The low castes

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May 2012

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[Laja DeCuir]

You will find so many different low castes in the gorean world. Such as the:
Caste of Assassins, Caste of Bakers, Caste of Bleachers and Cosmeticians, Caste of Carcoal Makers, Caste of Cloth Workers, Caste of Goat-Keepers, Caste of Leather Workers, Caste of Musicians, Caste of Merchants, Caste of Moneylenders, Caste of Metal Workers, Caste of Lamplighters, Caste of Perfumers, Caste of Oil Makers, Caste of Players, Caste of Poets, Caste of Peasants, Caste of Pot Makers, Caste of Rence-Growers, Caste of Rope-Makers and Sail-Makers, Caste of Sailors, Caste of Saddle Makers, Caste of Slavers, Caste of Sleen Trainers, Caste of Singers, Caste of Smiths,  Caste of Tarn Keepers, Caste of Thieves, Caste of Torturers, clan of Torturers (Wagon Peoples), Caste of Vintners (Winemakers), Caste of Weavers, Caste of Woodsmen/Carriers…hm did I miss one?

I only will point out the founded low castes we have in Sand Sleen so far:

Caste of Merchants
This is a very broad caste, and contains literally hundreds of sub-castes. Those who are of this caste are concerned with the sell and trade of merchandise for a profit. There are almost as many sub-castes of the Merchant caste as there are products to be sold; a few notable ones include the caste of Slavers and the caste of Spice Merchants. The caste colours of the caste of Merchants are White and Gold.

"Down the stairway slowly, in trailing white silk, bordered with gold, the colors of the Merchants... ...Aphris of Turia, then, was of the caste of merchants." Nomads of Gor, page 91

"I wore a white robe, woven of the wool of the Hurt, imported from distant Ar, trimmed with golden cloth, from Tor, the colors of the Merchant." Hunters of Gor, page 7

Caste of Slavers
one who deals in human merchandise; their caste colors are Blue and Yellow. (sub caste of the Merchants)

"I saw that the cover of the thalarion wagon, which had been rolled back, was of blue and yellow silk. It was the camp of a slaver." Outlaw of Gor, page 185

"The Slavers, incidentally, are of the Merchant caste, though, in virtue of their merchandise and practices, their robes are different." Assassin of Gor, page 208

"Samos wore the blue and yellow robes of the Slaver." Hunters of Gor, page 7

"From among the domed tents, wearing a swirling robe of broadly striped blue and yellow silk, with a headband of the same material, there approached a short, fat man, Targo the Slaver..." Outlaw of Gor, page 191

Caste of Metal Workers
They are concerned with the production of most metal items fabricated upon Gor. Sub-castes of this caste include the caste of Swordmakers and the caste of Armorers, who produce the varios shields and helmets in use upon Gor. Additionally, there seems to be a wide-spread sub-caste of the caste of Metal Workers which serves in a similar capacity to a blacksmith or farrier, repairing wagon wheels and shoeing Gorean draft and riding beasts. Their caste colour is Steel Gray.

"My opponent was not Andreas, but a squat, powerful man with short-clipped yellow hair, Kron of Tharna, of the Caste of Metal Workers." Outlaw of Gor, page 113

Caste of Smiths
are a subcaste of the Metal Workers

"...its libraries, its records and files; its cubicles for Smiths, Bakers, Cosmeticians, Bleachers, Dyers, Weavers, and Leather Workers..." Assassin of Gor, page 111

[Rob Hoyer]

In the list that was written in the previous post, the Clan of Torturers are mentioned. I would like to add the Clans are not to be confused with Castes. The Wagon People have no Castes. The do not have a Homestone either. Its debatable if this would classify them as outlaws. They did however have a a number of Clans. I will mention a few of them:

The Clan of Torturers
found only among the Wagon Peoples, they are trained as carefully as scribes or physicians in the arts of detaining life. Though some are famous for services rendered to Initiates and Ubars, they are always hooded. The hood is removed only when the sentence is death, so that only condemned men have seen what lies beneath it.
Nomads of Gor, pages 9 and 10

The Clan of the Singers
As not many of the Wagons can read or write, the Wagon People have a large and complex oral literature. Songs and tales, myth and history, this is kept by and occasionally, in parts, recited by the Camp Singers.

The Clan of the Year Keepers
those that keep in memory the year names for the Wagon Peoples sometimes on thousand consecutive names.
Book 4: Nomads of Gor, page 12

The Clan of the Haruspexes
a Wagon People  "shaman" who reads portents and tells the future. He furnishes various amulets and potions, primarily to women who seek magical intercession. Tuchuk women are not allowed to pray to the Sky as the men do. One object of the haruspex is a coloured string, which is imbued with magical powers by the sequence of knots tied into it by the haruspex. It is the haruspex, during the Omen Year, who decides if the signs are favourable to choose an Ubar San of the Wagon Peoples. Various methods are used, 'for a piece of meat he would read the wind and the grass; for cup of wine the stars and the flight of birds; for a fat-bellied dinner the liver of a sleen or slave'.
Book 4: Nomads of Gor, pages 27 and 28

Of course, the Wagon People choose to name the 2 years Tarl spends with them after him:

"Your coming and going with the Wagon Peoples,' said Kamchak, 'has spanned parts of two of our years.' I looked at him, not really understanding. What he said, of course, was true. 'The years,' said Harold, smiling, 'were the Year in which Tarl Cabot Came to the Wagon Peoples and the Year in which Tarl Cabot Commanded a Thousand.' Inwardly I gasped. These were year names which would be remembered by the Year Keepers, whose memories knew the names of thousands of consecutive years. 'But,' I protested, 'there have been many things of much greater importance than those in these years. The Siege of Turia, the Taking of the City, the Election of the Ubar San' 'We choose most to remember Tarl Cabot,' said Kamchak.
From Nomads of Gor, p. 342

The Torturers are a much feared and known all over Gor. Their services are hired and are used to extract information from a subject. I like that as its not at all random, it has meaning and purpose like everything does in Gor, much unlike SL-Gor sometimes, where lots actions like raids are just done randomly "cause itz fun".

The Wagon Peoples, of all those on Gor that I know, are the only ones that have a clan of torturers, trained as carefully as scribes or physicians, in the arts of detaining life.
Some of these men have achieved fortune and fame in various Gorean Cities, for their services to Initiates and Ubars, and others with an interest in the arts of detection and persuasion. gor some reason they have all worn hoods. It is said they remove the hood only when the sentence is death, so that is only condemned men who have seen whatever it is that lies beneath the hood.
Nomads of Gor; pages 9-10

"I would introduce our Hooded friend," explained Saphrar "but even I do not know his name nor face, only , that he stands high among the Paravaci and accordingly has been great use to me."
"I know him in a way" I said. "He followed me in the Camp of the Tuchuks-and tried to kill me."
..."Are you truly of the Clan of Torturers?" asked Harold of the Hooded Man.
"You shall find out," he said.
"Do you think" asked Harold,"you will be able to make me cry for mercy?"
"If I choose", said the man.
"Would you care to wager?" asked Harold.
The man leaned forward and hissed, "Tuchuk sleen."
Nomads of Gor page: 195


 

[BellaW Shan]

Greetings  Mistress Laja DeCuir

I was reading about slaves and there passlifes as a Free Woman
many slaves were Free woman like my self.

it got me thinging  would a slave able to have more role play
there owner or a caste person bring them  a long .

I was   a Merchet when I was Free woman
I would have knowagle about food spices.

there slaves were healers   pathers  have the same knowagle

the Free should use t his knowagle .

there are to many slaves beening left in citys when they have knowagle to help Free when they can.

I hope not  stepping out of line please for give me if  I am

Slaves well be to share there knowagle help  when they can with Free  .

this one wishing all
well

[Laja DeCuir]

*smiles warmly to Bella....Greetings lil, so nice to see you here again.
I do agree to your thoughts. Slaves are a helping hand in many ways and surely their knowledge, if caused by their passlife as FW or by the things they learnt from former Masters/Mistresses. It would be a shame to let this knowledge be rotten. would be stupid of a Master/Mistress or other Free not to use the knowledge they have besides them.

But I think you find some examples already...slaves assisting the healers, my lil assisting me in the scribery.

be well, serve with passion and all the knowledge you have to share

[Demonizer Extraordinaire]

interesting discussion bella but not appropriate in this thread