Re: PoWs

From: donald_at_...
Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2004 13:27:16 GMT

In message <20040921110738.93272.qmail_at_...> Jane Williams writes:
> --- Joerg Baumgartner
>
>> Speaking of which: were there any Lunar POWs through
>> the early siege, and
>> what were their experiences? Scenario stuff, or at
>> least interesting NPCs?
>
>Given the early fights over supply lines, I think
>there was at least the opportunity to take prisoners.
>
>What do Orlanthi normally do with such? Take them as
>thralls? Ransom them back? Keep them as hostages? Just
>kill them? Let them go? And once we've figured out
>what "normality" is, we can get into all the
>variations that would apply here.

Any and all of the above I would think.

Between Orlanthi prisoner exchanges and ransoms will be the most common. Killing prisoners is going to be such a good way of causing or exacerbating a feud that it's going to be an unusual action. I don't think making them thralls is that common, partially because of the cultural aversion to slavery and partially because most clans haven't the facilities for keeping trained fighters securely as thralls. I expect some clans do use thralls for something like mining where they can be locked away below ground but it's going to be the exception.

Of course we aren't dealing with Orlanthi/Orlanthi here, we are dealing with Orlanthi/Lunar - and multiple cultures within the latter. I can't imagine a Lunar warlord being particularly interested in prisoner exchanges for many of his soldiers. Well connected officers quite likely and maybe rankers from elite units but not the average soldier. So you've got an Orlanthi clan who've captured these prisoners expecting to get a ransom, nobody's interested in paying and they're taking up space and food within the city.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/