| The first step begins...
Across the Ihanke, Passing the Yellow Wands that Mark the Territory of the Red Savages. "No more then two kaiila are to be brought by any single white man into the Barrens. Too, no party of white men in the Barrens is permitted to bring in more than ten kaiila." "It is here," said Grunt, turning about on his kaiila. "See the wands?" "Yes," I said. We were now some two pasangs east of Kailiauk. "Here is one," said Grunt, "and there is another, and another." "I see," I said, shading my eyes. |
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| The Barrens |
| "I considered the Barrens. They are not, truly, as barren as the name would suggest. They are barren only in contrast, say, with the northern forests or the lush land in river valleys, or the peasant fields or meadows of the southern rain belts. They are, in fact, substantially, vast tracts of rolling grasslands, lying east of the Thentis Mountains. I have suspected that they are spoken of as the Barrens not so much in an attempt to appraise them with geographical accuracy as to discourage their penetration, exploration and settlement. The name, then, is perhaps not best regarded as an item of purely scientific nomenclature but rather as something else, perhaps a warning. Also, calling the area the Barrens gives men a good excuse, if they should desire such, for not entering upon them. To be sure, the expression 'Barrens' is not altogether a misnomer. They would be, on the whole, much less arable than much of the other land of known Gor. Their climate is significantly influenced by the Thentis Mountains and the absence of large bodies of water. Prevailing winds in the northern hemisphere of Gor are from the north and West. Accordingly a significant percentage of moisture-laden air borne by westerly winds is forced by the Thentis Mountains to cooler, less-heated air strata, where it precipitates, substantially on the eastern slopes of the mountains and the fringes of the Barrens. Similarly the absence of large bodies of water in the Barrens reduces rainfall which might be connected with large-scale evaporation and subsequent precipitation of this moisture over land areas, the moisture being carried inland on what are, in effect, sea breezes, flowing into low pressure areas caused by the warmer land surfaces, a given amount of radiant energy raising the temperature of soil or rock significantly more than it would raise the temperature of an equivalent extent of water. The absence of large bodies of water adjacent to or within the Barrens also has another significant effect on their climate. It precludes the Barrens from experiencing the moderating effects of such bodies of water on atmospheric temperatures. Areas in the vicinity of large bodies of water, because of the differential heating ratios of land and water usually have warmer winters and cooler summers than areas, which are not so situated. The Barrens, accordingly, tend to be afflicted with great extremes of temperature, often experiencing bitterly cold winters and long, hot, dry summers."
Savages of Gor, Chapter 2 "Tornadoes and booming, crashing thunder can characterize the Barrens. In the winter there can be blizzards, probably the worst on Gor, in which snows can drift as high as the mast of the light galley. The summers can be characterized by a searing sun and seemingly interminable droughts. It is common for many of the shallow, meandering rivers of the area to run dry in the summer. Rapid temperature shifts are not unusual. A pond may unexpectedly freeze in En'Kara late in Se'Var, a foot or two of snow may be melted in a matter of hours. Sudden storms, too, are not unprecedented. Sometimes as much as twelve inches of rain, borne by a southern wind, can be deposited in less than an hour. To be sure, this rain usually runs off rapidly, cutting crevices and gullies in the land. A dry river bed may, in a matter of minutes, become a raging torrent. Hail storms, too, are not infrequent. Occasionally the chunks of ice are larger than the eggs of vulos. Many times such storms have destroyed flights of migrating birds." Savages of Gor, Chapter 2 "It is difficult to convey the majesty of a Gorean night in the Barrens, because of the vastness of the sky and the depth of the blackness, and the contrasting brightness of the stars. The large extents of wilderness on the surface of Gor and the absence of large-scale artificial illuminations, of course, permit starlit nights, almost anywhere, to manifest themselves with a splendor that would be almost breath-taking to one accustomed to the drab, half-gray, polluted, semi -illuminated, dim, nocturnal atmospheres of Earth. In the Barrens, however, and in places such as the Tahari, probably because of the relative levelness of the terrain, horizon-to-horizon, these effects seem even more accentuated, even more stupendous, more spectacular, more unbelievable and astounding." Savages of Gor, Chapter 13 |
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| Camps |
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| "The Kaiila will usually camp near water but in the open, a pasang or so from timber. They seem unusually cognizant of the possibilities of ambush."
Blood Brothers of Gor, page 50 "The entire encampment of red savages, of course, may be swiftly moved. In less than twenty Ehn an entire camp can be struck packed and gone. This is a function of course, of the lodges involved. One woman working alone can put up one in fifteen Ehn and strike it in three." Blood Brothers of Gor, page 55 "Too consider the deployment of archer in the corridors of aerial attack to protect your riders. Sharpened stakes can discourage talon attacks. Ropes stretched between lodges can interfere with low flight attacks and impede attempted landings. Cloths and covers even separated can provide protective concealment's, some serving to hid what is actually beneath them, particularly from high altitudes, others serving as patterns destructive to archers, patterns which make it difficult to target the objects they shelter, both with respect to their movements and locations." Blood Brothers of Gor, page 230 "A camp, at night, incidentally, is usually quite a noisy place. It would not form, for example, an ideal refuge for scholarship. The stereotype of the taciturn red savage is one based, usually, on encountering him in guarded situations, where he is uneasy, perhaps meeting strangers, or is, say, being careful, perhaps being involved in trading. In his villages he is outspoken, good-humored and animate. He likes wagers, practical jokes and telling stories. He is probably one of the worlds greatest visitors and too, one of the world's greatest hosts, one of his great pleasures in life being the giving of gifts and the feasting of friends." Blood Brothers of Gor, page 51 "They sheathed their knives and resumed their stance, arms folded before the threshold of the great lodge. Its poles were 50 feet in height and it was covered withmore than a hundred skins." Blood Brothers of Gor, page 196 "I looked about the lodge. It was not untypical. The lodge poles were about twenty-five feet high. They were of temwood which dries evenly and is long-lasting. The bark is removed from the poles and they are trimmed to an even thickness for most of their length. They are usually about twelve inches around. The top yard or so of their length is tapered, to facilitate their clustering, and being tied in position. In setting up the lodge three or four poles are tied together and raised to a standing position, rather resembling, a tripod. The other poles, appropriately spaced, are laid against these. A long rawhide rope, then from the ground, wound about several times, fastens the primarily and secondary poles together. The end of this rope hangs near the lodge entrance where it may, on a moment's notice, be conveniently utilized. The cover of the lodge consists of several kailiauk hides sewn together. Depending on the size of the lodge and the size of the hides available, a lodge will usually require in the neighborhood of nineteen or twenty hides. Two long poles lighter than the lodge poles, are tied to the cover. By means of these lighter poles the cover is put in its place. The two poles hang near the lodge entrance. They are used not only to lift the cover into place, to adjust it, and remove it, but also in the regulation of the flaps at the apex of the lodge, altering or adjusting the smoke hole, in effect, dependent on temperature and wind conditions. Pegs or tent-pins fasten the cover down. In the winter a hide liner may be placed inside of the lodge. This will usually have a height of about five feet inside the lodge. A wall of brush, as a snow fence, in effect, may also be used. In the summer the walls of the lodge, as I have mentioned, may be rolled up, transforming it, in effect, into a sun canopy." Blood Brothers of Gor, page 49-50 "The outsides of the lodge may be painted, as the occupant pleases. Hunting and war exploits are common themes. The lodge, thus, is a very personal dwelling." Blood Brothers of Gor, page 50 |
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| Tribes of the Red Savages |
| The following is a list of the tribes of the Red Savages, with a brief description.
All Comrades: A warrior society of the Kaiila tribe of Red Savages; aka the Fighting Hearts a.Isbu Band: a sub-group of the All Comrades. Blue-Sky Riders: A warrior society of the Fleer tribe of Red Savages. Casmu Band: A sub-group of the Yellow-Kaiila Riders. Dust Legs: A tribe of Red Savages which inhabits the Barrens; so called because they were the last tribe to domesticate kaiila. Fighting Hearts: (See All Comrades) Fleer : A tribe of Red Savages which inhabits the Barrens. Kaiila : A tribe of Red Savages which inhabits the Barrens; their language is related to that of the Dust Legs. Kailiauk: A tribe of Red Savages which inhabits the Barrens; their language is a dialect of Kaiila. Red Savages: The peoples to inhabit the plains area (also known as the Barrens) of Gor; in appearance and culture, they are similar to the American Indians of Earth. Sleen: A tribe of Red Savages which inhabits the Barrens. Sun Lances: A warrior society of the Sleen tribe of Red Savages. Urt Soldiers: A warrior society of the Yellow Knife tribe of Red Savages. Yellow-Kaiila Riders: A warrior society of the Kaiila tribe of Red Savages. Yellow Knives: A tribe of Red Savages which inhabits the Barrens. |
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