The Gorean Warrior has a highly developed sense of duty; indeed, it has been drilled into his brain since he was a young child. He has pledged his service to his Homestone, to his city or village, to his family, and to the codes of his caste. He considers it his duty to uphold the values of Gorean society, as well as maintain the honor of his caste and caste brothers. He is not a foolish patriot, however ... the very codes of his caste insist that he must make his own decisions in regard to such things, that he not blindly accept the rules set down by non-warriors, and that he be careful about who and what he serves. Therefore, it is in the practice of his sense of duty that he defines himself, and in this way the Caste of Warriors, though not allowed to act as a ruling or governing body outside the condition of war, act as the enforcers of the collective conscience of Gorean society. No matter how lawful or well-accepted a policy or law may be, it will not be suffered to exist long if it does not gain the support of the Caste of Warriors. The Warrior Caste will only support a cause which is in accordance with the basic precepts of their caste code, and which makes allowances for such concepts as personal freedom, universal fairness, and honorable action. In this way, Gorean Warriors act as the cultural guardians of Gor, seeing to it that these fundamental principles of Gorean society which are so much a part of the warrior codes stay firmly entrenched in Gorean law and custom.
In practice, this is the primary difference between the Gorean Warrior and the Gorean soldier. The soldier will do pretty much anything he is commanded to do, with no qualms. The Warrior, on the other hand, is subject to the codes which make him what he is. While most generals would rather have unthinking soldiers under their command, they still must acknowledge the fundamental supremecy of the true Warrior, who is typically a trained expert with servery weapons and is a fiercely pragmatic fighting man. Not only that, it is the very independent and intelligent nature of the Gorean Warrior which makes him so deadly and useful. Not only will he question foolish orders, but he is usually well-qualified to correct them and implement them successfully. It is a basic fact of Gorean military action that if an experience Warrior says something cannot be done, it is probably impossible.
When one adds to that the fact that a single Gorean Warrior is probably equal to no less to five soldiers from other caste backgrounds, and that the combat skills of Warriors is universally dreaded by those not of the scarlet caste, then it becomes evident that an army of Warriors is a formidable fighting force indeed.
Few leaders would be foolish enough to command such men in a wasteful or honorless manner. In this way, the Gorean Warrior controls his duty; his sense of duty does not typically control him.
Life & Death - Gorean Pragmatism |
Gold & Steel - Gorean Tactical Thinking | Summation |
