Third of the High Castes

The Caste of Builders, the noble third of the High Castes, as designated in their seating arrangement in the Chamber of the Council, is a diverse caste group which includes architects, engineers, draftsmen, stonemasons, inventors and technicians, as well as many others, which concern themselves with the building of cities and the creation of the physical and engineering marvels of Gor. The Caste color is yellow.

"The Chamber of the Council is the room in which the elected representatives of the High Castes of Ko-ro-ba hold their meetings. Each city has such a chamber. It was in the widest of cylinders, and the ceiling was at least six times the height of the normal living level. The ceiling was lit as if by stars, and the walls were of five colors, applied laterally, beginning from the bottom — white, blue, yellow, green, and red, caste colors. Benches of stone, on which the members of the Council sat, rose in five monumental tiers about the walls, one tier for each of the High Castes. These tiers shared the color of that portion of the wall behind them, the caste colors.
      The tier nearest the floor, which denoted some preferential status, the white tier, was occupied by Initiates, Interpreters of the Will of Priest-Kings. In order, the ascending tiers, blue, yellow, green, and red, were occupied by representatives of the Scribes, Builders, Physicians, and Warriors. " — Tarnsman of Gor, pages 61-62.

"Many castes, incidentally, have branches and divisions." — Assassins of Gor, page 208.

Inventions and Innovations

Responsible for not only designing and erecting roads and buildings, the Builders are also innovative in the invention and design of technology — within the limits set by the Priest-Kings, of course.

One such technological invention was the energy bulb — the Gorean light bulb. These bulbs produce light for many years and often are found in the deep tunnels of strongholds and slave houses. Very rare is it to find energy bulbs in a common household.

"Inside, the tunnel, though dim, was not altogether dark, being lit by domelike, wire-protected energy bulbs, spaced in pairs every hundred yards or so. These bulbs, invented more than a century ago by the Caste of Builders, produce a clear, soft light for years without replacement." — Tarnsman of Gor, page 197.

Other examples of their technological invention were the tarn goad and the slave goad, developed in a joint venture with the Caste of Physicians.

"On the other side of the belt, there hung a slave goad, rather like the tarn goad, except that it is designed to be used as an instrument for the control of human beings rather than tarns. It was, like the tarn goad, developed jointly by the Caste of Physicians and that of the Builders, the Physicians contributing knowledge of the pain fibers of human beings, the networks of nerve endings, and the Builders contributing certain principles and techniques developed in the construction and manufacture of energy bulbs." — Assassin of Gor, page 84.

Caste Codes

Each caste has a set of ethical teachings, or Caste Codes, which constitute, in simplicity, a list of rules of conduct to which all caste members are held. Some of these teachings are in the form of sayings, profound or otherwise; some mere riddles. Though not stated as laws, in the Gorean world most of what is ethically correct is also legally correct. Naturally there would be those predicaments where the discussion of ethical and legal are quite diverse, as in the case (third quote) of the rape of two slave women. Often, caste codes have more to do with a man's personal honor and integrity. In simpler terms, each set of codes of a caste determine a behavior with a particular interest the specialty of its caste members.

The fairs of the Sardar offer a place for members of castes to meet and disseminate information and clear up disputes, all within their caste codes, thus keeping the castes updated, but within their mandates.

"Further, members of castes such as the Physicians and Builders use the fairs for the dissemination of information and techniques among Caste Brothers, as is prescribed in their codes in spite of the fact that their respective cities may be hostile. And as might be expected members of the Caste of Scribes gather here to enter into dispute and examine and trade manuscripts." — Priest Kings, page 9.

 

 

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Special Note

Because of the differences in publishing the books, depending upon whether published in the U.S. or Europe, depending upon whether a first publishing or a Masquerade Books release, page numbers will often vary. All of my quotes are from original, first-printing U.S. publications (see The Books page for a listing of publishers and dates) with the exception of the following books:

  • Tarnsman of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
  • Outlaw of Gor (11th Printing, Balantine)
  • Priest-Kings of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
  • Assassin of Gor (10th Printing, Balantine)
  • Raiders of Gor (15th Printing, Balantine)
  • Captive of Gor (3rd Printing, Balantine)

Disclaimer

These pages are not written for any specific home, but rather as informational pages for those not able to get ahold of the books and read them yourself. Opinions and commentaries are strictly my own personal views, therefore, if you don't like what you are reading — then don't. The information in these pages is realistic to what is found within the books. Many sites have added information, assuming the existences of certain products and practices, such as willowbark and agrimony for healing, and travel to earth and back for the collection of goods. I've explored the books, the flora, the fauna, and the beasts, and have compiled from those mentioned, the probabilities of certain practices, and what vegetation mentioned in the books is suitable for healing purposes, as well as given practicalities to other sorts of roleplaying assumptions.