by Kati Evans
Here is the full production script for Week 12, Day 5.
To ensure this fills the 30–60 minute window, this script focuses on the Bureaucracy of Freedom. The interactive segment "Freedom or Fraud?" is critical here—it teaches players that "saying" someone is free means nothing without the specific items required by Law 6.7.
Crucial Note: Ensure Plant A and Plant B are present. Their questions address the most common misconceptions about "buying" freedom.
📜 SECOND LIFE SCRIPT: WEEK 12, DAY 5
Event: The Forum ("The Path to Freedom") Host: Kati Evans Target Duration: 40–50 Minutes (Interactive)
🟢 PRE-EVENT CHECKLIST
[ ] Rez the Stage.
[ ] Props: A Scroll with a ribbon (Manumission Paper) and perhaps a Key.
[ ] Staff: Ensure Plant A and Plant B are in the audience.
[ ] 1:00 PM: Announce 5-minute gathering period.
🎤 PART 1: THE RECAP (Kati)
(Walk to the podium. Look at the slaves in the audience with a softer expression than usual.)
[Chat Block 1] /me steps onto the stage, resting her hands on the podium. She scans the crowd. "Tal, Citizens. We have reached the end of Week 12. The week of Survival."
[Chat Block 2] "It has been a week of warnings. On Day 1, we learned the Death Rules. On Day 2, we watched Lina die because she touched a sword to help her Master. On Day 3, the Poet showed us the Hamstrung Dancer. And yesterday... we saw Eleni executed for lying to protect a tax cheat."
[Chat Block 3] "We have spoken much of how a slave dies. Today, we speak of how a slave Lives. We speak of the only legal exit from the collar: Manumission."
[Chat Block 4] "Many slaves dream of Freedom. But Freedom in Teletus is not just walking away. It is a legal process. If you do it wrong, you are not Free; you are Escaped. And we know what happens to escapers."
📜 PART 2: THE DOCUMENTS (Lecture)
[Chat Block 5] /me picks up the scroll from the podium and holds it high. "Law 6.7.1 states: 'Owners may free their slaves at any time.' It is a Gift. It cannot be forced by the City. It cannot be demanded by the slave."
[Chat Block 6] "But the Gift requires proof. Law 6.7.2 mandates that Manumission papers must be Certified and Sealed by a Scribe. A handwritten note from your Master is not enough. It needs the Wax."
[Chat Block 7] "And listen closely to Law 6.7.3: 'Freed women must carry valid manumission papers with them at all times.'"
[Chat Block 8] "This paper is your life. If a Guard stops you and you do not have it? You go to jail for a hand. If you lose it entirely? You are re-enslaved. You are property until the paper says otherwise."
🔓 PART 3: FREEDOM OR FRAUD? (Interactive Game)
[Chat Block 9] /me leans forward. "I want to test your knowledge of Release. I will give you a scenario. You tell me: Is she FREE (Legal) or SLAVE (Fraud/Escape)?"
[Scenario 1] "Scenario 1: A Master gets drunk. He rips the collar off his girl and shouts, 'Get out! You are free!' She runs out the door. She has no papers. Free or Slave?" (WAIT 30 SECONDS. Answer: SLAVE.)
[Chat Block 10] "Verdict: SLAVE. Verbal release means nothing. Without the paper, she is just a runaway. If the Guards find her, she goes to the Kennels. If the Master wakes up sober the next day, he can claim her back."
[Scenario 2] "Scenario 2: A slave is Manumitted properly. She has the papers. But... two days later, she is still wearing her silk camisk and walking with her head down, acting like a slave because she is used to it. Free or Slave?" (WAIT 30 SECONDS. Answer: SLAVE / DANGEROUS.)
[Chat Block 11] "Verdict: DANGEROUS (Risk of Re-enslavement). Law 6.7.4: 'A newly freed slave must dress properly within one day.'"
[Chat Block 12] "If you are Free, you must wear the Robes of Concealment. If you dress like a slave, Law 3.3 (Slave-Like Behavior) applies. You can be collared again for acting like the thing you just stopped being."
[Scenario 3] "Scenario 3: A Master frees his slave. He gives her the papers. He also takes her to a Smith, who strikes a line through her brand (The Cross-Brand). She loses the papers, but shows the Cross-Brand to the Guard. Free or Slave?" (WAIT 30 SECONDS. Answer: SLAVE / DETAINED.)
[Chat Block 13] "Verdict: DETAINED. A Cross-Brand supports the claim, but it is not proof. Brands can be faked. Papers are the Law. She will be held in the cells until the Scribes can verify the Hall of Records. Do not lose the paper."
❓ PART 4: Q&A SEGMENT
[Chat Block 14] "I will take questions now regarding Manumission, the Transition, or the Rights of the Newly Free."
(Signal PLANT A)
[PLANT A QUESTION] (Plant asks): "Mistress! Can a slave buy her own freedom? If she saves up enough coin?"
[Chat Block 15 - Answer] /me shakes her head gently. "This is a common myth. Law 6.1.2: 'A slave owns nothing.'"
[Chat Block 16] "If a slave has a jar of coins under her bed... those coins belong to her Master. She cannot 'pay' him with his own money."
[Chat Block 17] "HOWEVER... sometimes a third party (a free friend) can buy her and free her. Or, a generous Master might pretend to let her buy it to satisfy her honor. But legally? It is a gift, not a purchase."
(Signal PLANT B)
[PLANT B QUESTION] (Plant asks): "Mistress, if a slave is freed, does she become High Caste? Or is she a peasant?"
[Chat Block 18 - Answer] /me nods. "She becomes the lowest of the Free. She has no Caste until she petitions for one."
[Chat Block 19] "Law 6.7.4 says she must petition to join a Caste within One Hand. Usually, she will join the Peasants or Artisans. She does not become a Lady of Ar just because the collar is off. She must work her way up like everyone else."
🏁 THE CLOSING
[Chat Block 20] /me smooths her robes. "Freedom is a heavy burden. You must pay taxes. You must find food. You must defend yourself. Some slaves, upon being freed, weep not for joy, but for fear."
[Chat Block 21] "Next week is our final week! Week 13: The Grand Review."
[Chat Block 22] "We will cover the business of Slavers—the men who buy and sell. We will discuss the ultimate taboo: The Poison Slave."
[Chat Block 23] "And on Friday... we will have our Graduation. Those who have attended faithfully will receive the Seal of the Enlightened Citizen. Do not miss the finale."
[Chat Block 24] "The Circle is closed!"
(Signal Crier/Slave to end.)
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