DRAFT Part 1 - Introduction/Study Guides/First Assignments

1. Welcome! Pathways to Becoming a Scribe

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                          Welcome to the Blue Caste of Telnus
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Welcome to the Blue Caste of Telnus!

In the books, as we all know, people were born into their castes, most remaining there for their entire lifetime.   There were, of course, some exceptions to this.  Sometimes the free woman would take the caste of their male companion, particularly if this would "raise" her higher within the caste system.  Sometimes if a person was deemed suitable for another caste they could petition to change, and would then have to prove their ability and aptitude for the work of that particular caste. 

"I knew the Gorean caste lines, though largely following birth, were not inflexible, and that a man who did not care for his caste might be allowed to change caste, if approved by the high council of his city, an approval usually contingent on his qualifications for the work of another caste and willingness of the members of the new caste to accept him as a Caste Brother."    ---Priest Kings of Gor, 9:71

This last is probably the most relevant to SL Gor, because anyone new to SL Gor will have to learn, and strive to become skilled and knowledgeable within their caste.  They will have to work hard and prove themselves before being accepted fully.  This holds true for every caste - it will take hard work and a quest for knowledge to succeed.

There are many different pathways to becoming a Scribe.  Being born (through role play) into the caste of Scribes is one way.  As well, there are academies and schools where you get a nice shiny certificate naming you a Scribe when you successfully finish the course.  However (as in the books) many Scribes start as an apprentice Scribe under the tutelage of a Chief Scribe and achieve the status of full Scribe when their mentor deems them worthy.   Is any one pathway better than the other?  I myself don't think so because to succeed on any path you take will require a desire to succeed along with hard work and perseverance.  It depends largely on who you are as a person and what you hope to accomplish.

A bit of background, my "pathway" if you will...

In my old Homestone I was fairly new to Gor and  just beginning to train as scribe when the Admin pulled everything from the Sim.   The Ubar/Sim owner was paying this person actual money to run the sim and she bought all the buildings with money he gave her specifically for that purpose above and beyond what he was paying her to Admin the sim.  Everything on the sim she bought with his money.  One day we all logged on and there was nothing but the prims we had put down (furniture etc...)  Everything else was gone!  The docks, ship, pathways, trees, buildings, EVERYTHING.  Including the library.  Naturally, many of the people there left except a handful of us and we all dug in to put it back together.  It took a month before we reopened, and along the way we lost more people.  Since I was the only scribe that had stayed, I said I would take on getting the library put back together.  I went all over Gor picking up notecards, talking to Chief Scribes etc... getting everything I needed to set up a new library.  I made new forms, basically starting from scratch.  So when it was done the Ubar (to my great surprise) appointed me Chief Scribe.  I had virtually no training and had pretty much learned on the run.

My point is, I have been Head or Chief Scribe of 4 cities now and I have never been formally trained - sometimes you just learn as you go and fortunately I am a quick learner.  Being a Scribe is about keeping records, being familiar with the laws, witnessing contracts, and helping people find the information they need, of course!   And a whole lot more!  But a lot of being a scribe is being able to think on your feet and deal with situations as they arise.   I trained myself by talking to other scribes and worked hard to keep things running smoothly.   If I didn't know, I asked!  If I was unsure, I sought out opinions from others within the Blue Caste.  That is what a scribe does - a scribe seeks to learn and better themselves and keep things organized within the city.    What path they take to get there may vary, but it is still a pathway to knowledge. 

It is my hope that I can help you along YOUR pathway and give you the tools you need to be successful within the Blue Caste.   And in turn, someday it will be your responsibility to give back by helping  others on their path.

I have assigned Kati Evans to be your instructor while going through your training.  If she is not available, please feel free to contact me at any time should you have questions or should you get stuck in a situation you are unsure of.

Again, welcome to the Blue Caste of Telnus!  I look forward to working with you!

Sincerely,
Jillian Serevi, (Jillian Daniels) High Scribe of Telnus
2014/2/9
􀀁 Seal of Jillian Serevi - High Scribe
􀀀 Seal of the City of Telnus


2. A note from your instructor...

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                         A NOTE FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR
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My story begins in the city of Rarn where I was born to the Ubar and his FC, my mother. I know little about my mother since she died when I was really young. I have no recollection of her. This left things to me, my father and an older brother. At some point when I was able to reach things on the high tables my brother left the city and ended up living in Fina. So mine was a different life as father was always busy that I was raised by others in our home being taught how to be a good daughter. When I became an adult my father sent me to be with my brother thinking it would be good for me, though I think it may have had more to do with Rarn being at war with another city... hum, right now I can't recall the name of it, well anyways I believe it to be more of a desire to keep me safe.

(... And this is where I stepped into SL Gor and walked into Fina.) So I arrived in Fina and was placed in my brother’s care. In Fina is was with my brother and saw him be companion to a lovely woman. They had the cutest little baby girl. Sadly, there was a raid and both his companion and his little girl were killed. He tried to make a go of things. Then after I became the magistrate’s companion he left and roamed the lands of Gor. It is believed that he is gone to the City of Dust, since a number of his belongs where found and sent back to me, but my brother was never found.

During my time in Fina I showed myself able to take on more by the things I naturally did that I was an apprentice scribe and then the High Magistrate seeing that I could learn and had a natural talent for the job assigned me as magistrate; which was actually before I was a full scribe. It came about when I heard screaming in the infirmary and went to see what was going on, thus finding myself between two warriors who were arguing with swords drawn. You learn quick when you think you are about to die.... but that is a story for another time.

So it is possible to learn by the seat of your pants, but my desire and hope is that this class will help you learn in an easier fashion from some of the joys and hardships that came along as I was Magistrate at Fina, Rarn, and a handful of villages, Abydos, and now here at Telnus. How I lay out my record, where I get my quick information from, and what has become a long study and interesting study of the writings of Gor by John Norman.

Now let us share some of this journey of learning together.

~ Lady Kati Evans ~
Scribe/Magistrate Instructor of Telnus

          

3. Forms and Contracts of Telnus

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                          FORMS AND CONTRACTS OF TELNUS
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Below are the forms and contracts that are used here in Telnus.  Your first assignment will be to look over each of the forms carefully to familiarize yourself with them.  If you have any questions about them, please contact Kati Evans to clarify.  When a scribe is called for, it will be your responsibility to answer if you are able, and often times this will involve working on a form or contract so it is important that you are comfortable with them, and know how to fill them out.

As an apprentice Scribe, you will sign, seal and date the forms, completing them, however they will be placed in the "For Review" box to be checked prior to filing.  This box is by  Kati Evans' desk.

When you have completed this assignment, please move on to the next step in this section.

􀀁 Isle of Cos Citizen Application ~NAME/SL Name~
􀀀 TELNUS Alliance ((City of Alliance))
􀀂 TELNUS Bill of Sale ((Slave Name/SL Name))
􀀃 TELNUS BLACK CASTE CONTRACT - ((Contractors Name/SL Name))
􀀄 TELNUS Certification of Fighting Slave ((Slave Name/SL Name))
􀀅 TELNUS Declaration of Herald ((Name/SL Name))
􀀆 TELNUS FC Contract (( FM/FW NAMES & SL Names))
􀀇 TELNUS FC Renewal ((FM/FW & SL Names)) ((Date))
􀀈 TELNUS Manumission - ((Name/SL Name))
􀀉 TELNUS MERCENARY CONTRACT ((Name of Contractor/SL Name))
􀀊 TELNUS Protection Papers ((FW/FM Names& SL Names))
􀀋 TELNUS Slave Papers - slave name ((sl name/SL Name))
􀀌 TELNUS Trade Agreement with ((NAME OF CITY))
􀀍 TELNUS Warrant of Arrest for ((NAME/SL Name))

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Remember to keep notes of dates, who you talked with, what was said, and any action to happen, plus the final resolution in your personal records. This would include transcripts of conversations that were in-character. No Out of Character (OOC) information is included or used in making decision. Also instant messages (IMs) are OOC unless in main chat one character says that they "lean over and whisper to ((Name/SL Name)) so as not to be overheard." This would then still be a conversation that is part of the role play action that is taking place.

• Also mention how to keep track of people you meet and brief notes on them. This has also saved me in the past from making a mistake as a magistrate.

Changes in how I file my own records:

I would like to change how the naming convention goes for these forms. When I am looking for someone's record of ((Name, SL Name)), I look by their name and not by the particular form. (Note always use both the name they go by and their SL avatar name when doing forms and filing things.)Hence some forms would be filed in two places like the Free Companion Contract, Bill of Sale, Manumission, Slave Papers, etc. While this may mean a bit more in the files should someone as if OWNER A does infact own SLAVE C. I can easily look or maybe someone needs to know which slaves belong to OWNER B, I am able to look under OWNER B and find all those slave papers for the slaves he owns.

Note dates are done by yyyymmdd or Year Month Day since this is how a computer reads them and then files them in order. Example 20140211 is 2014 February 11th.

So, I place all my forms in a folder named TELNUS FORMS

An Example:
When asked if ((SLave Name/SL Name)) belongs to ((Name/SL Name) you are able to look it up;
then ((Slave Name/SL Name)) Bill of Sale to ((Name/SL Name)) ((Date)),
and   ((Slave Name/SL Name)) Manumission by ((Name/SL Name)) 20140211,
would then be beside each other in your filing. Then I would know that yes ((Name/SL Name)) did in fact own ((Slave Name/SL Name)) at one time; however the slave was freed on 2014 February 11th. So she no longer belongs to him.

I realize that this is my naming convention and not others, but this is how I file my own records... and YES do keep a record of everything you sign. You may appreciate it later when asked why you signed something.

~ Lady Kati Evans ~
Scribe/Magistrate Instructor of Telnus

• Some form for my records of who they are, their experience so far, and a few things about themselves to both get to know then and for my attendance record.
• Find a way to record attendance
• Find a way to give the lesson without having to type or copy everything each time
• See if the bulletin board is a working one and if so how to use it.
• Read through the forms and see how they are laid out
• Rename forms to my preference... maybe?

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4. Duties and Responsibilities

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                          DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
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Your second assignment as an Apprentice Scribe will be to role play within the city as a Scribe.  If a person comes to Library for a Scribe, you will be expected to attend to it to the best of your abilities.   If someone comes into the Library needing help with forms, I normally sit down with them at a table and work with them there - it is more friendly I think and it is very important that the Blue Caste of Telnus be viewed by people of our city as being helpful and friendly.  It is important to remember that you are a member of the Blue Caste - this is a High Caste, and as such you are expected to comport yourself with dignity.  Inappropriate behavior will be dealt with by the Head of Caste.

As I said before, a large part of being a Scribe is being able to think on your feet.   Keep in mind that you will no doubt run into things that will require you to "work around" the normal procedures.

A typical example would be if a new citizen came in for slave papers on a slave and had no documentation.  If it was a submission, they could put a notecard of the submission on the Certificate of Ownership.  Often times, they will not have it and you will have to interview the slave, confirm her submission, and notecard it with your signature and seal and date.  Label the notecard "Verification  of Submission ((Slaves Name/SL Name))" and put it in the Slave Papers.  From there you would finish the form as usual. 

The same would be true if he said he bought her from some city and was given no paperwork on her.   Other cities are not as diligent about paperwork, and in the North there is no paperwork at all, so we do have to work around situations like that.  Take the owner's statement, then ask the girl if that is the truth of it, notecard it, signing and putting your seal on it with the date and naming it "Verification of purchase ((Slaves Name/SL Name)) and put it in the slave papers and proceed as usual with the rest of the form.

These are just examples, and you will most likely run into other situations that steer off the normal course and will require you to work around it to get the job done.  If you are ever confused or unsure, do not hesitate to contact another member of the Blue Caste for help if I am not available.   And you can always take the information and tell them you will get back to them later in the day.

Sometimes you may be called to the Gate because an Ambassador or Magistrate is not available.  You can take a message and assure them that the person will contact them as soon as possible.  You would then give the message to the person in character (ICly) or notecard it and put it in their mailbox (I usually do the latter in case they are not on when I am - I don't want to take a chance of forgetting lol)

 While you are completing the Course of Study to become a full fledged Scribe, you will most likely not have assigned duties other than assisting in the library (which tends to be feast or famine).  The priority, however, will be to get you certified as a full scribe as quickly as possible.

In your role of apprentice, you will fill out forms, sign and seal them, but you will then turn them in to your instructor Kati Evans either ICly or by putting them in the "For Review" mailbox near her desk for her to review before it is filed away.


5. Study Guide/Blue Caste Information

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                                         STUDY GUIDES
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Attached are some notecards that will be useful to you as you move on to Part 2 of your Course of Study. 

This is your third assignment!   Please read them over carefully and refer to them (along with other resources of your choice) when you reach "Part 2 -Course of Study for Scribes."    When you have read these over, please let the instructor Kati Evans know so she can move you on to Part 2, the final step to becoming a Scribe.

􀀆 Quotes - Caste of Scribes
􀀌 Caste of Scribes
􀀋 What is a Scribe?
􀀊 Who are you as Scribe
􀀈 The Chief Scribe
􀀇 Specialties within the Blue Caste
􀀎 Various Duties within the Blue Caste
􀀉 Administrators & High Councils of Cities
􀀅 Magistrate Position Description
􀀍 Blue Caste - The Magistrates of Rorus
􀀏 The Laws
􀀐 Punishments
􀀄 Castes
􀀂 Castes of Gor Information
􀀃 First and Second Knowledge
􀀁 First, Second, and Third Knowledge
􀀑 Gorean Languages
􀀒 Gorean Salutations

The following will be most helpful to you throughout your entire career as a Scribe - keep it handy!

􀀀 Condensed info on Gor - Luther Scrolls
I know, I know - The Luther Scrolls are immense!  I don't expect you to read every single notecard at this time, however please familiarize yourself with the topics so you will know where to look when you have a question...

• Go through the note cards listed above and be familiar with the material
• Go through the Condensed info on Gor - Luther Scrolls
• This may be the place to mention The Gorean Cave