Free Men of Gor - Scribes, Builders, Physicians.

Scribes

"It took not much time to purchase a small bundle of supplies to take into the Sardar, nor was it difficult to find a scribe to whom I might entrust the history of the events in Tharna. I did not ask his name nor he mine. I knew his caste, and he knew mine, and it was enough. He could not read the manuscripts it was written in English, a language as foreign to him as Gorean would be to most of you , but yet he would treasure the manuscript and guard it as though it were a most prized possession, for he was a scribe ad it is the way of scribes to love the written word and keep it harm, and if he could not read the manuscript, what did it matter, perhaps someone could someday, and then the words which had kept their secret for so long would at last enkindle the mystery of communication and what had been written would be heard and understood."
Priest-Kings of Gor, page 15

"He scarcely glanced up from the game board at which he sat across from Caprus, of the Caste of Scribes, Chief Accountant of the House."
Assassin of Gor, page 86

"Many castes, incidentally, have branches and divisions. Lawyers and Scholars, for example, and Record Keepers, Teachers, Clerks, Historians and Accountants are all Scribes."
Assassin of Gor, page 208

"I was further cheered by the thought that Caprus had informed me his work was coming along very well and he hoped to have the documents and maps copied by the beginning of Se'Kara; ...And Caprus seemed in good humor; that perhaps was significant, betokening an end in sight for my mission. In thinking about this I realized what a brave man Caprus was, and how little I had respected his courage and his work. He had risked much, probably much more than I. I felt ashamed. He was only a Scribe, and yet what he had done had taken great courage, probably more courage than that possessed by many Warriors."
Assassin of Gor, page 237

"Your man was courageous to come and fetch us," I said. "He is Ngumi," said Shaba, "He is courageous, indeed. We did not know if he would get through. "I did not know a scribe could be so courageous," I said. "There are brave men in all castes," Said Shaba. "
Explorers of Gor, page 433

"The scribes, of course, are the scholars and clerks of Gor, and there divisions and rankings within the group, from simple copiers to the savants of the city."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 44


Builders

"The road, like most Gorean roads, was built like a wall in the earth and was intended to last a hundred generations. The Gorean, having little idea of progress in our sense, takes great care in his building and workmanship. What he builds he expects men to use until the storms of time have worn it to dust. Yet this road, for all of the loving craft of the Caste of Builders which had been lavished upon it, was only an unpretentious, subsidiary road, hardly wide enough for two carts to pass. Indeed, even the main roads to Ko-ro-ba were a far cry from the great highways that led to an from a metropolis like Ar."
Outlaw of Gor, page 25

"Inside, the tunnel, though dim, was not altogether dark, being lit by domelike, wire-protected energy bulbs, spaced in pairs every hundred yards or so. These bulbs, invented more than a century ago by the Caste of Builders, produce a clear, soft light for years without replacement."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 200

"The tharlarion saddle, unlike the tarn saddle, is constructed to absorb shock. Primarily, this is done by constructing the tree of the saddle in such a way that the leather seat is mounted on a hydraulic fitting which actually floats in a thick lubricant. Not only does this lubricant absorb much of the shock involved, but it tends, except under abnormal stress, to keep the seat of the saddle parallel to the ground."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 125

"On the heights of distant Turia itself I could see the flutter of flags and pennons. The walls were crowded, and I supposed many upon them used the long glasses of the Caste of Builders to observe the field of the stakes."
Nomads of Gor, page 113

 

Physicians

"You spoke of knowing the Cabot's for four hundred years" I said "Yes" said Misk "and your father who is a brave and noble man, has served us upon occasion, though he dealt only, unknowingly, with Implanted Ones. He first came to Gor more than six hundred years ago." "Impossible!" I cried "Not with the stabilization serums" remarked Misk."             Priest Kings of Gor, page 126

"The Stabilization Serums, which are regarded as the right of all human beings, be they civilized or barbarian, friend or enemy, are administered in a series of injections, and the effect is, incredibly, an eventual, gradual transformation of certain genetic structures, resulting in indefinite cell replacement without pattern deterioration. These genetic alterations, moreover, are commonly capable of being transmitted. For example, though I received the series of injections when first I came to Gor many years ago I had been told by Physicians that they might, in my case, have been unnecessary, for I was the child of parents who, though of Earth, had been of Gor, and had received the serum. But different human beings respond differently to the Stabilization Serums, and the Serums are more effective with some than with others. With some the effect last indefinitely, with others it wears off after but a few hundred years, with some the effect does not occur at all, with others tragically, the effect is not to stabilize the pattern but to hasten its degeneration. The odds, however, are in favour of the recipient, and there are few Gorean's who, if it seems they need the Serum's do not avail themselves of them."
Assassin of Gor, page 30

"They are administered in four shots ...said the Physician. ...The guard took me and threw me, belly down on the platform, fastening my wrists over my head and widely apart, in leather wrist straps. He similarly secured my ankles. The Physician busying himself with fluids and a syringe before a shelf in another part of the room laden with vials. I screamed. The shot was painful. It was entered in the small of my back, over the left hip. They left me secured on the table for several minutes and then the Physician returned to check the shot. There had been apparently no unusual reaction. ...On the first day I had been examined, given some minor medicines of little consequence, and the first shot in the Stabilization Series. On the second, third and fourth day I received the concluding shots of the series. On the fifth day the Physician took more samples. The serums are effective ...he told the guard."
Captive of Gor, page 93

"Dar-Kosis" I said "is regarded as an instrument of Priest Kings, used to smite those who displease them." "Another myth of Initiates" said Flaminius unpleasantly. "But how do you know that?" I queried. "I do not care," said Flaminius, "if it is true or not. I am a Physician."
Assassin of Gor, page 266

"I and others worked secretly in the Cylinder of Physicians. We devoted our time, those ahn in the day in which we could work to study, research and experiment. Unfortunately for spite and for gold word of our work was brought the High Initiate, by a minor Physician discharged from our staff for incompetence. The Cylinder of Initiates demanded that the High Council of the Caste of Physicians put an end to our work, not only that it be discontinued but that our results to that date be destroyed. The Physicians, I am pleased to say stood with us. There is little love lost between Physicians and Initiates. Before the next passage hand, he said. Armed men broke into the Cylinder of Physicians; the floors we worked on were burned; the Cylinder itself was seriously damaged; our work our records, the animals we used were all destroyed; several of my staff were slain, others driven away."
Assassin of Gor, page 267

"Less impressive perhaps but even more essential to the operation of the House were its kitchens, its laundries, commissaries and storerooms; its medical facilities, in which dental care is also provided."
Assassin of Gor, page 111

"On a rounded wooden block a naked slave girl knelt, her wrists braceletted behind her. Her head was back. One of the physicians was cleaning her teeth."
Beasts of Gor, page 54

http://furmesnest.tripod.com/id28.html


Scribes, the second of the High Castes - Information gotten from this site http://goreanshores.50megs.com/caste.html#Scribes

Gorean Governance inc. Chart

This really applies mostly to the so called High Cities, or the civilized parts of Gor.

Priest Kings are the large golden insects like giant ants or praying mantis extra-terrestrial in orgin that rule Gor, having moved the planet from some other location and live in the Sadar Mountains. If you go to the Sadar Mountains without the Priest Kings permission your body parts rain down over the plains below for you get thrown off the mountains to your death. Carasses are found at the foot of the mountains in the desert. Animals refuse to go there and if you force a tarn to go he get disorientated and falls form the sky. The Priest Kings control Gor and make the laws. The main thing is they limit technology specifically weapons to a subset of rather primitive ones. They regard humans as primitive and violent. Weapons are things like swords, crossbows, and that sort of thing. The Priest Kings are rather neglectful, sort of benevolent dictators and are at war with the Kurii.

The Kurii are responsible for introducing advanced weapons. Sometimes Kurii provide transport and bring in weapons, sometimes their own and sometimes those of earth. If the Priest Kings notice they will destroy the person and weapon with the blue flame of death. Kurii look like abominable snowmen and eat slave girls or keep them as pets. There is always spies and tension between the Priest Kings and the Kur. Humans spy for both sides.

The Initiates are the Priesthood of Gor. Some of the Initiates are directly hooked to the Priest Kings via implants in their heads and spy for the Priest Kings, though you do not have to be an Initiate to have an impant. Thought the Priest Kings are amused and puzzled by the Initiates and people worshipping them as gods. Everyone in Gor is to go to the fairs at the foot of the Sadar Mountains once in their lives. These fairs are to be conducted by the Initiates but really are run by the merchants. At these fairs standardizing of weights and measures are set and the laws for that year are made called the Merchant Law. Merchant Law is the same from city to city but the laws in each city vary from city to city. So really the merchants have the real power of Gor, but they keep this to themselves. Merchants are of the low caste.

The low castes receive a limited form of education know as first knowledge. It includes only enough detail as is needed to function and some deliberately incorrect teaching designed to help keep them content with their lot. So they are taught Gor is a flat disk and if they travel to far, they might fall off the edge. They have superstitions about the power someone can get by knowing their "real" name and so often are addresses simply as by their profession or by nicknames. They are particularlysusceptible to the Priest Kings and at times where afraid to speak about them just incase something was said that would get you flamed. Note that the merchants interact so often with the high caste scribes so often that they do not seem to have the same restriction as the others of low castes. Some might say that the scribes and merchants control Gor together.

There are five High Castes. The Initiates spoke of already. Scribes are next and our color is blue. We are responsible for most things that involve the running of government. Scribes are the teachers, accountants, administrators, librarians. Most of the lower caste are illiterate and some of the high castes, though scribes are all able to read and write. Others in the high caste build (builder - yellow), heal (healers - green), or fight (warriors - scarlet) of the high caste. All high caste have Second Knowledge which includes an understanding of astronomy, knowledge of Earth, of history, geography, in short a basic good education. Most Gorean live in cities, towns, or villages. This is because Gor is a dangerous place and people need to band together to stay safe. Each cities is run by their own set of laws which are run by an Administrator except in times of war.

The Administrator is a single person who has basic charge of everything but who answers to the High Council who wears brown, the color of peasants so brown keeps the Administrator humble. Also all the crap hits the Administrators and stops with them.

The High Council consists of representatives of each High Caste. In many cities we have elected on representative of each High Caste as the "High" representative of each. Also some cities have a caste leader know as the "Chief" of which there is no such distinction in the writings of Gor where the "High" and "Chief" appear to be used interchangably. The fact that the decriptions of the High Council includes many people, benches full of each caste. Some cities may elect their representatives for each caste where others may appoint theirs. It is also said that cities are run by a few powerful families. Often these high caste representatives of the High Council are voted for only by male caste members, which seems to be a Gorean standard. Though this varies from city to city. There also is often tension between the High Castes members; Scribes and Physicians versus Warriors, Warriors and Scribes versus Builders, Builders and Physicians versus Scribes, and everyone against the Initiates thought tolerate them since the Priest Kings do. Some cities have a "High Merchant" who speaks for the lower castes as part of the High Council but he does not have a vote with in the Council. So if a slaver, or any other of the lower caste of the city wishes a voice, would speak to the High Merchant and the merchant would bring up the concerns to the High Council.

Then there are the Ubars of which there seems to be two types. There are the "nice" Ubars who are given absolute power in times of war, appointed by the High Council and chosen from among the warriors by the warriors. They give the power back after the crisis is over. Such a Ubar still answers to the High Council. Then there is the Ubars who declare themselves in charge and because the warriors back them they seize power and as such "bad" Ubars. These Ubars are rare in the writings of Gor and are not tolerated.

Depending on who is in power, either the Ubar of High Council makes the laws for the city and enforce them. Law is enforced by warriors but warriors are directed by and controlled by the Magistrates and Prefects. There are two types of Magistrates. They are the merchant magistrates whose job it is to enforce and to support merchant law. Then there are the city magistrates who are responsible for enforcing the city law. Magistrates are technically scribes. They are one of the subcastes of scribes. I would say Magistrates are more a combination of Lawyer and Judge, but people can appeal their ruling and so you get Praetors who are judges as well. Because magistrates are appointed in a particular city you may find someone who is a magistrate who is not a scribe. This goes for Ambassadors as well. There is one instance in the writing of Gor where an Ambassador was a warrior, which make sense because some warriors are highly literate and extremely well read. So in general Ambassadors and Magistrates are scribes but that is a matter of convenience and not an absolute rule. Others mentioned would include Archons who seem to be record keepers who judge from the records in the past. Ubara, who is like a queen with great power or who is one of the companions of an Ubar. There is no known case in the writings of Gor where an Ubara who was without an Ubar had power except for Talena who was called "Regent" or the "Tatrix" which is specific for the female leader of the city of Tharna.

"Gnieus Lelius, it seems, had been deposed, and Seremides, in a military coup he himself characterized as regrettable, had seized temporary power, a power to be wielded until the High Council, now the highest civilian authority in Ar, could elect a new leader, be it Administrator, Regent, Ubar or Ubara."

Magicians of Gor pg 83

"There are two systems of courts on Gor - those of the City, under the jurisdiction of an Administrator or Ubar, and those of the Initiates, under the jurisdiction of the High Initiate of the given city; the division corresponds roughly to that between civil and what, for lack of a better word, might be called ecclesiastical courts. The areas of jurisdiction of these two types of courts are not well defined; the Initiates claim ultimate jurisdiction in all matters, in virtue of their supposed relation to the Priest-Kings, but this claim is challenged by civil jurists. There would, of course, in these days be no challenging the justice of the Initiates. I noted with repulsion that on the roof of the Cylinder of Justice there shimmered a public impaling spear of polished silver, some fifty feet high, gleaming, looking like a needle in the distance."

Tarnsman of Gor pgs 193-194