"It might be mentioned, for those unaware of the fact, that the Caste of Merchants is not considered one of the traditional five High Castes of Gor - the Initiates, Scribes, Physicians, Builders and Warriors. Most commonly, and doubtless unfortunately, it is only members of the five high castes who occupy positions on the High Councils of the cities."
The Gorean Caste system is the division of the Gorean society into occupations, professions, decisions of importance, etc. It is split into 2 Areas - High Caste and Low Caste. The above quote explains the importance of High Caste and only those of High Caste are permitted into the Council of a given City.
"In the next flash of lightning, I saw the white robes of an Initiate, the shaven head and the sad eyes of one of the Blessed Caste, servants it is said of the Priest-Kings themselves."
Outlaw of Gor, page 40
"It was common, of course, for Initiates to claim to speak for the Priest-Kings; indeed, it was presumably the calling of their caste to interpret the will of the Priest-Kings to men."
Outlaw of Gor, page 41
"Fout times a year, correlated with the solstices and equinoxes, there are fairs held in the plains below the (Sardar) mountains, presided over by committees of Initiates"
Outlaw of Gor, page 47
"Their Codes forbade them to kill but I knew that they hired men of other castes for this purpose."
Priest Kings of Gor, page 297
Another name for the Caste of Initiates. Servants and Preachers of the Priest-Kings.
Caste Colour is White
"Well," said Torm, thoughtfully, for it did not behoove a member of his caste to volunteer an opinion too rapidly on any matter, "it does not contradict any text with which I am familiar."
Priest-Kings of Gor, page 303
Caste Colour is Blue
Caste Colour is Green
Caste Colour is Yellow
"Until you find Talena," he said, "your companion is peril and steel." It was an old Warrior saying."
Priest Kings of Gor, page 307
"You are a monster, Captain," he laughed.
"I am of the warriors," I said.
"I know your sort," he said. "It is the fight you relish. What a wicked sort you are, and yet how useful!" I shrugged. "You see a fight you want, you take it," he said, "you see a woman you like, you take her."
"Perhaps if she pleased me," I said.
"You would do as you wished," he said.
"Of course," I said.
"Warrior!" said he.
"Yes, Warrior," I said."
Quote unknown
"No," he said. "I do not keep you because of the gold. I am of the scarlet caste. I am of the warriors. I could cast the gold away, as a gesture."
Quote unknown
Caste Colour is Red or Scarlet
"The training of an Assassin is thorough and cruel. He who wears the Black of the Caste has not won it easily. Candidates for the caste are chosen with great care, and only 1 in 10, it is said, completes the course of instruction to the satisfaction of the Caste Masters. It is assumed that failed candidates are slain, if not in the training, for secrets they may have learned. Withdrawl from the Caste is not permitted. Training proceeds in pairs, each pair against others. Friendship is encouraged, then, in the final training, each member of the pair must hunt the other. When one has killed one's friend, one is then likely to better understand the meaning of the black. When one has killed one's friend, one is then unlikely to find mercy in his heart for another. One is then alone, with Gold and Steel. The Assassins take in lads who are perhaps characterised by little but unusual swiftness, and cunning, and strength and skill, and perhaps a selfishness and greed, and, in time, transform this raw material into efficient, proud, merciless men, practitioners of a dark trade, men loyal to secret codes the content of which is something at which most men dare not guess."
Beast of Gor, page 358
The Caste of Assassins are also known as "Killers" and more commonly - the Black Caste. Their Caste Codes do not permit the use of Kanda.
A common reference name to the Caste of Assassins. Also known as "Killers".
"It was hard to understand the words, for those of the lonely Caste of Woodsmen do not often speak."
Outlaw of Gor, page 29
Co-Provider of most the common fuel for Gorean Cities. Also known as Woodsmen
Co-Provider of most the common fuel for Gorean Cities.
It might be mentioned, for those unaware of the fact, that the Caste of Merchants is not Considered one of the traditional five High Castes of Gor - the Initiates, Scribes, Physicians, Builders and Warriors. Most commonly, and doubtless unfortunately, it is only members of the five high castes who occupy positions on the High Councils of the cities. Nonetheless, as might be expected, the gold of merchants, in most cities, exercises its not imponderable influence, not always in so vulgar a form as bribery and gratuities, but more often in the delicate matters of extending or refusing to extend credit in connection with the projects, desires or needs of the High Councils. There is a saying on Gor, "Gold has no caste." It is a saying of which the merchants are fond. Indeed, secretly among themsleves, I have heard, they regard themselves as the highest caste on Gor, though they would not say so for fear of rousing the indignation of other castes. There would be something, of course, to be said for such a claim, for the merchants are often indeed in their way, brave, shrewd, skilled men, making long journeys, venturing their goods, risking caravans, negotiating commercial agreements, among themselves developing and enforcing a body of Merchant Law, the only common legal arrangements existing among the Gorean cities. Merchants also, in effect, arrange and administer the four great fairs that take place each year near the Sardar Mountains. I say "in effect" because the fairs are nominally under the direction of a committee of the Caste of Initiates, which, however, largely contents itself with its ceremonies and sacrifices, and is only too happy to delegate the complex management of those vast, commercial phenomena, the Sardar Fairs, to members of the lowly, much- despised Caste of Merchants, without which, incidentally, the fairs most likely could not exist, certainly not at any rate in their current form."
Nomads of Gor, page 84
"…his head, like that of many merchants, had been shaved;…"
Nomads of Gor, page 85
"…merchants are seldom trained in the use of arms."
Nomads of Gor, page 85
"I glanced at Saphrar, who was now leaning on his yellow cushions, in his silken pleasure robes, white and gold, the colors of the Caste of Merchants."
Nomads of Gor, page 86
"the Caste of Peasants, for example, the most basic caste of all Gor."
Outlaw of Gor, page 27
"Indeed, frequent enough were the stories where even a warrior was overcome by an angry peasant into whose hut he had introduced himself, for in the vicinity of their Home Stones men fight with all the courage, savagery and resourcefulness of the mountain larl. More than one the peasant fields of Gor which have been freshened with blood of foolish warriors."
Outlaw of Gor, page 29
"The peasant on Gor does not fear the outlaw, for he seldom has anything worth stealing, unless it be a daughter. Indeed, the peasant and outlaw on Gor live in an almost unspoken agreement, the peasant sharing in return some of his plunder and booty with the peasant. The peasant does not regard this as dihonest on his part, or as grasping. It is simply a way of life to which he is accustomed. It is a different matter, of course, if it is explicitly known that the outlaw is from a city other than one's own. In that case he is usually regarded as an enemy, to be reported to the patrols as soon as possible. He is, after all, not of one's city."
Outlaw of Gor, page 48/49
"His right ear had been notched, doubtles sin some accident. Such notching, I knew, is usually done to the ears of thieves; a second offense is normally punished by the loss of the right hand; a third offense by the removal of the left hand and both feet. There are few thieves, incidentally, on Gor. I have heard, though, there is a Caste of Thieves in Port Kar, a strong caste which naturally protects its members from such indignities as ear notching."
Nomads of Gor, page 85
"I hoped that I would be granted death in battle, if death it must be. 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."
Nomads of Gor, page 9
"It was hard to understandthe words, for those of the lonely Caste of Woodsmen do not often speak."
Outlaw of Gor, page 29
Co-Provider of most the common fuel for Gorean Cities. Also known as Carriers of Wood.
