Merchant Caste

I want to drop some reference info here for use by everyone; we can modify it as we need to but I think it gives a good overview.

My thanks to muse/kate who did the search and gathering for me.

Established trade routes

Palisaded compounds established along trade routes by merchants
The Merchants have, in the past few years, on certain trade routes, between Ar and Ko-ro-ba, and between Tor and Ar, established palisaded compounds, defensible stockades. These, where they exist, tend to be placed approximately a days caravan march apart. Sometimes, of course, and indeed, most often, the caravan must camp in the open. Still, these hostels, where they are to be found, are welcome, both to common merchants and to slavers, and even to travelers.
Captive

Normal goods, exports of bar iron, and such, do not move in the city in such numbers. It is true, of course, that sometimes wagons would congregate at meeting places near gates, the wagons, say, of various manufacturers and merchants, and then travel on the roads in convoys, as a protection against brigandage, but in such a case the wagons, having different points of origin, would not form their convoy until in the vicinity of the gates, and, indeed, sometimes outside them, in order to avoid blocking streets. But the formation of such convoys, too, are usually advertised on the public boards, this information being of interest to various folks, say, merchants who might wish to ship goods, teamsters, guards, and such, who might wish employment, and folks wishing to book passage. Sometimes, incidentally, rich merchants can manage a convoy by themselves, but even so they will usually accommodate the wagons of others in their convoys. There is commonly safety in numbers and the greater the numbers usually the greater the safety. A fee is usually charged for entering wagons in a convoy, this primarily being applied to defray the costs of guards. Too, in some cases, it may be applied to tolls, drinking water, provender for animals, and such. Some entrepreneurs make their living by the organization, management and supply of convoys.
Magicians

Commercial Shipping on Gor

Most commercial voyages, needless to say, are carried out in deeper-keeled, broader-beamed ships, the famed round ships of Thassa. The representative of the Merchants, to whom I reported my business, and to whom I paid wharfage, asked no questions.
Hunters

Merchants of cities maintain stores of staple goods

Stores of wood, grain, salt, stone, and tharlarion oil mentioned in Port Kar
The council met late that night, and much business was conducted. Even before dawn walls were being reaised about the holdings of Henrius Sevarius, and his wharves were being blockaded with ships of the arsenal, while large watches were being maintained on the holdings of the other four Ubars. Several committees were formed, usually headed by scribes but reporting to the council, to undertake various studies pertaining to the city, particularly of a military and commercial nature. One of these studies was to be a census of ships and captains, the results of which were to be private to the council. Other studies, the results of which would be kept similarly private to the council, dealt with the city defenses, and her stores of wood, grain, salt, stone and tharlarion oil.
Raiders

Iron ingots in bulk

Several wagons of iron ingots transported by the iron merchant on his trade route
You know Zarto, the iron merchant? "No," I said. "He lost his wagons of ingots," said the man. "Beside him, masked is Horemius. Eight stone of perfumes were taken from him.
Rogue

Salt in bulk

Canisters of salt transported on kaiila, 400 - 640 pounds per animal
We went to the man. "This is Ibn Saran, salt merchant of the river port of Kasra," said Samos. The red salt of Kasra, so called from its port of embarcation, was famed on Gor. It was brought from secret pits and mines, actually, deep in the interior, bound in heavy cylinders on the backs of pack kaiila. Each cylinder, roped to others, weighed in the neighborhood of ten stone, or some forty pounds, a Gorean "Weight." A strong kaiila could carry sixteen such cylinders, but the normal load was ten. Even numbers are carried, of course, that the load is balanced. A poorly loaded kaiila can carry far less weight than one on whom the burden is intelligently distributed.
Tribesmen

Rence paper in bulk

Rence paper in rolls of 20 sheets, sold in bulk to rence merchants to be distributed through gor
Rence paper comes in various grades, about eight in all. The rence growers market their product either at the eastern or western end of the delta. Sometimes rence merchants, on narrow marsh craft rowed by slaves, enter some pasangs into the delta to negotiate the transactions, usually from the western edge, that bordering the Tamber Gulf.
Raiders

Rence paper is made by slicing the stem into thin, narrow strips; those near the center of the plant are particularyly favored; one layer of strips is placed longitudinally, and then a shorter layer is placed latitudinally across the first layer; these two surfaces are then soaked under water, which releases a gluelike substance from the fibers, melding the two surfaces into a single, rectangular sheet; these formed sheets are then hammered and dried in the sun; roughness in removed by polishing, usually with a smooth shell or a bit of kailiauk horn; the side of a tharlarion tooth may also be used in this work. The paper is then attached, sheet to sheet, to form rolls, usually about twenty sheets to a roll. The best paper is on the outside of the roll, always, not to practice deceit in the quality of the roll but rather to have the most durable paper on the outside, which will take the most weathering, handling and genteral wear. Rence paper comes in various grades, about eight in all. The rence growers market their product either at the eastern or western end of the delta. Sometimes rence merchants, on narrow marsh craft rowed by slaves, enter some pasangs into the delta to negotiate the transactions, usually from the western edge, that bordering the Tamber Gulf. Rence paper is, incidentally, not the only type of writing material used on Gor. A milled linen paper is much used, large quantities of which are produced in Ar, and vellum and parchment, prepared in many cities, are also popular.
Raiders

Linen paper in bulk

large quantities of linen paper produced in Ar, distributed through gor
A milled linen paper is much used, large quantities of which are produced in Ar, and vellum and parchment, prepared in many cities, are also popular.
Raiders

Cloth in bulk

Too, there were cloth merchants, with their silks and rolls of rep cloth.
Tribesmen

Rep fiber in bulk

SEE ALSO Rep plants, fiber, cloth

"Stop him!" cried a portly fellow, stumbling, puffing, trying to pursue the running man. I watched, a bale of rep fiber on my shoulder, near the rep wharf.
As the running man approached me, I lowered the bale of rep fiber and as he came within feet of me, suddenly slid it before him. He struck the bale and stumbled over it, rolling on the boards.
Rogue

Cocoa beans in bulk

Beans are brought in bulk by merchants to Cos, distributed in smaller quantities there in Cos, as well as Corcyrus and presumably other places
"Do the trees grow near here?" I asked. "No, Mistress," she said. "We obtain the beans, from which the chocolate is made, from Cosian merchants, who, in turn, obtain them in the tropics."
Kajira

Sa tarna in bulk

SEE ALSO Sa-Tarna grain

The docks of Port Kar have a quay devoted to the bulk importing of sa tarna
"The Council of Captains must meet in two days," said Samos. "It is proposed that the Sa-Tarna quay in the south harbor be extended. What division of this will be borne by public expense remains moot. Too, if this license be granted, an exploitable precedent may be set. Already there is talk among the merchants in rep-cloth and the lumber and stone merchants."
Savages

.....and over a hundred ships in the "grain fleet"
We then turned our attention to matters of greater importance, the need for more covered docks in the arsenal, beneath which additional galleys could be caulked for the grain fleet, else how could a hundred vessels be ready for the voyage north to the grain fields before the sixth passage hand?
Raiders

Spices in bulk

Port Kar also has a pier devoted to the bulk importing of spices
“I myself,” said a nearby guardsman, “stopped a girl answering the description, one in the torn rag of a she-urt, but when I forced her to reveal her thighs, she was unmarked.”
“Where did you find such a girl?” I asked.
“Near the Spice Pier;” he said.
Explorers

Spices shipped in crates
"You certify to me," said I to the slave master, "that this man is neither clumsy nor stupid, nor drunk, nor an instructor in combat intent upon increasing the confidence of his pupils."
"It is so certified," he smiled. "He is used in cleaning the pens. He is a drover who falsified the quality-markings on spice crates."
Tribesmen

Kegs of Sugar

A few feet to the left of the kaiila there was a keg of sugar, which had been split open. A trail of sugar, some four inches wide, some three or four yards long, drained through the split lid, had been run out behind it.
Savages

Fur in bulk

The hold of a ship filled with fur for trade
My business was to go to Laura, and there bargain for a hold of sleen fur, which might be taken south for much profit. Some eight to ten bales of sleen fur, highly prized, is a plausible cargo for a light galley.
Hunters

Crates of Sandals

Slaves are goods. Thus, whether they are protected, or defended, or not, depends on the decisions of free persons, like the defense or protection of other goods, whatever they might be, for example, sacks of gold, crates of sandals, tethered tharlarion, caged vulos, and strings of fish.
Mercenaries

Granite

Sleds of granite blocks from quarries
We, and the wagons, passed between wooden sleds, with leather runners, on which there were squared blocks of granite, from the quarries west of Laura; and between bales of sleen fur and panther hides, from the forests beyond.
Captive

Merchant monopolies on tharlarion oil

He had then collapsed weeping on the pillar of sacrifice, for it was well known that he had been a beloved friend of the Administrator. It was from this time that Kazrak might clearly have been said, particularly among the lower castes, to have lost the confidence of the city. He was further in danger by virtue of his controlling measures restricting certain monopolies important to certain factions among the Merchants, in particular those having to do with the manufacture of bricks, and the distribution of salt and tharlarion oil.
Assassin

Bulk goods

Stacks of lumber, sleds of stone, great barrels of salt
We passed great piles of rough goods, which, later, would be loaded on barges, for transport upriver to Laura, tools, metals, woolens. We passed, too, through goods which had been brought downriver from Laura, and would pass through Lydius, bales of sleen fur, and bundles of panther hides and tabuk pelts. There would be better prices on sleen fur, of course, in Laura itself. Too, from Laura, much in evidence, were great barrels of salt, stacks of lumber, and sleds of stones, on wooden runners, from the quarries to her east.
Hunters

Merchant warehouses

Warehouses of gems, silks, wines, perfumes, spices
We continued along the docks of Lydius, satisfying our curiosity as to the port.
We passed some fortified warehouse, in which space is available to merchants. In such places, there would be gems, and gold, silks, and wines and perfumes, jewelries and spices, richer goods not to be left exposed on the docks.
Hunters

Warehouses for thousands of caravan merchants in Tor
Tor was, as Gorean cities went, rich, trading city. It was headquarters for thousands of caravan merchants. In it, too, were housed many craftsmen, practicing their industries, carvers, varnishers, table makers, gem cutters, jewelers, carders, dyers of cloth, weavers of rugs, tanners, makers of slippers, toolers of leather, potters, glaziers, makers of cups and kettles, weapon smiths, and many others. Much of the city, of course, was organized to support the caravan trade. There were many walled, guarded warehouses, requiring their staffs of scribes and guards, and, in hundreds of hovels, lived kaiila tenders, drovers, and such, who would, at the caravan tables, when their moneys had been exhausted, apply, if accepted, making their mark on the roster, once more for a post with some new caravan. Guards for these caravans, incidentally, were usually known by, and retained by, caravan merchants between caravans.
Tribesmen

SEE ALSO Bulk Trade Goods on Gor

Chart of Exports based on quotes below
ITEM Exported by City, Region, or Culture
Floral brocade (cloth) Tyros
Cacao beans (chocolate) Tropics
Cloth Turia
Cloves Bazi, land east of
Copper Rarn
Cur-lon fiber Mills of Ar
Dates Tahari communities
Eels, dried Port Kar
Fur, sleen Laura
Gold goblets Turia
Gold wire, in rolls Tor
Granite, square blocks Quarries west of Laura
Hides Turia, obtained from Wagon peoples
Horn, bosk Turia, obtained from Wagon peoples
Horn, kailiauk Schendi
Leather Turia, obtained from Wagon peoples
Linen paper Mills in Ar
Metals Turia
Nutmeg Bazi, land east of
Palm wine Schendi
Parchment (paper) Many cities
Perfumes Tyros
Plates, silver Tharna
Rence Paper Rencers in Vosk Delta via Rence Merchants
or
Port Kar
Rep Grown commercially below Ar and above equator
Rugs Tor
Salt, red Kasra
Sapphires, carved Schendi
Ta wine Cos
Table cloths Tor
Tapestries Mills of Ar
Vellum (special paper) Many cities
Wool Hurt ranches outside northern cities

Laura

I would call myself Bosk, of Tabor. Tabor is an exchange island in Thassa, south of Teletus. It is named for the drum, which, rearing out of the sea, it resembles. My business was to go to Laura, and there bargain for a hold of sleen fur, which might be taken south for much profit. Some eight to ten bales of sleen fur, highly prized, is a plausible cargo for a light galley.
Hunters

Turia

Much of the hides, the horn and leather which found its way northward came from Turia, obtained from the Wagon Peoples of the treeless, southern plains, and many of the manufactured goods, and goods of price, which found their way to the far south, and even to the Wagon Peoples, were produced in, or passed through Turia.
Captive

The Wagon Peoples, though enemies of Turia, needed and wanted her goods, in particular materials of metal and cloth, which are highly prized among the Wagons. Indeed, even the chains and collars of slave girls, worn often by captive Turian girls themselves, are of Turian origin. The Turians, on the other hand, take factor or trade in trade for their goods obtained by manu- with other cities principally the horn and hide of the bosk, which naturally the Wagon Peoples, who live on the bosk, have in plenty. The Turians also, I note, receive other goods from the Wagon Peoples, who tend to be fond of the raid, goods looted from caravans perhaps a thousand pasangs from the herds, indeed some of them even on the way to and from Turia itself. From these raids the Wagon Peoples obtain a miscellany of goods which they are willing to barter to the Turians, jewels, precious metals, spices, colored table salts, harnesses and saddles for the ponderous tharlarion, furs of small river animals, tools for the field, scholarly scrolls, inks and papers, root vegetables, dried fish, powdered medicines, ointments, perfume and wom- en, customarily plainer ones they do not wish to keep for themselves;
Nomads

The table was not dark, and bare. No longer was it set with festive yellow and scarlet cloths, woven in distant Tor: no longer did it bear the freight of plates of silver from the mines of Tharna, nor of cunningly wrought goblets of gold from the smithies of luxurious Turia, Ar of the south. It was long since I had tasted the fiery paga of the Sa-Tarna fields north of the Vosk. Now, even the wines from the vineyards of Ar seemed bitter to me.
Marauders

Tharna

The table was not dark, and bare. No longer was it set with festive yellow and scarlet cloths, woven in distant Tor: no longer did it bear the freight of plates of silver from the mines of Tharna, nor of cunningly wrought goblets of gold from the smithies of luxurious Turia, Ar of the south. It was long since I had tasted the fiery paga of the Sa-Tarna fields north of the Vosk. Now, even the wines from the vineyards of Ar seemed bitter to me.
Marauders

Tropics

"This is warmed chocolate," I said, pleased. It was very rich and creamy.
"Yes, Mistress," said the girl.
"It is very good," I said.
"Thank you, Mistress," she said.
"Is it from Earth?" I asked.
"Not directly," she said. "Many things here, of course, ultimately have an Earth origin. It is not improbable that the beans from which the first cacao trees on this world were grown were brought from Earth."
"Do the trees grow near here?" I asked.
"No, Mistress," she said. "We obtain the beans, from which the chocolate is made, from Cosian merchants, who, in turn, obtain them in the tropics."
Kajira

Port Kar

As I have mentioned, Port Kar claims the suzerainty of the delta. Accordingly, frequently, bands of armed men, maintaining allegiance to on or the other of the warring, rival Ubars of Port Kar, enter the delta to , as they say, collect taxes. The tributes exacted, when the small communities can be found, are customarily harsh, often whatever of value can be found; typically what is demanded is great stocks of rence paper for trade, sons for oarsmen in cargo galleys, daughters for Pleasure Slaves in the taverns of the city.
Raiders

I have seen private apartments with tapestries from the mills of Ar upon the walls; and my sandals have sometimes found underfoot richly colored, deeply woven rugs from distant Tor.
It is perhaps a small thing to see on the belt of an artisan a silver buckle of the style worn in mountainous Thentis or to note the delicacy of dried eels from Port Kar in the marketplace, but these things, small though they are, speak to me of a new Tharna.
Outlaw

Then, from within the collar, he drew forth a thin, folded piece of paper, rence paper made from the fibers of the rence plant, a tall, long-stalked leafy plant which grows predominantly in the delta of the Vosk. I suppose, in itself, this meant nothing, but I naturally thought of Port Kar, malignant, squalid Port Kar, which claims suzerainty over the delta, exacting cruel tributes from the rence growers, great stocks of rence paper for trade, sons for oarsmen in cargo galleys, daughters for Pleasure Slaves in the taverns of the city. I would have expected the message to have been written either on stout, glossy-surfaced linen pa- per, of the sort milled in Ar, or perhaps on vellum and parchment, prepared in many cities and used commonly in scrolls, the process involving among other thing tile washing and liming of skins, their scraping and stretching, dusting them with sifted chalk, rubbing them down with pumice.
Nomads

Rarn

He had won her in Girl Catch, in a contest to decide a trade dispute between two small cities, Ven and Rarn, the former a river port on the Vosk, the second noted for its copper mining, lying southeast of Tharna.
Beasts

Ar

Rence paper is, incidentally, not the only type of writing material used on Gor. A milled linen paper is much used, large quantities of which are produced in Ar, and vellum and parchment, prepared in many cities, are also popular.
Raiders

Rep is a whitish fibrous matter found in the seed pods of a small, reddish, woody bush, commercially grown in several areas, but particularly below Ar and above the equator; the cheap re-cloth is woven in mills, commonly, in various cities; it takes dyes well and, being cheap and strong, is popular, particularly among the lower castes.
Raiders

I have seen private apartments with tapestries from the mills of Ar upon the walls; and my sandals have sometimes found underfoot richly colored, deeply woven rugs from distant Tor.
It is perhaps a small thing to see on the belt of an artisan a silver buckle of the style worn in mountainous Thentis or to note the delicacy of dried eels from Port Kar in the marketplace, but these things, small though they are, speak to me of a new Tharna.
Outlaw

'Was it you who stole the Home Stone of Ar?'
I paused, then, being confident the creature had no love for the men of Ar, answered affirmatively.
'That is pleasing to me,' said the insect, 'for the men of Ar do not behave well towards the Spider People. They hunt us and leave only enough of us alive to spin the Cur-lon Fibre used in the mills of Ar. If they were not rational creatures, we would fight them.'
Tarnsman

Then, from within the collar, he drew forth a thin, folded piece of paper, rence paper made from the fibers of the rence plant, a tall, long-stalked leafy plant which grows predominantly in the delta of the Vosk. I suppose, in itself, this meant nothing, but I naturally thought of Port Kar, malignant, squalid Port Kar, which claims suzerainty over the delta, exacting cruel tributes from the rence growers, great stocks of rence paper for trade, sons for oarsmen in cargo galleys, daughters for Pleasure Slaves in the taverns of the city. I would have expected the message to have been written either on stout, glossy-surfaced linen pa- per, of the sort milled in Ar, or perhaps on vellum and parchment, prepared in many cities and used commonly in scrolls, the process involving among other thing tile washing and liming of skins, their scraping and stretching, dusting them with sifted chalk, rubbing them down with pumice.
Nomads

There is a little market in simple Laura for the more exquisite goods of Gor. Seldom will one find there Torian rolls of gold wire, interlocking cubes of silver from Tharna, rubies carved into tiny, burning panthers from Schendi, nutmegs and cloves, spikenard and peppers from the lands east of Bazi, the floral brocades, the perfumes of Tyros, the dark wines, the gorgeous diaphanous silks of glorious Ar. Life, even by Gorean standards, is primitive in the region of the Laurius, and northward, to the great forests, and along the coast, upward to Torvaldsland.
Captive

Rencers of Vosk Delta

Rence paper comes in various grades, about eight in all. The rence growers market their product either at the eastern or western end of the delta. Sometimes rence merchants, on narrow marsh craft rowed by slaves, enter some pasangs into the delta to negotiate the transactions, usually from the western edge, that bordering the Tamber Gulf.
Raiders

Tor

I have seen private apartments with tapestries from the mills of Ar upon the walls; and my sandals have sometimes found underfoot richly colored, deeply woven rugs from distant Tor.
It is perhaps a small thing to see on the belt of an artisan a silver buckle of the style worn in mountainous Thentis or to note the delicacy of dried eels from Port Kar in the marketplace, but these things, small though they are, speak to me of a new Tharna.
Outlaw

There is a little market in simple Laura for the more exquisite goods of Gor. Seldom will one find there Torian rolls of gold wire, interlocking cubes of silver from Tharna, rubies carved into tiny, burning panthers from Schendi, nutmegs and cloves, spikenard and peppers from the lands east of Bazi, the floral brocades, the perfumes of Tyros, the dark wines, the gorgeous diaphanous silks of glorious Ar. Life, even by Gorean standards, is primitive in the region of the Laurius, and northward, to the great forests, and along the coast, upward to Torvaldsland.
Captive

The table was not dark, and bare. No longer was it set with festive yellow and scarlet cloths, woven in distant Tor: no longer did it bear the freight of plates of silver from the mines of Tharna, nor of cunningly wrought goblets of gold from the smithies of luxurious Turia, Ar of the south. It was long since I had tasted the fiery paga of the Sa-Tarna fields north of the Vosk. Now, even the wines from the vineyards of Ar seemed bitter to me.
Marauders

Schendi

There is a little market in simple Laura for the more exquisite goods of Gor. Seldom will one find there Torian rolls of gold wire, interlocking cubes of silver from Tharna, rubies carved into tiny, burning panthers from Schendi, nutmegs and cloves, spikenard and peppers from the lands east of Bazi, the floral brocades, the perfumes of Tyros, the dark wines, the gorgeous diaphanous silks of glorious Ar. Life, even by Gorean standards, is primitive in the region of the Laurius, and northward, to the great forests, and along the coast, upward to Torvaldsland.
Captive

Kasra

"This is Ibn Saran, salt merchant of the river port of Kasra," said Samos.
The red salt of Kasra, so called from its port of embarcation, was famed on Gor. It was brought from secret pits and mines, actually, deep in the interior, bound in heavy cylinders on the backs of pack kaiila. Each cylinder, roped to others, weighed in the neighborhood of ten stone, or some forty pounds, a Gorean "Weight." A strong kaiila could carry sixteen such cylinders, but the normal load was ten. Even numbers are carried, of course, that the load is balanced.
Tribesmen

Tyros

There is a little market in simple Laura for the more exquisite goods of Gor. Seldom will one find there Torian rolls of gold wire, interlocking cubes of silver from Tharna, rubies carved into tiny, burning panthers from Schendi, nutmegs and cloves, spikenard and peppers from the lands east of Bazi, the floral brocades, the perfumes of Tyros, the dark wines, the gorgeous diaphanous silks of glorious Ar. Life, even by Gorean standards, is primitive in the region of the Laurius, and northward, to the great forests, and along the coast, upward to Torvaldsland.
Captive

Imports to Sardar Fairs

Many are the objects for sale at the fair. I passed among wines and textiles and raw wool, silks, and brocades, copperware and glazed pottery, carpets and tapestries, lumber, furs, hides, salt, arms and arrows, saddles and harness, rings and bracelets and necklaces, belts and sandals, lamps and oils, medicines and meats and grains, animals such as the fierce tarns, Gor’s winged mounts, and tharlarions, her domesticated lizards, and long chains of miserable slaves, both male and female.
Priest Kings

Tahari

The principal export of the oases is dates and pressed-date bricks. Some of the date palms grow to more than a hundred feet high. It takes ten years before they begin to bear fruit. They will then yield fruit for more than a century. A given tree, annually, yields between one and five Gorean weights of fruit. A weight is some ten stone, or some forty Earth pounds.
Tribesmen

Other quotes about goods and trade

Laura is a small trading city, a river port, whose buildings are largely of wood, consisting mostly it seems of warehouses and taverns. It is a clearing house for many goods, wood, salt, fish, stone, fur and slaves. 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. From Lydius goods may be embarked for the islands of Thassa, such as Teletus, Hulneth and Asperiche, even Cos and Tyros, and the coastal cities, such as Port Kar and Helmutsport, and, far to the south, Schendi and Bazi. And, from Lydius, of course, goods of many sorts, though primarily rough goods, such things as tools, crude metal and cloth, brought on barges, towed by tharlarion treading on log roads, following the river, are brought to Laura, for sale and distribution inland.
Captive

Cernus of Ar wore a coarse black robe, woven probably from the wool of the bounding, two-legged Hurt, a domesticated marsupial raised in large numbers in the environs of several of Gor's northern cities. The Hurt, raised on large, fenced ranches, herded by domesticated sleen and sheared by chained slaves, replaces its wool four times a year. The House of Cernus, I had heard, had interests in several of the Hurt Ranches near the city. The black of the garment of Cernus was broken only by three stripes of silk sewn lengthwise on his left sleeve, two stripes of blue enclosing one of yellow.
Assassin

It might be added that there are two items which the Wagon Peoples will not sell or trade to Turia, one is a living bosk and the other is a girl from the city itself, though the latter are sometimes, for the sport of the young men, allowed, as it is said, to run for the city. They are then hunted from the back of the kaiila with bole and thongs.
Nomads

"How is it," I asked, "that here in Turia you can serve the livers of wingfish?"
"I have a war galley in Port Kar," said Saphrar the merchant, "which I send to Cos twice a year for the fish."
Nomads

Many goods pass in and out of Schendi, as would be the case in any major port, such as precious metals, jewels, tapestries, rugs, silks, horn and horn products, medicines, sugars and salts, scrolls, papers, inks, lumber, stone, cloth, ointments, perfumes, dried fruit, some dried fish, many root vegetables, chains, craft tools, agricultural implements, such as hoe heads and metal flail blades, wines and pagas, colorful birds and slaves. Schendi’s most significant exports are doubtless spice and hides, with kailiauk horn and horn products also being of great importance. One of her most delicious exports is palm wine. One of her most famous, and precious, exports are the small carved sapphires of Schendi. These are generally a deep blue, but some are purple and others, interestingly, White or yellow. They are usually carved in the shape of tiny Panthers, but sometimes other animals are found as well, usually small animals or birds. Sometimes, however, the stone is carved to resemble a tiny kailiauk or kailiauk head. Slaves, interestingly, do not count as one of the major products in Schendi, in spite of the fact that the port is the headquarters of the League of Black Slavers. The black slavers usually sell their catches nearer the markets, both to the north and south. One of their major markets, to which they generally arrange for the shipment of girls overland, is the Sardar Fairs, in particular that of En’Kara, which is the most extensive and finest.
Explorers

Kenneth took from his belt a flask, which he handed me. "It is wine," he said.
"Thank you, Master," I said, and drank some swallows of the beverage. It was a Ta wine, from the Ta grapes of the terraces of Cos. Such a small thing, in its way, bespoke the intimacy of the trade relations between Vonda and Cos. In the last year heavy import duties had been levied by the high council of Vonda against the wines of certain other cities, in particular against the Ka-la-nas of Ar.
Fighting Slave

Unharnessed tharlarion, returning to Lydius at the mouth of the Laurius, generally follow the southern shore road, which is not as much used by towing tharlarion as the northern.
On these barges, moving upriver, I could see many crates and boxes, which would contain such goods, rough goods, as metal, and tools and cloth. Moving downstream I could see other barges, moving the goods of the interior downriver, such objects as planking, barrels of fish, barrels of salt, loads of stone, and bales of fur. On some of the barges moving upstream I saw empty slave cages, not unlike the one in which I was secured. I saw only one slave cage on a barge moving downstream. It contained four or five nude male slaves. They seemed dejected, huddled in their cage. Strangely, a broad swath had been shaven lengthwise on their head. Lana saw this and shrieked out, hooting at them across the river. The men did not even look at us, moving slowly across the current toward Laura.
Captive

I could see a long wooden ramp leading up from the pier to a long wooden road winding between the crowded warehouses. We, in coffle, followed this road. I liked the smell of Laura, the fresh fields before the forests, even the smell of the river and the wood. We could smell roast tarsk from somewhere. We, and the wagons, passed between wooden sleds, with leather runners, on which there were squared blocks of granite, from the quarries west of Laura; and between bales of sleen fur and panther hides, from the forests beyond.
Captive

Notes on the Merchant Caste:

“The average gorean did not go to a merchant for his purchases.”

Most gorean shops were specialized shops, owned and operated by a member of a given caste and selling the goods made by the caste workers on the premises. Goreans in a city went from shop to shop for their personal purchases. One went to the Perfumers shop for perfume, the Bakers shop for baked goods, the Metal Workers shop for weapons, iron, silver, and gold products. One visited the Cloth Workers shop for cloth, a basket shop for baskets, and so on. The average gorean did not go to a merchant for his purchases. The largest focus of the Merchant Caste is supplying the many different castes with the goods and tools necessary for their craft. Merchants work for generations to secure the contracts and the routes necessary to bring bulk supplies of materials from region to region. Families find pride in passing down the title of "Silk Merchant", "Salt Merchant", "Iron Merchant" and so-on. These are Masters of their product, knowing it in details that have no true meaning except to the Caste that lives for its trade.

http://goreanreference.50megs.com/castes/castemerchant.html

For their Caste, and their City, Merchants brave the far reaches of Gor; traveling into cultures much different than the Civilized Cities. The Merchants understand that Caravans get raided. This is a part of "the system". Merchants must understand their role and accept this destiny with honor and pride. Merchants provide a sense of duty and a source for pay for Warriors, they spread slaves and Women around, they create the network through which the lifeblood of Gor flows, and through the work of their caste they have established the only set of laws that are universally accepted through the City cultures.

"the merchants are often indeed in their way, brave, shrewd, skilled men, making long journeys, venturing their goods, risking caravans, negotiating commercial agreements, among themselves developing and enforcing a body of Merchant Law, the only common legal arrangements existing among the Gorean cities." - Nomads of Gor

"The reason for (the mass migration to Sardar) is not simply that there is a fine market for such wares - since men from various cities pass freely to and fro at the fair - but that each Gorean, whether male or female, is expected to see the Sardar Mountains, in honor of the Priest-Kings, at least once in his life, prior to his twenty-fifth year. Accordingly the pirates and outlaws who beset the trade routes to ambush and attack the caravans on the way to the fair, if successful, often have more than inanimate metals and cloths to reward their vicious labors. This pilgrimage to the Sardar, enjoyed by the Priest-Kings according to the Caste of the Initiates, undoubtedly plays its role in the distribution of beauty among the hostile cities of Gor. Whereas the males who accompany a caravan are often killed in its defense or driven off, this fate, fortunate or not, is seldom that of the caravan’s women. It will be their sad lot to be stripped and fitted with the collars and chains of slave girls and forced to follow the wagons on foot to the fair, or if the caravan’s tharlarions have been killed or driven off, they will carry its goods on their backs. Thus one practical effect of the edict of the Priest-Kings is that each Gorean girl must, at least once in her life, leave her walls and take the very serious risk of becoming a slave girl, perhaps the prize of a pirate or outlaw." - Priest Kings

A Merchant is wise to know that "gold has no caste".

"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." - Nomads of Gor

"Whereas it is only the men of high caste who elect members to the Council of the City, the gold of merchants and the will of the general populace is seldom disregarded in their choices." Assassin of Gor

"Two members of the High Council, who had spoken out against the influence of Merchants in the politics of Ar, presumably a veiled reference to Cernus, were found slain, one cut down by a killing knife and another throttled and found dangling from a bridge near his home." Assassin of Gor

Merchants often conduct business with notes and lines of credit instead of large amounts of coin.

“Business is often conducted by notes and letters of credit. Paper currency, however, in itself, is unknown.” - Savages

“I have moneys here in Schendi,” he said, “notes which I have drawn upon my return from the Ua, moneys connected with my fees for accompanying Shaba’s expedition. They will last me many months.” – Explorers

I must leave Port Kar tonight. I would go to my holding; I would make arrangements; I would obtain weapons, moneys, letters of credit. I could be gone in two Ahn, on tarnback, before Priest-Kings discovered the failure of their plans. - Players

Merchants often shave their heads.

"...his head, like that of many merchants, had been shaved; his eyebrows had been removed and over each eye four golden drops had been fixed in the pinkish skin; he also had two teeth of gold, which were visible when he laughed, the upper canine teeth, probably containing poison; merchants are seldom trained in the use of arms." Nomads of Gor

Merchants often spoil their daughters and prevent them from working in the Merchant Caste

“their pampered daughters, protected from work and responsibility, ostentatiously garbed and elaborately educated in caste trivia, tend to be spoiled and soft."- Slave Girl of Gor

The Merchant Codes and Laws

The purpose of these codes is to create a mechanism that protects the consumer and gives credibility to the Merchant Caste. It is important that the trust of the consumer population be maintained. In this regard it is expected that the Merchants shall enforce these laws upon their own Caste in an effort to maintain the flow of commerce and trade between Cities.

A Merchant must be paid for their goods. Charity is not for a Merchant to give. No Warrior, Administrator, or Ubar can demand a Merchant get away without due compensation. Many wars have been fought to preserve this tenet as it is a key component to the success of Merchant Law and large scale trade.

"I am a merchant," said Mintar, "and it is in my code to see that I am paid."- Tarnsman of Gor

"Free Kal-da for all!" cried Kron, and when the proprietor, who knew the codes of his caste, tried to object, Kron flung a golden tarn disk at him. Delightedly the man ducked and scrambled to pick it up from the floor. - Outlaw of Gor,

"Further, at this time, the Odds Merchants of the Stadium of Tarns made it known that the Administrator was heavily in debt, and they, not to be left out, demanded their dues."- Assassin of Gor

"Mintar relaxed on the cushions and seemed pleased. I realized, to my amusement, that he had been afraid that some particle of his investment might have been sacrificed. He would have had a man killed rather than risk the loss of a tenth of a tarn disc, so well he knew the codes of his caste."- Tarnsman of Gor

A Merchant may not trade in stolen notes. All notes must be verified and cannot be purchased on speculation. Lost notes need to be reported, cancelled and new notes issued. (a note can be a contract, a loan, trade rites, proof of ownership, or any written financial agreement.)

"Ulafi should have been recruited," said the dark-haired girl. "He will do anything for gold."

"Except betray his merchant codes," said he who was called Kunguni.

I was pleased to hear this, for I was rather fond of the tall, regal Ulafi. Apparently they did not regard him as a likely fellow to be used in the purchase of stolen notes on speculation, to be resold later to their rightful owner. Many merchants, I was sure, would not have been so squeamish. Such dealings, of course, would encourage the theft of notes. It was for this reason that they were forbidden by the codes. Such notes, their loss reported, are to be canceled, and replaced with alternative notes. - Explorers of Gor

A Merchant will take pride in their ability to certify accurate weights and measures. Forgery is for thieves. Merchants are obligated to present an item truthfully, and they are obligated to get the best possible price for that item.

"The Merchant caste codes, to which every member of that caste is sworn, virtually guarantee that the act of buying and selling legitimate Gorean trade goods will be done in as scrupulously fair and as equitable a manner as possible. At the same time, those codes allow for a certain amount of leeway in the area of barter, which is the very heart of the bargaining process which encompasses almost every business transaction conducted on the surface of Gor. In addition, the Merchant caste (and their numerous sub-castes, which include the caste of money-lenders) is required by their caste codes to actively pursue the best possible deal they can obtain. To a Gorean Merchant, this is not an indication of personal greed; rather it is proof positive of their supreme devotion to the codes which they have sworn to obey, codes which command them to obtain the best possible price for their goods and services." http://members.fortunecity.com/layaliqamar/id44.htm

Merchants will display their station with the colors of White and Gold.

"I wore a white robe, woven of the wool of the Hurt, imported from distant Ar, trimmed with golden cloth, from Tor, the colors of the Merchant." - Hunters of Gor

Merchants are obligated to the business of their trade. If they find it prudent they should be free to wear masks so that they can conduct business without personal repercussion.

"Oneander of Ar, the salt and leather merchant, and some others, had worn masks at the loot camp outside the city of Vonda. He had been, perhaps, well advised to do so. He had intended to trade with Lara, a member of the Salerian Confederation. This would not make him popular in Ar, or in the strongholds of Ar." Rogue of Gor

Let any one who would engage in forgery or counterfeiting be put to a death without honor. Let all their property be seized without mercy. Let any who practices "coin shaving" find the bonds of slavery in their future.

"Counterfeiters are rare on Gor, and when they are caught they are typically summarily executed. Another offense worthy of punishment is the practice of "coin-shaving," in which minute quantities of precious metal are "clipped," removed from coins currently in circulation; when one has salvaged enough precious metal in this way, it is even possible to mint entirely new coins from the stolen shavings. Those who are caught shaving coins are usually sentenced to slavery, paying their literal "debt to society" through a life of enforced labor for the public good." http://www.angelfire.com/hero/outlawhall/currency.htm

Merchant Magistrates are sometimes selected from the Merchant Caste by a Cities High Council to enforce Merchant Law and Caste codes. They will hear complains, act as arbitrators, and sit in judgment over relevant matters. They are given the resources to enforce the law as necessary.

"Behind the wagon, in the white robes, trimmed with gold and purple, of merchant magistrates, came five men. I recognized them as judges." - Hunters of Gor

Merchants may travel to Sardar to verify the accuracy of their rods and stones.

The Weight and the Stone, incidentally, are standardized throughout the Gorean cities by Merchant Law, the only common body of law existing among the cities. The official “Stone,” actually a solid metal cylinder, is kept, by the way, near the Sardar. Four times a year, on a given day in each of the four great fairs held annually near the Sardar, it is brought forth with scales, so that merchants from whatever city may test their own standard “Stone” against it. - Raiders of Gor

"As in the case of the official “Stone,” so, too, at the Sardar in a metal rod, which determines the Merchant Foot, or Gorean foot, as I have called it. Port Kar’s Merchant Foot, like her “Stone,” is kept in the arsenal, in the same building as her “Stone.” - Raiders of Gor

Merchants may administer free ports and trade compounds, defended by multiple Cities and Men loyal to the Merchants. These secure trade routes, important intersections of waterways and certain ports to ensure the protected flow of bulk trade.

"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

"The Merchants have, in the past few years, on certain trade routes, between Ar and Ko-ro-ba, and between Tor and Ar, established palisaded compounds, defensible stockades. These, where they exist, tend to be placed approximately a day’s caravan march apart. Sometimes, of course, and indeed, most often, the caravan must camp in the open. Still, these hostels, where they are to be found, are welcome, both to common merchants and to slavers, and even to travelers." Captive of Gor

"The merchant caste, too, maintains certain free ports on certain islands and on the coasts of Thassa, such as Teleus and Bazi. Space in a "free keep" is rented on a commercial basis, regardless of municipal affiliation. In a banner keep, or one maintained by a given city, preference, if not exclusive rights, are accorded to the merchants and citizens of the city under whose banner the keep is established and administered." Slave Girl of Gor"

We passed some fortified warehouse, in which space is available to merchants. In such places, there would be gems, and gold, silks, and wines and perfumes, jewelries and spices, richer goods not to be left exposed on the docks. In such houses, too, sometimes among the other merchandise, there are pleasure slaves, trained girls, imported perhaps from Ar. Their sales will either be public or private. They are kept in lamp-lit, low-ceiling, ornately barred cells. Such girls are commonly rare in the north. They bring high prices." - Hunters of Gor

Merchant Law on Slavery

Merchant law regulates the classification, training, certification and selling of slaves as market items.

Merchant Law defines these following permissions of enslavement

A man may enslave any woman not of His home stone.

All women from earth may be enslaved.

Any woman that performs a gesture of submission may be enslaved

The slaves of a conquered City may be freed, and conquered Free Women may be enslaved. All women of a City become the property of the Victors to do with as they please. Conquered women lose all claims to their former home stone.

“You understand further, of course,” said he, “that under Gorean merchant law, which is the only law commonly acknowledged binding between cities that you stand under separate permissions of enslavement. First, were you of Ar, it would be my right, could I be successful, to make of you a slave, for we share no Home Stone. Secondly, though you speak of yourself as the Lady Elicia of Ar, of Six Towers, you are, in actuality, Miss Elicia Nevins of the planet Earth. You are an Earth girl and thus stand within a general permission of enslavement, fair beauty quarry to any Gorean male whatsoever.” - Slave Girl of Gor

“The legal point, I think, is interesting. Sometimes, in the fall of a city, girls who have been enslaved, girls formerly of the now victorious city, will be freed. Technically, according to Merchant Law, which serves as the arbiter in such inter-municipal matters, the girls become briefly the property of their rescuers, else how could they be freed? Further, according to Merchant Law, the rescuer has no obligation to free the girl. In having been enslaved she has lost all claim to her former Home Stone.” - Explorers of Gor

“It is my understanding, following merchant law, and Tahari custom,” I said, “that I am not a slave, for though I am a prisoner, I have been neither branded nor collared, nor have I performed a gesture of submission.” - Tribesmen of Gor

Female slaves should be branded and collared. Male slaves should be collared and chained.

http://goreanreference.50megs.com/slaves/collars.html

“Girls such as I must expect to be marked,” she said. “It is in accord with the recommendations of merchant law.” - Kajira of Gor

“The thighs and the lower left abdomen are the brand sites recommended by Merchant Law.” - Fighting Slave of Gor

“In the case of the girl, Rowena, of course, as she was already a self-pronounced slave, the brand and collar were little more than identificatory formalities. Nonetheless she would wear them. They would be fixed visibly and clearly upon her. This is in accord with the prescriptions of merchant law.” - Players of Gor

“There is no distinctive garment for a male slave on Gor, since, as it is said, it is not well for them to discover how numerous they are.” - Outlaw of Gor

“The male slave, or Kajirus, seldom has a locked collar; normally a band of iron is simply hammered about his neck; often he works in chains” – Assassin of Gor

Slaves may not escape their slavery; escape does not grant a beast their legal freedom.

“There is, accordingly, for all practical purposes, no escape for the Gorean slave girl. At best she might, at great risk to her own life, succeed in obtaining a new chaining, a new Master, and one who, in view of her flight, will undoubtedly see to it that she is incarcerated in harsher bondage than that from which she fled, to which, now, under her new strictures, she is likely to look back upon longingly. Similarly the penalties for attempted escape, particularly a second attempt, are severe, usually involving hamstringing. Only the most stupid of women dares even to think of escape, and then seldom more then once.” - Magicians of GOR

Slave papers should be kept and detailed. These papers cannot be forged or present false information.

http://goreanreference.50megs.com/slaves/slavepapers.html

“Some female slaves, incidentally, have a pedigreed lineage going back through several generations of slave matings, and their masters hold the papers to prove this. It is a felony in Gorean law to forge or falsify such papers.” – Savages

"One would not wish to buy a girl thinking she was auburn, a rare and muchly prized hair color on Gor, for example, and then discover later that she was, say, blond. Against such fraud, needless to say, the law provides redress. Slavers will take pains in checking out new catches, or acquisitions, to ascertain the natural color of their hair, one of the items one expects to find, along with fingerprints and measurements, and such, on carefully prepared slave papers.” Vagabonds of Gor

Rates of Exchange

Rates of exchange in each City cannot be “better” than the rates set by the Merchant Caste at the Sardar Fair. Undercutting the rates set at Sardar is a serious infraction of Merchant Law. Such practice can dishonor a City and have a negative impact on the flow of trade.

4 Tarsk bits may be exchanged for 1 Copper Tarsk

2.5 Copper Tarsks may be exchanged for 1 Copper Tarn

40 Copper Tarns may be exchanged for 1 Silver Tarsk

100 Copper Tarsks may be exchanged for 1 Silver Tarsk

10 Silver Tarsks may be exchanged for 1 Gold Tarn

2 Gold Tarns may be exchanged for a Double Gold Tarn.

* Copper tarsk bits are not regulated on Gor, though it is common for a single copper tarsk to be divided into 8 bits. This can sometimes vary from a few as 4 to as many as 10.

Weights and Measures

Merchants are bound to determine weights and measures. To this end, the standards to be used for the measuring of quantity will be defined here for clarity and consistency.

The Ah-il and Ah-ral

These measures are used in the sale and use of cloth. The ah-il is the length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger on a typical Man, and the ah-ral is ten ah-il.

The Foot and Hort

A hort is a basic unit of measurement equivalent to 1 ¼ earth inches long. The Gorean foot is 10 horts (12 ½ inches Earth measure); it's standard is a metal rod kept at the Sardar.

The Talu and the Gill

The Talu is the standard unit for the trade of liquids; approximately 2 earth gallons. For smaller quantities, the Gill will be used; approximately 1 earth pint. There are approximately 13 gills in a Talu.

The Tef, The Tefa and The Huda

The Tef is basically the equivalent of a closed fistful for an average sized Man.

The Tefa is 6 Tefs; equivalent to a tiny basketful. The Huda is equal to 5 Tefa.

The Stone and the Weight

The basic unit of weight is the Stone, equivalent to 4 Earth pounds. 10 Stones is considered a Weight (40 earth pounds).

A given tree, annually, yields between one and five Gorean weights of fruit. A weight is some ten stone, or some forty Earth pounds.

---Tribesmen of Gor, p 37

WEIGHTS, MEASURES, AND THE GOREAN MONETARY SYSTEM

In any civilization, one of the most important aspects of societal interaction occurs in the area of commerce, or the business of conducting business. The exchange of trade goods is a vital part of any healthy society, and encourages the distribution of a wide range of materials over a much broader area than would be possible if such practices were disallowed. In order to effectively accomplish this, it is necessary for any society to standardize a set of weights and measures whereby such trade goods can be assessed and assigned value. The Goreans are no exception.

There are obstacles, however. The Sardar-imposed limitations on communications technology, and the resulting isolationism which exists because of those limitations, makes swift communication between the High Cities virtually impossible. In addition, the cultural and religious restrictions against advanced means of mechanized travel also hinder the attempt to maintain a world-wide weight and measurement system. The Goreans, however, are capable of great ingenuity in working around those limitations, and in keeping the standardized values of such measuring systems relatively intact, at least in the more civilized areas upon the Counter-Earth.

The system of weights and measures which the craftsmen and guildsmen of Gor have adopted is officially verified four times annually at the great Sardar Fairs. Each fair season, trusted agents of the Merchant League make their way to the foot of the Sardar mountains, bearing with them the official weights of their city. Each of these weights is then carefully measured against the "Great Weights," which are said to have originally come from the mighty Priest-Kings themselves, to make certain that the individual city weights have not been tampered with or altered. The official "ah-il," is measured, and so is the Gorean "foot," the Gorean "stone," the Gorean "weight," and numerous other objects designed to simulate the countless measuring devices in use by merchants throughout all of Gor. The merchants take great pains to watch one another as this is done, to ensure that the merchants of other cities are complying with the will of the Priest-Kings; indeed, wars have been fought over the accusation that one city has tampered with its measures, seeking an unfair advantage over its competitors.

Once this has been done, and all are satisfied that the official weights and measurements have been upheld, the various envoys return to the city or settlement of their origin and restore their home weights and measures to a place of safekeeping. Soon after, the merchants and city officials of the various settlements begin the arduous task of measuring the countless other sets of weights and measures in their locality against the official versions which have been verified against those of the Sardar. Smaller settlements and villages then check their own sets against those of the ruling polis in their area, each set then being used to check the sets of even smaller hamlets and merchant houses, until everyone is assured that the Sardarian standard is being universally upheld. Since this process occurs four times during the course of the standard Gorean year, and since it is quite obviously time consuming to complete, it is a relatively safe assumption that such comparative measuring is an ongoing process, and is constantly occurring to some extent everywhere on Gor, as the merchants fulfill their obligations to the Sardar and see to it that the correct measures are maintained. When a particular product or item for sale is checked and found to be in abeyance with the official weights and measures, it is commonly marked with a variation of the seal of the city of its origin, certifying that it has passed inspection. The Goreans take these matters quite seriously; those who are proven guilty of tampering with such seals, or worse, a set of weights and measures, are sometimes even impaled for the offense.

Due to this painstaking (but necessary) process, the planet of Gor, widely known for the individuality and xenophobia which exists in its numerous cities and settlements, nevertheless manages to maintain a somewhat standardized system of measurement.

Below is a listing of common Gorean measurements, along with their Earth equivalents:

DISTANCE GOREAN EARTH (U.S.) EARTH (METRIC)

1 HORT 1 and 1/4 inches 3.2 centimeters (approx)

1 GOREAN FOOT (10 horts) 12 and 1/2 inches 32 centimeters (approx)

1 AH-IL 18 inches (approx*) 46.15 centimeters (approx)

1 AH-RAL (10 ah-il) 180 inches (approx. 15 U.S feet) 461.5 centimeters (approx. 5 meters)

1 PASANG 7/10ths (.7) of a mile (3,696 U.S feet) 1.2 kilometers (approx. 1232 meters)

* An "ah-il" is the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, analogous to the Earth "cubit." It is typically standarized in Gorean measure as being 18 U.S inches in length, as described above.

WEIGHT/MASS GOREAN EARTH (U.S.) EARTH (METRIC)

1 GOREAN STONE 4 U.S pounds 1.8 kilograms (approx)

1 GOREAN WEIGHT (10 stone) 40 U.S pounds 18.14 kilograms (approx)

LIQUID VOLUME GOREAN EARTH (U.S.) EARTH (METRIC)

1 TALU 2 U.S gallons 7.5 liters (approx)

SOLID VOLUME

The following measurements are "trade weights," meaning that they are, like the ah-il, variable according to the hand size of the measurer. Nevertheless, due to their ease of use, they are retained by the Goreans as practical ways to measure solid volume in a distributory environment, particularly in trade-based Gorean settings where standardized measurements are not available for handy measurement :

1 TEF= a closed handful of whatever produce (such as dates) is being weighed. 6 tefs equals one "tefa."

1 TEFA= 6 tefs (or closed handfuls), or roughly the amount of merchandise it would take to fill a small basket. 5 tefas equal 1 "huda."

1 HUDA= 5 tefa, or small baskets full.

In addition, it only stands to reason that Goreans would also rely upon the "squared measure" of their distance units in measuring solid mass as well as space. The use of the Gorean "square foot" is highly likely, as is the "square hort," the "square ah-il" and "square ah-ral," and the "square pasang."

CURRENCY

In any society, one of the defining factors which determines its stability and economic fortitude is its system of currency. A weak or unstable monetary system can, if improperly managed, result in incredible hardships among the general populace of an area, or areas, within a society, and if left untended can cause the delicate framework of its economic base to collapse into a mass of financial ruin. In such a case, where hard currency is no longer in general use and all monetary valuations are based on implied equivalency (such as paper money and the assumed worth of promisary notes such as stocks and bonds), that framework can be fragile indeed. In such a system, vast deficits and sudden fluctuations of currency value are possible, which can wreak havoc upon that society's economy.

Not so upon Gor. The Goreans are a highly practical and pragmatic people. Whereas such institutions as banks, leagues of professional money-lenders, and practices such as the usage of promisary notes in place of hard currency certainly exist upon that planet, for the most part Goreans do not put their faith in such things. Goreans tend to be naturally suspicious in regard to money matters. This is possibly a byproduct of their communicentric worldview. More likely it comes as the logical result of the day to day necessity of dealing with members of the huge caste of Merchants, a caste which is known and accepted throughout Gor.

The Merchant caste codes, to which every member of that caste is sworn, virtually guarantee that the act of buying and selling legitimate Gorean trade goods will be done in as scrupulously fair and as equitable a manner as possible. At the same time, those codes allow for a certain amount of leeway in the area of barter, which is the very heart of the bargaining process which encompasses almost every business transaction conducted on the surface of Gor.

In addition, the Merchant caste (and their numerous sub-castes, which include the caste of money-lenders) are required by their caste codes to actively pursue the best possible deal they can obtain. To a Gorean Merchant, this is not an indication of personal greed; rather it is proof positive of their supreme devotion to the codes which they have sworn to obey, codes which command them to obtain the best possible price for their goods and services.

This having been said, it only stands to reason that the currency in use upon the surface of Gor, particularly in the High Cities, would be strictly regulated to the extent that their technological limitations allow. In addition, rather extreme penalties are applied against any who would attempt to circumvent this system. Counterfeiters are rare on Gor, and when they are caught they are typically summarily executed. Another offense worthy of punishment is the practice of "coin-shaving," in which minute quantities of precious metal are "clipped," removed from coins currently in circulation; when one has salvaged enough precious metal in this way, it is even possible to mint entirely new coins from the stolen shavings. Those who are caught shaving coins are usually sentenced to slavery, paying their literal "debt to society" through a life of enforced labor for the public good.

In order to maintain the integrity of the Gorean monetary system, it is therefore of vital importance that all Goreans measure their precious metals, which upon Gor are commonly copper, silver, and gold, in precisely the same way. This is not always possible, however, since the process by which coins are minted, and the styles and shapes of coins, vary from city to city. This is allowed due to the traditional Gorean tolerance for the license of artisans, who are often allowed to craft objects of extraordinary beauty at the expense of practicality. Also, it should be mentioned that the value of Gorean coinage can fluctuate considerably depending upon the quality and purity of the precious metal used for coining. The gold of both Ar and Turia is highly prized for its purity, thus gold coins from those cities command greater value than gold coins produced in other cities from lesser metal. The same can be said of the silver of Tharna and Argentum, two of the famous "Silver Cities" of the Gorean north. In the end, it is the merchants who decide the buying power of particular brands of currency, and professional usury, as well as speculation in coinage, is not uncommon.

In some parts of Gor, notably in the Tahari districts, the local coinage is pierced through the center, a modification which enables its user to thread a series of such coins on a leather thong or string for ease of carrying. In addition, some Gorean coins (the stater, for instance) are rectangular in shape and resemble small flat ingots of precious metal rather traditional round coins.

THE GOREAN COIN

Gorean coins are not struck from machine-engraved dies, nor are they minted through the usage of such devices as automated coin-presses. Typically the Gorean coin is struck by hand. This is done in the following manner: the planchet, or coin-blank, is warmed, to soften the metal. It is then placed between the dies and the die cap is then struck with a hammer, simultaneously impressing designs on both sides of the coin. This technique enables Gorean coins, which are not designed to be stacked or rolled, to carry a design which is much deeper and intricately sculpted than a typical coin of modern Earth.

The average Gorean coin is about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and about three-eighths of an inch thick. Designs vary depending upon the city where they are minted, though typically they will bear, upon one side, the likeness of the creature which they are named for; i.e, a tarn disk will display the image of a tarn, a tarsk disk will display the image of a tarsk, etc. The opposite side is often adorned with the symbol or seal of the coin's city of origin.

COPPER "TARSK BIT:" A copper coin worth from 1/4 to 1/10th of a copper tarsk, depending upon the original value of the coin and how that coin has been segmented. The usual number of tarsk-bits in a copper tarsk tends to be eight. When copper tarsks are struck, they are typically pre-segmented with deep grooves which enable a user to snap the coin into smaller pieces, like the wedges of a pie. Half of a standard copper tarsk would therefore be worth "four bits;" one-quarter of the whole coin, or one-half of one-half, would therefore be worth "two bits," and so on. This replicates a similar antique coining practice which existed on Earth.

COPPER TARSK DISK: A copper coin that is the whole coin of least value, equalling up to ten tarsk bits, though more typically, eight. The copper tarsks of Ar, for instance, are designed to be separated into eight sections.

COPPER TARN DISK: A copper coin of slightly greater value than the copper tarsk disk. Once common in certain cities, now widely discontinued due to a move toward standardization of Gorean coinage to emulate that of the city of Ar, which most probably no longer uses it.

SILVER TARSK DISK: The primary silver coin in use upon Gor, worth 100 copper tarsks. The silver tarsk is probably the single most-used denomination of Gorean coinage, owing to its medial value.

SILVER STATER: In use in several Gorean cities, notably Brundisium and Argentum. It is probably roughly equivalent in value to a standard Gorean silver tarsk disk.

GOLD TARN DISK: A common unit of currency, with a rather high monetary value owing to the metal from which it is made, and worth 10 silver tarsks. It is also minted in double-weight; as described below. Several cities mint their own gold tarn disks, but the Gorean standard is typically the gold tarn disk of Ar, which is highly valued for its consistant quality and and purity.

GOLD STATER: In common usage in the city of Brundisium, and presumably elsewhere. The gold stater of Brundisium is known to be of excellent quality and good weight, and is probably of slightly higher value than a traditional gold tarn disk.

DOUBLE-WEIGHT GOLD TARN DISK: A gold tarn disk, minted at double thickness to be twice the weight of a standard gold tarn disk. It is otherwise similar to a regular gold tarn disk in all respects, and is, due to its increased weight and bullion value, the highest denomination of coinage in use upon Gor.

GEM STONES

In addition to metal-based currency, there is a lively Gorean trade based upon the mining, cutting and polishing of precious and semi-precious gem stones of the Counter-Earth, though the value of such items is entirely relative, owing greatly to the quality of the stones, their rarity in various parts of Gor, and, when they are set into jewelry, the quality and composition of their fixtures and settings.

The sapphires of Schendi, for instance, are widely prized throughout all of Gor and are even used as a limited form of currency upon occasion.

THE GOREAN MONETARY DRAFT

Gorean often make use of paper "monetary drafts" or "promisary notes" which may be drawn on the various banking institutions and money-lenders against the credit of the draftee. The Caste of Merchants and especially the Caste of Money-Lenders oversee all such practices, typically from the city money-houses which reside on The Street of Coins, which is traditionally the name for the financial districts of most Gorean cities.

It won't all fit on a single note card, even after heavy editing but it will on two without if you split it all in about half.

Great stuff Elovar, I'll print it all and have it close to the computer(s) as reference material.

*grin* I can take it in the office with me too... when not much to do, I can read it until I know it by heart