Lower Castes of Merchants

CASTE OF MERCHANTS: ~ White and Gold ~ Containing literally hundreds of sub-castes this group is a very large caste. Members of this caste deal with selling and trading of merchandise for a profit. For as many products as there are that are to be sold there are about that many sub castes.

"'Ulafi should have been recruited," said the dark haired girl. "He will do anything for gold." "Except betray his merchant codes," said he who was called Kunguni. I was pleased to hear this, for I was rather fond of the tall regal Ulafi. Apparently they did not regard him as a likely fellow to be used in the purchase of stolen notes on speculation, to be resold later to their rightful owner. Many merchants, I was sure, would not have been so squeamish. Such dealings, of course, would encourage the theft of notes. It was for this reason that they were forbidden by the codes. Such notes, their loss reported, are to be canceled, and replaced with alternate notes."
Explorers of Gor pg 148

Merchant Law

. . . There is a saying on Gor that the laws of a city extend no further than its walls.
---Outlaw of Gor, 6:50

And the possible one exception to this rule is merchant law. Merchants, although not considered of a high caste, enjoy considerable influence in most Gorean cities and have a clear advantage over many castes in that they are able to directly affect the life of Goreans and the decisions of Gorean government. Whereas Gorean law is essentially a matter of local power, the Caste of Merchants has managed to build a set of rules pertaining to trade which are used throughout all of Gor.

. . . There is a saying on Gor, “Gold has no caste.” It is a saying of which the merchants are fond. Indeed, secretly among themselves, I have heard, they regard themselves as the highest caste on Gor, though they would not say so for fear of rousing the indignation of other castes. There would be something, of course, to be said for such a claim, for the merchants are often indeed in their way, brave, shrewd, skilled men, making long journeys, venturing their goods, risking caravans, negotiating commercial agreements, among themselves developing and enforcing a body of Merchant Law, the only common legal arrangements existing among the Gorean cities. Merchants also, in effect, arrange and administer the four great fairs that take place each year near the Sardar Mountains. I say “in effect” because the fairs are nominally under the direction of a committee of the Caste of Initiates, which, however, largely contents itself with its ceremonies and sacrifices, and is only too happy to delegate the complex management of those vast, commercial phenomena, the Sardar Fairs, to members of the lowly, much-despised Caste of Merchants, without which, incidentally, the fairs most likely could not exist, certainly not at any rate in their current form.
---Nomads of Gor, 9:84

. . . The fairs, too, however, have many other functions. . . . It is here that Merchant Law is drafted and stabilized. . . .
---Beasts of Gor, 3:44

Aside from being the law system adopted by many trade ports and cities, merchant law is said to be almost universally applied in areas of trade. It is also the only law which commonly binds all cities, with probable exceptions (as with most things). Merchant law is drafted and stabilized at the fairs which are held four times a year at the foot of the Sardar Mountains. It covers as many aspects of trade and merchanting as one can think of, including, of course, the market of human property.

“The fairs incidentally are governed by Merchant Law and supported by booth rents and taxes levied on the items exchanged. The commercial facilities of these fairs, from money changing to general banking, are the finest I know of on Gor, save those in Ar’s Street of Coins, and letters of credit are accepted and loans negotiated, though often at usurious rates, with what seems reckless indifference. Yet perhaps this is not so puzzling, for the Gorean cities will, within their own walls, enforce the Merchant Law when pertinent, even against their own citizens. If they did not, of course, the fairs would be closed to the citizens of that city.”
---Priest-Kings of Gor, p 10

It is important to understand the separation of jurisdiction when it comes to areas which may have matters of civil law from matters of merchant law. In the case of slaves for example, the laws by which one may be enslaved, the laws which determine what a slave may or may not do in public places will be a matter of civil law. The laws which pertain to the classification, training, certification and selling of slaves as market items, however, are clearly under merchant law.

On slave trade, it is said that most of the elements of merchant law which cover this specialty were born of the slave wars, a series of wars which occurred among various cities in the middle latitudes of Gor, off and on, over a period of approximately a generation. These wars, although more than likely involving more than the taking of women, did result in mass slaving operations and so it is written, that out of these wars grew much of the merchant law pertaining to slaves as well as some of the criteria for the standardization of the female slave as a commodity. Laws pertaining to the rights for certification and the standardization of criteria for such certification are matters of merchant law. Slave trade, however, is but one market in a sea of markets, all of which are subject to the regulations of merchant law.

The scales used by merchants, for example, are calibrated by using a stone which is standardized and calibrated by using the official 'Stone' kept at the Sardar. A similar rule exists for all 'official' measurements used in trade.

The Weight and the Stone, incidentally, are standardized throughout the Gorean cities by Merchant Law, the only common body of law existing among the cities. The official "Stone," actually a solid metal cylinder, is kept, by the way, near the Sardar. Four times a year, on a given day in each of the four great fairs held annually near the Sardar, it is brought forth with scales, that merchants from whatever city may test their own standard "Stone" against it.
As in the case of the official "Stone", so, too, at the Sardar is a metal rod, which determines the Merchant Foot, or Gorean foot, as I have called it.
---Raiders of Gor, 127-128

Merchant law has managed, then, to stabilize a number of aspects of merchanting and trade and to be sure the reader finds that this progresses as the series moves forward. Items which are likely to be found in markets all over Gor such as cattle, precious metals, stones and slaves, will of course be easier to legislate than items more specific to a small area or specific culture. And of course bartering and trade remain methods by which many chose to -shop-, making the markets difficult to level, depending on the demand for a particular item and the availibility of said particular item within a specific area. As for most markets, the cost of things will fluctuate with demand as well as the difficulties encountered in aquiring said item.

Merchant law has been unsuccessful, as yet, in introducing such things as patents and copyrights on Gor. Such things do exist in municipal law on Gor but the jurisdictions involved are, of course, local.
---Magicians of Gor, p 394

Merchant law provides the rules by which certification and pedigrees will be produced, the registering of breeds and lineage information for cattle, domestic animals as well as slaves. The breeding of slaves is subject to a number of conditions as is the manner in which the children of slaves are treated and/or handled. In most cities a child born to a slave is also slave even if the child was conceinved by a free man. Free men wishing to have free chidren born of their slave girls, are said to temporarily free them for the time of childbirth. There are exceptions of course as with most rules, the city of Tharna for example, in post-revolt era, modified its laws so that slave girls may give birth to free persons so long as they were free at the time of conception. This of course makes the temporary freedom much shorter.

The youth of Tharna is usually bred from women temporarily freed for purposes of their conception, then reenslaved. In Tharnan law a person conceived by a free person on a free person is considered to be a free person, even if they are later carried and borne by a slave. In many other cities this is different, the usual case being that the offspring of a slave is a slave, and belongs to the mother's owner.
---Vagabonds of Gor, Ch 26

For the most part, though, slaves are bred in order to produce more slaves, to perpetuate a certain trait, or quality, much the same as other cattle.

Slavers are considered a sub-caste of the merchants although there is mention that the slavers themselves rather consider themselves to be an independant caste. The fact is though, that the rules and laws which pertain to the trade of human property are clearly stated as part of merchant law. It is interesting to note that although most cities have their own enslavement laws, merchant law seems to have established a number of criteria that would be met before a slave is legally a slave by this law.

It is my understanding, following merchant law, and Tahari custom,” I said, “that I am not a slave, for though I am a prisoner, I have been neither branded nor collared, nor have I performed a gesture of submission.
---Tribesmen of Gor, p 196

“You understand further, of course,” said he, “that under Gorean merchant law, which is the only law commonly acknowledged binding between cities, that you stand under separate permissions of enslavement. First, were you of Ar, it would be my right, could I be successful, to make of you a slave, for we share no Home Stone. Secondly, though you speak of yourself as the Lady Elicia of Ar, of Six Towers, you are, in actuality, Miss Elicia Nevins of the planet Earth. You are an Earth girl and thus stand within a general permission of enslavement, fair beauty quarry to any Gorean male whatsoever.
---Slave Girl of Gor, p 394

“The legal point, I think, is interesting. Sometimes, in the fall of a city, girls who have been enslaved, girls formerly of the now victorious city, will be freed. Technically, according to Merchant Law, which serves as the arbiter in such intermunicipal matters, the girls become briefly the property of their rescuers, else how could they be freed? Further, according to Merchant Law, the rescuer has no obligation to free the girl. In having been enslaved she has lost all claim to her former Home Stone.
---Explorers of Gor, p 409

Girls such as I must expect to be marked,” she said. “It is in accord with the recommendations of merchant law.
---Kajira of Gor, p 46

You’re going to be branded,” he said, “and put in a collar.” I regarded him with disbelief
“But so too, will the other girls,” he said. “You will all have your brands and collars.
I could not speak.
“Such things are prescribed by merchant law,” he said.
---Dancer of Gor, p 62

“Some fellows do not brand their slaves,” I said.
“That is stupid!” she said.
“It is also contrary to the laws of most cities,” I said, “and to merchant law, as well.
---Vagabonds of Gor, p 188

But her left thigh worn no brand. Her right thigh, too, as I soon noted, did not wear the slave mark, nor did her lower left abdomen. These are the three standard marking places, following the recommendations of Merchant Law, for the marking of Kajirae, with the left thigh being, in practice, the overwhelmingly favored brand site.”
Fighting Slave of Gor, p 312

Merchant magistrates, officers of the law, are given the duties of law enforcement as well as the power to prosecute those who are caught breaking the law and applying whatever sentence is deemed appropriate depending on the nature of the offense. Permits and the rights to trade or earn a living by offering entertainment sometimes require the paiement of a fee such as is seen in festivals, fair and and such.

The representative of the Merchants, to whom I reported my business, and to whom I paid for wharfage, asked no questions. He did not even demand the proof of registration of the Tesephone in Tabor. The Merchants, who control Lydius, under merchant law, for it is a free port, like Helmutsport, and Schendi and Bazi, are more interested in having their port heavily trafficked than strictly policed.
---Hunters of Gor, p 43

Essentially, merchant law is guided by the codes of the caste and serves as a consumer protection system as well as a means to maintain the credibility of the members of the caste of merchants. By policing their own, merchants manage to establish and preserve the trust of the customer population.

One would not wish to buy a girl thinking she was auburn, a rare and muchly prized hair color on Gor, for example, and then discover later that she was, say, blond. Against such fraud, needless to say, the law provides redress. Slavers will take pains in checking out new catches, or acquisitions, to ascertain the natural color of their hair, one of the items one expects to find, along with fingerprints and measurements, and such, on carefully prepared slave papers.
---Vagabonds of Gor, Ch19

Merchant law also allows for a form of neutral ground in times of conflict, offering goods and services under an even opportunity system and without having to be on one or the other side of a conflict.

Various cities, through their own Merchant Castes, lease land for these stockades and, for their fees, keep their garrisons, usually men of their own cities, supplied. The stockades are governed under Merchant Law, legislated and revised, and upheld, at the Sardar Fairs.
---Captive of Gor, p 219

He himself resided, I understood, in Telnus, the capital of Cos, where his company had its headquarters. His work chains, however, were politically neutral, understood under merchant law as hirable instruments. They might, accordingly, and sometimes did, work for both sides in given conflicts.
---Dancer of Gor, p 322

These are known as the Free Ports of Gor

FREE PORTS OF GOR

"My four commercial voyages had been among the exchange islands, or free islands, in Thassa, administered as free ports by members of the Merchants. There were several such islands. Three, which I encountereed frequently in my voyages, were Teletus, and, south of it, Tabor, named for the drum, which it resembles, and to the north, among the northern islands, Scagnar. Others were Farnacium, Hulneth and Asperiche. I did not go as far south as Anango or Ianda, or as far north as Hunjer or Skjern, west of Torvaldsland. These islands, with occasional free ports on the coast, north and south of the Gorean equator, such as Lydius and Helmutsport, and Schendi and Bazi, make possible the commerce between Cos and Tyros, and the mainland, and its cities, such as Ko-ro-ba, Thentis, Tor, Ar, Turia, and many others."
"Raiders of Gor" page 137

"Most ports and islands on Thassa, of course, are not managed by the Merchants, but, commonly, by magistrates appointed by the city councils. In Port Kar, my city, the utilization of the facilities of the port is regulated by a board of four magistrates, the Port Consortium, which reports directly to the Council of Captains, which, since the downfall of the warring Ubars, is sovereign in the city. I suppose the magistrate, who, with his papers, met us at the dock, did not believe my story."
"Hunters

"You are Dina," she said. "You are slave now within the Keep of Stones of Turmus. This is a merchant keep, under the banner and shield of Turia." That the keep was under the banner of Turia designated it as a Turian keep, distinguishing it in this sense not only from keeps maintained by other cities but more importantly from the "free keeps" maintained by the merchant caste in its own right, keeps without specific municipal affiliations. Similarly, the merchant caste, which is international, so to speak, in its organization, arranges and conducts the four great fairs which occur annually in the vicinity of the Sardar mountains. The merchant caste, too, maintains certain free ports on certain islands and on the coasts of Thassa, such as Teletus and Bazi."
"Slave Girl

"Space in a "free keep" is rented on a commercial basis, regardless of municipal affiliation. In a banner keep, or one maintained by a given city, preference, if not exclusive rights, are accorded to the merchants and citizens of the city under whose banner the keep is established and administered."
"Slave Girl

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Bazi

"At the mouth of the Laurius, where it empties into Thassa, is found the free port of Lydius, administered by the merchants, an important Gorean caste. From Lydius goods may be embarked for the islands of Thassa, such as Teletus, Hulneth and Asperiche, even Cos and Tyros, and the coastal cities, such as Port Kar and Helmutsport, and, far to the south, Schendi and Bazi."
"Captive of Gor" page 59

"The representative of the Merchants, to whom I reported my business, and to whom I paid wharfage, asked no questions. He did not even demand the proof of registration of the Tesephone of Tabor. The Merchants, who control Lydius, under merchant law, for it is a free port, like Helmutsport, and Schendi and Bazi, are more interested in having their port heavily trafficked than strictly policed."
"Hunters

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Lydius

"At the mouth of the Laurius, where it empties into Thassa, is found the free port of Lydius, administered by the merchants, an important Gorean caste. From Lydius goods may be embarked for the islands of Thassa, such as Teletus, Hulneth and Asperiche, even Cos and Tyros, and the coastal cities, such as Port Kar and Helmutsport, and, far to the south, Schendi and Bazi. And, from Lydius, of course, goods of many sorts, though primarily rough goods, such things as tools, crude metal and cloth, brought on barges, towed by tharlarion treading on log roads, following the river, are brought to Laura, for sale and distribution inland."
"Captive of Gor" page 59

"The representative of the Merchants, to whom I reported my business, and to whom I paid wharfage, asked no questions. He did not even demand the proof of registration of the Tesephone of Tabor. The Merchants, who control Lydius, under merchant law, for it is a free port, like Helmutsport, and Schendi and Bazi, are more interested in having their port heavily trafficked than strictly policed."
"Hunters

"Indeed, at the wharves I had even seen two green ships. Green is the color common to pirates. I supposed, did they pay their wharfage and declare some sort of business, the captains of those ships were as little interrogated as I."
"Hunters

"The governance of Lydius, under the merchants, incidentally, is identical to that of the exchange islands, or free islands, in Thassa. Three with which I was familiar, from various voyages, were Tabor, Teletus and, to the north, offshore from Torvaldsland, Scagnar. Of these, to be honest, and to give the merchants their due, I will admit that Tabor and Teletus are rather strictly controlled. It is said, however, by some of the merchants there, that this manner of caution and restriction, has to some extent diminished their position in the spheres of trade. Be that as it may, Lydius, though not what you would call an open port, was indulgent, and permissive."
"Hunters

We continued along the docks of Lydius, satisfying our curiosity as to the port. We passed some fortified warehouse, in which space is available to merchants. In such places, there would be gems, and gold, silks, and wines and perfumes, jewelries and spices, richer goods not to be left exposed on the docks.
Hunters

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Schendi

"I had been taken by Tellius, the henchman of the Lady Elicia of Ar, by tarn, to Schendi. This infamous port is the home port of the famed black slavers of Schendi, a league of slavers well known for their cruel depredations on shipping, but it is also a free port, administered by black merchants, and its fine harbor and its inland markets to the north and east attract much commerce. It is thought that an agreement exists between the merchants of Schendi and the members of the league of black slavers, though I know of few who have proclaimed this publicly in Schendi and lived. The evidence, if evidence it is that such an agreement exists, is that the black slavers tend to avoid preying on shipping which plies to and from Schendi. They conduct their work commonly in more northern waters, returning to Schendi as their home port."
"Slave Girl of Gor" page

"Many goods pass in and out of Schendi, as would be the case in any major port, such as precious metals, jewels, tapestries, rugs, silks, horn and horn products, medicines, sugars and salts, scrolls, papers, inks, lumber, stone, cloth, ointments, perfumes, dried fruit, some dried fish, many root vegetables, chains, craft tools, agricultural implements, such as hoe heads and metal flail blades, wines and pagas, colorful birds and slaves. Schendi's most significant exports are doubtless spice and hides, with kailiauk horn and horn products also being of great importance. One of her most delicious exports is palm wine. One of her most famous and precious exports are the small carved sapphires of Schendi. These are generally a deep blue, but some are purple and others, interestingly, white or yellow. They are usually carved in the shape of tiny panthers, but sometimes other animals are found as well, usually small animals or birds. Sometimes however the stone is carved to resemble a tiny kailiauk or kailiauk head. Slaves, interestingly, do not count as one of the major products in Schendi, in spite of the fact that the port is the headquarters of the League of Black Slavers. The black slavers usually sell their catches nearer the markets, both to the north and south. One of the major markets, to which they generally arrange for the shipment of girls overland, is the Sardar Fairs, in particular that of En'Kara, which is the most extensive and finest. This is not to say of course that Schendi does not have excellent slave markets. It is a major Gorean port. The population of Schendi is probably about a million people. The great majority of these are black. Individuals of all races, however, Schendi being a cosmopolitan port, frequent the city."
"Explorers of Gor" page 115

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Helmutsport

"At the mouth of the Laurius, where it empties into Thassa, is found the free port of Lydius, administered by the merchants, an important Gorean caste. From Lydius goods may be embarked for the islands of Thassa, such as Teletus, Hulneth and Asperiche, even Cos and Tyros, and the coastal cities, such as Port Kar and Helmutsport, and, far to the south, Schendi and Bazi."
"Captive of Gor" page 59