), source |
The Structure of the Emancipators
There are perhaps 200 trusted members of the Emancipators, split up into cells of 5 to 10 members. The similarity to how chaos cultists infiltrate society often generates wry amusement, but it still works. If Thyatian authorities arrest and interrogate one cell, other cells should still remain safe and secret. There are several cells in each of the major cities operating independently of each other. Similarly towns in the Thyatian homeland have a cell each. There are also cells dotted around usually near farming or industrial areas where slaves are used. Each cell has its codename, usually a colour. There is a manor house outside of Kerendas City, home to a secretive nobleman , Gaius Validor, where cell leaders gather once a year. The manor house is heavily guarded and Gaius is careful not to let his connection to other Emancipators be revealed. Many Emancipators do not know that this is the headquarters of the group - they only refer to the mysterious HQ as "Indigo".
Emancipators usually try to free one slave at a time. If possible they will assess how eager the slave is to escape - there is nothing more frustrating than trying to free a slave only to find that either they are too scared of retribution to leave or perhaps feel that they are in a good situation with reasonable shelter, food and security compared to the uncertainty of life on the run. Emancipators only rarely engineer mass escapes as this tends to attract attention of the authorities. Losing one slave could be seen as carelessness on the part of the slave owner - a hundred slaves on the loose becomes a problem for every decent Thyatian in the vicinity and raises fears of a slave rebellion which can occasionally become very violent and vengeful. The Emancipators have no intention of harming innocent Thyatians or bringing the army down on them and their newly freed charges.
Recruitment is extremely careful with many tests and a year long probabtion where the new member is not even aware of everyone in the local cell, least of all members beyond the cell. It is rumoured that Emancipators have a particular handshake and phrase that could seem innocuous to a non-member but members should recognise, thus allowing them to identify each other but without much risk of revealing themselves to non-members. After the simultaneous collapse of the cells in both Argevin ("Saffron") and Torion ("Pearl") in AC 975, when infiltrators loyal to slave-owning businessmen betrayed the local members to the authorities along with over a dozen escaped slaves, the Emancipators take no chances.
Having said that, individual members can hire people outside the society for one-off jobs, usually involving transport. As long as the hirer is the only one who can be identified to authorities this is considered an acceptable risk. The Emancipators also occasionally hire adventurers for particular tasks, particularly ones that require specialist skills such as thievery, spellcasting or application of sharp steel. Sometimes the same people are hired on a regular basis and they have an idea of who they are dealing with but they don't rat out their employer, either because they like the payment or perhaps they don't like slavery themselves and therefore approve of what the Emancipators are trying to do.
Selected Cells
The Kerendas Docks Cell ("Scarlet"): This team of 6 members is less involved in freeing slaves from their masters and more with safely smuggling them out of the country. They have several sea captains who they trust, including Mayana Abbrovic, who regularly sails the southern coast from Thyatis to Sind. Mayana hates slavery and as such will help the Emancipators, delivering escapees to Athenos in Darokin, Specularum in Karameikos and the safer parts of Ierendi.
The Greenheight Cell ("Viridian"): This cell specialises in the overland route into Karameikos. past the Vyallia Elves but carefully avoiding the goblins of the Dymrak forest. The cell owns and runs a farmstead on the border of the forest where horses and cattle are raised. This is used as departure point onto Karameikos. The Vyalia elves have a mixed view - on the one hand they have no love of Thyatian slavery and sympathise with those who love freedom. But on the other hand the elves do not want to be dragged into what they see as a human dispute.
The Goldleaf Cell ("Beige"): This team of 3 activists is particularly concerned about a brutal mining operation in the nearby hills. The mine owners maintain at least 60 slaves in appalling conditions, guarded by hobgoblin mercenaries. The cell has rescued only four slaves, one at a time, as per normal procedure but they are considering breaking protocol and freeing all the slaves at once. This would require extra muscle and at least one of them is quietly asking around for adventurers willing to participate. Freed slaves are shepherded northeast towards the border with Ylaruam, though the path is fraught with wandering monsters, including other hobgoblins. An armed escort would be appreciated.
The Argevin Cell (“Azure”): Rebuilding after a disaster two decades ago when the whole cell was arrested, this cell is keeping an especially low profile. Two of the members are half-Alphatian mages and this has led to complications, namely accusations of bias towards slaves of Alphatian heritage and those who show magic talent. One of the members has even accused another of being an agent of the Alphatian Empire. The accused has admitted to Alphatian sympathies but not loyalty or official connections. He does have a good arrangement with a merchant-trader who can transport passengers to the Isle of Dawn, including Alphatian-controlled ports where slavery is not tolerated.
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