[headquarters]

I think the sinister slaver / "whiteslavery villain" is a bit stereotypical - although he does belong in a campaign setting - by all means.

Its just that I think more ordinary folk would be slavers too. Picture a landlord or a farmer who has a surplus and the security to protect it. People will make contact and ask for loans, suppiort etc. Over time these people will be obligated to repay their debts to the local yeoman and his rifle toting cousins.

These guys are not slavers per se, they just ended up with locals being bound to work for them to pay of their debts - something that can turn in to a real "company store" affair where debt / payment spiral into an unbreakable circle for the debtor.

In the end the debtor end up a serf as years go by. The landlord might even be in real need of the payment / work effort from the "serf" if he has someone to support himself, and thus he cant give up his claim on payment for the debts either.

I think slavery might exist in secret on a small scale manya place in the T2K world. Sex slaves and workers that can toil away inndoors in a dank cellar come to mind.

just my 2 bits.