Caste for a released slave

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May 2012

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[Poisonous Adored]

I open this topic for a friend (she wants to remain anonymous), a honest free woman of high caste, who, due to an injustice, has ended up in a collar, in punishment (that of course, she did not deserve, it was so unfair...). And she has been branded.

But as she was nice (and innocent), her owner regretted his harshness and after a few days, filled with remorse, he decided to release her, with manumission papers (cause the brand)

But my friend has now, a serious issue (not only cause the brand), because as everyone knows, in slavery, she lost her caste (in fact, I am not sure, finally... )

So, I did not find any quote regarding this question of caste after an enslavement, when the slave is released. My friend was the only member of her caste in the town where she lives (yes, it's not a big city, it is a fortress and no, I shall not give the name of this fortress, that would be useless and anyway, so many fortresses in Gor).

So, what are the options offered to her? She would like to recover her caste... Quotes welcome!

Thank you!

Sasi (and her anonymous friend)

[Drevan Darkbyrd]

I open this topic for a friend (she wants to remain anonymous), a honest free woman of high caste, who, due to an injustice, has ended up in a collar, in punishment (that of course, she did not deserve, it was so unfair...). And she has been branded.

But as she was nice (and innocent), her owner regretted his harshness and after a few days, filled with remorse, he decided to release her, with manumission papers (cause the brand)

But my friend has now, a serious issue (not only cause the brand), because as everyone knows, in slavery, she lost her caste (in fact, I am not sure, finally... )

So, I did not find any quote regarding this question of caste after an enslavement, when the slave is released. My friend was the only member of her caste in the town where she lives (yes, it's not a big city, it is a fortress and no, I shall not give the name of this fortress, that would be useless and anyway, so many fortresses in Gor).

So, what are the options offered to her? She would like to recover her caste... Quotes welcome!

Thank you!

Sasi (and her anonymous friend)

Well if it was just a punisment Collar (These were Temporary) she would have been wwelcomed bac to her Caste and Family Upon release indeed they would have been treated like the Slavery didnt happen

[Liara Edring]

In the case of the Physicians' Caste, at least, she could re-apply for admittance with the Head of Caste of her city.

[Kaitlin Eiren]

I open this topic for a friend (she wants to remain anonymous), a honest free woman of high caste, who, due to an injustice, has ended up in a collar, in punishment (that of course, she did not deserve, it was so unfair...). And she has been branded.

But as she was nice (and innocent), her owner regretted his harshness and after a few days, filled with remorse, he decided to release her, with manumission papers (cause the brand)

But my friend has now, a serious issue (not only cause the brand), because as everyone knows, in slavery, she lost her caste (in fact, I am not sure, finally... )

So, I did not find any quote regarding this question of caste after an enslavement, when the slave is released. My friend was the only member of her caste in the town where she lives (yes, it's not a big city, it is a fortress and no, I shall not give the name of this fortress, that would be useless and anyway, so many fortresses in Gor).

So, what are the options offered to her? She would like to recover her caste... Quotes welcome!

Thank you!

Sasi (and her anonymous friend)

You would simply petition the high council of your city for admission to caste and that should also include the Physicians caste.  In the absence of the High Council I would submit a formal petition to the Ubar of the city.  Both may consist of an IC interview/review of your qualifications.  Regarding petitioning the Head of Caste this actually would not be according to the books but likely they hold a seat on the High Council and may demand an additional interview to assess your qualifications in more detail.

[Adoveea Rau]

Okay Caste after slavery, here you go:
Vika of Treve, physicians-restored even though she was a slave for the priest kings in a room for ten years (Priest kings of Gor)
Luma of the Scribes becomes scribe for Tarl after being slave (Mauraders of Gor)
Phais and the girls of the Street of Pots not only freed and but set up in business, Claudia Tentia Hinrabia daughter of the Admin who was  Marlenus's great enemy., freed, and given a pension from the state by the Ubar Marlencus ample to the needs of a woman of High Caste-daughter of the Admin who  (Assassin of Gor)
Aphris of Turia -enslaved merchant daughter becomes Ubara of the Tuchuks with the Ubar Kamchak.(Nomads of Gor)

The point being, as a slave you have your past, yes, but the only value of caste a slave has is *oh they have these skills/status before-add or subject their value*.
This is a difficult point for many to understand-but it has everything to do with laws and what rights you have. Slaves are nothing, like a piece of furniture, without laws or rights. Free have all the rights.
When a slave is freed, they still have all their skills/abilities and now caste status restored.
Caste rests upon abilities and education, remember someone can be reduced in caste for not being capable of doing it, or raised.

[Poisonous Adored]

Aaaawww! Yes Dove! And also the wagon slave that Tal releases and who become a baker in Turia, as her father was himself!

I did not recall any quote regarding the process of recovering caste for released slaves, so, we can consider that they are automatically restored in their caste!

Good good good.....

Thank you all for your responses!

[Randall Reich]

Excellent thread.  Really makes one think.

Without going too much in depth, I would assume that Caste is transferable by birthright in most cases (excepting the Black Caste for example, which one has to actively become a member of), and as a free person one would have a lifetime of preparation learning the "family business" if you will (example, the son of a Builder is of the Builder's Caste by birthright). 

This brings me to the case of an enslaved free person.  Once released would they not then return to what they know, and what they were born to?  It would make sense for a former Merchant turned slave turned free again to once again be a Merchant would it not?  By the same token a woman who was of the Caste of Artisans would likely not just up and become a Scribe for example. 

The bigger conundrum for me would be those that were born into slavery.  Once freed, slavery being all that they knew, what would their Caste actually be?  The former slave of a Physician would lack all her/his years of extensive training and not be qualified to simply start off as a full Physician in the Green Caste.  Same for a Scribe or a Warrior.  Thus it becomes difficult to find a role which makes sense.   

I would think that a freed slave in the above example would be well suited to the low castes, perhaps to practice a trade he or she has a natural aptitude for. 

[Adoveea Rau]

Jason in Rogue of Gor started in a another book Fighting Slave of Gor as a earthling man brought to Gor, and enslaved, trained as a pleasure slave,  in Rogue he's become someone who brawls in fighting with fists for coin for a living then a dock worker.
As for born slaves, haven't found one of those going free, they seem to stay in the collar. In Norman's world, most slaves had no desire to loose all that attention, sex and freedom to be buried in robes.

[Oisin Daffyd]

I suppose the relevant quote here would be this:

“Some,” said Flaminius. “Already some eight, of skill and repute, have pledged themselves my aids in this
undertaking.” He looked at me. “And the first, who gave courage to them all,” said he, “was a woman of the Caste of Physicians, once of Treve.”
“A woman named Vika?” I asked.
“Yes,” said he, “do you know her?”
“Once,” said I.
“She stands high among the Physicians of the city,” he said.
(Assassin of Gor, p 546)

Vika had been a slave, both in the Sardar (as a chamber slave) and submitted to Tarl and was also branded

[Suyuan Quan]

After Suyuan found freedom, she couldn't automatically return to the Tahari and take up ambassadress status again since my back story concluded that she became a pawn in the Pasha's kanda importation and when the evidence was exposed, it was regrettably pinned on Su and therefore she was sentenced to slavery.  She had to start over from the bottom, being lower than a peasant woman and attempting to shrug off the outlaw label by attempting to find employment in various places but failing when she settled on attempts to enter the Entertainer caste as she made a lot of money with playing instruments.

[Ansleys Ashbourne]

I'm not the best to answer but i will give what I know. I would say if say a slave was freed and was born a slave, but was under say a Physician, they would allow to become and appretince. As for someone who was free then enslaved.. same thing would apply in my eyes.

[Liliana Aluveaux]

Ultimately, its your rp experience. If your friend wants to go back to her caste then why not?

[Caranda Schreiner]

There's no process in the books that a freed slave has to go through to reclaim their caste.  Rather, judging by all the examples (many) in the books, all freed slaves whether male or female seem to instantly regain their caste (along with their citizenship and family ties) upon being freed and are regarded by other free persons as having regained their caste on the spot.

The only exception to this was Talena who remained without caste despite being freed by her father but as is explained in Hunters this was because he had disowned her, not because of her slavery.  Had she not been disowned she would have resumed her old caste (Warrior) on being freed.

If a person didn't have a caste before being enslaved or was born a slave then when they are freed they still have no caste as they have no caste to go back to.  They would have to petition the council of a city to be allowed to join a caste.

PS: "released" is an onlineism not used in the books - in the books slaves are freed, "releasing" a slave has no meaning unless it means freed.