This article is going to be quite long, but in summary, we’re going to paint as complete a picture as possible of one of my favorite castes in Gor: the Builders, and since we’re talking about technology and science, what does and doesn’t exist in the world of Gor. And Gor is science-fantasy, not sword and sorcery and other medievalist worlds. In Gor, there’s no magic.

But there’s some serious sci-fi stuff, which, while kitschy for the 2020s audience that we are, is nonetheless real sci-fi (and almost magic)! So let’s talk about it!

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Arthur C. Clarke

1- The technological level on Gor

The world of Gor has a civilization, and a general level of knowledge and technology, which is similar – at least in appearance, as we’ll see that it goes much further – to that of Ancient Rome, around the 3rd century. And the Romans were ingenious! They knew about concrete (still unrivalled today), were capable of building hydraulic chain systems, like industrial mills, knew how to lay out roads and aqueducts with a geometric precision to the centimetre, possessed surgical instruments advanced enough to clamp an artery or remove a cataract from an eye, and had enough knowledge of metallurgy to invent the cataphractaires, steel-clad horsemen, ancestors of our knights (something we wouldn’t know how to do again until 10 centuries later! ). Technically, they had already understood the power of steam as an engine, but they lacked materials strong enough and adapted enough to create such machines (and motivation too: one of the great weaknesses of the Romans was slavery).

So it’s safe to say that the Goreans had high-performance looms, that they knew how to produce steel, even if it wasn’t necessarily the strongest, that they knew how to blow glass and extract metals, not to mention that building towers, aqueducts, sewer systems, water pipes and baths, and finally solid bridges, was easy! They also had an advanced knowledge of agriculture, the likes of which would not be found again until the 14th century. In short, they weren’t backward, and the Builder caste we’ll be talking about later didn’t just know how to build houses, bridges and fortresses: they were mathematicians, engineers, scientists, experts in ancient mechanics and electromechanics, whose knowledge is comparable to that of 19th-century scientists.

On the other hand, there are also the advanced technologies that Goreans have learned to create, through the knowledge of Priest-Kings and Earthmen, often gleaned locally. It’s in the medical field (we talk about it in this article: Gorean medicine & the Physicians’ Caste), in some technical fields and in the electrical and electromechanical field that things become surprising.

As Gor has virtually no oil or coal, heating depends on wood and sophisticated insulation and heat recovery systems. Plastic is little-known (and I wonder how it’s produced without petrochemicals: is it plant-based?), but it’s being replaced by high-quality glass and ceramics.

While steam and industrial machinery are almost unknown, and almost everyone uses traditional lighting methods such as candles and torches, the same cannot be said for electricity. Goreans use energy bulbs, which are electric super-batteries that power many electrical and electronic machines and technologies. All these marvels, reserved for the wealthy but not so rare, are most often artifacts supplied indirectly by the Priest-Kings, but also objects that have been collected on Earth, during missions by agents of the Priest-Kings or the Kurii. Others are created and manufactured by Goreans themselves. These include electric lighting, dynamos, blood analysis machines, genetic sequencers, medical X-rays, slave prods, universal translators, electric locks or electrified cages, electric heating blankets, refrigerators, and even loudspeakers and disk and multimedia players (yes, you can listen to music on a vynil or CD-ROM in some of Gor’s luxurious living rooms); there are even a few blast furnaces powered by electricity. In fact, wired telephones could very well exist on Gor, since in Ar, a livestock of exotic slaves is listened to via hidden microphones connected to loudspeakers; but clearly, the telephone is outside the limits admitted by the Priest-Kings.

More commonly, there are many very practical things: blast furnaces (essential for better steels and ceramics), precision metallurgy including clocks, automata and micromechanics, paper and printing, chronometers and marine compasses, compasses, semi-industrial weaving using mechanized looms, embroidery and semi-industrial glass, lighters and other firelighters, wire and wire mesh, ceramics and porcelain, hydraulic and pneumatic machinery, refractory and building bricks, alloys and high-grade steel. They also know telescopes, spectacles, magnifying glasses and microscopes.

Gor’s science fiction

Now let’s talk about what’s possible, but only in the realm of science fiction. Already, some Goreans know that space travel is possible aboard starships: they take part in voyages to Earth to meet agents there, and bring back cargoes of poor Earthwomen abducted there to become slaves on Gor. For transport, these Earthwomen are locked in hypersleep chambers, and more than one slaver has seen one of these strange chambers. The Priest-Kings have mastered antigravity, force fields and interstellar travel, and their technological power enables them to move a planet and terraform it. They even seem capable of mastering telepathic and mind-control technologies.

So, modern, science-fiction technologies and machines from Earth, or entrusted to the Goreans by the Priest-Kings, do exist. But this is very rare; it’s a very big secret, which the owners of these objects hide with great care. Either because they are agents of the Priest-Kings (or the Kurii), or because they hide from them so as not to get caught. For example, yes, there’s a futuristic computer hidden within the walls of Ar’s Ubar Palace, capable of controlling not only the Priest-Kings’ orbital weapons platforms but also… the climate! But there are no more than five or six people who know this, all agents of the Priest-Kings, who would rather die than betray the secret. And only two of them know how to operate it.

In conclusion, it’s not at all absurd or inconsistent to see hints of science-fiction technology here and there in Gor’s world. What would be absurd or inconsistent is for it to be visible to all. A simple pistol is a terrible weapon on Gor, and the agents of the Priest-Kings and insiders will do anything to make such an object and its owner disappear; no one would want to own one, unless they were insane. Goreans, in general, don’t understand Earth science and technology and despise them completely. They also have a strong religious superstition that encourages them to ignore and even destroy it out of an abundance of caution.

2- The builder caste

The Builder caste is the third highest caste, in rank and precedence, of the five: after the Initiates, then the Scribes, and above the Physicians , then the Warriors (I chuckle every time I remind you that the Warrior caste is at the very bottom of the ladder!). Its color is yellow, and its emblem and symbol – and we know this clearly because Norman describes it – is the carpenter’s compass:

Quote:

In Ar, for example, early in the day, a member of the builders will go to the roof where the Hearthstone stands and place the primitive symbol of his trade, a metal triangle, before the stone, praying to the Priest-Kings for the prosperity of his caste in the coming year;

Tarnsman of Gor, page 68

The builder caste… doesn’t build, well, not directly, although I think any student builder will lift brick and stir lime to learn the trade. They’re architects, engineers, urban planners, naval architects and military engineers. They’re also the building and major works engineers who direct all the craftsmen and labourers in this field. They are responsible for the expansion of the city-states, the strength of their walls, the power of their naval fleet, the quality and efficient supply of water, and the preservation of the great attics! Builders not only build, they also control, check and supervise the maintenance of all urban structures. No city can do without them, and even for a village, their presence and knowledge are a blessing.

Builders are also great geometers and mathematicians, as well as clockmakers, chemists, inventors, mechanics, electricians and, in short, scientists akin to Leonardo da Vinci (or Dr. Frankenstein). Because of their proximity to the people and the vital importance of their work to any city, they are respected and esteemed by all. Other high-castes value their technical advice because, quite simply, everyone needs builders, and few can claim to replace their skills.

Last but not least, the builder caste is responsible for the weights, measures and alloys of coins! It may not sound like much, but a silver tarsk that weighs one gram less is a very profitable counterfeit! The same goes for a sack of flour that weighs one stone less than its legal weight! Builders then work very closely with merchants and scribes to check the conformity of merchandise quantities and the weight and composition of coins. Yeah, like a customs inspector!

Like physicians, the builders’ caste is very close to the people, providing them with honest, fresh work that was also useful to the community. Anyone can dig a well, but knowing where to dig it for clean water, and how to ensure that the well will be solid and last for generations, is the secret and talent of the builders. Builders have a strong presence at fairs, exchanging knowledge, passing on techniques to the lower classes, hiring and even training craftsmen and artists to perfect their skills and expertise. And it’s well known that builders and physicians often work closely together; the two castes support each other against the other three high-castes, and there’s even talk of secret agreements and alliances that go beyond the scope of city-states.

Quote:

In addition, members of castes such as Physicians and Builders use fairs to spread information and techniques among the Brothers of Caste, as prescribed by their code, despite the fact that their respective cities may be hostile.

Priest-Kings of Gor, Page 9

They’re also a notoriously progressive caste (like physicians, again, but we’ll see later that it’s not so simple), as they run with knowledge, science and progress in the service of humans. Yes, it’s easy to see why these two castes are inferior in rank to the Scribes and Initiates caste. Because builders can often be on the razor’s edge, exploring the limits of technology. So on the razor’s edge that the Priest-Kings can sometimes intervene in… radical ways :

Quote:

“On the other hand, you will learn that in matters of lighting, shelter, agricultural techniques and medicine, for example, mortals, or men from below the mountains, are relatively advanced. He looked at me – amused, I think. “You wonder,” he said, “why the many obvious deficits in our technology have not been made good despite the Priest-Kings. It occurs to you that there must exist on this world minds capable of designing things like, say, guns and armored vehicles.”

“Surely these things must be produced,” I insisted.

“And you’re right,” he said darkly. “From time to time, they are, but then their owners are destroyed, bursting into flames.”

“Like the blue metal shell?”

“Yes,” he said. “Simply possessing a weapon of this type is punished by the Flame of Death. Sometimes, daring individuals create or acquire such war materials and sometimes escape the Flame of Death for a year, but sooner or later, they are struck down.” His gaze was hard. “I saw it happen once,” he said.

Tarnsman of Gor, Page 31.

Good warning, isn’t it? Yes, the deadly risk of the Blue Flame, when a man begins to exceed the limits of the sciences and techniques authorized by the Priest-Kings on the world of Gor, is a reality. But while the Priest-Kings intervene only very marginally, as they become less and less able to do so as the novels of the Gor saga progress, the Initiates… Well, you really have to regard them as the caricature of an anti-technological Inquisition. The Initiates are not against scientific research, they are against any use that could upset the balance of power and stability in the world of Gor. But why? The vast majority don’t know. The more educated, on the other hand, will cite the ravages of war on Earth to justify this inquisition. The reality is quite different: the Priest-Kings are not only afraid that the Goreans will destroy the world, and therefore the Priest-Kings’ zoo, but above all, that they will have enough means and technology to kill the Priest-Kings! And given that the Priest-Kings are few in number, this fear is understandable.

In fact, the builder caste is, on the surface at least, notoriously traditionalist. Much less so than the warriors, scribes and initiates, but still! Because it has to censor itself, to prevent its members from rushing headlong into new innovations which, at best, will end in a heresy trial with torture, dungeons, pal and all the rest; and, at worst, in a great orbital laser blast vaporizing a neighborhood, or even an entire city, in a pretty blue flash. Yes, once again, this is a strong incentive to be cautious. The medical profession, while also forced to exercise self-censorship, is not subject to the same degree of socio-cultural pressure. On this subject, we must also bear in mind that the notion of progress, through this socio-cultural pressure that has lasted for millennia, is very different from the same idea in the minds of earthlings :

Quote:

The road, like most Gorean roads, was built like a wall in the earth and was expected to last a hundred generations. The Gorean, who has little idea of progress as we understand it, takes great care in its construction and execution. What he builds, he expects men to use until the storms of time have reduced it to dust. Yet this road, for all the care taken by the builder caste, was no more than an unassuming side road, barely wide enough to allow the passage of two carts.

Outlaw of Gor, Page 25

The builder caste is nowhere near as protected as the physician caste. The Goreans have no qualms about enslaving or killing a builder, either out of interest or whim. In fact, the women of the caste are like all free Gorean high-caste women. They manage the household, the children, any servants and slaves. Women builders active in the trade are a minority -but that doesn’t mean it’s exceptional either!

Quote:

It’s worth noting that the women of a given caste often don’t do the caste’s work. For example, a woman of the metalworker caste doesn’t usually work at the forge, nor is a woman of the builder caste likely to oversee the construction of fortifications.

Fighting Slave of Gor, Page 209

Ha, yes, to conclude the presentation of the builder caste, it’s like all the other high castes: not necessarily rich! I like to point out that castes being castes, a ruined family, unable to leave its caste and thus change jobs, may well be reduced to selling its children, or even begging! It’s the same for everyone, and solidarity within the caste is the only thing that protects against it – with all the political shenanigans you can imagine! That said, it’s easier for a builder to sell his skills, even for a small fee, than, say, a scribe or a warrior. Well, the builder may have to lift a shovel, but what site manager would spit on the skills of a foreman as efficient as a builder?

3- Builder’s expertises

To break down the archetype of the builder who builds houses and bridges, here’s a list of the different types of builders we see mentioned in Gor’s novels, either directly or indirectly.

– Private & civil architects

This is the classic image that everyone has of the caste and, indeed, most builders are trained in architecture, mainly civil, but also for private individuals wealthy enough to afford a real architect for their home. Builders of this expertise aren’t just there to draw up plans and manage building sites. They are also called upon to check buildings and carry out maintenance and renovation work. Goreans build to last, at least if they can, and some of Ar’s cylinders have been standing for over 500 years. But it takes skill and meticulousness to ensure they last that long, and builders are never short of work.

– Marine engineers

A boat is an incredibly complex machine, as soon as you get beyond the barque or the inshore fishing boat. Few people know how to build them, so there are builders whose specialty it is. A sea-going galley, or a war galley, is a construction site that can last a year or two, requiring the cooperation of hundreds of craftsmen and workers. To coordinate all this, you need a great deal of expertise.

– Hydraulic & industrial engineers

One of the most essential things for the city-states of Gor is water. Water is essential for a host of industrial uses, and human consumption requires clean, healthy water. That is to say, anything but river water, as the latter is inevitably polluted by all human activities – you wouldn’t have wanted to bathe in the Seine, in Paris, in the 14th century; chances are it’d be the last thing you’d do. So, on the one hand, there are aqueducts, reservoirs, basins and water towers everywhere, and on the other, for industrial use, canals and hydraulic mills, used as much for cereals as for metallurgy. But builders with this specialty also know how to design windmills, pumping and irrigation installations, hoists, heating and piping systems, and are specialists in baths and fountains.

– Military engineers

Offensive and defensive works, undermining, war machines – everything to do with the military comes under this heading. Military engineers don’t spend all their time in offices. Like certain members of the medical caste, who work behind the scenes on the battlefield, military engineers manage the construction sites required by the army of which they are a part. And since a war machine requires skilled surveyors and technicians, they are sometimes at the heart of the battle – or almost!

– Medical & chemical engineers

Chemistry is one of the most important tricks up the builder’s sleeve. I’d like to remind you that, while chemistry is a recent science on Earth (roughly speaking, we date its birth from 1722, with Étienne Geoffroy l’Aîné, a French physician and naturalist), the Art of the Earth, a primitive but effective chemistry, was born in ancient Egypt. As for alchemy, if part of this knowledge was esoteric and sometimes eccentric, another part was a fully functional chemistry.

Chemistry is closely linked to medicine and biology, but also to metallurgy and craftsmanship. The builders of this expertise were often well versed in metallurgy and industry, as well as in biology and anatomy. With the help of other caste experts, and in close cooperation with craftsmen and physicians, they create machines, devices and chemical compounds. If a builder doesn’t know how to administer an antibiotic or exactly how it works, he does know how to build the laboratory to produce it efficiently!

– Watchmakers & opticians

While most goreans couldn’t care less what time it is, they do appreciate astronomical calendars. And time measurement is very useful in certain activities, from shipping to industry, chemistry and medicine. And, finally, beautiful clepsydras and animated mechanical clocks are among the works of art that a wealthy goréen is proud to own in his home. But there’s one thing that Goreans really want and appreciate: builder’s glasses – in other words, telescopes, but also eyeglasses and precision glasses.  The builders of this expertise are therefore specialists in precision mechanics and optics. They even know how to make optical microscopes, prized by the physician caste, and small automatons capable of performing small scenes before the astonished eyes of spectators.

– Electricians

If I don’t mention mechanics, it’s because this skill is so common in all the builders’ expertise that most of them are able to manufacture mechanical systems (but not combustion engine, eh!, or not long before the Fire of Death strikes). On the other hand, electricians are one of the most sought-after skills among builders. Because, yes, Gor knows electricity and, no, it’s not a gift from the priest-kings!

From the first three volumes of the novels, we learn that energy bulbs, as well as slave goads and loudspeakers and microphones, have been inventions of the builders for a century. Which also means that builders have invented a highly condensed energy source, since it can last a very long time and be hidden in the handle of a slave goad. Builders who are experts in electricity know how to build these batteries and marvellous machines, and no doubt many others (like a dynamo for an electromechanical motor). Needless to say, all this is highly secret, and builders are very careful about what they invent in this field, at the risk of attracting the attention of the Initiates or, worse still, the Priest-Kings?

4- Gorean technologies

An equipment list! Yahaa!

So, no, not at all, but I’m going to make sure I present the technical and technological inventions present in the world of Gor. Not all of them are exclusive creations of the Caste of Builders, but most of them are their inventions, and craftsmen and merchants pay handsomely for the right to use their simplest inventions.

Two examples are wire and plant-based plastic: known from Gor, wire requires advanced metallurgical techniques, while plastic requires complex chemistry. Craftsmen and laborers work to create these materials, and others exploit them to create useful goods, but it’s the builders who manage this market, and reap the dividends.

Need I say that the richest merchants are prepared to pay fortunes to control this kind of market and finance the builders, to ensure exclusivity? The builders don’t necessarily have a choice. They have to finance the industrial structures needed to produce their creations, and so it’s the merchant caste that stands to benefit, thanks to its wealth, one way or another.

More or less common objects

So, they’re not all that common, but these are the most widespread technological items that most Goreans, if they have the means, could buy. A few rarer items (such as refrigerators and electric firelighters) are clearly more difficult to obtain.

Wire, iron mesh and ties.

Goreans know how to make wire, and they use it for many purposes. For example, bindings are a mixture of leather ties and fine, braided iron wire. Perfect for binding a captive or a slave, these ties are impossible to cut with simple means.

“I tried to free myself from the bonds holding my wrists, rubbing them against the trunk of a fallen tree, but I couldn’t undo them, nor wear them out. The fiber of the Gorean bindings is not meant to be so easily removed from a girl’s wrists. After an hour, I was bound just as tightly as before.” (Captive of Gor, page 182)

“There were also slave bags braided with wire ropes, a quarter-inch thick, some silver, some black, some steel-colored, with diamond-shaped openings from two to four inches, which could be padlocked at the top.” (Price of Gor, page 577)

Glasses and spyglasses, known as builder’s glasses.

Yes,  Builders are masters of optics. They know how to make binoculars, magnifying glasses, spyglasses, microscopes and telescopes, known in the novels as “builders’ glasses”.

About half an Ahn later, I heard Tenrik calling for the lookout.  The man was carrying a long builders’ glass.

“Can you see their flag?” he shouted.

“It’s white,” he cried, “with green stripes.  It’s got the head of a bosk on it!” (Adventurers of Gor, page 185)

Coolers & refrigerators.

Historically, iceboxes have been around since antiquity. The method is simple: ice is harvested in regions where it forms in winter, transported quickly in piles of dry straw, and stored at the bottom of a well or tower, with thick walls covered in baked brick, on straw. The whole thing is kept insulated, so the ice can be kept for months and used to preserve food. More often than not, however, by the height of summer, if the ice is not renewed (by going to the mountains, for example), it will have melted.

Do refrigerators, i.e. electric coolers, exist? On the face of it, given the medical sciences of the physician caste, yes, there clearly are, because it’s a necessity, and because, in the end, all that’s needed is a small battery-powered gas compressor and a tube cooling circuit, nothing really impossible for a builder to create. But it remains rare and very expensive.

Chronometers, compasses and navigation instruments

The Goreans use solar and lunar compasses along with efficient time-measuring instruments, since clocks and chronometers exist. The Gorean North still points to the Sardar Mountains. Of course, these instruments, little jewels of horology, are rare and expensive.

“Like most Gorean compasses, mine contained a chronometer, so I took the compass, turned it over and pressed the tab to open the back and reveal the dial (Tarnsman de Gor, page 58).”

Lighters and firelighters

Another common toy of the Builder’s Caste are alcohol lighters, using a flint and a wick, with a reservoir. They’re also called photophore, because they can be fitted with a lens to create a small beam of light.

Oh, yes, there are even electric firelighters, but given that their use could be similar to that of a weapon, they are very rare, and it’s risky to own one. On the other hand, even if goreans could create them, there are no matches. The chemistry of matches is too close to that of explosives, which are totally forbidden on Gor.

Electric lamps

Relatively uncommon, but there are a few, especially among the physician caste, used for medical examinations. They are also found in the precision work of watchmakers and certain craftsmen and artists. The rarest, because goreans don’t really see their use, are flashlights. Goreans either use torches and lanterns, or energy bulbs, which we’ll discuss in detail later in this article.

Locks and micromechanics

To sum up, Goreans know how to create precision tools and micromechanics small enough to make chronometers that fit in a marine compass, or optical lenses. Gorean locks benefit from this. Locks are generally basic for most people, but with the right price tag, you can have mechanical locks with studs and springs, which even fit into a padlock or slave collar.

There are even electric locks, which close with an electromechanical latch and can’t be picked. You either need a key that contains the small electromechanical circuit that unlocks the lock, or type in a code on a small electromechanical keypad.

“In my tunic, I took the key my father had given me, the key to Sana’s necklace.  I reached the lock behind her neck and inserted the small key to turn it, opening the spring mechanism.  I tore the necklace from her throat and threw it, with the key, from Tarn’s back, and watched them fly down in a long, graceful parabola.” (Tarnsman de Gor, page 52)

The paper

People often talk about parchment on Gor, but this is because they don’t know what the material is: historically, parchment is sheepskin or calfskin, processed with backbreaking labor. A sheet of parchment is therefore worth a fortune, which is the main reason why there were hardly any libraries in Europe in the late Middle Ages with more than twenty or thirty books.

Papyrus was also used, but this was a technique that didn’t work unless the necessary plant was available: papyrus for paper, which only exists in Africa. So, if papyrus was used throughout the Mediterranean basin and the Arab world, I didn’t necessarily see any reason why this material should exist on Gor (but in fact it does).

But paper does exist! The people of Gor use paper, using techniques similar to those used to make paper according to Chinese recipes, but using rence fiber, which grows mainly in the Vosk delta. This is the main product of the local caste, the Caste des Renciers, who don’t have it easy. The paper obtained is of varying quality depending on the treatment, but it is far more affordable than parchment.

Are there any papers other than papier de rence? They appear later in the novels, but there is silk paper (pani), papyrus (Port-Schendi) and even paper made from wood pulp and rep (Ar and surrounding area).

“A type of paper is made from rence. The plant itself has a long, thick root, about 15 cm long, which lies horizontally below the surface of the water; small roots sink into the mud from this main root, and several “stems”, up to a dozen, emerge from it, often 15 to 16 feet long from the root; it has an outgrowing floral spike, usually a single one.” (raiders of Gor, page 7)

“Rep is a whitish fibrous material found in the pods of a small reddish shrub, grown commercially in several regions, but especially below Ar and above the equator; cheap rep is woven in mills, commonly in several towns; it takes dye well and, being cheap and strong, is popular, especially among the lower castes.” (Raiders of Gor, page 10)

Plastic

I wasn’t sure about this, but yes, there are a few plastic objects, and obviously it’s produced by goreans. As petroleum doesn’t seem to be known or exploited, this is plant-based, biodegradable plastic. Builders use them to make simple objects, especially for use in chemistry and medicine.

Glass

Although glass has long existed on Earth, it wasn’t until the 17th century that Europeans learned how to make large glass plates and mirrors. Goreans also know how to make it, and, as on Earth in the 17th century, it’s expensive! It’s not as expensive as it was back then (a free-standing mirror could cost the price of a castle), but it’s not exactly affordable for most people. Non-tinted mirrors also exist, and are used for looking without being seen; they’re great for spying.

The slave goad

There are several kinds, Norman describes above all the one for tarns, and the one for slaves. The one for slaves was designed by builders and physician in common. The object’s purpose is to discipline by inflicting great pain, but without leaving wounds or after-effects. The instrument, common enough, is an electrified rod, with a knob that regulates the intensity. And, yes, it can be a lethal weapon, proof if any were needed that, no, Gor’s physician don’t follow the Hippocratic oath.

“On the other side of his belt, he wore a slave goad, a bit like the tarn goad, except that it’s designed to be used as an instrument for controlling human beings rather than tarns. The instrument was developed jointly by the Caste of Physicians and the Caste of Builders, the physicians contributing their knowledge of human pain fibers and networks of nerve endings, and the Builders contributing certain principles and techniques developed in the construction and manufacture of energy ampoules. Unlike the tarn goad, which has a simple on-off switch in the handle, the slave prod operates with both a switch and a dial, and the intensity of the charge administered can vary from an infliction that is only unpleasant to one that is immediately lethal.” (Assassin of Gor)

Fingerprints

Goreans have been using fingerprints to identify slaves for a very long time. All you need is translucent paper, a magnifying glass and a little ink to make the comparison. Do Goreans know how to take fingerprints from a crime scene? I’d say so, because on Earth, it’s a technique that’s been used effectively since 1891. Gorean technology is well advanced enough to create fine powders for taking fingerprint fragments, then comparing them, at least summarily. A tool that any magistrate-investigator from Goro would use without hesitation!

“It was to this man that Vella had been placed, her registration, papers and purchase having been arranged. In the House of Cernus, after the veil, bracelets, leash and collar had been removed, the House of Cernus agents had checked her fingerprints against those on the papers. She was then thoroughly examined by the doctors at the House of Cernus. Then, deemed acceptable, she had knelt while the House agents signed her delivery receipt and endorsed her papers, retaining one copy and giving one copy to the seller’s agent, to pass on to the Document Cylinder.” (Assassin of Gor)

Strange objects

If this is properly unknown to 98% of Gor people, and many of these objects would clearly be magic to most of them, these are some of the objects present, evoked, or possible, technologies known and employed on Gor. Suffice it to say that all these objects are worth a fortune and are rare, not to mention that the average gorean wouldn’t even know how to operate them. And, no, there are no technological weapons in this list. See Chapter 6: Forbidden technologies, to understand why.

The heating mat

Among Norman’s delusions, especially since we’ll never know how it works and will never hear the end of it afterwards, he imagined a heated mattress. Quote:

“In the morning, I woke up on the mattress in the corner of my apartment, cold and shivering.  It was just before dawn.  I turned off the power button on the mat and folded back the sides of the blanket.  It was cold to the touch now, because I’d set the temperature on the timer to get cold an hour before first light.  There’s little tendency to stay in an icy bed.  I decided that I disapproved of Gorean devices to separate mortals from their beds as much as I hated the clock radios of my own world.” (Tarnsman de Gor, page 43)

The universal translator

This, too, is an object that actually appears in only one novel and is very quickly forgotten. It therefore seems very rare, and is an item provided by the Priest-Kings. I’ll leave the quotation here, for the sake of eclecticism:

“These translation machines are a marvel of miniaturization, each the size of a portable typewriter and programmed for four non-Gorean languages.  The translations, of course, are quite literal, and the vocabulary is limited to recognizing around 25,000 equivalents for each language.  As a result, for subtle communication or the fullest expression of thought, the machine was inferior to a competent linguist.  The machine, however, according to my father, retained the advantage that its errors would not be intentional, and that its translations, however inadequate, would be honest.”  (Tarnsman de Gor, pages 25-26)

The blood analysis machine

How and why? I don’t know, but it’s a useful piece of equipment found in the best doctors’ surgeries, and often seen on Gor roleplay sims. The machine can determine blood type, detect certain diseases and drugs, and even determine whether a woman is pregnant or not. As the machine necessarily employs electronics, it is either supplied by the Priest-Kings or imported from Earth.

The electrified cage

Nothing too complicated to create, and perfectly and cruelly effective for guarding a prisoner and preventing anyone from touching the cage. That said, it remains a rare and seldom-used item.

The genetic sequencer

Yes, yes, you read that right! Initially, this was a rare machine donated exclusively by the Priest-Kings, but for some years now in Gor’s world, it has been imported from Earth. It’s mainly used by physician who work with slave breeding compounds, to refine bloodlines.

The speaker & microphone

You think I’m joking? In the novels, there are many uses for loudspeakers and microphones. In fact, they’re the basis of universal translators. And it’s a relatively simple electrical technology, after all, which Gorean builders quickly learned to create, no doubt using models from Earth. But it’s a technology kept relatively secret: the builders will never explain how it works. They will only offer to install these machines, which make it possible to hear without being heard, or to communicate remotely by wire, to wealthy, trustworthy customers. The risks of drift (and therefore mortal danger) are too high.

“Can they hear us?” I whispered.

No,” replied Ho-Tu.

One of the girls laughed, pushed the other, then turned and ran off, pursued by the other, who was also laughing.

I glared at Ho-Tu.

“There’s an acoustic speaker system,” he said. “We can hear them, but they can’t hear us.

I looked at the two girls running away. Beyond them, I could see others. Two of them were playing ball with a red ball (Assassin of Gor, page 114).

The phonograph and the music player

It’s very rare, and mostly imported from Earth, but record players, or even cassette and CD-rom players, can be bought on Gor, for those who know the right people and have gold (yes, gold!) to lose. A phonograph with a wax or plastic disc will be relatively affordable, more modern machines of this kind are simply rare… and then, you also need to have the discs and cassettes to listen to the music. And of course, it’s generally frowned upon on Gor.

The cathode-ray screen

Genetic sequencers and blood analysis machines need keyboards and screens, so there’s such a thing as a cathode-ray screen. Yes, on Earth this implies a minimum of particle physics expertise, which goreans have no mastery of at all. Which is why these screens are imported from Earth. Builders know how to use and operate them, but not how to create them.

The stasis chamber

Here too, few common Goreans have seen one, but it’s a familiar object to agents of the Priest-Kings (and the Kurri), but also to slave traders and physicians, and surely to other rich, powerful and curious people. These are the chambers used to transport an Earthwoman safely from Earth to Gor via spaceship. And obviously, the person in the chamber is in stasis – hypersleep, if you like – and can stay that way for a very long time. As it’s directly related to Acquisition Journeys and the Terran slave trade, the object, easily recognizable, is knowed.

 “- Terran slaves,” says Peisistratus, “are normally sedated on Earth, brought to collection points, stored in such caissons for the journey to Gor, landed unconscious on Gor, then brought unconscious to the pens. So, in a typical case, a girl might go to bed as usual, in the comfort of her own sheets, with no thought other than of her next day’s existence, totally unaware of her selection, and then later, to her astonishment, wake up in the pens.” ( Kur of Gor)

5- Energy Bulbs

The energy bulb was invented by the Caste of Builders. It’s like an electric light bulb, usually producing its own electricity with a small battery, which is a well-kept secret of the Builders’ Caste. How does this battery, which looks like it could last for years, generate electricity? A mystery. But it would make earthlings jealous.

No price is given for an energy bulb, but I’d be tempted to say that one of these bulbs probably fetches at least 30 to 50 silver tarks a unit, given their complexity and their lifespan of many years.

“These bulbs, invented over a century ago by the Caste des Constructeurs, produce clear, soft light for years without replacement. (Tarnsman of Gor)”

Bulbs are only affordable for the wealthy. Most Goreans use lights produced by flames and, in any case, if they say they prefer that, they have neither the choice nor the means.

“Interestingly, the light in the room came from behind a translucent blue ceiling, probably supplied by energy bulbs. Saphrar was a wealthy man to have energy bulbs in his home; few Goreans can afford such a luxury; and, indeed, few care, for Goreans, for whatever reason, love the light of flames and lamps and torches and the like; flames must be made, tended, observed; they are more beautiful and more alive. (Nomads of gor)”

Batteries and energy sources

Builders know how to make batteries that can power electrical machines, but they also know how to make switches and electric cables (long live plastic) and dynamos. They could be mass-producing electricity, but they’re clearly not. There are several reasons for this:

1- It’s expensive: there’s no mass industry on Gor, so building electrical systems is long, complicated and expensive.

2- Gor people don’t like innovations: they prefer a cushion to a seat, a fur to a blanket, a candle to an electric lamp, a wood fire to a radiator, and they’re wary of modern technologies they don’t understand, which to them look like magic, and therefore dangerous.

3- Initiates and Priest-Kings are vigilant: we’ve already talked about this, so there’s no need to come back to it, but it encourages Goreans not to abuse these technologies, out of healthy caution.

Some quotes:

“I didn’t see any merchandise in my passage through the rear halls of the Cerulean; the girls are generally kept, before their sale, in holding cells, lit by energy bulbs, below ground level; however, I was soon passing the display cages, which are accessible to the public; these cages were now empty; they are used, from the 10th to the 14th Ahns of a given day, to display the merchandise that will be sold in the evening ; (Assassin of Gor)”

“Light bulbs are found not only in the homes of the very wealthy, but also in the offices of professionals with specific needs. Thus, in a hospice of the Green Caste, in the big cities, the presence of a light bulb won’t be so surprising, despite its price:

The instruments he used, the tests he performed, the samples he needed were no different from those on Earth. What particularly struck me was the fact that this room, as primitive as it looked to me, was lit by what is known in Gorean as an energy bulb, an invention of the Builders’ Caste. I could see neither the cords nor the battery casings. Yet the room was filled with a delicate, soft white light, which the doctor could adjust by turning the base of the bulb. (Captive of Gor)”

“Then the crowd quietened down, and so did the musicians, as one after another of the amphitheater’s lights went out. Another set of bulbs, much to the delight of the crowd, suddenly lit up the block (where a slave is on display) with a brilliant light.

The block, in the light, looked very austere and massive. It was empty. I wondered what the girls could see from the block. I could see, in the reflected light, the faces of those around me and, as the moments passed, I saw more and more of them. (Assassin of Gor)”

“Vika smiled at me: “You see,” she said in relief, “it’s too late. Now you must stay.”

“Why?” I asked.

She looked away, avoiding my eyes. “Because the bulbs will soon go out,” she said, “and that will be the appointed hours for sleeping.”

…

And then came the third and final stroke of that distant gong and, at the same moment, the energy bulbs in the room went out and I understood that somewhere in the long corridors of this vast edifice, walked the Priest-kings of Gor. (Priest-king of Gor)”

6- forbidden technologies

What the Priest-Kings firmly forbid, with sufficient means to intervene in the event of transgression, via their agents or the Initiates, or more directly, are certain techniques and sciences that could tip the balance of Gor, both for mankind and for the planet. Here is the list of what is forbidden. And whoever dares to work on it takes great risks, for himself, his family, even his whole town!

The following are prohibited the internal combustion engine and steam (and therefore all industrial machines that could be powered by these engines), personal armor (strangely enough, this is more a religious ban than a Priest-King ban), wave communication systems (but not by wire – we’ve already talked about loudspeakers), there are also microphones, as we discover in the third novel), fast-moving machines, including advanced sail navigation (Gorean ships are hardly more efficient than ancient galleys) and, last but not least, explosives, including black powder and, of course, all forms of firearms. Oh, yes: forget computers too.

The novels don’t mention it, but no, there’s no reason why the Priest-Kings should have banned astronomy: many people belonging to the most cultured castes know that they live on a planet in our solar system, that not far from there is the Earth, and that other worlds exist around the other stars of the Milky Way.

Conclusion

Gor is not like Robert E. Howard’s Conan; it’s much closer to Edgar Rice Burrough’s Mars cycle (which you may know as John Carter of Mars). While Gor’s saga is closer to a Planet-opera, it’s still clearly science-fantasy.

Yes, I know, I’m a professional novelist and author, so I’m familiar with literary genres and sub-genres, so I must speak Chinese to you; so, let’s summarize what the world of Gor is:

1- A Planet-opera: Planet opera stories are set on an alien planet with puzzling and mysterious features, where the main characters are tasked with exploring and discovering all its aspects (fauna, flora, resources, society, organization, etc.).

2- Science-fantasy: science-fantasy stories often integrate elements of modern technology into a medieval or ancient universe, or on the contrary, fantasy elements into a science-fiction universe.

Why do I explain this in conclusion? To encourage you, players in the world of Gor, not to say NO without thinking about a modern or even science-fiction invention or creation in the world of Gor. Because there are some out there, and I haven’t looked at all of them, and it’s silly to refuse to let them exist in the role-playing context of the world of Gor! And I haven’t told you everything! There are even radio communicators between agents of the Priest-Kings, not to mention the clones and biotech cyborgs of the same Priest-Kings, not to mention computers and AIs.

The idea is that the world of Gor is ancient, even medieval, in its entirety and for the most part, but that it has technological marvels that do exist and are not just in the hands of a few. You have to be reasonable with this – a peasant can’t have a phonograph – but you have to be consistent with the universe, and the universe of the novels includes these technological marvels, from the simplest to the craziest, and these are no exceptions.

Be reasonable, but don’t say NO. Be creative and imaginative, dare; you can, and it’s a shame not to exploit this aspect of Gor’s universe.