Areas and cities
# CITY ENTRY I — AR
### The Glorious Jewel of Gor
Overview
Ar is the vast heart of Central Gor—a shining, arrogant, powerful metropolis of marble cylinders, broad avenues, high culture, dangerous politics, and castes woven into every breath of daily life. The people of Ar believe themselves the pinnacle of civilization, and they behave as if all others orbit them. Slavery is omnipresent; castes are strict; honor and prestige rule social movement.
Districts
* Central Cylinder: Government, courts, scribal chambers, high-caste residences.
* The Warrens: Dense, dangerous lower levels; thieves, smugglers, informants.
* The Market of Ahn: Major slave market, spice sellers, foreign traders.
* Weapons Street: Smiths, armorers, warrior schools.
* The Arena Quarter: Stadium of Ar, gladiatorial pits, taverns, prize-fighting dens.
* High Cylinder Districts: Nobles, wealthy merchants, lavish gardens.
Factions
* Warrior High Command: Tarn cavalry, infantry commanders, elite rarii.
* High Scribes Council: Controls records, laws, judicial interpretation.
* Merchant Consortium: Trade dynasties, auction houses, shipping monopolies.
* Assassin Families: Quiet, feared, influential behind the scenes.
* The Initiates: Temple influence, spiritual authority, political pressure.
Laws
* Drawing steel in the Central Cylinder is capital treason.
* Slaves are property; harming one requires restitution.
* Free women are heavily protected; assaulting one is death.
* Assassination is legal only under a black-dagger contract.
Markets
Ar imports everything and exports everything. Slaves, weapons, armor, produce, scrolls, medicines, exotic beasts, stolen art—nothing is absent from Ar’s overflowing markets.
Adventure Hooks
* A High Scribe hires the party to retrieve a stolen legal codex.
* A merchant house secretly sells information to Tyros.
* A tarn captain seeks discreet escorts across a hostile district.
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# CITY ENTRY II — KO-RO-BA
### The Towers of the Morning
Overview
Ko-ro-ba is the philosophical counterweight to Ar—cleanly designed, enlightened, structured, and governed with balance. It is a city of fairness, scholarship, and fine craftsmanship, with deep traditions of civic duty. It was destroyed once, rebuilt, and carries a subtle tension between memory and identity.
Districts
* The Morning Towers: Architectural marvels; libraries, archives, lecture halls.
* Artisan Quarter: Builders, metalworkers, engravers, sculptors.
* Judicial Plaza: Courts, mediators, scribe schools.
* Outer Gardens: Public green spaces; scholars debate beneath great trees.
Factions
* The Builder’s Guild: Respected think-tank shaping the city’s future.
* Philosopher’s Circles: Debate groups influencing law and culture.
* Warrior Companies: Smaller than Ar’s, but highly disciplined.
* Scribe Elders: Preserve truth, history, and law.
Laws
* False testimony is treated as a severe moral and legal crime.
* Craftsmanship fraud (fake materials, poor work) is punished harshly.
* Duels require formal mediation; honor must be balanced with civic duty.
Markets
Ko-ro-ba is known for high-quality goods: fine tools, elegant armor, precision instruments, art, scrolls, and crafted weaponry.
Adventure Hooks
* A Builder’s project collapses—sabotage suspected.
* A missing student carries notes on forbidden technologies.
* A philosopher’s circle hires the party to protect a controversial debate.
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# CITY ENTRY III — KASSAU
### The Timber Gate of the North
Overview
Kassau sits where the forests of the north squeeze into the river routes of Central Gor. It is a blend of northern ruggedness and southern trade culture. Longships and river barges crowd the docks. Hunters, trappers, furs, iron tools, and raw lumber define Kassau’s wealth.
Districts
* The Timber Docks: Logging, shipwright yards, saw-houses.
* Jarl Courts: Northern-style feasting halls, oath gatherings, warrior lodges.
* The Riverfront Market: Furs, tools, sleen-guards, forest goods.
* The Watch Towers: Defensive garrison, sleen kennels.
Factions
* Jarl Families: Competing northern power blocs; rough justice and oaths.
* The River Merchants: Practical traders who manage Vosk-side commerce.
* Fur Guild: Influential, wealthy, quietly corrupt.
* Temple of the Initiates: Smaller but politically influential.
Laws
* Theft of furs or timber is treated as theft of survival.
* Insulting a jarl may lead directly to a duel.
* Unlicensed panther-girl hunting is banned—creates retaliation.
Markets
Axes, bows, sleen leashes, furs, fishing gear, lumber, and repaired longships dominate trade.
Adventure Hooks
* A jarl seeks warriors to settle a timber feud.
* Panther-girls cut supply lines to the docks.
* A sleen pack ravages the outskirts; its handler is missing.
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# CITY ENTRY IV — PORT KAR
### The Scourge of Thassa
Overview
Port Kar is the outlaw jewel of the sea—dangerous, swampy, violent, and fiercely proud of its independence. Pirates, slavers, assassins, mercenaries, escaped slaves, exiles, and criminal syndicates make up its teeming population. Law exists only when backed by ships and knives.
Districts
* The Canal Maze: Murky waterways; ambush zones; smuggler dens.
* Great House Compounds: Merchant oligarchs, private armies.
* The Wharf Markets: Slaves, contraband, stolen goods, exotic imports.
* The Shipyards: The finest pirate shipwrights on Gor.
* The Swamp Ring: Foggy marsh perimeter; predators, outlaw camps.
Factions
* The Great Houses: Oligarch factions ruling the city; each a crime-syndicate empire.
* The Pirate Fleets: Independent captains with loose alliances.
* Assassin Guild Cells: Deeply embedded, often hired by the Houses.
* Smuggler Unions: Control movement of illegal wares.
Laws
* No one draws steel unless they can survive the consequences.
* Oaths are binding only if sworn before a House banner.
* Harbor taxation is enforced by armed fleets.
Markets
Slaves, stolen art, black-market medicine, exotic beasts, smugglers’ tools, naval gear, poisons.
Adventure Hooks
* A pirate prince hires PCs to steal a rival’s flagship.
* A Great House wants proof of treason committed by another.
* A swamp creature begins dragging sailors from the docks.