Slavery - The Shattered Veil
Pre-Veilbreak: While the exact status of slavery in the region of The Shattered Veil prior to the Veilbreak is unknown, it is widely accepted that it existed in some form. From what texts and archaeological sites have been uncovered, the most supported theory is that Pre-Veilbreak civilizations had a subservient 'class' of populace that lacked full citizenship rights. They are often cited on the periphery of stories, almost as an afterthought from the perspective of the author. Despite this evidence, the nations of The Shattered Veil tend to interpret these clues as they see fit to justify their own system - if they even bother to justify them at all.
Duskreef: The premier nation of slavery of all types. While their slave markets tend to be filled with low quality, high quantity offerings, Pirates are willing to enslave anything with a pulse if it can net them a profit. The only thing that they try to avoid is picking too big of a fight with any one nation or faction when capturing merchandise. They are equal opportunity slavers, and the opportunities are rife. Besides selling their captured slaves off to the highest bidders, you'll find them put to work within Duskreef in three main ways:
Sex slavery and prostitution - Working prostitutes, brothels and worse are common throughout Duskreef, especially in the city of Tidewrack. The only laws governing its practice are what you can get away with.
Press ganged into service aboard ships - Duskreef's many pirate vessels require a constant influx of crew, voluntary or otherwise. Casualties are high, and the quality of ship-hands available is typically low, especially for new crews or aspiring captains. Chained below decks, or promised freedom for work, either way it's a way to fill out the roster.
Put to work in the dangerous jungles as laborers - Cutting trees, mining stone, gathering food or hunting animals or beasts; there is no end to the work, and slaves are far cheaper than paying for labor.
Ironcrag: The Ironcragians prefer to think of their slaves as being in 'bonded servitude' for a set period of time. They will determinedly tell any who will listen that they are not slaves, they are just working off a debt. In practice, the debts are often somewhat dubiously determined, and often the 'bonded' will have additional debts (i.e. years of servitude) tacked on to their original period of debt. There are more rules, mostly cultural rather than legal, around how the 'bonded' can be used. Sex slavery is firmly prohibited, and debt holders are expected to keep their debtors reasonably healthy and safe. Their primary usage is in mines, quarries or forges as labor, though occasionally skilled artisans end up as 'bonded' in which case they continue the craft, but all proceeds are taken by the debt holder.
Korathis: Like their stance on most things, Korathians take a practical stance on slavery. If you lose in battle and are captured, you are not worthy of being free, and if Korathis does not enslave you, someone else will. Sex slavery exists, but primarily in the form of private escort services rather than blatant prostitution. The main use for slaves in Korathis is as fodder for the events in The Crucible. The Crucible's Gladiator Pens are filled with slaves that are fighting for their freedom. If a slave can earn enough money, usually through betting what little they earn on themselves, then they may be able to buy their freedom. If they can rise high enough in The Crucible, they may even be able to challenge for the position of Grand Marshal, leader of the nation of Korathis. This is highly unlikely, but no rule prohibits a slave from taking the office. Slaves deemed unsuitable for the games are used for labor, sold to other nations, or in some cases conscripted into the army.
Kragvost: The nation of Kragvost survives on the back of its slaves. Referred to as 'Thralls', captured enemies are enslaved for life and put to work keeping the nation running. This includes everything from farming, animal husbandry, logging/mining, construction, artisan work, essentially anything that isn't fighting, raiding or killing. A clan's ability to survive often depends as much on the number of thralls it owns as its strength in warriors. Thralls have no rights and are often starved, raped, sacrificed or just killed for little reason. One of the primary reasons for raiding other nations is the capture of new thralls.
Lumivale: Lumivale operates on a caste system that awards power to those with arcane potential, and the rest are second-class citizens. That said, there is no formal slavery in Lumivale. The second-class citizens are often treated poorly, not much better than slaves in some other nations. They are expected to take menial jobs and to drop everything to assist their betters in whatever they 'ask' of them. Compared to other nations' systems of slavery though, Lumivale's lower class citizens have far more opportunities to become successful. Should they decide to leave the nation, they do have that right, though even the second-class citizens of Lumivale often look down on the other nations as being beneath their notice.
Nyxumbra: No slave is safe in Nyxumbra. Slaves are fodder for rituals, necromantic raisings, blood sacrifices and alchemy ingredients. The Nyxumbrian slave trade is rife with demand for unique and powerful specimens, such as those with powerful bloodlines. If you're looking for a truly unique slave, then Nyxumbra is often where they end up, since the necromancers pay well.
Sylvara: The peaceful druid groves of Sylvara consider slavery an affront to all things good. They do have a habit of capturing enemies who've entered their groves, and twisting them with wild magic into new entities, which they then put to work protecting their groves. They don't see this as slavery though, since they argue that the original being is no longer alive. They don't appreciate anyone trying to argue the point either. Sylvara is a prime target for other nations looking to capture slaves though. Their landmass is quite large, their population is high but widely dispersed, and the primarily elven population is desired by slavers for their attractive qualities and magical bloodlines.
Thaloryn: Slaves in Thaloryn are referred to as 'staff'. The general air of a diplomatic, knowledge-seeking, and law-abiding nation has many in Thaloryn itself ignorant that they have slaves at all. Most don't consider that the serfs that take care of much of the busy work are actually a form of slave. They are treated well and viewed as if they are just 'staff', which allows the important people to focus on bigger, more important things. The truth is they are primarily the poor populace of Thaloryn itself that have signed 'employment agreements' that guarantee their safety in exchange for their lifelong service. Foreign slaves are rare, since they are harder to ignore, but the cosmopolitan nature of the Thaloryn populace means you're likely to see just about any of the less violence-prone races serving as 'staff'.
Valthorne: Slaving is a business, and there is not a business in the Veil that Valthorne does not aim to participate in. The slave markets of Valthorne offer what is probably the widest array of different races and qualities of slaves in The Shattered Veil. They operate a Slaver's Guild whose business is the pricing and import/export of slaves. Slaves are utilized internally for all manner of jobs, though their presence is not quite as common as one might expect given the number that pass through the markets. Most are on their way to or from other nations. Anything that can profitably benefit from slave labor though, is something Valthorne will use it for. From general laborers at the docks, to prostitutes, clerks, enforcers or house staff for the rich.
Zephyris: The only nation who truly doesn't practice slavery in any fashion. Their culture of freedom and nomadic movement doesn't lend itself to the concept being able to take root in their minds. It simply does not occur to them that they could utilize slavery in any way, its an anathema to them. This does tend to make them targets of opportunistic slavers, however their lack of many stationary villages, remote location of population, and ability to bring in air support mean that they are difficult to target for capture as well.