Conversations, a Power Outage, and an Evening Among Friends

Journal Entry: August 11, 2026
Location: Olni Var, Turmus, Lara II, and Nile River
Title: Conversations, a Power Outage, and an Evening Among Friends

My day began shortly after four in the morning in Olni Var. Ramius sent me a scroll titled “Salt, Not Just a Seasoning,” which may be useful for Thursday’s lesson on Gorean trade goods.

I traveled to Turmus and checked the Educational Hall calendar. While there, I spoke with Laela. She told me that Marcus Galbreus had become her new Master. She described him as kind, careful, calm, and someone whose rules she felt able to follow. She had chosen to remain in Turmus because her friends were here and because she enjoyed helping Carola and me.

I was relieved to hear that she felt secure in her new situation. I had been concerned for her, and it was good to hear hope in her words. Before leaving for work, she assured me that she remained available whenever I needed her assistance.

The Nile River region was restarted later in the morning, requiring me to move temporarily to Olni Var. After the region returned, Joseph Johnston visited me. He complimented my uncovered hair, and I explained that my father is from the north and does not require me to wear a headscarf at all times.

Joseph had not yet heard from my father. I told him that my father would allow us to remain friends, but that he would need to know Joseph better before permitting a formal courtship. I was pleased that Joseph and I could continue talking.

We went to sit at the inn and spoke about our lives. I told him how much time I had been spending preparing lessons for the Educational Hall and that I now had class drafts extending through the end of the year. He thought I was working too hard and suggested that I needed both rest and an assistant.

Joseph told me that his family originally came from Chiron but traveled after it fell into ruin. He was born in the north and had recently been occupied with traveling and trading. He spoke sadly about changes in northern communities, particularly places where southern customs and caste structures were being introduced by people who did not understand the traditional northern ways.

Later, I visited Aries Marchese at his home. His slave Uli had completed most of the decorating, and she had done a lovely job. The house was small but comfortable, with spaces for Aries and his girls and household chores they could perform.

Aries was surprised when I told him how much I had accomplished in Kaellaed’s home with only fifty prims. Decorating within such a strict allowance had been challenging, but it also taught me new ways to construct walls and organize a room. I told Aries that I hoped someday to decorate another home for myself using those new skills.

Shortly before eleven, I traveled to Lara II and joined Skylar and BJ. Unfortunately, a real-life power outage interrupted the day before much could happen. I was unable to return for the classes I had planned to teach.

The outage caused the cancellation of both Turmus presentations of “The High Council and the Council of High Castes,” as well as the Olni presentation. Selia kindly announced the cancellations in my absence. Although I was disappointed, there was little that could be done without electricity. No one requested that the missed lesson be rescheduled, so the regular schedule will resume Thursday with “Salt, Silk, Spice, and Steel: The Goods of Gorean Trade.”

My power finally returned late in the afternoon, and I came back to Turmus shortly after five. Kaellaed greeted me and told me that the classes had been a great success, even though the day’s presentations could not take place.

Near the Slave House, Nicholas asked those gathered to help revise a recruitment notice. His original message explained that the Turmus Slave House had sold many slaves during the previous three months and now needed additional male and female slaves. The House had a strong placement record and offered slave classes, but Nicholas wanted to make clear that active participation was expected.

Several people offered corrections. I first prepared a longer polished version, but Nicholas explained that it would not fit within the notice limits and that readers were unlikely to open an attachment containing additional text. I condensed it to:

“The Turmus Slave House, one of Gor’s finest, now has openings for male and female slaves. We offer training, city classes, and an excellent sales record. Active participation is required.

No false promises—only a respected Gorean House known throughout Gor.

Landmark attached.”

Nicholas was delighted with the shorter version and immediately began distributing it to several Gorean groups. He thanked everyone for helping and gave me special thanks for understanding what he wanted to say and expressing it more clearly.

During the conversation, I reminded Nicholas that I was still looking for a girl. I explained that I wanted someone consistent—someone I would not need to hover over in order to know that she would behave well and complete her work.

The gathering gradually became a relaxed social evening. There was discussion about the Slave House, the conduct of visitors around owned girls, and the importance of acknowledging the Free before approaching slaves. Aries announced that he intended to pledge to Turmus at the following evening’s city meeting, and everyone congratulated him.

Sara suggested holding a large city picnic. The idea quickly developed into a possible seafood or Cajun-style boil, with long tables, large cooking pots, corn, red suls, peppers, garlic, rice, and other foods. The conversation wandered cheerfully through crab, crawfish, gumbo, jambalaya, biscuits and gravy, oysters, chicken livers, gator, and turtle soup. By the end, nearly everyone was hungry.

After the gathering, Kaellaed showed me his room. The reset had removed the comfortable interior I had created for him, and he had replaced it with a very minimal arrangement containing little more than books, a bath, a bed, and a table. I admitted that I was sad to see all my work gone, but he assured me that we could do more with it later.

Kaellaed also told me that Lora had recently found an owner and seemed happy. He spoke about the difficulties surrounding Laela’s departure and admitted that he felt somewhat empty after the drama. I was sorry that matters had not worked out better for him, although he believed the separation was ultimately for the best.

We ended the evening talking about my classes. I explained that once everything was fully organized, I would only need to read each lesson over the day before teaching it, correct any errors, and then present it. Kaellaed reminded me that no one could be perfect. That is true, but careful review remains important—especially after the earlier error that accidentally suggested Earth collectively knew about Gor.

Despite the outage and the missed classes, the day ended warmly. I enjoyed the spontaneous gathering near the kennels and the opportunity to talk with so many people. It reminded me of how much I value Turmus as a place where people gather, converse, tease one another, and make plans together.

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Class Cancellation Record:

Date: August 11, 2026
Scheduled Lesson: The High Council and the Council of High Castes
Locations: Turmus Educational Hall and The Circle in Olni
Teacher: Lady Kati Evans
Reason for Cancellation: Real-life power outage

Scheduled Sessions:

• Turmus — 12:00 PM SLT
• Turmus — 4:00 PM SLT
• Olni — One scheduled presentation

Outcome:

All three presentations were canceled. Selia announced the cancellations in Turmus. No request was received to reschedule the missed lesson. Regular classes will resume Thursday, August 13, with “Salt, Silk, Spice, and Steel: The Goods of Gorean Trade.”

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Discussion Summary:

Subject: Turmus Slave House Recruitment Notice
Date: August 11, 2026
Time: Approximately 5:43 PM–6:05 PM SLT
Location: Turmus Slave House and Kennel Area
Organizer: Nicholas Eel

Purpose:

To revise and distribute a concise recruitment notice announcing openings for male and female slaves at the Turmus Slave House.

Summary:

Nicholas presented a draft describing the House’s strong sales record, limited number of runaways, available training, and need for active slaves. Those gathered corrected spelling and sentence structure.

Kati prepared a polished version and then condensed it further to meet the notice-length limitation. The final version emphasized:

• Openings for male and female slaves
• Training and city slave classes
• The House’s excellent sales record
• The requirement for active participation
• The reputation of the Turmus Slave House throughout Gor

Nicholas accepted the shortened notice and distributed it to several Gorean groups.

Recorded Attendance:

• Nicholas Eel — Organizer
• Kati Evans
• Aries Marchese
• Kaellaed Rhode
• Cheryl
• Jean
• Amalia
• Nerine
• leena
• Sara, also known as Rayelle
• Hawke — Brief visitor