The Destiny Machine
A Slave's Background Generator
v1.0

WHAT IS THE DESTINY MACHINE?

 "Where are you from?"
 "What did you do before you were a slave?"
 "What do you know how to do?"
 "Do you have a name, slave?"
 "Tell me how you received that scar on
   your leg."

Well, slave...?  Are you just going to stand there with a  mouth full of 
teeth waiting to be knocked out for your impertinence?  Or do you at least 
have some general idea where your character came from?  This program constructs a 
detailed past for a slave character.

Rather than making a background up, this  program is like fate: it sticks you with  
things you might not have chosen on your own. 

It doesn't generate your personality, it only  generates some things that a character  
realistically wouldn't control, for example,  the identities of their parents.  
You'll  discover that, with the Destiny Machine, how  you RP your character has a LOT 
to do with  who they were born and what experiences they  had along the way.

It also gives your slave character a destiny  appropriate to the personality you 
chose for  them.  At some points there are places where  you, the player, must make a 
choice.  Then  your character will encounter different  destinies influenced by that 
choice.

For example, you may be presented with an  option to try to escape.  Whether or not 
you  were successful will be random.

So are the consequences.  It's possible that  your character will lose an eye or a 
limb.   It's possible your character will have their  face horribly scarred.  Slaves 
who rebel are  slaves who risk all kinds of horrible  consequences.

In-character actions yield in-character  consequences, and with the Destiny Machine,  
those consequences might not be fair.  Most  fiery, rebellious slaves pay for it.  
Fate  can be cruel.  This is your only warning. :)

PART 1: Your Mother

1. Maternity Age: 
    Your mother was (d10+3d6) when you were born.
    (Proceed to Table 2, Mother's Social Status.)

2. Mother's Social Status: Roll (d10).

  On 1-6, your mother was Freeborn. (Proceed to Table 3,
       Freeborn Female Occupations.)
  On 7-10, your mother was Slaveborn. (Proceed to Table 4,
       Slaveborn Female Origins.)

3. Freeborn Female Occupations: Roll 3d10.

  3 nun (sister of a clerical monastic order;
     roll again to see general occupation)
  4-5 wandering merchant
  6-7 prostitute (in a "house of ill repute")
  8 woodseller
  9 potter
  10 seamstress
  11 retter (smash flax into linen
    for spinning, after fermenting it
    using a foul-smelling pond outside town)
  12-15 peasant farmer
  16-17 housewife
  18-19 servant-girl (tavern, inn, rich household)
  20-21 gardener (orchards, gardens)
  22 vegetable-cheese maker
  23-24 weaver
  25-27 spinster
  28 basketmaker
  29 matweaver
  30 priestess

  Now roll a d10:

    1-3 Father was a slave
       (Proceed to Table 8: Slaveborn Male Origins)
    4-10 Father was Freeborn
       (Proceed to Table 7: Freeborn Male Occupations)

4. Slaveborn Female Origins
This result means that your mother was born a slave.  Roll d10 to determine the 
environment into which she was born.

  1-6 Single-slave household
         (Proceed to Table 5: Single-slave Conditions)  

  7-10 Institution of Slavery
        When determining your mother's cause of death,
        add a d6 to the roll.
         (Proceed to Table 6: Institutions of Slavery)

5. Single-slave Conditions

     Most slaves are female and of those, the vast majority belong to
     a single-slave household.  They usually owe their enslavement
     to being on the losing side of an armed conflict in which all
     the males were slain.  Roll a d6:

        1-3  For generations, your family has been
             helping hands of a Free family.  Your
             mother was treated fairly
             well, possibly even loved.  This result   
             includes the many slave wetnurses
             and nannies.  The duties of a household
             slave are normal chores.  A child born
             to this kind of slave is likely to be
             kept, or given to one of the household
             children.  Your mother was spared the
             sexual advances of household members.

             Lifespan: Your mother's lifespan is (12+3d10).

             Siblings: Roll 3 d6's:  A 1 is an older
                brother, a 2 is an older sister,
                a 5 is a younger brother, a 6 is a
                younger sister.

            Now roll a d10:

           1-7 Father was a slave. 
               (Proceed to Table 8: Male Slave Origins)
           8-10 Father was Freeborn
               (Proceed to Table 7: Freeborn Male Occupations)

        4-5 Born a slave, your mother achieved a little
             status as a concubine in this family.
             Although he was married, she provided sexual
             favors to the male head of the household.
             Although he did not recognize you as
             his child, this was your real father. 

             Lifespan: Your mother's lifespan is (12+3d10). 

             Full Siblings: 
                These are other children fathered by
                the free head of the household.
                Roll 2 d6's:  A 1 is an older
                brother, a 2 is an older sister,
                a 5 is a younger brother, a 6 is a
                younger sister.  

             Half Siblings:
                These are children of the free
                lady of the house and the free
                head of the household.
                Roll 3 d6's:  A 1 is an older
                brother, a 2 is an older sister,
                a 5 is a younger brother, a 6 is a
                younger sister.

             Now proceed to Table 7 (Freeborn Male
               Occupations) to learn what your father's
               profession was.

        6 Born a slave, your mother was the concubine
             of a free man who did not happen to marry.

             Lifespan: Your mother's lifespan is (12+4d10). 

             Roll a d6:

             1-4 Your mother was not his only concubine.
             There was another slave female that he kept
             (in another house).

             Full Siblings:
                Roll 3 d6's:  A 1 is an older
                brother, a 2 is an older sister,
                a 5 is a younger brother, a 6 is a
                younger sister.

             Half Siblings:
                These are children of the free
                head of the household and his
                other concubine.

                Roll 3 d6's:  A 1 is an older
                brother, a 2 is an older sister,
                a 5 is a younger brother, a 6 is a
                younger sister.

             Now proceed to Table 7 (Freeborn Male Occupations)
              to learn more about your father.

6. Institutions of Slavery

These are places larger than a family in a household.  Unless they get sold at birth, 
this is where your character grew up.  Roll a d10:

1-4 Plantation- 
   This Owner ran a business  that grew food.  Roll (d3-1)*100 + (d100) 
   to  determine how many slaves they owned in all.   Plantation slaves 
   spend most of their time  preparing the soil, cultivating plants, 
   and  harvesting.  Mother's lifespan is 10 +  (3d10).  Children of 
   slaves are reared by the female slave community in general.

        Siblings: Roll 3 d6's.  A 1 is an older
                brother, a 2 is an older sister,
                a 5 is a younger brother, a 6 is a
                younger sister.

   Roll d20 to find out what the plantation grew:
   1-6 Subsistance Farm- a little of everything
   7-8 Fruit and Vegetable ground crops-
        produced vegetables, fruit and wine
   9- Orchard- produced fruit and wine
   10-11- Mostly Flax- flax for cloth; linseed
      for food and oil
   12-19 Mostly Grain- produced grain and also liquor
   19- Mild Legal Narcotic- Dreamweed (smoked)
   20- Illegal Drugs- Poppy-gum 
           (smoked, ingested; highly addictive)

5-6 Ranch-
   This Owner ran a small  business that produced animals and processed  
   the animal products.  Livestock slaves spend  most of their time 
   cleaning up after the  animals, grooming them, tending them, and  
   training them.  Mother's lifepan is 10 +  (4d10).  Children of 
   slaves are normally  reared by their mothers.
        Siblings: Roll 2 d6's.   A 1 is an older
                brother, a 2 is an older sister,
                a 5 is a younger brother, a 6 is a
                younger sister.

   Roll a d10 to find out what the ranch produced:

   1-3 Herdbirds- yield eggs, meat, skins, & down
   4-5 Ostrixes- for riding, but also yield
         food, skins, & feathers
    6 Exotic Animal.  Roll d10:

         1-4 Scarhawks - rideable
         5 Raukor - guard only
         6 Minidracosaurs - pets, bonded
         7 Nightdrake - rideable / guard, bonded
         8 Dracosaurs - rideable, bonded
        9-10 Mixed Ranching: Roll twice again

Mine owner- This Owner owned 200+(d100)  slaves.  Largely due to
   overworking, the slave's lifespan is 5 + 5d6.   Children of 
   slaves are immediately sold.

        Siblings: Roll 2 d6's. A 1 is an older
                brother, a 2 is an older sister,
                a 5 is a younger brother, a 6 is a
                younger sister.

   Roll a d10 to find out what the mine produced:
   1-3 Salt 
   4-5 Gold, Silver, and Precious Gems
   6-7 Base metal - processing the metal
      exposes the slave to toxic compounds
      such as manganese that lead to early
      death
   8-9 Ore - Large amounts of wood and coal
       are burned to smelt the ore.  Exposure
       to toxic material leads to early death
       for most slaves.
   10- Rare Toxic Substance - such as mercury.
      Exposes the slave to toxic materials
      leading to early death

10- Gladiator Stable- This Owner owned 3d6  performing warriors.  Your mother's 
lifespan was  16+2d10.  Female gladiators are not normally  permitted to bear 
children unless they have some highly unusual trait (such as, being extremely tall).  
Male gladiators may be "put to  stud" here or with slaves at another institution.  
Children of slaves
are kept as the product of several centuries of valuable breeding.

      Siblings: Roll 2 d6's.  A 1 is an older
                brother, a 2 is an older sister,
                a 5 is a younger brother, a 6 is a
                younger sister.

====

Born in institutional slavery, the odds are high that your father was also a slave.  
Roll d10.

1-8 Father was a slave.
    Proceed to Table 8 (Male Slave Origins).
9-10 Father was freeborn.
    Proceed to Table 7 (Freeborn Male Occupations).

7. Freeborn Male Occupations

A freeborn male's lifespan can vary alot.  Their age at the time
they fathered your character is (5d6)+(d10).  Beyond that, he lived
up to (d30-5) more years.

Roll a d30:

  1-6 peasant farmer
   7-10 criminal- Roll d6
        1-2 - burglar
         3  - pickpocket
        4-5 - highway robber
         6  - protection racket thug
   11 bard
   12 weaponsmith (swords, armor, etc.)
   13 blacksmith (pots, gratings, etc.)
   14 woodcutter
   15 charcoalburner
   16 carpenter
   17 gardener (tend orchards, gardens)
   18 thatcher
   19 potter
   20 stonemason
   21 shoemaker
   22 tailor
   23 tanner
   24 weaver
   25 baker
   26 miller
   27 brewer (ale and beer)
   28 vintner (wine)
   29 barber/dentist
   30 Unusual- Roll d10:
      1- glassmaker
      2- surgeon
      3- finesmith (gold/silver, etc.)
      4- priest or monk, brother of a clerical monastic order;
             (roll again to see general occupation)
      5- a known mage
      6- knight
      7- court inventor/engineer
      8- military general
      9- slaver
      10- noble (but not a king)

8. Slaveborn Male Origins
  Male slaves are fairly unusual in households.  Roll a d8:

  1 Single-slave household
         (Proceed to Table 9, Male Household Slaves)  

  2-8 Institution of Slavery
        When determining your father's cause of death,
        add a d6 to the roll.
         (Proceed to Table 10: Institutions of Slavery, Father's)

9. Male Household Slaves
   Roll a d6:
   1-3 Menial- This slave cleans fireplaces, 
        scrubs floors, washes dishes, etc.
        Much of the work involves heavy lifting,
        such as carrying in clean water and
        carrying out dirty water.
   4 Body- Body slaves are physical attendants,
        such as nurses to elderly people or
        children and infants.  They brush and 
        braid hair, scrub and shampoo their 
        charges, apply cosmetics, change diapers, etc.
   5-6 Kitchen- These slaves are higher status
        than the menials.  They must wake
        early to prepare food for the whole 
        household.

   Proceed to Table 11, Mother's Death

10. Institutions of Slavery, Father's.

1-4 Plantation owner- 
   This Owner ran a business  that grew food.  Roll (d3-1)*100 + (d100) 
   to  determine how many slaves they owned in all.  If mother
   was a plantation slave, then they were from the same place.

   Otherwise, roll d20 to find out what the plantation grew:
   1-6 Subsistance Farm- a little of everything
   7-8 Fruit and Vegetable ground crops-
        produced vegetables, fruit and wine
   9- Orchard- produced fruit and wine
   10-11- Mostly Flax- flax for cloth; linseed
      for food and oil
   12-19 Mostly Grain- produced grain and also liquor
   19- Mild Legal Narcotic- Dreamweed (smoked)
   20- Illegal Drugs- Poppy-gum 
           (smoked, ingested; highly addictive)

5-6 Ranch-
   If mother was from a ranch then they were from
   the same place, otherwise roll a d10 to find
   out what the ranch produced:

   1-3 Herdbirds- yield eggs, meat, skins, & down
   4-5 Ostrixes- for riding, but also yield
         food, skins, & feathers
    6 Exotic Animal.  Roll d10:

         1-4 Scarhawks - rideable
         5 Raukor - guard only
         6 Minidracosaurs - pets, bonded
         7 Nightdrake - rideable / guard, bonded
         8 Dracosaurs - rideable, bonded
        9-10 Mixed Ranching: Roll twice again

Mine owner- This Owner owned 200+(d100)  slaves.  Largely due to
   overworking, the slave's lifespan is 5 + 5d6. 

   If mother was from a ranch then they were from
   the same place, otherwise roll a d10 to find 
   out what the mine produced:
   1-3 Salt 
   4-5 Gold, Silver, and Precious Gems
   6-7 Base metal - processing the metal
      exposes the slave to toxic compounds
      such as manganese that lead to early
      death
   8-9 Ore - Large amounts of wood and coal
       are burned to smelt the ore.  Exposure
       to toxic material leads to early death
       for most slaves.
   10- Rare Toxic Substance - such as mercury.
      Exposes the slave to toxic materials
      leading to early death

10- Gladiator Stable- 
  If mother was from a Gladiator Stable then
   they were from the same place.

  Otherwise, this Owner owned 3d6 performing warriors.

===

     Proceed to 11, Mother's Death.

===

11. Mother's Death

Roll d30
1-12 died in childbirth
13-20 Old Age or routine disease
21 Starved to death
22 Beaten to death
23 Eaten by wild animal or livestock
24 Eaten by supernatural. Roll d6:
     1-3 Fatal vampire attack
      4 Lycanthian
      5 Lycanthian in Feral form
      6 Sacrificed to a Dark Prime
25 Unusual disease (leprosy, plague, etc.)
26 Violently murdered; no further info
27 Work-related accident
28 Openly killed by Overseer
29 and up, Unknown- the character never found out!


12. Father's Death

Roll d20

1-8 Old Age or routine disease
9 Starved to death
10 Beaten to death
11 Eaten by wild animal or livestock
12 Eaten by supernatural. Roll d6:
     1-3 Fatal vampire attack
      4 Lycanthian
      5 Lycanthian in Feral form
      6 Sacrificed to a Dark Prime
13 Unusual disease (leprosy, plague, etc.)
14 Violently murdered; no further info
15 Work-related accident
16 Openly killed by Overseer
17 and up, Unknown- the character never found out!

====================

13. Enslavement

  If either of your parents was a slave, it is typical to consider you 
a slave automatically.  If both of your parents were Freeborn, proceed with this 
section.  Roll d10:

  1 Roll d6:
        1 You were set upon by bandits, who sold you as a slave.
        2 Seduced by a night of pleasure in a strange town,
            you awakened from the drugged wine in chains.
        3 You were accused (possibly wrongly) of murder.
            Slavery was your sentence.
        4 Traveling through unfamiliar land, your foot broke
            through dirt concealing fragile straw mats.
            Strange creatures found you in their trap and
            sold you to a passing slave caravan.
        5 Like many little kids, you ran away from home over
            something trivial.  But unlike most kids, your
            adventure didn't end with you coming home a day
            later, it ended with your capture by slavers.
        6 You came across a Wyrmme beating a furre being led
            by a leash.  Unfamiliar with these creatures
            or slavery, you tried to interfere on her behalf.
            The Wyrmme turned metallic gold eyes on you
            and you felt a terrible flash of pain in your
            head before passing out.  When you woke up,
            you were chained and in a cart, headed for sale.
  2 Debt! You and your family could not pay their debts.  Tax
     collectors came by, and you were all sold into slavery.
  3 Famine!  Your family could not afford to care for you,
     but they paid for you to be apprenticed to a crafter.
     Roll d10:
        1 Your mentor was a scarhawk trainer.  You have
             picked up (Animal Handling).
        2 Your mentor was an herbalist and alchemist.  You
             pick up the lore of (Healing).            
        3 Your mentor was a builder.  You do quite
             a bit of physical labor and become
             (Physically impressive).
        4 Your mentor was a travelling tinker.  You have
             learned (Mending and Sharpening).
        5 Your mentor was a performer.  You have learned
             some kind of (Performing Art).
        6 Your mentor was a petty bureaucrat.  You are
             (Literate) and know (Sums and Figuring).
        7 Your mentor was a textile maker.  You
             have learned some kind of (Textile Craft).
        8 Your mentor was a smith.  You have learned
             some kind of (Metalworking).
        9 Your mentor was a noble's favored artisan.
             You have learned an (Artisan Craft).
       10 Your mentor was a soldier.  You grow up to be
             a (Trained Fighter).

       Roll d10 to see how you were separated from your mentor:
       1     Through the machinations of a lying rival
             your mentor was defamed,
             driven out of business, and became a beggar.
             You became familiar with the seediest street
             life and even made some friends your own
             age.  Before you could be sent back to your
             family, your new friends were picked up for
             thieving.  Assumed to be one of them, you are
             sold into slavery.
       2 When war came to this region, both your mentor and you were
             taken into slavery to produce for the army.
       3 Your mentor died and at the funeral, you were told
             that everything had been left to you.  When
             you go to claim your inheritance, however,
             you discover they are really an unscrupulous
             slaver.  After a blow to the head, you awaken
             in shackles, bound for the slave auction.
       4 Your parents were Freeborn, yet, during a battle,
             you are taken captive by the enemy and forced
             into slavery.
       5 Your mentor's political persuasion made them very
             unpopular.  You and your mentor were going
             into hiding.  Before that could happen, your
             mentor's enemies came in the night, broke
             down the door, dragged you out, and sold you
             both into slavery.
       6 Your mentor was tragically driven mad by something.
             One manifestation of their insanity is to sell
             you as a slave.  Roll d6 for cause of madness:
             1 a sadistic vampire's interference
             2 touching a cursed artifact
             3 accidentally killing his/her own spouse and
                 young child
             4 seeing a Dark Prime's minion feeding              
             5 exposure to some sort of poisonous substance
             6 a reason still unknown
       7 Your mentor owns property that is coveted by
             an influential neighbor.  They accuse your
             mentor of performing evil magic.  To keep you
             from defending him/her, you are captured in
             the night and sold into slavery.  You hear
             your mentor was hanged.
       8 Your mentor meets a wonderful person, and soon
             they are betrothed.  At first their intended
             is friendly to you.  After the wedding, however,
             you are seen as a rival to their child.  You
             are framed for a crime you did not commit,
             arrested, and sold as a slave.                         
       9 A freak accident rendered you (at least temporarily
             unable to do your duties as apprentice.
             Your former mentor showed their true colors as
             an unfeeling villain and sold you into slavery.              
       10 By day a respectable crafter, you find out your
             mentor is an alcoholic.  When things are
             going well, they get drunk and beat you.
             DECISION:
             If you run away, roll a d6-2.
             If you decide to put up with it, roll a d6+2.
             1 Your mentor overcomes their addiction.
               You are adopted as their heir.  Some amount
               of money is hidden so you have a (Hidden
               Windfall) somewhere. Soon after, the shop
               is broken into, and your mentor is killed.
               You are kidnapped and sold into slavery.
             2-3 Your mentor's skill at their craft
                 suffers badly from drinking, and their
                 personality is deteriorating, too.
                 Your mentor claims you are their property.
                 You are eventually sold off as a slave.
             4-5 Taking a blow to the head one night,
                 you go (blind in one eye).  The neighbors
                 find out what has been happening.  Your
                 mentor is banished from the region by
                 the local lord.  Out of sympathy, you
                 are taken into the noble's household as 
                 a slave with (Light Duties).
             6-7 You eventually grow old and strong enough
                 to defend yourself.  Your mentor stops
                 being physically abusive.  Their health,
                 however, keeps deteriorating, and dies.
                 On your way back to your family, you
                 are captured by slavers.
             8 You find a valuable minor treasure and
               manage to hide your (Hidden Windfall).
               Your mentor is displeased, though.  You
               are caught by the authorities, (Branded)
               for a thief, and sold as a slave.
               
  4 Fire! Your family died in the fire, leaving no one to
     care for you.  Nobody could take you in.  Rather than
     let you starve, the neighbors grant you the only chance
     at life they can-- selling you as a young slave.  You
     are treated fairly well, as a slave who is given only
     (Lighter Duties).
  5 Flood! A natural disaster separated you from your family.
  6 Brigands!  While traveling, your family's caravan was
     attacked.  Roll d6:
        1-4 Forced to witness the carnage, you hide.  Just when
            you think the bandits are leaving, though, they spot
            you and bring you along, to sell at the next city.
            Your family are all killed.
        5-6 You were left behind in the exodus.  Some of your
            family members may be alive.  You, however, have
            been taken as a slave.
 7-10 War!  You are 12 years old when combat comes to your place
     of birth... Nearly everyone you know is killed.  The 
     warleader of the enemy comes forwards and offers you a 
     choice.  You can live as a slave, or you can take up arms
     in his service.

     If you choose to live as a slave, roll d6:
       1 With (Tongue cut out) you become a slave of the enemy.
       2 To mark you as a slave, both of your smallest fingers are cut
          off.  You become a slave of your people's enemy.
       3 One of your legs is broken to prevent you from ever being
          able to run away.  It heals crooked; you are (Lame).
       4 Your septum is pierced and you are kept chained by a 
          thick strong (Nose ring).
       5 To seal your new status as slave, you ar (Branded).
       6 Roll twice on this table until you get 2 different results.

       Proceed to 18.

    If you choose to fight for your enemy, roll d6:
       1 Your training as a warrior continues.  You fight alongside
          your former enemies, eventually becoming one of them.
          Hard of heart, you are finally brought down by a team
          of soldiers specifically sent to capture and humiliate
          you.  You are, however, a (Skilled Fighter).
       2 You are allowed to carry a knife and you fight alongside
          your new leader.  In one of the ensuing raids, a child
          surprises you, throwing a bowl of something in your face
          that burns.  You are permanently rendered (Blind).  Cast
          out as no longer useful, you are made a slave by the
          next passing slave caravan.
       3 As a new warrior of the people who killed your
          family, you are covered head to toe with painful and
          fierce-looking (Ritual Scars).  Neglecting to train you,
          your combat skills remain unimproved.
       4 Proving your valor, you join in the celebration where you
          are honored by your captor.  Within the week, though,
          your own people capture you back.  Declaring you a traitor,
          your (Right hand is cut off) and you are sold into slavery.
       5 For several years you are treated harshly, your body
          turned to steel and your reflexes honed.  You become
          a (Skilled Fighter).  You and your new bloodbrothers
          conscript others from the tribes you defeat.  In time,
          though, you meet your match and you are sold into
          slavery.  Your fate: (Gladiator).
       6 You think you have a chance to make a place for yourself
          amongst your former enemies.  Perhaps they will train
          you.  Perhaps you may marry one of their children, or
          distinguish yourselves in battle.  Your daydream comes
          to a rude end as the leader comes forwards and clouts
          you in the mouth with a baton.  You are now (Missing
          Front Teeth).  "Honorless filth." he comments.  You are
          to be a (Latrine Slave).