Artists

In most Athasian cities, the arts are appreciated, but not as highly regarded as many feel they should be. Although templars and nobles alike enjoy being surrounded by artistic creations, none of them would ever trouble to create such a thing themselves. Therefore, all arts are entrusted to slaves. One of the best ways for a slave to elevate his position is to develop and demonstrate some sort of artistic ability, such as singing, reciting poetry, painting, sculpting, and so forth. If he or she has enough talent, a noble or templar will purchase the slave and treat him to a life of pampered luxury. In exchange, the owner expects the slave to produce beautiful works which will impress his friends. (I must note that because of the dubious tastes of nobles and templars, many artists must compromise their artistic vision in order to stay alive.) In most cities, it is common practice to secretly teach valued slaves the art of reading and writing, so that they may read the words of the masters and record their own observations for the owner's next of kin (this is how I came by the art myself). For the artists, there is only one drawback to this privilege: popularity is a fickle thing, and most artists fall out of favor within a few years of their success. When that happens, those who have been taught how to read and write suffer one of two fates: their owners either have them executed for knowing how to read and write, or they are sent to the gladiatorial pits as fodder. It is no wonder that many artists, upon sensing their popularity beginning to wane, plan elaborate escapes and flee into the desert as I did.