Free Companion

Point One

In Second Life a Gorean year varies. In some cities a year is three months and others four months. Check with the magistrate of the city to find out what it is for the city in which you are going to go through the ceremony of becoming Free Companions. Local regulations apply.

Point Two

It is hard to get out of a Free Companionship once you have entered into it so be sure this is something that you really want to do.

The Four Ways Out of a Free Companionship are:
1. One partner dies
2. One partner is enslaved.
3. One partner breaks the contract in some obvious and specific manner and someone in authority, an admin, a praetor, or high magistrate, for example declares the contract null and void. This usually comes with some horrific punishment.
For example, usually there is a no sex with another Free Person clause in the contracts so a contract can be declared void if one partner has had sex with another free person. However the punishment for doing this is permanent banishment.
4. Simply the "year" is up and the contract is not renewed.

Do couple have to actively renew each "year" or do they have to actively declare they are not renewing? Check with the magistrate of the city if there is an assumed default position. Some believe in their reading of the writings of Gor that it is assumed a couple has renewed UNLESS one party specifically notes the year has passed without renewing. Other cities the opposite is true. If in doubt file a scroll with the scribes of the city that you have renewed or that you have not renewed your companionship.

In most cases, most people were illiterate, the renewal ceremonies were informal and usually simply two people sharing a cup. Also it was assumed a free companionship ceremony was for life.

Point Three

Remind the woman that by taking a Free Companion she is placing herself under the control of the man involved. She has very fre rights with him. There is no such thing as marital rape in Gor for example. So anything specific must be in the contract. If it is not in the contract, she as about as much right as a slave has with her Companion. This to the extent that if he is displeased with her, he caqn chain her to the end of his bed like a slave until she is sorry and he can do this as often as he likes for whatever reason he chooses to give her. No obeying your companion could be argued as a collarable offense.

If the companion runs off, the other is still not free until the anniversary comes up and the other does not reappear to renew.

Point Four

In the writings of Gor Companionships are contracts that are mutually beneficial. (In Second Life we hear a lot about love.) In these writings men love their slave girls and they contract their Free Companions. The exception might be where a man frees his slave and makes her his companion. So the contract should be made by the couple. What they choose to put in it is their business as long as it does not violate city law.

So a couple can include things like a clause to produce X male children. Or a clause that says the woman's property remains hers and not his. The contract should also include things like who gets custody of the children if the relationship breaks down. Who owns and keeps the slaves if the contract is not renewed. Or a contract that stipulates that it is renewed until two sons are produced.

Then send the couple on their way with their blank contract and tell them to contact the magistrate after they have their contract and we will proceed. Once there is a contract that both can live with, we begin discussing the ceremony.

Ceremonies are varried, one ecample is a huge eight veil ceremony before the entire city with a feast afterwards. The minimum required by the writing of Gor are that the couple share a glass of wine together and drop a copy of the contract off with the local scribe. There is in fact no need for a ceremony or a witness. Some may need a scribe to help write down what they want as they are not able to write it themselves. One misconception is they must have a scribe do it, anyone can be the witness.

Eight veil ceremony - a free man takes off eight veils in succession until he sees his Companion's face, seven in public and the last veil in private or behind a curtain, which she puts back before they come back to the guests. (Caution free women were one veil that only you can take off under any others designed for this occasion in Second Life as anyone can remove those made for such an occasion and you may find yourself bare face in public.)

As with the contract, they can personalize the ceremony. Also practie with the cup and other things before the ceremony so that it goes smoothly. (You might need a cup without script or Lone Owl has 8 layer veils, run by a hud rather than just a click. Also have a back up person as Second Life can be unpredictible as can internet connections.)