CASTES

CLANS AND CASTES OF GOR

Wagon People use the word "Clans" not "Castes" but as far as I see the actual groups are not different. So the following refers to Castes for the purpose of being useful for all Gor.

Gorean society is divided into a Caste system. The High Castes being the ruling castes of Gor; the Low Castes comprising everything else(laborers). Every profession comprises its own Caste.

"I knew that Gorean caste lines, though largely following birth, were not inflexible,and that a man who did not care for his caste might be allowed to change caste, if approved by the High Council of his city, an approval usually contingent on his qualifications for the work of another caste and the willingness of the members of the new caste to accept him as a Caste Brother." Priest-Kings of Gor,71.

"The caste structure," said my father patiently, with perhaps the trace of a smile on his face, "is relatively immobile, but not frozen, and depends on more than birth. For example, if a child in his schooling shows that he can raise caste, as the expression is, he is permitted to do so. But similarly, if a child does not show the aptitude expected of his caste, whether it be, say, that of a physician or warrior, he is lowered in caste." Tarnsman of Gor, 43.

"Caste, commonly, though not invariably, is a matter of birth. One may, too, be received into a caste by investment. Normally mating takes place among caste members, but if the mating is of mixed caste, the woman may elect to retain caste, which is commonly done, or be received into the caste of the male companion. Caste membership of the children born of such a union is a function of the caste of the father. Similar considerations, in certain cities, hold of citizenship… Though there are doubtless difficulties involved with caste structure the caste situation lends an individual identity and pride, allies him with thousands of caste brothers, and provides him with various opportunities and services. Recreation on Gor is often associated with caste, and tournaments and entertainments. Similarly, most public charity on Gor is administered through caste structure. The caste system is not inflexible and there are opportunities for altering caste, but men seldom avail themselves of them; they take great pride in their castes, often comparing others' castes unfavorably to their own; a Gorean's caste, by the time he reaches adulthood, seems to have become a part of his very blood and being; the average Gorean would no more think of altering caste than the average man of Earth would of altering his citizenship, from, say, American to Russian, or French to Chinese. The caste structure, in spite of its many defects, doubtless contributes to the stability of Gorean society, a society in which the individual has a place, in which his work is respected, and in which he can plan intelligently with respect to the future." Slave Girl of Gor, 213.

"Whereas caste membership is commonly connected with the practice of an occupation, such as agriculture, or commerce, or war, there can be, of course, caste members who are not engaged in caste work and individuals who do certain forms of work who are not members of that caste commonly associated with such work. " Slave Girl of Gor, 212-213.

There are three groups of people on Gor that do not have a Caste. These groups are: Outlaws, Priest Kings, and slaves.

"There were only three statuses conceivable to the Gorean mind outside the caste system: slave, outlaw, and Priest-King." Tarnsman of Gor, 45-46.

Each Caste has to follow a set of rules know as Caste Codes, and some of these Castes can be noted by the colors of there clothing.

"To be sure, in certain cities, as had been the case in Ko-ro-ba, women were permitted status within the caste system and had a relatively unrestricted existence." Outlaw of Gor, 49-50.

"What is it, Bran Loort, that separates men from sleen and larls?" asked Thurnus.
"I do not know," said Bran Loort.
"It is the codes," said Thurnus.
"The codes are meaningless noises, taught to boys," said Bran Loort.
"The codes are the wall," said Thurnus.
"I do not understand," said Bran Loort.
"It is the codes which separate men from sleen and larls," said Thurnus. "They are the difference. They are the wall." Slave Girl of Gor, 226-227.

I sensed that the codes were to be invoked. What Bran Loort and his fellows had done exceeded the normal rights of custom, the leniencies and tacit permissions of a peasant community; commonly the codes are invisible; they exist not to control human life, but to make it possible. The rapes of Verr Tail and Radish, interestingly, had not counted as code breaches, though in neither case had explicit permission for their conquest been granted by Thurnus; such permission, in such cases, was implicit in the customs of the community; it did not constitute a "taking from" but a brief use of, an "enjoyment of," without the intent to do injury to the honor of the master; "taking from," in the sense of the code is not, strictly, theft, though theft would be "taking from." "Taking from," in the sense of the codes, implies the feature of being done against the presumed will of the master, of infringing his rights, more significantly, of offending his honor. In what Bran Loort had done, insult had been intended. The Gorean peasant, like Goreans in general, has a fierce sense of honor. Bran Loort had known exactly what he had been doing. Slave Girl of Gor, 228.

Caste Pride:
"Even men of a caste as low as that of the Tarn-Keepers were intolerably proud of their calling, for who else could raise and train those monstrous birds of prey? I supposed Zosk the Woodsman was proud in the knowledge that he with his great broad-headed ax could fell a tree in one blow, and that perhaps not even a Ubar could do as much. Even the Caste of Peasants regarded itself as the 'Ox on which the Home Stone Rests' and could seldom be encouraged to leave their narrow strips of land, which they and their fathers before them had owned and made fruitful." Outlaw of Gor, 66.

Those Without Caste
Are those that refuse to practice the Code they were born into.. making them an Outlaw. "A man who refused to practice his livelihood or strove to alter status without the consent of the Council of High Castes was, by definition, an outlaw and subject to impalement." Tarnsman of Gor, 46.

	High Castes
Caste of Initiates:	They are the supposed representatives of the Priest Kings, responsible for guiding the spiritual life of Goreans though their rituals and prayers to the Priest Kings. Their white robes, their shaven heads and faces, and their refusal to eat meat or drink alcohol recognize them. Color: White. "The tier nearest the floor, which denoted some preferential status, the white tier, was occupied by Initiates, Interpreters of the Will of Priest-Kings." Tarnsman of Gor, 61. "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, 41.
Caste of Scribes:	They are the scholars, the writers and the historians. In their scrolls are nearly all of the accounting, records keeping, and writing on Gor. They tend to be studious and serious, with an attention to detail and a passion for knowledge. They are also the geographers and cartographers, as well as attorneys. Color: Blue. "The scribes, of course, are the scholars and clerks of Gor, and their divisions and rankings within the group, from simple copiers to the savants of the city. " Tarnsman of Gor, 44. "Geographers and cartographers, of course, are members of the Scribes." Explorers of Gor, 213
Caste of Builders:	This Caste includes architects, engineers, draftsmen, stonemasons, and many others, which concern themselves with the creations of the physical and engineering marvels of Gor. Also among the Caste of Builders are the inventors and technicians who develop such works. Color: Yellow. "Many castes, incidentally, have branches and divisions. Lawyers and Scholars, for example, and Record Keepers, Teachers, Clerks, Historians and Accountants are all Scribes."
Caste of Physicians:	This is the Caste of those who concern themselves with the healing arts. Surgeons, apothecaries, medical researchers and health practitioners, are all member of this Caste. Universally recognized as non-combatants during time of war. Color: Green. "... where the stabilization serums were developed centuries ago by the Caste of Physicians in Ko-ro-ba and Ar, and transmitted to the Physicians of other cities at several of the Sardar Fairs." Assassin of Gor, 29
Caste of Warriors:	This Caste includes infantry, tharlarion cavalry, and tarnsmen. They have the strictest set of Caste Codes on Gor. Members of this Caste comprise the military branch of Gorean Government. Although not strictly fitting into the Caste system, the fiercely independent Warriors of the Wagon Peoples are generally acknowledged to be numbered among the Caste of Warriors. When a girl is born into the Warrior Caste, she does not become a Warrior, but will take a Warrior Free Companion most likely, and pass on the Codes of the Warriors to any children born to that union. Color: Scarlet. "The code of the warrior was, in general, characterized by a rudimentary chivalry, emphasizing loyalty to the pride chiefs and the home stone. It was harsh, but with a certain gallantry, a sense of honor that I could respect." Tarnsman of Gor, 41. "I was once as young and brave as you," he said, "and perhaps as foolish - yes, perhaps as foolish." The eyes of Marlenus stared over my head, into the darkness outside. "I risked my life a thousand times and gave the years of my youth to the vision of Ar and its empire, that there might be on all Gor but one language, but one commerce, but one set of codes, that the highways and passes might be safe, that the peasants might cultivate their fields in peace, that there might be but one Council to decide matters of policy, that there might be but one supreme city to unite the cylinders of a hundred severed, hostile cities - and all this you have destroyed." Marlenus looked down at me. "What can you, a simple tarnsman, know of these things?" he asked. "But I, Marlenus, though a warrior, was more than a warrior, always more than a warrior. Where others could see no more than the codes of their castes, where others could sense no call of duty beyond that of their Home Stone, I dared to dream the dream of Ar - that there might be an end to meaningless warfare, bloodshed, and terror, an end to the anxiety and peril, the retribution and cruelty that cloud our lives - I dreamed that there might arise from the ashes of the conquests of Ar a new world, a world of honor and law, of power and justice." Tarnsman of Gor, 155. "The warrior does not kill himself or aid others in the doing of it. It is not in the codes." Vagabonds of Gor, 446. "I am of the Caste of Warriors, and it is in our codes that the only death fit for a man is that in battle. . ." Priest-Kings of Gor, 14. "I had learned enough of Gor by now to know that one could not always count on the Caste Codes being observed." Tarnsman of Gor, 42.
	Low Castes
Caste of Assassins:	This Caste is comprised of those who kill strictly for pay. Their existence has long been suppressed, though they still appear occasionally. They refuse to use poison to dispatch their enemies and are required by their Caste codes to renounce all ties of friendship and family. In addition they claim no home stone.Color: Black I caught a glimpse of a black helmet through the port as a warrior, still clutching a crossbow and mounted on his tarn, hauled up on the one-strap and flew from the window. "A member of the Caste of Assassins," said the Older Tarl…Tarnsman of Gor, 59. "You will see the black banner of the Caste of Assassins." Tarnsman of Gor, 175. "Little love is lost betwixt the castes of warriors and assassins. Each deems himself the superior of, and the natural foe, of the other. The sword of the warrior, commonly, is pledged to a Home Stone, that of the assassin to gold and the knife." Beasts of Gor, 136. "And you, my friend," said I, "are clothed now in the proper habiliments of your caste." He wore now, brazenly, the black of the Assassin. Over his left shoulder, looped on a ringed strap, he wore a blade, the short sword. Beasts of Gor, 347. "Kuurus, of the Caste of Assassins, entered the great gate of Ar. Guardsmen did not detain him, for he wore on his forehead the mark of the black dagger… Not for many years had the black tunic of the Assassins been seen within the walls of Ar, not since the siege of that city in 10,110 from its founding, in the days of Marlenus, who had been Ubar; of Pa-Kur, who had been Master of the Assassins; and of the Ko-ro-ban Warrior, in the songs called Tarl of Bristol. For years the black of the Assassins had been outlawed in the city. Pa-Kur, who had been Master of the Assassins, had led a league of tributary cities to attack Imperial Ar in the time when its Home Stone had been stolen and its Ubar forced to flee. The city had fallen and Pa-Kur, though of low caste, had aspired to inherit the imperial mantle of Marlenus, had dared to lift his eyes to the throne of Empire and place about his neck the golden medallion of a Ubar, a thing forbidden to such as he in the myths of the Counter-Earth. Pa-Kur's horde had been defeated by an alliance of free cities, led by Ko-ro-ba and Thentis, under the command of Matthew Cabot of Ko-ro-ba, the father of Tarl of Bristol, and Kazrak of Port Kar, sword brother of the same Warrior. Tarl of Bristol himself on the windy height of Ar's Cylinder of Justice had defeated Pa-Kur, Master Assassins. From that time the black of the Assassins had not been seen in the streets of Glorious Ar… Yet none would stand in the way of Kuurus for he wore on his forehead, small and fine, the sign of the black dagger." Assassin of Gor, 6. "When he of the Caste of Assassins has been paid his gold and has received his charge he affixes on his forehead that sign, that he may enter whatever city he pleases, that none may interfere with his work." Assassin of Gor, 7. "The older Tarl, taking the knife by the hand guard withdrew it. It was a throwing knife, of a sort used in Ar, much smaller than the southern quiva, and tapered on only one side. It was a knife designed for killing. Mixed with the blood and fluids of the body there was a smear of white at the end of the steel, the softened residue of a glaze of kanda paste, now melted by body heat, which had coated the tip of the blade. On the hilt of the dagger, curling about it, was the legend "I have sought him. I have found him." It was a killing knife. "The Caste of Assassins?" I had asked. "Unlikely," had said the Older Tarl, "for Assassins commonly are too proud for poison." Assassin of Gor, 42. "He seemed slow. But I knew he did not come to his somber garb by any tardiness of action or hesitancy in deed. The training of the assassin is thorough and cruel. He who wears the black of that caste has not won it easily. Candidates for the caste are chosen with great care, and only one in ten, 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. Withdrawal 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 characterized 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." Beasts of Gor, 358.
Caste of Bakers:	Another very broad Caste, which consists of hundreds of sub-Castes. "At one time, I gathered from Dina, her father's shop had been the most famed of the baking shops of Turia, most of which are owned by Saphrar of Turia, whose interests range widely, though operated naturally, as Gorean custom would require, by members of the Caste of Bakers." Nomads of Gor, 237
Caste of Carver:	"He carried the table past us, which he had taken to the shop of a carver and enameler, to be inlaid with a Kaissa board." Slave Girl of Gor ch 13.
Caste of Charcoal Makers:	This Casteis in charge of production of charcoal for use in Gorean forges and ovens. Color: Black and Grey "I saw a wide, hunched figure, bending under a gigantic bundle of sticks, strapped to his back by two cords which he held twisted in his fists in front of his body. His stature and burden proclaimed him as a member of the Caste of Carriers of Wood, or Woodsmen, that Gorean caste which, with the Caste of Charcoal Makers, provides most of the common fuel for the Gorean cities." Tarnsman of Gor, 27.
Caste of Cloth Workers:	"I was the daughter of a Cloth Worker," said Melanie. Assassin of Gor, 317. "Of the two hundred remaining double tarns from the victory in the Ubar's race I gave all but one to free Melanie, who had served in the kitchens of Cernus, and arrange a livelihood for her. With the money remaining over from her purchase price, which was negligible, she, who had been of the Cloth Workers, could open a shop in Ar, purchase materials, and hire men of her caste to aid her in the work." Assassin of Gor, 399.
Caste of Leather Workers:	A sub-Caste of the Caste of Artisans. Concerned with the fabrication of various leather goods from animal hides of all types. "Once in a Paga tavern I heard a man, whom I recognized to be one of the guards from the iron pens, though now in the tunic of a Leather Worker... " Assassin of Gor, 231.
Caste of Merchants:	Those who are of this Caste are in charge of the sale and trade of merchandise for a profit. There are literally hundreds of sub-Castes of the Merchants Caste, which includes the Slavers. Caste Color: White and Gold. "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, 86. "....the real reason, apparently seldom proclaimed by anyone, was that the true power in Turia lay actually with the caste of merchants...as it does in many cities." Nomads of Gor, 83. "... the Caste of Merchants is not considered one of the five High Castes of Gor…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... Merchants also, in effect, arrange and administer the four great fairs that take place each year near the Sardar Mountains, normally 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." Nomads of Gor, 84. "At the mouth of the Laurius, where it empties into Thassa, is found the free port of Lydius, administered by the merchants, an important Gorean caste." Captive of Gor, 59.
Caste of Metal Workers:	This Caste is extends in services as blacksmith or farrier, repairing wagon wheels and shoeing Gorean draft and riding beasts. This Caste also makes the many metal locks and kolarsfound on Gor. "Send for one of the caste of metal workers!" cried Saphrar." Nomads of Gor, 101. "...most Tarn Keepers, incidentally, crop their hair short, as do most Metal Workers..." Assassin of Gor, 167.
Caste of Musicians:	This Caste is in charge of providing and performing instrumental musical works, as well as accompaniment for those of the Caste of Singers. "I wondered at this for the Caste of Musicians had been, like the Caste of Poets, exiled from Tharna. Theirs, like the Caste of Poets, had been a caste regarded by the sober masks of Tharna as not belonging in a city of serious and dedicated folk, for music, like Paga and song, can set men's hearts aflame and when men's hearts are aflame it is not easy to know where the flame may spread." Outlaw of Gor, 224. "The music of those of the caste of musicians was heady, like the wine." Captive of Gor, 324.
Caste of Peasants:	The lowest and most common of the Castes of Gor, this Caste is in charge of maintenance, planting and harvesting of the vast lands surrounding most cities, which have been divided into plots and set aside planting and harvesting of the vast lands surrounding most cities which have been divided into plots and set aside for agricultural use. These are the free farmers of Gor; although a Low Caste they refer to themselves as "the Ox on Which the Home Stone Rests" due to their vital role in the production of raw foodstuffs for Gorean society. They have rather strict Caste codes, and are considered the masters of several forms of distinctive peasant weaponry, including the quarterstaff and the Great Bow, or "Peasant Bow." Color: Brown. "Economically, the base of the Gorean life was the free peasant, which was perhaps the lowest but undoubtedlythe most fundamental caste." Tarnsman of Gor, 43. "Even the Caste of Peasants regarded itself as the 'Ox on which the Home Stone Rests' and could seldom be encouraged to leave their narrow strips of land, which they and their fathers before them had owned and made fruitful."Outlaw of Gor, 66. ".. the peasants, isolate in their narrow fields and villages, are Low Caste; indeed, the Peasant is regarded, by those of the cities, as being little more than an ignoble brute, ignorant and superstitious, venal and vicious, a grubber in the dirt, a plodding animal, an ill-tempered beast, something at best cunning and treacherous; and yet I knew that in each dirt-floored cone of straw that served as the dwelling place of a peasant and his family, there was, by the fire hole, a Home Stone; the peasants themselves, though regarded as the lowest caste on all Gor by most Goreans, call themselves proudly the ox on which the Home Stone rests, and I think their saying is true. Peasants, incidentally, are seldom, except in emergencies, utilized in the armed forces of a city; this is a further reason why their weapon, the long bow, is less known in the cities, and among warriors, than it deserves to be." Raiders of Gor, 3.
Caste of Poets:	"After all, though the Caste of Singers, or Poets, was not a high caste, it had more prestige than, for example, theCaste of Pot-Makers or Saddle-Makers, with which it was sometimes compared. On Gor, the singer, or poet, is regarded as a craftsman who makes strong sayings, much like a pot-maker makes a good pot or a saddle-maker makes a worthy saddle. He has his role to play in the social structure, celebrating battles and histories, singing of heroes and cities, but also he is expected to sing of living, and of love and joy, not merely of arms and glory; and, too, it is his function to remind the Goreans from time to time of loneliness and death, lest they should forget that they are men. In spite of some reservations the Poet, or Singer, was loved on Gor. It had not occurred to him that he owed misery and torment to his profession, and, on the whole, the Caste of Poets was thought to be a most happy band of men. 'A handful of bread for a song,' was a common Gorean invitation extended to members of the caste, and it might occur on the lips of a peasant or a Ubar, and the poet took great pride that he would sing the same song in both the hut of the peasant and the halls of the Ubar, though it won for him only a crust of bread in one place and a cap of gold in the other, gold often squandered on a beautiful woman who might leave him nothing but his songs." Outlaw of Gor, 103-104. Poets, on the whole, did not live well on Gor, but they never starved, were never forced to burn the robes of their caste. Some had even sung their way from city to city, their poverty protecting them from outlaws, and their luck from the predatory beasts of Gor." Outlaw of Gor, 104-105.

Caste of Pot Makers	"... the Caste of Pot-Makers or Saddle-Makers… is regarded as a craftsman who makes strong sayings, much like a pot-maker makes a good pot or a saddle-maker makes a worthy saddle." Outlaw of Gor, 103. "Hup's rag might once have been of the Caste of Potters, but it was difficult to tell." Assassin of Gor, 1
Caste of Rence-Growers:	A slightly higher Caste than the Caste of Peasants, this is the Caste of those who dwell in the various marshes and swamps of Gor, and who harvest Rence. They reside on great floating man-made islands amidst the marshes and are highly territorial and secretive. Known for their adoption and usage of the Peasant Bow in combat.
Caste of Saddle Makers:	They produce the saddlery, harness, and tack used to manage all of the various riding and draft beasts of Gor. "…the Caste of Pot-Makers or Saddle-Makers… is regarded as a craftsman who makes strong sayings, much like a pot-maker makes a good pot or a saddle-maker makes a worthy saddle." Outlaw of Gor, 103.
Caste of Singers:	"After all, though the Caste of Singers, or Poets, was not a high caste, it had more prestige than, for example, the Caste of Pot-Makers or Saddle-Makers, with which it was sometimes compared. On Gor, the singer, or poet, is regarded as a craftsman who makes strong sayings, much like a pot-maker makes a good pot or a saddle-maker makes a worthy saddle. He has his role to play in the social structure, celebrating battles and histories, singing of heroes and cities, but also he is expected to sing of living, and of love and joy, not merely of arms and glory; and, too, it is his function to remind the Goreans from time to time of loneliness and death, lest they should forget that they are men. In spite of some reservations the Poet, or Singer, was loved on Gor. It had not occurred to him that he owed misery and torment to his profession, and, on the whole, the Caste of Poets was thought to be a most happy band of men. 'A handful of bread for a song,' was a common Gorean invitation extended to members of the caste, and it might occur on the lips of a peasant or a Ubar, and the poet took great pride that he would sing the same song in both the hut of the peasant and the halls of the Ubar, though it won for him only a crust of bread in one place and a cap of gold in the other, gold often squandered on a beautiful woman who might leave him nothing but his songs." Outlaw of Gor, 103-104.
Caste of Slavers:	A sub-Caste of the Merchants, this Caste deals in human merchandise. Color: Blue and Yellow "The Slavers, incidentally, are of the Merchant Caste, though, in virtue of their merchandise and practices, their robes are different." Assassin of Gor, 208.

Caste of Tarn Keepers:	This Castein charge of the care the care, feeding, and training of the Gorean tarn, the fierce winged saddle-bird of Gor. "... each bird is trained, by the Caste of Tarn Keepers..." Outlaw of Gor, 24. "Mip was a chipper fellow, and a bit dapper considering his caste and his close-cropped hair, for his brown leather was shot with green streaks, and he wore a Tarn Keeper's cap with a greenish tassel; most Tarn Keepers, incidentally, crop their hair short, as do most Metal Workers; work in the tarncots and in training tarns is often hard, sweaty work." Assassin of Gor, 167.
Caste of Thieves:	This Caste, recognized in Port Kar only. Having no recognizable Caste colors, but can be indentified by a tiny, three-pronged black tattoo on their cheekbone, which is their Caste marking. "His right ear had been notched, doubtless in 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, 85. "There is even, in Port Kar, a recognized caste of Thieves, the only such I know of on Gor, which, in the lower canals and perimeters of the city, has much power, that of the threat and the knife. They are recognized by the Thief's Scar, which they wear as a caste mark, a tiny, three-pronged brand burned into the face in back of and below the eye, over the right cheekbone." Raiders of Gor, 104. The caste of thieves was important to Port Kar, and eve honored. It represented a skill which in the city was held in high repute. Indeed, so jealous of their prerogatives were the caste of thieves that they often hunted thieves who did not belong to the caste, and slew them, throwing their bodies to the urts in the canals. Indeed, there was less thievery in Port Kar than there might have been were there no caste of thieves in the city. They protected, jealously, their own territories from amateur competition. Ear notching and mutilation, common punishment on Gor for thieves, were not found in Port Kar. The caste was too powerful. On the other hand, it was regarded as permissible to slay a male thief or take a female thief slave if the culprit could be apprehended and a caste member, was to be remanded to the police of the arsenal. If found guilty in the court of the arsenal, the male thief would be sentenced, for a week to a year, to hard labor in the arsenal or on the wharves; the female thief would be sentenced to service, for a week to a year, in a straw-strewn cell in one of Port Kar's penal brothels. They are chained by the left ankle to a ring in the stone. Their food is that of a galley slave, peas, black bread and onions. If they serve well, however, their customers often bring them a bit of meat or fruit. Few thieves of Port Kar have not served time, depending on their sex, either in the arsenal or on the wharves, or in the brothels. Hunters of Gor, 304
Caste of Vintners:	This Caste the professional producers of Gorean wines. "...a fat fellow, of the Caste of Vintners, puffing and bright eyed, wearing a white tunic with a representation in green cloth of leaves about the collar and down the sleeves of the garment..." Assassin of Gor, 29.
Caste of Woodsmen:	This Caste provides common fuel for the cities of Gor. "I saw a wide, hunched figure, bending under a gigantic bundle of sticks, strapped to his back by two cords which he held twisted in his fists in front of his body. His stature and burden proclaimed him as a member of the Caste of Carriers of Wood, or Woodsmen, that Gorean caste which, with the Caste of Charcoal Makers, provides most of the common fuel for the Gorean cities." Tarnsman of Gor, 27.