Lessons, Corrections, and a Lively Tavern Night

 Journal Entry: August 8, 2026

Location: Turmus, Olni, and T-Boy Cove
Title: Lessons, Corrections, and a Lively Tavern Night

My day began shortly after four in the morning with an unsettling discovery in Turmus. A moderator had accidentally returned more city objects than intended, and the Ubar and Ubara had requested a rollback. When I spoke with Kelli Greymoon-Rizzo, everyone was still waiting to learn whether it could be corrected. My immediate concern was the day’s schedule: I was due to teach two introductory classes, and Turmus Tavern Night was planned for the evening.

With little I could do but wait, I traveled briefly to Olni and then visited the Pier69 Club at T-Boy Cove. DJ Daff was performing live from Wales, and the music provided a welcome distraction from the uncertainty in Turmus.

By the time I returned later that morning, the city appeared largely restored. The educational calendar was visible again, and I was able to proceed with the first presentation of “An Introduction to the Gorean World.”

The Turmus session was well attended and produced a good deal of discussion. I introduced Gor as Counter-Earth, spoke about the Priest-Kings, independent cities and Home Stones, caste, status, family, geography, and the difference between law and custom. The most important lesson was that Gorean conduct cannot be determined by taking one rule or quotation out of context. Before deciding what applies, one must ask where the event occurs, who is involved, what their status is, what authority governs the situation, and what the surrounding circumstances are.

Several interesting subjects arose, including whether Gor possesses any truly universal law, the reach of the Three Pillars and Merchant Law, cultural differences among Torvaldslanders and the Pani, slavery as a broadly recognized institution, and the distinction between legitimate disguise and metagaming.

At one point, a discussion between Andros and Kaellaed began to distract from the lesson, so I asked them to continue it privately after class. Questions and disagreement are useful, but everyone must still be able to hear and participate in the lesson being taught.

Almost immediately afterward, I traveled to Olni and taught the same introductory lesson at The Circle. The smaller class allowed for more direct discussion and also brought two worthwhile corrections to my attention.

Falconer observed that my opening wording suggested that the people of Earth had discovered Gor. That was imprecise. Individuals from Earth have been transported to or otherwise encountered Gor, but Earth as a civilization has not discovered the planet. I agreed and made a note to amend the lesson.

SaphRosie also asked why I introduced myself as a Magistrate and Head of Caste when those were not among the five High Castes I had listed. Falconer explained that Magistrates belong to the Caste of Scribes. I clarified that I had been describing positions in which I had served: I am presently a Magistrate and teacher, while I served as Head of Caste for a time in the past. The wording clearly needed revision so that it did not imply I still held that office.

I appreciated both corrections. A teacher must be willing to improve her own material when a student or colleague identifies something inaccurate or unclear. After the session, I returned to my files to make the necessary changes.

Later, I attended Akeshi Reardon’s first lesson on slaves in Gor. The class was lengthy and examined the subject from both in-character and out-of-character perspectives. Akeshi discussed the meaning of the word kajira, the legal treatment of a slave as property, obedience, conditioning, education and training, owner-specific expectations, service to the Free, and the distinction between Gorean slavery and consensual BDSM submission.

There were several valuable discussions about how the books should be used in roleplay. Laela raised the question of reasonable extrapolation by using grilled cheese as an example: the books may provide the ingredients without explicitly describing every possible way they might be combined. This led to a useful distinction between plausible extension of the setting and the invention of customs or laws without adequate support.

I asked for a book reference when a claim was made concerning the distinction between a “Free Woman” and a “Woman.” Akeshi believed the idea came from the books but did not have the citation available. It remains something that should be verified before being taught as established Gorean doctrine. Annie similarly requested a source for a statement about the capture and training of panther girls, but no exact reference had been recorded.

Petra suggested preparing a short regional guide for Free Women, covering customs that visitors might not know—for example, conduct around a northern circle. I thought this a practical idea, provided such a guide carefully distinguishes local expectations from broadly supported customs.

By the end of that class, I had spent approximately four hours either teaching or listening to lessons. I was tired, but the day was not yet finished.

Turmus Tavern Night began shortly after five. Nicholas hosted on behalf of the city, the Tavern Keeper, and the Ubar and Ubara, while Jay Sparrowtree supplied the live music. Attendance rose into the high thirties, which made the evening feel wonderfully busy. Free Women gathered outside with tea, bread, and jam while others filled the tavern and surrounding area. Requests were played, slaves served and danced, and the city enjoyed a relaxed evening together.

One small incident became an unexpectedly practical lesson in public health. Nixie was instructed to wash her hands before continuing to serve food and drink. The Physicians explained that clean hands were not merely a matter of personal appearance; they helped protect the health of the entire city. It was a sensible reminder that even during a festive gathering, the welfare of Turmus remains a shared responsibility.

A city-wide meeting was announced for Wednesday, and there was discussion about whether anyone would be pledging. As the evening drew to a close, Nicholas thanked everyone for attending and invited them to return the following Saturday.

Considering how uncertain the morning had been, it was gratifying to see Turmus recover sufficiently to hold its classes and its evening gathering. The day contained difficulties, corrections, questions without immediate answers, and moments when patience was required. It also contained four hours of learning, honest scholarly discussion, music, fellowship, and a tavern filled with people.

I ended the day thoroughly tired, but grateful that Turmus was standing and active around us.

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Class Summary:

Title: An Introduction to the Gorean World
Date: August 8, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM–11:56 AM SLT
Location: Turmus Educational Hall, Nile River
Teacher: Lady Kati Evans
Course: Track 1 — Customs and Social Conduct
Lesson: Class 1 — The World

Purpose:
To provide newcomers with a contextual foundation for understanding Gor before studying specific laws, customs, gestures, and forms of conduct.

Summary:
The lesson introduced Gor as Counter-Earth and discussed the Priest-Kings, independent cities and Home Stones, caste and occupation, free and slave status, family and Free Companionship, geography, travel, law, custom, and the importance of textual evidence.

Students were encouraged to ask five questions before applying a rule or custom:

• Where is the event occurring?
• Who is involved?
• What is each person’s status?
• What authority governs the situation?
• What are the surrounding circumstances?

The class also discussed universal and local law, the Three Pillars, Merchant Law, cultural variation, slavery, disguise, and metagaming.

Recorded Attendance:

• Kati Evans — Teacher
• Kaellaed Rhode
• ThunderBolt Kanto
• Akeshi Reardon, identified during the session as “A”
• Carola Aromata Titus
• Andros Mosely
• Selia
• Aries Marchese
• Amalia
• Lora
• Nerine
• Laela

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Class Summary:

Title: An Introduction to the Gorean World
Date: August 8, 2026
Time: Approximately 12:07 PM–12:48 PM SLT
Location: The Circle, Olni
Teacher: Lady Kati Evans
Course: Track 1 — Customs and Social Conduct
Lesson: Class 1 — The World

Purpose:
To present the introductory Gorean-world lesson to students in Olni and establish the contextual method used in later classes.

Summary:
The central lesson from the Turmus session was repeated in a more concise form. Discussion resulted in two corrections to the teaching material:

• The opening statement will be amended so that it does not suggest Earth collectively discovered Gor.
• Kati’s introduction will be revised to clarify that she formerly served as Head of Caste but does not presently hold that position.

Falconer also clarified that Magistrates belong to the Caste of Scribes.

Recorded Attendance:

• Kati Evans — Teacher
• Falconer McKeenan
• SaphRosie, also addressed as Vidya
• Tura
• Balkan Sands
• Talora Dubrinsky
• Aisha

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Class Summary:

Title: Slaves in Gor — Lesson 1: Gor’s Slave Girls Principles
Date: August 8, 2026
Time: Approximately 2:01 PM–3:48 PM SLT
Location: Turmus Campfire, Nile River
Teacher: Akeshi Reardon
Organizer: Nicholas Eel

Purpose:
To introduce the legal, cultural, and roleplay principles associated with slaves in Gor, while distinguishing in-character slavery from out-of-character player consent.

Summary:
Subjects included the meaning of kajira, slaves as property, obedience, conditioning, training and education, owner-specific expectations, beauty and service, legal identity, gestures of submission, sexual restrictions, discipline, male slaves, and the difference between Gorean slavery and BDSM submission.

The class also considered how closely roleplay should follow explicit book material and when reasonable extrapolation may be appropriate. Several claims were marked for further source verification, including statements about Free Women and the capture and training of panther girls.

Recorded Attendance:

• Akeshi Reardon — Teacher
• Nicholas Eel — Organizer
• Kati Evans
• Carola Aromata Titus
• Selia
• Lora
• leena
• Kyrstal Wulfe
• Aurora Darlagraysun
• Petra Poliatevska
• shana
• Cross “OldScar” Avro
• Annie Carter, also known as Jazmin Azif
• SERUS
• Flower
• Kaellaed Rhode
• Mel
• Jayce
• Laela

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Event Summary:

Event: Turmus Tavern Night
Date: August 8, 2026
Time: Approximately 5:02 PM–6:53 PM SLT
Location: Turmus Tavern, Nile River
Host: Nicholas Eel
Live Music: Jay Sparrowtree
Attendance: Approximately thirty-eight people at the evening’s height

Purpose:
To provide a regular social evening for the citizens, residents, allies, and visitors of Turmus.

Summary:
Jay Sparrowtree performed live music and requests while Free Persons socialized and slaves served, danced, and participated in the festivities. Attendance reached the high thirties. Tea, bread, jam, and other refreshments were served. The Physicians also used a question about handwashing to explain the importance of hygiene in protecting the health of the city.

A city-wide meeting was announced for Wednesday. Nicholas concluded the evening by thanking those present and inviting everyone to return the following Saturday at 5:00 PM SLT.

Recorded Attendance Included:

• Nicholas Eel — Host
• Jay Sparrowtree — Musician
• Kati Evans
• Ubara Selia
• Carola Aromata Titus
• Tammy Stilig-Winters
• Emily Steele
• Seònai Lane
• Ramius
• Andros Mosely
• Aries Marchese
• Ashka
• Antonio Batistuta
• Daga
• SERUS
• Cougar
• Cassian Leoric
• Duncan Willis
• Abijam Fenrir
• Ragnar Stilig
• Thomas
• Amalia
• Kyrstal
• leena
• Laela
• Lora
• rowena
• Nixie
• Annie
• Fyre
• Steffie
• Iris
• Jean
• Nerine
• Mel
• Aurora