NOTE: In 760 SG Kaspar Strauss seized control of Tonovi and killed or imprisoned the nobility. Rumor has it Solomon Thawne of the Alliance Reborn negotiated the release of all former slaves, who were then set free and chased out of the city. This page remains because it describes a form of slavery still active in Juran, the Underdark, Tharis and parts of the former Tsarven empire, and to give context to those players wishing to play freed elves.
Given there is more focus on Tonovi's slaving ways than most other mud settlements, more detail went in here to detail its process. Unlike many other settlements such as Torm and Shadow, which allow for indentured bondservants, etc, Tonovi regarded slavery as roughly pre-14th-amendment America.
In short, slaves have no rights; they are property to be bought, sold, cannot work their way out of slavery, and owners cannot be prosecuted for harming them (any more than they can be prosecuted for destroying their own belongings). This is in contrast to Shadow and Torm, where slavery is more akin to Roman law, where slaves still had specific rights and a standard of treatment.
At any given time, there are likely to be less than 50 elf slaves (mostly moon elves sourced from northern drow, and wood elves sourced from Tharis, either city lawbreakers or forest renegades). These are their most expensive trade. Numbers have fallen off particularly in Tharisian supply due to the rise of the drow house Rilynath. Rough prices range 35-50k and higher for the best of elven slaves.
There should be several hundred humans and half-bloods available, sourced from any number of places; indentured slaves from Tharis, prisoners of war (possibly even shipped by sea from Phaederia in Tsarven), those sold within the city into slavery for failing to meet debts, and also some born into slavery within the city itself. Low to moderately priced, anywhere from four figures for the poorest, to 25k+ depending on quality and abilities.
They also source several hundred beast-race slaves, mostly goblinoids and lessers interspersed with a few biggers and/or exotics (anything from ogres and orcs to minotaurs). Most likely sourced by combat in nearby regions, shipped from Juran, and/or in-city breeding. Probable cost for goblinoids/lessers in only four figures; more for valuable sorts (eg a minotaur for gladiatorial combat might be worth as much as a high quality human or elf due to rarity).
Given that players have gone a little ridiculous in the past, purchase restrictions were placed heavily to ensure they don't get out of hand. These are:
Not an exhaustive list of slave types, but a few previously suggested:
If your character was a former slave in Tonovi you were freed in 760 SG. Your character is most likely to be an elf or half-elf, or another long-lived race (gnomes, halflings and dwarves would be rare, but possible). The release was a chaotic and dangerous experience, as all slaves were simply chased out of Tonovi. Some found their way to other surface cities where they tried to make a life for themselves, some escaped into the woods where they may have found their elven cousins. Others again may have been recaptured by bandits and slavers preying on the elves on the road. The most fortunate met a coalition of adventurers on the road just south of Tonovi and were invited to come stay at the fortress of the Alliance Reborn for a short while. They were given healing, comfort, food, and training, and the members of the guilds known as the Alliance Reborn and the Aegis helped relocate the former slaves to other places, be it human or elven cities, or other settlements.