in the past story arcs what forces/meathods have masters used to keep slaves in check?

Brain Storming - My new character concept is an escaped slave who was able to learn magic to unravel the Curse on here. A curse that prevented prevented her from picking up any weapon which had drawn Human Blood. The effect was the feeling of being on fire 1d4 per tick.
This would ensure that any slave could not take up arms against their masters and guards.

Could this be viable game play?
Now after the curse is unravelled she has a Major phobia of picking up weapons, If a mettle check is failed when holding the weapon I assume she will start taking 1d4 Stamina Damage per tick, and the Check has to be made every-time the weapon draws or is splashed with blood. Only after 12 ticks will she be able to try again.

For a homegame, that would be fine. If you are making a character for the regular campaign you would have to tweak it a little.

Personally I don't have a problem for your background. Even though there isn't a spell that has that effect, saying your character was cursed to be unable to hold a weapon doesn't require you to specify a spell. The ability to create new magics is already part of the system, so it is reasonable that an arch-mage could have created a spell like that. Keep in mind though that your PC can't use it if it isn't approved by campaign staff (ie printed in a PCI book)

As for the flaw, you will have to find a flaw in one of the books which fits your character concept. I would recommend looking at Craven.

You can always submit ideas to PCI for content, and if they think it is appropriate they will use it in campaign material.

Looking at the Sarishan Oath
Could be a solution as a Child could be tricked into accepting such an oath as a slave, in exchange for a fancy dress, after living on the streets as a popper.

Looking into phobias as the Oath may have expired the the Phobias of breaking the oaths and the abuse received by the Master and house hold staff, while under the limit of the oath.

Craven is an idea, just not quite in mind of the character.learning to feel what freedom is like.

If you want to add a unique flaw for the purpose of gaining another talent (roll playing) then you are out of luck. If, as I think, you want to add an additional flaw for role playing purposes I don't think most judges are going to care even if it is essentially homebrewed. My secondary character has a difficult relationship with the val'Holryn family and I've just given him a -1 to social interactions with them. Not on the books or crippling ... but represents that he isn't fully accepted by them.

As for the wider question of how masters in Arcanis control their slaves the answers vary by region. In Canceri, if you misbehave you could literally have a val'Mehan master conjure a demon to devour you (or ghouls if the Master Nerothian ...). In Coryan slaves rolls are usually somewhat less . Still, Mensis val'Tensen leader of the rebel faction in the last campaign and former Defender of Empire apparently had the tongues of all his slaves removed so they couldn't casually divulge any of his secrets. To my knowledge none of the Coryani had a problem with that. Your idea of a curse seems possible, if comparatively extreme.

There is a "Phobia" flaw in the Codex of Heroes. It may not be exactly what you had in mind, but it might work.

Scott

Yes I am using the phobia flaw, anything described by the original Sarish binding contract is now a phobia, as the fear off breaking sections of the contract, even though the Contract has expired.

Also remember: Slaves are property, and depending on the nation they are from, they KNOW they are property. While Milandir and (arguably) Altheria hold opposing views of Slaves and have traits we'd associate with 'free' societies, the majority of the populations of Canceri and Coryan (and the Blessed Lands) are generally unfamiliar with the concept that everyone has a RIGHT to be free. They are raised in a society where Slavery is accepted as a normal part of life, and see nothing wrong with this, and believe it to be the natural order of things.

An example of how different cultures, even ones who are in regular contact, can have differing views on this could be how North Americans (and other European-spawned nations) and how some Muslim nations (specifically, from my experience, Pakistan) view keeping Dogs as pets. In North America, we accept this as normal and even something to seek out, but every Pakistani that I have personally met thinks we are insane to keep such potentially dangerous creatures in our houses as loved members of the family, and I have even known of one Pakistani who has refused to visit a Canadian friend of her husband because of this view.

As for how the slaves are normally treated, that depends on the person. Some would treat the Slave the same way they would a prized vintage car, carefully maintaining it and ensuring that it is in the best condition possible. Some would treat it the same way they would socks, walking all over them until they are completely worn out and then throwing them away without a care. Most slaves are the descendants of other slaves, and they never become 'freemen', while others are granted a limited amount of pay from their masters and (at least in theory) can eventually buy themselves from their Masters, earning their freedom. Still others are simply freed by their Masters, without having to do much.