Freedom document of Ephorus

The freedom document of Ephorus is the paper by which the drow Ephorus of the Sürgün Günlükleri ("Exile Chronicles") campaign proves that he is free. During the goblin war at Osterhn, Ephorus realised that it had been lost, just as his companions had lost the papers proving their nobility. A new freedom document needed the approval of a high judge, a legion commander or a noble who held an important office; being noble was not enough on its own.^{1 2}

Without papers

A drow without a document proving their freedom could become a target for bounty hunters. On the road out of Osterhn, Ephorus learned that without his paper he would be counted as a slave.^{3 4}

For that reason he asked Kemp to present him among strangers as a servant, a slave treated kindly, since calling him a friend and an equal would invite more questions. The companions talked of renewing the paper at Mavi Koru through an official, a judge or a trade connection of Kemp's family, or of getting forged papers to match the disguise Ephorus could now wear, but did neither.^{5 6}

The papers of Tal'gard

At Tal'gard Kemp went to the Baron to have the lost freedom and identity papers renewed. The Baron said he could not issue a new freedom document without the old one, since he could not rule out that Ephorus belonged to someone. Instead he proposed to record, with an earlier date, that Ephorus had been Kemp's slave and was freed the following day. Kemp asked Ephorus openly whether such a procedure would insult a free man; Ephorus accepted and said he would go on serving. The Baron also offered a paper showing that Ephorus worked for Kemp as a free and paid man, a copy of which could be sent to the Corvus family home.^{7 8 9 10}

The papers were brought to Ephorus in a side room by the man known as Foltest: the freedom document, the record of his earlier release and the paper of paid service, lacking only the wage and Kemp's signature. Back with the company, Kemp completed them and a token wage was settled; the papers stayed with the companions.^{11 12}

Later use

Arriving at a gate in elven guise, Ephorus hid the paper on his body. Later, before a baron, he showed his true face and his freedom papers, and the wooden sword token the prince had given him was mentioned; Kemp named him not merely a guard but a companion.^{13 14}

When he revealed himself to his hosts in a dwarven city, Ephorus again showed the prince's freedom document and the wooden token and explained that he was a drow born on the surface. The baron there agreed to proclaim an exception for him to the order that drow seen in the city be killed.^{15 16}