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...
SERVICE ...
From the writings of terril{KLN}
Serving is what the kajira
lives for. Whether she is merely bringing her Master a glass
of water or performing the complicated online version of the Bazi
Tea ceremony, serves should always be a dance of a girl's pride
to be allowed to serve. The Gorean slave's service is described
throughout the scrolls as a silent show of submission, it is said
on may occasions that the simple posture of a girl while she serves
betrays her readiness and her acceptance of who she is.
Gor online,
in browser chat rooms has adopted many variations of serving
that stray far from the simple and quiet way a girl is expected
to serve in any Gor book one can read. Most service of food and
drink in the scrolls are not quite so elaborate as what is commonly
seen in the Chatroom.
Be aware that
different rules apply to different places, slaves should not stray
from the manner of service which they are taught unless specifically
instructed to do so.
Chatroom Gor
has dismissed many of the basic rules of service, and it is interesting
to observe that in certain homes both the full body serve and
the tasting directly from the FREE's cup is not only accepted
but indeed expected. It is quite common to see a slave chastised
for not tasting the drink before offering it.
It is the
intention of this home to keep away from onlinisms as much as
possible, and for this reason, the girls this home will be instructed
in the habitual ways of service, as it is written and described
in the Gor novels.
PLEASE
NOTE : This in no way means any girl may refuse to serve in
any other way or proceed to instruct any free person. Here, slaves
will serve in the manner in which they are taught UNLESS specifically
told otherwise. If a girl receives the comand to serve in a different
way than what is commonly expected in this home, the only acceptable
response is that she do so, quickly, and well.
Chatroom
serves dissected
In most chatrooms
serving has been divided into steps to make the learning easier
on new girls. Allow this one to dissect the steps and explain
how they may relate to the writings if at all.
Begging
to serve ... The first step
Slaves in the writings of Norman serve their Masters upon command.
Even in paga Taverns, it is usually the Master who calls to be
served and when the Master calls, the slave comes running but
it is rarely noted that a slave will speak to a Master until she
has been spoken to. In feasts and gatherings, the slaves
are perfumed and adorned in pleasure silks and sent out to serve,
but again it is the Masters who call for what they wish, or then
the Master of the house who directs them to serve. Many times
a slave who "offers" to serve a Master is considered
to be offering more than a drink ~w~ and in the course of a banquet,
many a slave will offer to serve the same Man a drink, He, accepting
it from the slave He plans to use.
"The
girl turned and withdrew, then approached again, climbing
the stairs, delicately, as though timidly, head down. Then
she leaned forward, bending her knees slightly, her body graceful,
and spoke, her voice a whisper in my ear, an invitation, "Wine,
Master?" as though offering not wine, but herself. In a large
house, with various slave girls, it is thought only an act
of courtesy on the part of a host to permit a guest the use
of one of the girls for the evening. Each of the girls considered
eligible for this service, at one time or another during the
evening, will approach the guest and offer him wine. His choice
is indicated by the one from whom he accepts wine. "
---Assassin of Gor, p 89 |
In the realm
of Gor Online slaves are usually instructed to offer to serve.
A few tips:
Avoid shouting from the furs, take the time to move to the Master's
feet and beg as is proper, that He will let you serve Him. The
Prostrate position or even a simple Nadu may be used for this.
Remember what each Master prefers so the next time you
may show your eagerness by personalizing the offer.
Stepping
back ... What it means
Since it is assumed in most chatrooms that the girl is kneeling
at the Master's feet when He commands her to serve, the custom
is to move back three steps before turning away. In fact
this is how girls are taught to withdraw at any given time although
this apparent rule of three steps rather than one or five remains
absent from the scrolls.
What IS seen
in the books of Tarl Cabot's travels through the counter-earth
is that girls when moving away from a Master, will step back before
turning. Nowhere though will the number of steps taken be mentionned
as being a symbol or a rule.
| "She
poured the diluted wine into my cup, bowed her head and
with a shy smile, backed gracefully down the stairs behind
me, then turned and hurried away."
---Assassin of Gor, p 89
"The
girl nodded and, rising gracefully, backing away a step
or two, head down, turned and went to the kitchen."
---Assassin of Gor, p 106 |
Fetch the
right vessel ... What goes where
Goblets, Tankards, Bowls, Craters, Cups, enough to make a girl
dizzy. Traditionally, wine will be served in a goblet, ale in
a tankard, blackwine in a cup, bazi tea in three small cups, and
Paga in whatever is handy. In the North, mead is served in horns,
and in most places, warmed wine will be served in a footed bowl
or crater. Please use the World of Gor Drinks
or Food
reference pages for information on the various drinks or foods
found on Gor.
Cleaning
and sometimes checking for nicks and flaws ... A personal
touch
More of an opportunity to attract the eye...this part of the ritual
has been heavily played up in chat, there truly is no Scroll base
for the girl having to check a cup for flaws each time she serves
and certainly there is no book reference to a slave using this
as an opportunity to masturbate with the vessel. Do remember
that while making this attractive and sensuous is surely a plus,
you are above all a Gorean woman....graceful and vital...and beautiful
to look upon.
Masters have
their preferences and each will of course instruct His own on
what those are by letting them know what pleases them most, do
not assume that your it is His wish to drink from a goblet that
has been rubbed all over your genitals unless this is One you
have served before and who's preference you know.
LOOK! a
chipped bowl!
well, terril simply was unable to resist that one ~winks~
"She,
holding the bowl with two hands, pressed it back against her
belly, low, below the navel. I looked at the edge of the bowl,
containing the wine, pressed back, into her flesh. Then she
lifted the bowl before her and, gently, turning her head,
placing her lips softly upon it, kissed it. She then, with
two hands, head down, proffered to me the chipped,
shallow bowl."
--- Fighting Slave of Gor p 98 |
Retrieving
the offering ... Knowing your surroundings
To know whether the requested drink is in a bota, a bottle or
a pitcher....a girl must be familiar with the ways of the place
she is serving. She also needs to make the images move...is
she crossing camp to the place of serve? Is it a sand ground or
the tiled floor of a Hall in a City? Are there counters,
doors, steps, tables, shelves? Learn your surroundings
and make the best of them in the way you describe your actions.
Remember that
your words are all He has to see you by.
"There
were several yards of sausages hung on hooks, numerous canisters
of flour, sugars, and salts; many smaller containers of spices
and condiments. Two large wine jugs stood in one corner of
the room. There were many closed pantries lining the
walls, and a number of pumps and tubs on one side. Some boxes
and baskets of hard fruit were stored there. I could see the
bread ovens in one wall, the long fire pit over which could
be put cooking racks, the mountings for spits and kettle hooks;
the fire pit was mostly black now, but here and there I could
see a few broken sticks of glowing charcoal, aside from this,
the light in the room came from one small thalarion oil lamp
hanging from the ceiling..."
---Assassin of Gor, pp 271-272 |
Pouring
and preparing ... What and where ?
Is this particular offering to be prepared then brought or is
it customarily served at Master's feet? Does it need warming,
is anything to be added and if so what when and how?
A girl would
do well to remember that asking a sister is always preferred to
the frown of a displeased Master.
Some chatrooms
have made this part into quite an event by adopting the use of
fullbody serves as well as a few customs created for the purpose
of online Gor. For example, the slaves are taught to remove
corks with their teeth and quite frequently will this turn into
a very suggestive oral skill display. In fact this is most confusing
for any who have read Norman's writings since this puts the slave's
mouth in direct contact with the drink, something that is very
clearly unGorean but perhaps an interesting twist that is found
pleasing to those who have dismissed that rule.
Slaves
of this home will not take the liberty of placing their lips on
their Masters cups, bottles etc unless specifically told to do
so. There is no need to offer to do this as it is not the norm,
simply, once again remember that you will comply with comands,
quickly, and well.
The common
chatroom serve is then continued by the slave's act of pouring
the drink over herself and letting it follow a trail at the end
of which she has conveniently placed the vessel she will present
to her Master. This also may be discussed at length in term
of its validity as a Gorean custom, terril has yet to find a slave
in the scrolls who 'drips' of "honey" into her Master's
drink but the fact is that it has become widespread enough that
many girls and Masters believe it to be the way of serve as written.
Perhaps it
is enough to say that slaves do not make the rules... ~gentle
smile~ do as you were taught unless told otherwise.
A slave does
however need to keep in mind that it makes little sense to pour
scalding Kal-da or blackwine over her nipples without so much
as blinking, unless the person you are serving has no idea what
blackwine is, you should not be surprise if after doing such you
are sent back to study the basics of Gorean drinks.
Offering
... Contradiction or Practicality ?
Once a girl has prepared the offering, the most frequently observed
serve in the scrolls, if the Master was not holding the vessel
out to the slave Himself, is that she will kneel and present the
drink to Him.
As always,
kneeling is never just kneeling to a kajira, she will nadu in
the fashion of pleasure slaves or in Tower according to her training
level, her head is kept low and frequently the author notes that
her hair falls over her Master's feet as she waits for Him to
take what she offers. If the Master sits before the usual
low Gorean table, the food will be laid out on this table rather
than handed to the Master.
In some chatrooms,
offering has taken many different turns and twists as it commonly
involves two added steps;
-
First
the slaves are told they should press the vessel to their
bodies and trail it slowly upward till it rests over their
heart for the count of the three heartbeats that represent
love, honor and devotion to her Master.
-
Second,
the slave tasting/testing the drink and food before offering
it (supposedly testing for poison).
If this ritual
of counting heartbeats, symbolism at hand and all, is widely fed
to new girls on Gor as being "the ways of Gor" it remains
unfindable in the writings of Norman. What is however clearly
stated, is that the girl presses the filled cup to her belly
beofre she offers it.
"Slowly,
alone, a paga slave, naked and collared, she approached my
table. She then knelt there, before me. Press the cup to
your belly, I told her. She did so. She then held it there,
in both hands. Paga, Master?' she whispered."
---Explorers of Gor, p 172 |
a slave
should not taste the offering unless specifically told to
do so and then she will pour a small quantity to a separate cup
or lift the bottle or vessel high over her mouth and pour without
letting her lips touch the rim. This is in keeping with
the fact that a slave is forbidden to bring her lips to anything
that will be brought to Master's lips. The other interesting issue
on the chat practice of "tasting", is that it falls
in direct contradiction with the fact that slaves may not drink
before their Masters.
"Why
do you not drink? I asked her. A girl does not drink before
her master, she said. I see that you are not totally stupid,
I said. Thank you, Master, she said.
---Guardsman of Gor, p 296 |
If the Master
you are serving chooses to dismiss this rule, but remember THEN
AND ONLY THEN, you can simply move the cup to your lips and drink
from it. You 'may' then be expected to wait until any poisonous
effect is considered absent. Note that although our stock
is most not certainly poisonous, if you are told to do this by
a visitor, you will do it. DO NOT start explaining or arguing.
If anyone in this home wants to be offended by the implication,
it most certainly will not be a slave.
The only quote
of a girl actually said to be "tasting the drink first"
is found in Assassin of Gor, where Tarl requests two bowls of
blackwine from the kitchen girl, cleverly stating Vella will taste
the drink first as an excuse to obtain a bowl of blackwine for
her. Nowhere though does Tarl mention this to be a custom or give
a reason for it, and of course the slave would know better than
to ask ~w~ , nor does this result in the girl actually drinking
from the same vessel.
"Bring
two bowls," I said. "Two?" asked the girl. "The slave," I
said, indicating Elizabeth, "will taste it first." "Of course,
Master," said the girl."
---Assassin of Gor, p 106 |
You may also
see slaves kiss the rim of the goblet or cup before they finally
offer it and again this would depend on whether or not the particular
place you are in allows the slave's lips to come anywhere near
her Master's drink. The custom however of turning the cup when
one offers it so that the "kissed" side is facing Master...
is a direct contradiction to the rules of serving as written on
Gor. It is in fact the cup "side" that a slave is expected
to kiss, and always... on the side opposite that which her Master's
lips will drink from.
| "When
I had served him wine he gave me, too, to drink of the cup.
This was, in its way, a great honor, and a token of his
recognition as to how I stood to him. I still, of course,
did not dare to drink from the same edge of the cup as he,
the Master."
---Slave Girl of Gor, p 442
"One
of the men lifted his cup and I hurried to him. I took the
cup and filled it...then I pressed my lips to his cup as
I must, as a slave girl, and handed it to him."
---Slave Girl of Gor, p 89
"...in
his hand Drusus Rencius held the goblet of wine. I had even
been permitted to drink from it, from the side opposite
to that which had touched his lips."
---Kajira of Gor, p 435
"This
is to be contrasted with the common wine service in which
the girl kneels, knees wide, before the man, kisses the
cup, if permitted, and then, head down, humbly, arms
extended, submissively, proffers it to him."
---Kajira of Gor, p 299
"I
fetched him the goblet from a small. low table near the
couch and in a moment, after kissing the goblet, head down,
kneeling, arms extended, proffered it to him."
---Kajira of Gor, p 397 |
Another practice
of online Gor is to verbally present the offering.
This also
may seem strange to the Norman reader as it is unusual for the
slave to speak unless told to. It is however common in Paga
Taverns for instance... for the slave to "present" the
drink to the Master she serves. For the purpose of chat, it does
have the advantage of announcing to the Master that the girl's
serve is complete.
The usual
expected formula is for the slave to finish the serve by stating
what she offers and expressing her hopes that her service was
found pleasing. The following quotes have the advantage of demonstrating
the complete serve in one single quote, a rarity in the scrolls.
| "Did
they not teach you how to serve paga as a paga slave? I
asked. Of course, she said. Show me, I said. Very well,
she said. She drew back, taking the bottle and cup.
In
most taverns no bottle is brought to the table but the paga
is brought to the table, by the paga slave, a cup at a time,
the cups normally being filled from a vat behind the counter.
She
filled the cup there, before me, and left it behind. She
returned the bottle then to the table and went back again
for the cup. She lifted in both hands.
Put
it down, I said. She did so, looking at me puzzled.
You
are garbed strangely for a paga slave, I said, indicating
the clogs, black slacks, and the black buttoned top. Do
you wish me to put on pleasure silk? she asked, icily. No,
I said. She tossed her head. In many Gorean taverns, I said,
the paga slaves served naked. Yes, she said...
Paga,
Master? she asked, kneeling before me, the metal cup held
before her, in her two hands. Yes, I said. She drew back
the cup to me. She knelt back on her heels, her knees wide,
and extended her arms to me, the cup in hands.
Did
you not neglect to kiss it? I asked her. She drew back the
cup and, pressing her lips to it kissed it. Is that how
a slave kisses the cup of a master? I asked. She again turned
her head to the side and pressed her lips softly, lingeringly,
against it. Then she kissed it. I saw a tremor course through
her body.
Then
again, kneeling back on her heels, her knees wide, extending
her arms to me, the cup in her hands, she proffered me the
drink...
Your
head should be down between your arms, I said. She put her
head down. Again I saw a small movement in her body, a tremor,
subtle. She had put her head down before a man.
Another consequence of this position is that the girl's
eyes, in the specific act of her serving, do not meet those
of the master. They are lowered before his as one who submits.
This is also reminiscent, in an experienced girl, of training.
Often, in training, a girl is not permitted to look into
the eyes of the trainer, unless he should specifically extend
this permission. Indeed, in some cities, the girl in training
may not raise her eyes above the trainer's belt, unless,
again, specifically accorded this permission...
Speak,
I said to her. Your paga, Master, she said. But I did not
take the paga.
Do
you know other phrases? I asked. There were many, actually,
and then tended to vary from tavern to tavern, and from
city to city.
There
was really no standardization in such matters. She trembled,
head down, proffering me the paga. Your girl brings you
drink, Master, she said. Any others? I asked. Here is your
drink Master, she said. I beg to serve you further in any
way I may. Another, I said. Do not forget I come with the
price of the cup, she said. Use me as you will, Master."
---Explorers of Gor, pp 158-161 |
quotes compiled
and shortened by Master _Marcus_ of the Silk and Steel Tavern
Now what?
... Waiting
When a girl has completed the serve, she usually settles back
to nadu or tower to one side slightly behind her Master so as
not to be a nuisance. If she is serving at a feast or banquet,
she will simply run from call to call, filling goblets and cups.
This is what you will find if you pick up one of the 26 Chronicles
of Counter Earth.
For the purpose
of chat however, the slaves are trained to resume position and
wait an acceptable period of time before she respectfully asks
if she may be of further use. In a busy home, there may
be others waiting to be served and even calling to the girl for
a drink. She will not however leave her place at the Master's
feet until dismissed
As usual,
when dismissed, the girl will retire in the fashion explained
earlier by taking three steps back before turning her back to
the Master. She may also take this opportunity to place
a kiss to her Master's feet in gratitude before retiring.
And of course...
there is always the Master who forgets He is being served, becomes
involved in a conversation with another and doesn't notice the
girl is presenting Him with His drink or has simply been the victim
of server mischief and vanished.
If you note
the Master is still talking then you will simply hold position
and wait.
Remember that
you are the slave not He.
You will not
whine or make comments about being ignored...you will not expect
the world to stop because you are serving... if it bothers
you that you work so hard at serving and it seems to go unnoticed,
you may want to invest the 2 dollars most second hand book stores
charge for a copy of any of the 26 scrolls and read a little on
the place of slaves on Gor. Sure most Masters will actually
pay attention but it is in no way to be an expectation or a girl
will soon be an unhappy kajira.
If it becomes
evident that the Master is no longer in the room, allow sufficient
time for Him to reboot, reload and return. If He does not
then the best thing to do is ask another Master if you should
wait longer or if you may leave the drink there for the Master
when He returns.
Added notes ...
Just a few things to think on
What are sweetrocks?
terril noticed very quickly when she first came to Kassar, that
a lot of the girls were adding something called sweetrocks to
blackwine and so naturally she went running to her books to find
these rocks only to realize there is no such thing. Sugar
in Gor is as free flowing as it is on earth and if the sugar in
your camp is in rocks... maybe you need a better container for
it ~soft laugh~
Salt in coffee?
Considering the amount of salt many slaves have taken a habit
of adding to their Master's blackwine, it is amazing that Goreans
don't suffer from heart disease ~giggles~ . The use of
red sugar seems to have spread rapidly, probably because it seemed
so much more original than adding boring white sugar. In
fact, sugar in Gor is found in two colors according to the scrolls,
white and yellow. What is explained as red powder is in
fact one of the types of colored salts from the various mines
located mostly in the Tahari desert. So next time you prepare
a cup of blackwine and are tempted to be colorful, ask yourself
if Master will enjoy salt in His coffee.
"Most
salt at Klima is white, but certain of the mines deliver red
salt, red from the ferrous oxide in its composition, which
is called the Red Salt of Kasra, after its port of embarkation,
at the juncture of the Upper and Lower Fayeen."
---Tribesmen of Gor, p 238 |
Ice or no ice ?
There seems to be much argument on the possibility of finding
ice anywhere in Gor other than Torvalsdland. Perhaps terril
can shed some light ~gentle smile~
"My
house, incidentally, like most Gorean houses, had no ice chest.
There is little cold storage on Gor. Generally food is preserved
by being dried or salted. Some cold storage, of course, does
exist. Ice is cut from ponds in the winter, and then stored
in ice houses, under sawdust. One may go to the ice houses
for it, or have it delivered in ice wagons. Most Goreans,
of course, cannot afford the luxury of ice in the summer."
---Guardsman of Gor, p 295 |
What of slaves using knives...
Another misinterpretation of the rule that says a slave may never
lay hand on a weapon, has given birth to the concept of "cutting
shells" used in most chatrooms now. Norman understood
the difference between the necessities of cooking and the deliberate
use of weapons. In his writings, slaves in the kitchen and
while serving used the ulo, a kitchen knife.
It is important to remember
that the Gorean Man is not as stupid as some would want it to
seem. The use of knives by slaves in the daily rituals of their
service is not seen as 'drawing a weapon', in fact, it is not
the knife that is forbidden, or the blade... but the intent to
use anything... weapon or not, as a tool to purposely injure a
Free person. Of course a girl needs to find out what is rule in
her place of serve and apply herself to following the ways of
home.
| "The
ulo, or woman's knife, with its semicircular blade, customarily
fixed to a wooden handle, is not well suited to carving.
It is better at cutting meat and slicing sinew."
---Beasts of Gor, p 262
"She
knelt beside the platform. Beside her, on the floor, rested
a laver of polished bronze, filled with water, a towel and
straight-bladed Gorean shaving knife. I rubbed my chin.
She had shaved me as I slept. I shivered, thinking of the
blade and my throat. `Your touch is light,' I said. She
bowed her head... She then gathered up the shaving knife,
the towels I had used, and the bowl and went to one side
of the room. She rinsed the bowl again and set it against
the wall to drain dry. She then rinsed and dried the shaving
knife and put it in one of the chests."
---Priest Kings of Gor, p 34
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