And of course the world presented in MoR strains the plausibility of a stable, slavery-based society where slaves can retain some measure of agency even further past the breaking point than the above historical examples, or any other, for that matter.
Consider the late, great Roman Empire. Arguably one of the greatest exemplars of what a society can accomplish if it is willing to devalue ALL human life, save for 'Takers' in the mold of Julius Caesar, to a point below zero in order to justify mass genocide abroad, and mass enslavement at home. Even at the height of Rome's moral decay, as well as its economic, political and cultural supremacy, the percentage of the population enslaved in the empire was, at most, 15 percent. And with just 15% slavery, the Roman Empire was nearly destroyed many times over by massive slave revolts (Spartacus, anyone?)
And yet we're to believe that in the world of Raana (in a society that's been stable for longer than a week), HALF of all humanity are slaves?! Not just highly improbable. Impossible.
Unless....... Unless the slaves of Raana don't really have any agency at all, they just THINK they do.
In the world of Raana we find a variety of technologies, ranging from the primitive to the (by our standards) futuristic. Never bring a crossbow to a coilgun fight. Perhaps the slaves of Raana haven't risen up and overthrown the status quo because they CAN'T, because they've undergone some form of conditioning or brainwashing, using techniques honed over centuries. Of course, for a system of mental subversion on such a massive scale to succeed, those techniques would have to be 100% fool-proof. This is why I think that the most plausible means of creating and maintaining such a system (plausible, at least, within the world the developers have created here), is some kind of brain implant the slaves don't remember receiving.
This implant wouldn't turn slaves into mindless automatons or completely erase all of their free will, just the capacity to use what will they have to resist, rise up, or escape in any truly meaningful way. Slaves would be able to retain their own identities, personalities, and talents (making them more interesting/entertaining for their masters, and also able to contribute more to society through innovation and creativity then any mere robot could).
But when the desire to resist or escape enters their minds, they would hit an invisible wall. Their will to see the plan through would evaporate, their courage would fade, and then they'd just..... give up. Or let themselves be caught. Perhaps a few, extraordinary people within each generation (people like Eliana, perhaps?) would possess the courage and fortitude to make good their escape plans...... Only to be hunted down by agents of the Spheremasters and then killed; or reprogrammed, to be re-sold at exhorbitant prices in private slave auctions to which only people 'in the know' are invited.
Maybe the MC is one of those people, and plays his role in this system not because he is necessarily an evil, nihlistic prick, but because he understands that the thing that guarantees slaves will never escape slavery is the same thing that guarantees that he will never fall into it. Then again, maybe he has no idea. What would happen if he found out?
I would very much appreciate a storyline/questline that explores the above ideas. I also think it would add an extra layer of realism (albeit nihlistic, dystopian realism) the world you folks have already created.
Sorry for the massive dissertation. If you read all the way to the end, you're a trooper! Loving the game. Keep up the good work!
wish game allow own more than 4 slave... so sad
