Laws of Treve (IC)

Theft of the Home Stone of Treve is punishable by extreme torture followed by death within boiling oil, impalement, or disembowelment by Tarn. "The Home Stone of Ar, like most Home Stones in the cylinder cities, was kept free on the tallest tower, as if in open defiance of the tarnsmen of rival cities. It was, of course, kept well-guarded and at the first sign of serious danger would undoubtedly be carried to safety. Any attempt on the Home Stone was regarded by the citizens of the city as sacrilege of the most heinous variety and punishable by the most painful of deaths, but paradoxically, it was regarded as the greatest of glories to purloin the Home Stone of another city, and the warrior who managed this was acclaimed, accorded the highest honors of the city, and was believed to be favored by the Priest-Kings themselves." Tarnsman of Gor, pg. 67 The laws of a city extend no further than its walls. Once you step outside the boundaries of Treve, the city laws do not apply and the city cannot protect you. " "There is a saying on Gor that the laws of a city extend no further than its walls." Outlaw of Gor, pg. 50 Treason is punishable by impalement. "You have been found guilty of treason against your city and are under the sentence of impalement," said Aemilianus" Renegades of Gor, pg. 380 Every citizen of Treve must journey, at least once, to the Sardar Mountains before they are twenty-five years old. Initiates teach that misfortunes hit a city if their youth avoid this obligation. "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." Priest Kings, pg. 12 Any man who refuses to practice caste, or any person who strives to alter caste without the consent of the Assembly of Castes, is an outlaw and subject to impalement. "A man who refused to practice his livelihood or strove to alter status without the consent of the Council of High Castes was, by definition, an outlaw and subject to impalement." Tarnsman of Gor pg. 46 Thievery is illegal and harshly punished. The first offense is punishable by an ear notching. For a second offense, the punishment depends on the sex of the offender. Males are punished by the loss of their left hand and both feet. Females are punished by enslavement. "Her ear," I said. "Her ear was notched." Rim and Thurnock laughed. "A thief," said Thurnock....I suddenly recognized the girl. It was she who had cut my purse earlier in the day, the sensuous little wench, whose ear had been notched...I well knew what the punishment was for a Gorean female, following her second conviction for theft." Hunters of Gor, pg 47 It is illegal for a slave to handle/sign legal documents. "Slaves are generally not permitted to touch legal documents." Fighting Slave of Gor, pg 279 The penalty for selling a slave that is not your own, without the owner's permission is: for a man, exile; for a woman, slavery. "For a man," said Peggy, "such an offense is punishable by exile. For a woman, remanded to a praetor, the penalty is that she commonly that she herself will then wear the collar." Rogue of Gor, pg. 145 Any free person may discipline an insolent or errant slave, even one who is in the least bit displeasing. If the slave is killed or injured, the free person need only pay compensation to the master and only if the master requests such compensation. "The discipline of a slave may be attended to by any free person, otherwise she might do much what she wished, provided only her Master did not learn of it. The legal principle is clear, and has been upheld in several courts, in several cities, including Ar" Magicians of Gor, pg. 122 It is unlawful to raise caste and practice caste without the approval of the High Council and the Assembly of that Caste. "In rare cases, one might have been permitted by the Council of High Caste to raise caste. None of course would accept a lower caste, and there were lower castes, the caste of Peasants for example, the most basic Caste of all Gor." Outlaw of Gor, pg. 27 It is illegal to prepare maps of Treve. "We will require a map of the depths," said the leader of the strangers. "None exist in the city, by policy," said the pit master," just as no map of the city, either, may be prepared." Witness of Gor, pg. 574 "It is illegal in many cities, incidentally, to take maps of the city out of the city. More than one fellow, too, has put himself in the quarries or on the bench of a galley for having been caught with such a map in his possession." Magicians of Gor, pg 388 If a companionship agreement is not renewed after the expiration date, by law it is expired. "That is true," I admitted. By Gorean law the companionship, to be binding, must, together, be annually renewed, pledged afresh with the wines of love." Captive of Gor, pg. 367 The Laws of Citizenship Any non citizen of adult age is subject to expulsion from the city at the Ubar, Administrator or City Swords decree. "In Ar, as in many Gorean cities, citizenship is confirmed in a ceremony of this sort. Nonperformance of this ceremony, upon reaching intellectual majority, can be a cause for expulsion from the city. The rationale seems to be that the community has a right to expect allegiance from its members." Vagabonds of Gor, pg. 303 When speaking of Your Homestone, One will always stand up in honor of it. ""One who speaks of Home Stones should stand, for matters of honor are involved here." - TARNSMAN OF GOR, Pg. 27 The Laws of Free Women If a free woman submits as slave to a specific man, and that man refuses the offer (Rarius are obligated to accept or destroy per the Codes) she still shall become a slave. "In some cities, a woman who submits to a man becomes a slave whether he accepts her as his or not In many cities, a woman may submit to a specific man and, if rejceted, remain free. In these cities, if the man accepts her as his slave, she becomes a full legal slave She belonged to Samos, of course. It had been within the context of his capture rights that she had, as a free woman, of her own free will, pronounced upon herself a formula of enslavement. Automatically then, in virtue of the context, she became his. The law is clear on this. The matter is more subtle when the woman is not within a context of capture rights. Here the matter differs from city to city. In some cities, a woman may not, with legal recognition, submit herself to a specific man as a slave, for in those cities that is interpreted as placing at least a temporary qualification on the condition of slavery which condition, once entered into, all cities agree, is absolute. In such cities, then, the woman makes herself a slave, unconditionally. It is then up to the man in question whether or not he will accept her as his slave. In this matter he will do as he pleases. In any event, she is by then a slave, and only that. In other cities, and in most cities, on the other hand, a free woman may, with legal tolerance, submit herself as a slave to a specific man. If he refuses her, she is then still free. If he accepts her, she is then, categorically, a slave, and he may do with her as he pleases, even selling her or giving her away, or slaying her, if he wishes. Here we might note a distinction between laws and codes. In the codes of the warriors, if a warrior accepts a woman as a slave, it is prescribed that, at least for a time, an amount of time up to his discretion, she be spared. If she should be the least bit displeasing, of course, or should prove recalcitrant in even a tiny way, she may be immediately disposed of. It should be noted that this does not place a legal obligation on the warrior. It has to do, rather, with the proprieties of the codes. If a woman not within a clear context of rights, such as capture rights, house rights, or camp rights, should pronounce herself slave, �simpliciter, then she is subject to claim. These claims may be explicit, as in branding, binding and collaring, or as in the uttering of a claimancy formula, such as �I own you,� �You are mine,� or �You are my slave,� or implicit, as in, for example, permitting the slave to feed from your hand or follow you." Players of Gor, pg. 21 Any free woman who couches with another's slave or even prepares to do so, becomes a slave herself and the slave of the slave's Master. "Any free women who couches with another�s slave, or readies herself to couch with another�s slave, becomes herself a slave, and the slave of the slave�s master. It is a clear law." "No! No!" she wept. "Think of it in this fashion, if you wish," he said. "You have given yourself to Milo, but Milo is mine, and can own nothing, and thus you have given yourself to me. An analogy is the coin given by a free person to a street girl, which coin, of course, does not then belong to the girl but to her master. What is given to the slave is given to the master." Magicians of Gor, pg. 7 If a warrior saves the life of a free woman, that warrior by all rights and privledges, has rights over her. "Indeed, there have been cases in which a girl�s brothers have had her clad as a slave, bound in slave bracelets, and handed over to her rescuer, in order that the honor of the family and her city not be besmirched. There is, of course, a natural tendency in the rescued female to feel and demonstrate great gratitude to the man who has saved her life, and the Gorean custom is perhaps no more than an institutionalization of this customary response. There are cases where a free woman in the vicinity of a man she desired has deliberately placed herself in jeopardy. The man then, after having been forced to risk his life, is seldom in a mood to use the girl other than as his slave." Priest Kings of Gor, pg. 161 "I smiled to myself for I could always tell her, and truthfully, that having saved her life she was now mine by Gorean law, so brief had been her freedom, and that it was up to me to determine the extent and nature of her clothing, and indeed, whether or not she would be allowed clothing at all. Well could I imagine her fury upon the receipt of this announcement, a fury not diminished in the least by the knowledge that the words I spoke were simply and prosaically true." Priest Kings of Gor, pg. 185 The Laws of Enslavement In the eyes of Gorean law slaves are animals. They have no name in their own right. They may be collared and leashed. They may be bought and sold, whipped, treated as the owner pleases, disposed of as they sees fit. They have no rights whatsoever. Legally slaves have no more status than a tarsk or vulo. Legally, literally, they are an animal. "Yes, my dear, you are legally an animal. In the eyes of Gorean law you are an animal. You have no name in your own right. You may be collared and leashed. You may be bought and sold, whipped, treated as the master pleases, disposed of as he sees fit. You have no rights whatsoever. Legally, you have no more status than a tarsk or a vulo. Legally, literally, you are an animal." Explorers of Gor, pg. 316 In any proceedings, the testimony of slaves may be taken by torture. This is solely in the discretion of the courts. "Let the testimony of the slaves be taken," said the judge. The red-haired girl on the rack cried out in misery. The testimony of slaves, in a Gorean court, is commonly taken under torture." Tribesmen of Gor, pg. 111 The property of one who becomes a slave is transferred to the nearest male relative, or nearest relative if no male exists, or to the city, or a guardian. Even if the slave gets freed, the property cannot be recovered. If a master dies, his slaves pass to his heirs or if he has no heirs, to the state. "Unless you permit this," said Kamras sternly, "I may never have an opportunity to cross steel with this barbaric sleen."' It then occurred to me, suddenly, that, following Gorean civic law, the properties and titles, assets and goods of a given individual who is reduced to slavery are automatically regarded as having been transferred to the nearest male relative or nearest relative if no adult male relative is avail- able or to the city or to, if pertinent, a guardian. Thus, if Aphris of Turia, by some mischance, were to fall to Kamchak, and surely slavery, her considerable riches would be immediately assigned to Saphrar, merchant of Turia. Moreover, to avoid legal complications and free the assets for investment and manipulation, the transfer is asymmetrical, in the sense that the individual, even should he somehow later recover his freedom, retains no legal claim whatsoever on the transferred assets." Nomads of Gor, pg Live possession of a slave is regarded as crucial by the law. If another master takes a lost, stolen or runaway slave, the original master has only one week to regain his property before legal title passes to the new master. The slave remains the property of the original master only for that one week if he does not regain possession. "Theft, or capture, if you prefer, conferred rights over me. I would belong to, and must fully serve, anyone into whose effective possession I came, even if it had been by theft. The original master, of course, has the right to try to recover his property, which remains technically his for a period of one week. If I were to flee the thief, however, after he has consolidated his hold on me, for example, kept me for even a night, I could, actually in Gorean law, be counted as a runaway slave, from him, even thought he did not technically own me yet, and punished accordingly". Dancer of Gor pg 95 It is a capital offense for female slaves to wield any weapon. "It can be a capital offense on Gor, incidentally, for a slave to so much as touch a weapon" Mercenaries of Gor, pg. 57 "In some cities a slave can be slain for so much as touching a weapon." Kajiraof Gor, pg 123 offspring of a slave is a slave and belongs to the mother's Owner. "The usual case being that the offspring of a slave is a slave. and belongs to the mother's owner." Vagabonds of Gor, pg. 267 a father cannot pay his debts, his daughter becomes state property. She will then be put up for sale at public auction. The proceeds of her sale will be used to equitably satisfy the creditors. "Nela had been a slave since the age of fourteen. To my surprise she was a native of Ar. She had lived alone with her father, who had gambled heavily on the races. He had died and to satisfy his debts, no others coming forth to resolve them, the daughter, as Gorean law commonly prescribes, became state property; she was then, following the law, put up for sale at public auction; the proceeds of her sale were used, again following the mandate of the law, to liquidate as equitably as possible the unsatisfied claims of creditors." Assassin of Gor pg. 164 If a slave strikes a free person, the penalty is commonly death by impalement, preceded by lengthy torture. "When one who is a slave strikes a free person the penalty is not infrequently death by impalement, preceded by lengthy torture." Assassins of Gor, pg. 74 Freed slaves require explicit papers of manumission or they may be enslaved again without repercussion. Slaves who have been branded and later freed should definitely keep their papers with them at all times. "�And these papers,� I said, �are pertinent to you. They are all in order. I had Tolnar and Venlisius prepare them, before they left.� �Papers, Master?� he asked. �You can read?� I asked. �Yes, Master,� he said. �Do not call me 'Master'.� I said. �Master?� he asked. �The papers are papers of manumission,� I said. �I am no longer your master. You no longer have a master.� �Manumission?� he asked. �You are free,� I told him. {Magicians of Gor - 460} female slaves must wear a visible token of their bondage within the city limits. Male slaves are exempt from this law. "The first collar I had worn had been a color-coded transfer collar, put on me at the holding area outside the gate, probably primarily to comply with the ordinance that female slaves in Ar must wear a visible token of their bondage. The laws of Ar, incidentally, do not require a similar visible token of bondage on the bodies of male slaves, or even any distinctive type of garments." Kajira of Gor, pg 268 When a person is collared, it cancels their past. They begin a new life as a slave and may not be held accountable for any crimes that occurred while they were free. "Once, it was true, she had served Priest-Kings, but then, so, too, had I, and that was long ago. And then we did not know, and she did not know, that she was a true slave, as was revealed in a tavern in Lydius. We had thought her a free woman, pretending to be slave. Then, in a tavern in Lydius, we had learned her slave. It was now out of the question that she, a slave, might serve Priest-Kings. The collar, by Gorean law, cancelled the past. When Sarpedon had locked his collar on her throat her past as a free woman had vanished, her current history as a slave had begun.--Tribesmen Enslavement dissolves companionship. "And," said Telima, "both of you were once enslaved, and that, in itself, dissolves the companionship. Slaves cannot stand in companionship." Captive of Gor, pg 367 "I looked at the board, angrily. It was true that the Companionship, not renewed, had been dissolved in the eyes of Gorean law. It was further true that, had it not been so, the Companionship would have been terminated abruptly when one or the other of the pledged companions fell slave." Hunters of Gor, pg.9 Taking weapons when inside Treve from visitors Shortly after the departure of the officer and his retinue I think the terrace, previously muchly cleared, must have been reopened, for I had scarcely closed my eyes, sitting at the wall, when I felt hands fumbling at the lock gag, opening it. �Are you all right?� begged the Lady Constanzia. Her eyes were wide with fear. �Yes,� I said. Her companion, the scarlet-clad fellow, had removed his cloak. It was muchly wound about his arm, constituting in its way, it seemed, an improvised shield. Strangers in this city are not permitted to carry weapons. pg. 499 Witness of Gor