The Great Hall of Castle Drusus
Please click on the below image to enter into a private discussion with Drusus in his secluded chamber on the subject of his own viewpoints concerning Gor, slavery and being a Master.
Gorean Masters And RP
First let me say that when I refer to a Gorean Master I refer to them as shown in the books. The books already contain a wide spectrum of possibilities and obviously every person that RP's a Master will do so in his own way - showing a reflection of his own attitudes and values. I do not claim to be an expert on the books - I did read them all, more or less as they were published, but did so as entertainment and have only read through nine over the last year, hopefully in a more scholarly way.
When I first came to Aol Gor , I did not really see the reason for the quotes and focus on the books but as time has gone on the need became very apparent. The books give us a common basis for our RP, keep us from wandering off in all directions until one group would not recognize the world of another and provide a good source for settling disputes. After my own experiences in learning things that turned out to not be true ( we all know how many of the things done in the commons are not supported by the books) and listening to some "expert on Gor" that turned out to know very little, I no longer believe anything unless it can be backed up with a quote.
Now, having said all of that , I also see a problem with too much emphasis on the books. You have to look at what the books really are, they are not a guide to Rping Gor - they were written as a mass marketable entertainment. Certainly John Norman had a personal, clearly thought out philosophy that he wanted to portray but this is often overlain by a more exciting and entertaining story. This leads to some dichotomies in the books, where the main characters are doing things that are atypical of Gor. I have found that the real meat of Gor is contained in the long explanations and digressions that Norman gets into rather than the main story lines. An interesting aside to this is the similarity to the bible - where an entertaining and fantastic story was written to hold peoples attention while the basic philosophy and morals were being taught. (again - just my opinion - not meant to offend anyone). This means that at times the real point of Gor will escape someone - they focus on the story fluff or some minor part of it and base their RP on that rather than looking at the basic philosophies that are being presented.
So what is a Gorean Master? Well there are many kinds in the books - each region of Gor had their own customs and expected different things of their citizens. There are some basic attributes that were universal though. First of all a Gorean male is naturally dominant ( in fact this is the main point of the entire series - on Gor the males and females can be what millions of years of evolution produced and that much of the psychological and social problems of Earth are caused by the repression of these natural instincts). The first instinct of a Gorean male is to take whatever he likes constrained only by the fighting skills of the man that possesses them. This attitude shows most clearly in the warriors as is shown in some quotes from their caste codes - "every man is an Ubar within the circle of his steel" and " a man's limits are set by the steel of others". Now if that was all there was to a man on Gor then total anarchy would be present and no cities could exist, there would be nothing more than small tribes in constant warfare. Luckily the Gorean male also possesses an almost fanatical sense of Personal Honor. Besides the obvious combative nature this manifests as a strong sense of loyalty . This loyalty extends to his homestone first and foremost but also to his caste in a lesser degree and makes society on Gor possible. The male will conform to the laws of his city and the codes of his caste to the betterment of each as long as his own honor is not compromised. When it comes to other males - he is slow to make friends but once made the bond is strong and he would give his life for a friend. The Gorean male is not monogamous as a rule but is capable of love. Although it is not shown very often in the books, there are some instances where a male either frees a loved slave to make her his Free Companion or gives up all he has to be with a loved one.
Personally, I was drawn to AolGor because it is a place where men are expected to be and act like men and a man is measured by the honor of his actions - things that have been increasingly hard to find on our world (having girls hanging around that want nothing more than to please you is a nice perk but is not the main reason). Unfortunately AolGor also attracts some of the male predators , the "FUR" Master and those with sadistic tendencies - men that would not recognize honor if it hit them in the face ( a shame that we can not reach through a monitor and do that at times). Norman states time and again that there are no cruel or sadistic men on Gor - certainly a master will not hesitate to whip or kill a slave that disobeys and it is common to whip a newly collared slave just so they know what it feels like but he also says that once a slave has tasted the whip - she will do whatever it takes to not feel it again. There is where the difference lies - Gor is a harsh world and the men are harsh also but they do not take joy in the pain or degradation of slaves and as long as a slave accepts her slavery and does all she can to please him - then she is not in much danger of being harmed.
There is one point that needs to be understood by all that frequent the taverns, it is something that those new to Gor often miss and I have seen it cause many fights and hard feelings ( here in Sardaria we rarely have a problem with this or with the predator type masters). Taverns here, in this medium we use, are the central gathering point to find friends or meet new people - this use of them is an accepted compromise we make. On Gor, over half of our population would never be seen in a paga tavern - Free Women would face being collared and no man would bring his own personal pleasure slave to serve him there much less allow her to be there in his absence to serve other Masters. There would only be Masters and tavern slaves owned by the tavern keeper. That would be boring though and we would have a hard time keeping any females in Gor, so we allow Free Women to frequent the taverns in relative safety (as long as they act like Free Women) and we allow our slaves to go there and serve others - understanding that they will be treated like the valuable property they are as long as they are not rude or disruptive. Perhaps on Gor a Master really would not care that another fur or beat his slave but here there usually develops a close relationship between the muns of a Master and his slave ( in my case, my slave is my R/T wife and I very much care what happens to her - it may not be Gorean but is reality). The main point here is that many Masters come into a tavern and think that they can treat the slaves there like they are treated in the books which can cause problems enough given that these are not really tavern slaves. When a Master comes in looking for some reason to abuse or degrade the slaves just for his own amusement - that is where Gor gets its reputation for cruelty. Not that there is any problem with teasing or toying with the slaves, done in a good natured way it is enjoyable to both. Also correcting a slave that is misbehaving is expected of a Master, but too often a Master thinks that his idea of how Gor should be Rped is a standard to judge others by. How often have you seen a Master nitpicking at some girls serve, how she talks or kneels? I do not remember any place in the books where Masters in a tavern sat around worrying about how a girl was serving, as long as she brought them their drink and was eager to please them, they were happy. Most of the girls really want to do everything by the books, many have been taught things that were wrong or have learned by watching others (same with Masters) and a well meaning correction or suggestion sent through ims does much more good than a reprimand or sneer done in the room ( it is a normal human reaction to become defensive and angry when publicly redressed).
To finish this all up, my main view on being a Gorean Master is to play by the books as much as possible. This means upholding your own honor , that of your homestone and that of your caste - in that order. Beyond that, due to the fact that there are muns behind each sn, we have a duty to help and teach others about Gor and where necessary protect them from the unscrupulous. The Masters need to set the example of staying true to the books as much as they can but realizing where the differences exist and act accordingly. One last quick point on one of the differences - on Gor, slaves were slaves because they had no choice - here there is a mun behind each sn that has chosen of her own free will to come and RP a slave - each one has also chosen how they will play that sn - some are willing to RP whatever happens and I applaud their RP, others have limits to what they will RP - it is not very Gorean that there is a difference but it is real and personally I do not blame those that want some choice in their RP, I certainly want it in mine. I am here to relax and enjoy myself and if it was not fun, well I am sure I would either do it poorly or soon drop out and come back as another name.
I wish you well.
- Gimmas of House Black Tarn-
~ A Letter from Gimmas of House Black Tarn - "On Gorean Masters and RP" ~
I take great pride in placing immediately below the recent award for Gorean Dance won by talania{CS}. Congratulations, girl... Amaneris
Amaneris, Free Woman of Gor, Architect and Designer of this Castle
