Under Lock & Key

I have not had the pleasure of viewing the girls Vesutto has sent south into Ar, entrusted to picked men for safe delivery to the major slaving houses; the Curulean and the House of Tenalion among them. Naturally, when something is kept under lock and key, curiosity grows stronger. They are taken out in groups each evening to exercise, but even then they are kept under a heavy blanket revealing little more than bare heels and slender ankles. After being conducted into the tall grasses to tend to nature's call, they are ushered back into the wagons and shackled up for the evening. This, too, is where they take their suppers. I have not heard them calling out or complaining during the day, so I assume they are either well-disciplined or simply gagged. More likely than not, there are girls that fit either description, some both. It is not uncommon to move a grouping of women in this fashion, somewhat undercover, for a variety of reasons. A few reasons predominate. Firstly, it is not completely safe to travel overland with beautiful women. Raiders from places such as Treve can be tempted to swoop down and relieve you of your property. The Viktel Aria, however, in my experience, is relatively safe. There are patrols. There are outposts. That is not to say that violence and brigandry is not done upon this road, it certainly is, but I have had good fortune traveling it most trips. Another reason one moves a grouping of women in this fashion is simply to keep them in the dark. A girl need not be told where she is headed, whether it is across the street or across the continent. She is a slave. She will be moved where it pleases her betters to move her. Yet another reason is simple pragmatism. Not all women are introduced to their subjugation and submission by conventional means. The daughter of a Scribe could be snatched from the high bridges of her native city, for example. One would not wish to simply walk her to the offices of the municipality and say, "See here. I have decided to make this woman a slave. Do you have a form?" It might be more expedient to throw a rug over her head and travel to another city where the men regard the women of other cities as slaves. They are likely to respond more favorably to producing the necessary documents that make your capture legal. In many cases, if your chain luck was good, you might be made a tempting offer on your fresh catch by the clerk of the city in which you intend to register your ownership. Many of these clerks are men trained in the assesssment of slave girls. They will offer a fair price, something just shy of market value. It is just a hunch, but I suspect the milky tone of heels and ankles I happen to have noticed when I was not paying too close attention means Vesutto is meeting the demand for women 'not long to the collar.' With the number of wealthy citizens of Ar that own property in Venna, I would not be surprised if these 'not long to the collar' women were from prominent families and high castes, returning home somewhat more humbly than they left. Should I find that to be true, I shall endeavor to be appropriately scandalized. However, this is nothing more than idle speculation that I am certain has no basis in truth.