Races
From Barbarians of Gor
Our server offers two "races" for players to choose from; Gorean, and Earthling. (These races are less actual races and more references to geographical locations like we might say Asian or European.)
- Goreans are those characters who were born on the mainland of Gor which includes the large continent and surrounding islands represented in the book series by John Norman.
- Earthlings are those characters taken from modern day earth to be brought to Gor primarily to become slaves.
Further information for those new to the fiction can be found here:
Gorean
On our server, any character who was born on the mainland or born from parents originally born on the mainland are considered to be Gorean. According to the fiction, all of the humans on the planet of Gor were brought here from Earth by the Priest Kings thousands of years ago. The mainland cultures include everything from Norse, to Greek, to Native American and Asian. It is a vast melting pot comprised of all varieties of Earth cultures now irrevocably changed by the passage of time and the technological restrictions imposed by the Priest Kings.
- Language
- Gorean is the linga franca of the mainland and thus it is assumed that any character brought into this server knows at least enough Gorean to get by.
Earthling
The Gorean Saga novels are set in modern day, from the 1960s onward. The stories depict many women from Earth being taken from their homes and brought to Gor via space ship. Some by agents of the Priest Kings and some by their enemies the Kur. Most Earthlings are female, and are intended to become slaves. There are a very few examples of men being brought to Gor but it is a rare plot line.
- Language
- It is assumed that any character brought from Earth has learned at least enough Gorean to interact with the rest of the population.
Points to Note
This is a common backstory for those who are new to Gor, and it is certainly a valid backstory in the fiction, especially for slaves, please be advised of the following.
- English (and all other earth languages) are not the same as Gorean, and there is no "common". Consequently, anyone brought from Earth will need to have been taught enough Gorean to get by in Roleplay.
- Earth girls are usually only brought to Gor as slaves. They are typically collared (but not branded) before they even arrive on the planet. A free man who learns that a player is from Earth, is likely to assume they should be enslaved simply because they are from earth.
- Untrained Slaves or Free Woman turn Slave: While we all understand that part of the allure of the books is the erotic descent into Gorean love slave, there are rarely enough male roleplayers who enjoy the training of slave girls to satisfy those who wish to experience this - manage your expectations.
- Further there are many lore examples of slave girls simply being punished "until they figure it out" for the rest of the male population to justifiably not engage in this type of role-play if it doesn't interest them.
- References to Earth lore, technology, food, history, etc are rarely appreciated in Gorean role-play. We do not want to talk about hamburgers, airplanes, televisions or World War II -- AND this is almost never brought into the book as dialog, so its a justified pushback.
- "Free the slaves", "women are equals" is certainly part of the mindset of Earth girls who are brought to Gor. But these points of view are not appreciated and will be actively discouraged by other Goreans. You may get something as simple as a funny look or as severe as an attack/beating/capture. Such sentiments, from female chars, out you as an Earth born girl who are considered by Goreans to be "natural slaves".
Far more respected is the new player who is trying their best to learn the fiction without forcing the educational process onto others.
Q&A
- Can my character be from earth's history?
- Mostly no, there is no time travel in the fiction, so you cannot play a gladiator of Rome brought to Gor recently. However, Goreans have access to serums which slow the aging process down significantly, so there are some on Gor who are over 500 years old. It is possible to have been born on Earth a few hundred years ago, brought to Gor and still be alive. But this backstory makes you essentially Gorean with all the expectations of knowing the lore.
- Can my character be from Nemedia, Cimmerian, Argos or any other place in the Conan world by Robert Howard?
- No, there is no time travel. Those lands are from Earth's "distant past" and Gor is set in modern day. However, you can be a descendant of one of those people who were brought to the plant of Gor over 10,000 years ago and settled in the area known as World's End.
- What is World's End again?
- In the Gorean novels, people refer to World's End as being a theoretical location(s) that are assumed to exist in the far western part of the sea, which Goreans call Thassa. In the novels, Tarl travels to some of these locations, and we have books in the later series which are set in this area, such as the lands of the Pani. However, it is still a generalize concept of these far lands. It is the ideal Gorean term to refer to the collection of maps and lands we are using for our server.
- Gor needs new blood and new players, and we are delighted with those who have joined us. They are excellent writers who are growing and learning every day. The role-play has been amazing.