AR City of AR
Ar — The High City of Gor
The People
Ar is the most populous and prestigious city on Gor—full of citizens proud of their heritage, their architecture, and their role at the center of Gorean culture. Its caste system is highly visible: Scribes in blue record law and knowledge; Builders shape monuments and aqueducts; Physicians in green practice refined healing; Warriors in scarlet defend city and honor; Merchants in yellow manage trade. Free women often move in veiled elegance and political caution, while slaves serve in homes, taverns, markets, and public showings. Ar is confident to the edge of arrogance, certain that no city equals its refinement, wealth, or power.
The Dangers
Ar is civilized, but not safe. Rival factions struggle for influence, from high-caste intrigues in marble chambers to criminal networks operating in alleys and markets. Political coups, civil unrest, and wars with neighboring states have shaped the city repeatedly. Slavers, corrupt officials, ambitious merchants, and covert agents of hostile cities all work within its walls. The threat doesn’t always come with steel—poisons, false oath-witnesses, forged papers, and quiet disappearances are all tools of Ar’s internal battles.
Outside the walls, rebels, bandits, and agents of enemies wait for caravans. Inside the walls, the danger is more elegant—and often far more lethal.
The Landscape
Ar rises from the central plains in gleaming stone and monumental architecture. Broad avenues cut between high towers, bridges arc over canals, and grand squares host markets buzzing with color and cries of trade. The city is layered in wealth: upper cylinders of white marble and gold trim house the noble and high castes; lower levels hold shops, taverns, training yards, and craftsmen’s quarters. Temples and courts loom large, and the Stadium of Ar—the great arena—roars with spectacle.
Surrounding fields are fertile, managed by villa estates, tenant farmers, and grain merchants. Roads radiate outward like spokes, connecting trade to every direction of Gor.
Creatures
Ar itself hosts few wild creatures, but sleen handlers, tarn keepers, and beast trainers are common. Tarn cavalry—warriors mounted on giant raptor-like birds—are a symbol of Ar’s military prestige. In richer homes, exotic animals appear as status symbols.
Beyond the walls you’ll find plains game, wild sleen, and the occasional outlaw pack. Rumors persist of Kurii agents moving in shadows or through tunnels beneath the city, though officials rarely admit such things.
Political Factions & Power Players of Ar
The Central Caste Powers
Ar’s government is built on prestige castes, each with its own ambitions. They cooperate in public but maneuver constantly behind closed doors.
The Warriors
The scarlet caste holds enormous influence. In times of war, they dominate policy; in times of peace, they quietly prepare for the next conflict.
They push for:
Expansion of Ar’s borders
Greater funding for the army and tarn cavalry
Stronger control over satellite cities
Prominent generals, tarn captains, and weapon-masters often form their own subfactions.
The Scribes
The blue caste keeps Ar’s laws, histories, and courts. They are bureaucratic, meticulous, and politically subtle.
They influence:
Elections
Legal disputes
Taxation and census matters
Diplomatic correspondence
They rarely show emotion, but they hold the city’s memory—and they never forget a slight.
The Merchants
The yellow caste is the economic engine of Ar. They control guilds, caravans, and imports.
They push for:
Free trade across Central Gor
Lower tariffs
Influence over public festivals and markets
Control of slave auctions and contracts
Their wealth is their weapon; their rivals’ debts are their leverage.
The Initiates
Though not as dominant as in some cities, the white-robed Initiates still shape public sentiment. They claim divine authority and manage temples, rituals, and religious influence.
Their aims:
Preserve spiritual authority
Resist secular encroachments
Maintain control over sacred sites
Influence legal outcomes through “divine interpretation”
They excel at soft power—and at making opponents look ungodly.
Notable Power Players
The Ubar / Administrator of Ar
When Ar has a Ubar (a war-king), he is absolute ruler. When ruled by an Administrator, power shifts toward castes and councils.
In either case:
The throne is a target
Assassination plots are not rare
Alliances shift quickly around the ruler’s strength or weakness
This position is the eye of Ar’s political storm.
Tarl Cabot (Periodic Influence)
At various points in the series, Tarl Cabot acts as:
Warrior
Agent
Reformer
Political catalyst
Though not consistently present, he affects major upheavals—toppling regimes, supporting Ubars, and altering the city’s direction.
The High Merchants' Council
Powerful guild heads—spice, cloth, metal, slave, shipping.
They decide:
Trade routes
Price controls
Import/export quotas
Financial alliances
They can bribe, starve, enrich, or ruin entire quarters of the city.
The Scribes’ High Council
The legal brain of Ar.
They influence:
Laws
Official histories
Judicial appointments
Their internal rivalries are subtle but vicious.
The Assassin Families
Not public—but always present.
They are:
Quiet kingmakers
Silent removers of rivals
Enforcers for powerful merchants or politicians
Their mark is feared even by Ubars.
Tarn Cavalry Command
A semi-independent power bloc of elite warriors.
They control:
Military mobility
Border security
Intelligence from above
Their loyalty can tip a coup into success—or failure.
The Slaver Houses
Large slave houses with vast wealth and private guards.
They control:
Auctions
Training
Elite slave markets
Political donations
Some are nearly political parties in their own right.
Shadow Factions
Kurii Agents
The alien Kurii infiltrate Ar through:
Merchants
Secret tunnels
Criminal networks
They aim to destabilize or conquer Gor through subversion.
Outlaw Cells & Rebel Sympathizers
Former soldiers, escaped slaves, exiles.
Goals vary:
Attack caravans
Undermine the caste system
Plot against the current regime
They often hide in the lower cylinders and neglected quarters.
Why Ar Is Always in Turmoil
Ar is powerful because it is big, wealthy, proud, and deeply divided.
Every faction wants:
Influence
Prestige
Control of law
Access to wealth
Say in who rules next
It’s a city where political conflict is constant—sometimes legal, sometimes bloody.
The Laws of Ar
Compiled in the manner of the High Scribes of the Central Cylinder
I. Citizenship and Caste
Citizenship is granted by birth or lawful registration.
Each citizen shall declare a caste, and no man or woman shall falsely claim a higher one.
Caste duties must be upheld; refusal is punishable as dereliction of civic obligation.
High Castes hold precedence in law, ceremony, and counsel.
II. Authority of the Administrator or Ubar
The Administrator or Ubar is the supreme magistrate of Ar.
His decrees hold the force of law unless revoked by the High Council of Scribes.
Rebellion, sedition, or tampering with governance is treason.
III. Conduct Within the City
Weapons may be borne by Warriors and authorized men of lower castes; misuse is punishable.
Blood-feud and private vengeance are regulated and may only proceed with lawful permission.
No man shall draw steel within the Central Cylinder except in defense of life or with ceremonial sanction.
Assassination is only lawful when contracted under the black dagger of the Assassin’s Caste.
IV. Property and Commerce
Property is sacred; theft is punished by fine, compensation, enslavement, or death depending on severity.
All contracts for goods, coin, slaves, or land must be recorded by the Scribes.
Fraud, false weights, and tampering with Merchant scales are criminal acts.
Market disputes are settled by Merchant magistrates unless violence is involved.
V. The Laws of Slavery
A slave is property, without legal personhood.
A master may discipline, sell, or free a slave as he chooses, provided damage to another’s property is compensated.
Fugitive slaves may be seized by any free person.
Enslavement of citizens is lawful only as punishment for crime or debt, and must be declared by a magistrate.
Foreign slaves must be registered upon entering the city.
VI. Crimes Against Persons
Murder demands death or enslavement unless mitigated by honorable cause.
Rape of a free woman is a capital crime; rape of a slave is damage to property.
Assault is punished by fine or enslavement.
Kidnapping of citizens is treason; kidnapping of slaves is theft.
VII. Public Order
Disorderly conduct in the markets, taverns, or gladiator pits is punishable by fine or flogging.
Duels must be witnessed by Scribes or Warriors to be lawful.
Use of poison is forbidden except in sanctioned assassination.
Slander against High Castes is punishable by public apology, fine, or enslavement.
VIII. Foreigners and Trade Agreements
Foreigners are protected while under merchant contract or guest-right, but may not claim citizen privileges.
Any foreigner who draws weapon on a citizen forfeits protection and may be enslaved.
Tribute, tariffs, and caravan taxes are collected at gates and docks, and evasion is a crime.
IX. Temples and Initiates
Priests and temples are accorded immunity from violence.
Disrespect toward the Initiates is charged as impiety and may lead to enslavement or exile.
Sacrilege within sacred precincts is punished harshly, typically by death.
X. Punishments
Fines, imprisonment, public flogging, enslavement, exile, and death are lawful penalties.
The nature of punishment follows caste rank, severity, and the judgment of magistrates.
A citizen condemned to death may request the sword as honorable execution.