Ancients of Gor

I think there is even a group called ‚Old farts of Gor’. ouch. A group no one really wants to belong to. What a horror. Who wants to be an ‘old fart’

but then you walk into sims, a place where you ve never been.…you cannot avoid the curious quick glance on the minimap, counting the yellow dots. Sims without yellow dots don t exist. There is no place on Gor where you don t know at least a few.

And you know what will happen. You select an innocent tag, you wipe your profile of groups that could be compromising. You grit your teeth, ready yourself for battle, and boldly take a walk on the wild side. Next thing that happens is: “Tal Larah”…uhm…blushes…omg…erm…”Tal my dear friend”…and suddenly you feel caught: You imagine the other thinking: “This one is becoming silly or something? in her old age? she should know better, what does she REALLY want here? This is our sim, our roleplay, what the hell does SHE want here?...can t you leave us alone? we are enjoying!!”

So you offer a hug, you smile, you smalltalk a little. How are you? How is your group? are you enjoying? Any news from other old friends? Yeah, its been a while. noooooo! aww how could I forget you, darling! A bit of chit chat…and in all the politeness you are suddenly aware you don t belong there. So you leave. Ashamed.

And suddenly you feel like a Vampire. A child of the millennia. Larah the ancient one. There are only very very few avas around with a birthdate of 2004…just a few more of 2005…but not many…one knows them…quite a few of 2006…I would not say I know them all. But many. ok THEY are ancient, aren t they?...but not me??...I have a look at what avas of my birthdate do. Ok, they had a few years time to get into the position they were looking for. So you meet the Ubara, you meet the group leader…yeah I know you…and you carry the whole arsenal of stuff around in your profile that practically yells: DO NOT RP WITH ME!

…she is self confident and knows her sl…can t possibly be intimidated
…she is En…she ll be a dominating bitch…soon her tribe will get her out…may lift the traffic, that’s all
…she has her own sim…no chance she would stay for ANY effort we take…she s going to leave soon, no potential for fun there
…she rp s maturely, leaving no room for fantasy…too bad..go home, bitch

All of this is true. All the ‘ancients’ I know are in charge somewhere. They have their ‘homestone’ in the best gorean sense and won t give it up. Gadgets like the restrained life viewer, like all types of visible rp helpers or whatever are mere crutches. They don t work anyways, the way they are intended to. You still need to restrict yourself from circumventing it. Don t script yourself an item, restrain yourself from sneaking out. So you keep on yahoo ing with your friends, go for another coffee and cuddle the cat on your lap while you watch your rp partner struggle and you feel like a scientist when observing a laboratory test rat: “Excuse me please, I m working on a forensic report on clinical pathologic mental aberrations. Please may I ask you a few questions for my lil questionnaire here? Be so kind and reply as truthfully as you can spontaneously. We go through it step by step. Don t be upset please, we ll do it together, ok? Tell me about your mom first, what is the first remembrance you have of her?” I agree, now I m intentionally bad.

So instead you try to be cute and naïve, you para rp if your rp partner is up for that and use the long breaks to chat with friends or play another computer game while you wait, you keep it short and quick if that’s the style and IM with your friends while you hack in another one liner now and then. Boys will ask for vidcam real soon, elderly people won t pew pew much, stupid people have a standard they rp, lazy people will pass the rp on, women are merciless, men are cock driven, kajirae are trying to bore you to death, Spaniards, Italians and south American men are machos, germans are nitpickers, US Americans are boasters, stupid lil office assistants like me rp dutifully, boringly, without fantasy but the ancients usually have so many ongoing stuff on their heels that they have no chance to dive into the rp wholeheartedly anyways.

Time for an alt, you may think. And many do. It costs a lot of linden to build up an ava to be fully functional and a second life to a second life is arising the question who you really are and if sl is worth the effort if you can t even handle a single avatar.

A well sorted inventory with all the pics, notes, items is not only valuable, its your avatar life! You can transfer all the dresses and scripts you made, but it’s still a declaration of bankruptcy of a life. And if you don t remove the REASON for your failure, the second alt will fail again: Don t tell me its all these OTHER awful people that lead you to make an alt: Its you. I know it. It will happen over and over again.

There is however ONE aspect that DEMANDS that you make yourself an alt: If your avatar is not you. If you don t let your sl touch your real life, if it’s a mere game, you lost: You will leave all bored, because the most wonderful aspect of your second life got lost: YOU.

If you don t let second life touch your heart, if you merely play a role, you end up entangled in boring mechanics. But if you managed to make sl an extension of your real life, have friends that you value, explore yourself and live who you are, your sl is rewarding. There is no way around it, be honest with yourself.

How to go on then? The conventional reply is to help. Creating environments, groups that help other people to enjoy their sl. Buy a sim, open a help group, open a shop and count your linden, give all your creations to a freebie market or write a blog to get rid of your frustrations *grins*. Roleplay a Dom and create a lil sub- heaven for newbs, but HAVE A PROJECT!!! Go for something real big, something that will never end, else it’s not a project: A sim is a project. A shop is a project. A school is a project. Learn scripting or learn sculpting. Do what you want, you can do it all: If not you, who else??

Another solution would be to join with a younger one. Get infected with the enthusiasm, with the newness of everything and sigh in joy when you see bright eyes glitter in wonder.

Don t give up, jumping from idea to idea will create frustrations and you ll switch off. Too many did, you old fart!

I’m temped to state here that there were less roleplay, less pew pew on Gor. That’s not true: The truth is, there is less pew pew and less roleplay for YOU. Live with that. Support those that enjoy. Make rules, enforce them, take drama out and prove superiority by being relaxed.

You just advanced from user to creator: Congratulations, old fart! Turn around and patiently explain for the umpteenth time how to create your own lil ao, or better even: Distribute the one you made. THAT is what you can do better than anyone: Advise! And THAT is what you lost: Listen and explore! Where is the curiosity that you had? Where is the awe and the respect you had? Yes, you learnt that second life is about people. You learnt that neither prims, nor textures nor scripts count. Learn respect to people again, listen to the fantasies, make yourself a picture, try to blend in and try to move things.

You scan this blog all bored and think: Nothing new here, Larah? Had it all and you re all wrong here? Welcome to the group of old farts then!

What do I do?

I mostly watch. Seriously. I watch people roleplay and explore, watch people get to know each other, enjoy each other and it makes me smile.

I am in love. Deeply in love. Deeper in love than I ever was. I know it’s a dance on the volcano, THE pillar of my life. I depend on another. I breathe, I live, I laugh, I walk because of her. For her love. I dared. I jumped. I never fell. I m full of gratitude for every day of my new life. No not second life, ALL of my life. At times I FREAK and SCREAM in terror and fear when I think of the risk: Loosing her. It would crush me, leave me sobbing and begging and crying forever.

But she is strong. She is an angel. She keeps me safe. Never was I safer than today. She holds me tight in her love. She stops me when I am about to get lost and guides me back to the right path. I m a princess in a paradise. She created a throne for me. The dream of my life came true. I m grateful. Forever grateful. And she gives me time. Gives me time to think, gives me time when I am about to panic, because I have all a girl can ever wish for in her life: I am beloved. Princess of Gor? Yes, that’s me!!!

Funny: I try to be like her. It’s futile. No one can love like her. No one can care like her. No one can enjoy like her. No one can be shy like her. No one can be brave like her. No one can laugh like her. No one can cry like her. She teaches me love. She teaches me how to love. She defines life for me and became my life. I am aware that I am a lucky one. I am aware I did not deserve to be loved by an angel. I am grateful with every cell of my being. I went to second life to play games. The game got lost, instead I found my life. It’s whole now.

Do I sound stupid, addicted, silly, arrogant? I apologize. I m boasting. I burst in pride, in self righteousness, it proves I have a bad character. I should not publish any of this. My pride is the result of her love. Love is life. Every second of it is heaven.

Larah in love

Sa Jerag

jungle goddess

Here we come a piping,

In Springtime and in May;

Green fruit aripening,

And Winter fled away.

The Queen she sits upon the strand,

Fair as lily, white as wand;

Seven billows on the sea,

Horses riding fast and free,

And bells beyond the sand

tying the Cord,
renewing the Earth;
we are Her Children,
bringing Rebirth.
we are the Flow and we are the Ebb;
we are the Weavers,
we are the Web

Crescent One of the starry skies, Flowered One of the fertile plain,
Flowing One of the ocean's sighs, Blessed One of the gentle rain.
Hear my chant 'midst the standing stones, Open me to your mystic light.
Waken me to your silver tones, Be with me in my sacred rite!

East I call to you,
High above the trees
Gliding on a soft breeze
Eagle come to me.

South I call to you,
Burning within me
Running through the jungle
Panther come to me.

West I call to you,
Deep within the sea
Dancing with the waves
Dolphin come to me.

North I call to you,
Underneath my feet
Howling at the full moon
Wolf come to me.

Center I call you,
Everywhere I see
Joining in the circle
Snake come to me.

Lady of the morning
Maiden full of grace
Remind me of my courage
Hail and welcome be.

Lady of the moon
Mother round and full
Remind me of my creative spark
Hail and welcome be.

Lady of the dark
Crone the teacher still
Remind me of my wisdom
Hail and welcome be.

Tree Huggers

YES! we are happy with our trees, our flowers, our waterfalls, our lake and our beaches...

Raiders of Gor

1. Here they come running
2. surprised there is not battle
3. surprised that the jungles of Gor may not be what they thought it would, and gratefully accepting to drink from our tub
4. Gratefully accepting a cup of the best Vulo soup on Gor
5. and the Taluna tries her best in seduction!!!
6. but she has no success...a pity...another male lost...she needs to hone her seductive skills, it seems
7. Summary

1. Here they come running

[9:39] jungle drums shout: Rryen xxxx
[9:39] cathli's jungle drums shout: Rryen xxxx
[9:39] Shark Joe Smiling Jaws V1.6i shouts: SHARKS ARE HUNGRY !!!
[9:39] Shark William D V1.6i shouts: SHARKS ARE HUNGRY !!!


2. surprised there is not battle

[9:40] Larah Oh: Tal, runner of gor
[9:40] Rryen xxxx: tal
[9:40] Rryen xxxx: you a runaway slave?
[9:41] Larah Oh: you must be lost...running through the jungles...nine weeks of walking from schendi
[9:41] Larah Oh: are the kurii on your heels?
[9:41] Rryen xxxx: actualy i have a boat
[9:41] Rryen xxxx: but there were sharks


3. surprised that the jungles of Gor may not be what they thought it would, and gratefully accepting to drink from our loo

[9:41] Larah Oh: you have a boat?...still its a lot of paddling upriver from the thassa...
[9:41] Larah Oh: what brings you out of Gor into the middle of nowhere, all alone, runner of gor?
[9:42] Rryen xxxx: yeah its got like a sail and stuff you know grin
[9:42] Rryen xxxx: well i am a fisherman and i was fishing and mapping this area
[9:42] Larah Oh: well there is no sailing upriver...so you will have rowed..poor you...you must be hungry
[9:42] Rryen xxxx: i am hungry yes
[9:42] Rryen xxxx: and thristy
[9:42] Larah Oh: we happen to have some vulo soup on the fire....points to the camp...
[9:42] Rryen xxxx: oh?
[9:42] Rryen xxxx: lead the way
[9:43] Larah Oh: the lake is sweetwater...smiles...have more drinks than you ever dreamt of....smiles
[9:43] Rryen xxxx: i was thinking more like paga
[9:43] Larah Oh: oh...the next tavern is where you came from...in Port schendi
[9:44] Larah Oh: thats the last place where beverages from civilized gor could be had
[9:44] Rryen xxxx: ah well lead the way to your camp i will see what you have
[9:44] Larah Oh: we have water...smiles...but that is here, at the lake
[9:44] Larah Oh: in camp we have vulo soup
[9:44] Rryen xxxx: good come serve me some soup then
[9:44] Larah Oh smiles...and again....you are invited
[9:45] Rryen xxxx: come along
[9:45] Larah Oh: are you not thirsty?...you said so
[9:45] Rryen xxxx: yes
[9:45] Larah Oh points to the lake with a smile....
[9:45] Larah Oh: then please have a drink...once you did, I show you the fireplace with the vulo soup
[9:46] Rryen xxxx takes a knee as i splash some water on my face and drink some from hand a few times


4. Gratefully accepting a cup of the best Vulo soup on Gor

[9:46] Larah Oh smiles...I am happy I could help...
[9:46] Larah Oh: come...smiles
[9:47] Larah Oh: have a seat, runner of gor...smiles
[9:47] Larah Oh: there is the pot with the vulo soup...get yourself a coconut shell...smiles
[9:47] Rryen xxxx rubs my chin and looks you over so,,,tell me pretty girl where did you run from?
[9:48] Larah Oh: its the best in the jungles, I d say...smiles
[9:48] Larah Oh: me?...laughs...I live here...runner of gor...
[9:48] Rryen xxxx: i am sure you have not always lived here
[9:48] Larah Oh points to the vulo soup...but I am sure you did not travel nine weeks upriver from schendi to ask me where I was born
[9:48] Rryen xxxx takes the shell and the soup on the fire as i fill the large shell with it bring it to my both as i eat
[9:49] Larah Oh smiles...what do you know about Talunas of gor?
[9:49] Larah Oh: what do you know about the jungles?
[9:50] Rryen xxxx: not much but i know a girl like you would bring a silver on the slave market
[9:50] Larah Oh: now you make me laugh indeed!!!!
[9:50] Larah Oh: there are millions of girls on the slave markets and on the streets of port schendi...and you are telling me you travel nine weeks upriver to find another????
[9:50] Rryen xxxx: i am being serious,, i have seen uglier girls in the best paga taverns
[9:51] Larah Oh: you need a physician...
[9:51] Larah Oh: but we don t have any in the jungles....
[9:51] Rryen xxxx: no, i not looking for one here,,,i just make the piont is that you,,would bring a silver
[9:51] Larah Oh: but I can give you the adress of a good physician...smiles
[9:51] Larah Oh: oh...then that is a misunderstanding...smiles gently...
[9:51] Larah Oh: I have never seen a 'silver'...can you explain what that is?
[9:52] Rryen xxxx: its currency you buy things with it like girls like you and soup like this
[9:52] Rryen xxxx: surly men have come to take you away in chains ?
[9:52] Larah Oh: you BUY suop????..now that is an interesting concept...giggles
[9:53] Larah Oh: well here you need not buy soup...here you can eat until you are not hungry anymore...smiles gently...
[9:54] Larah Oh watches you eat and smiles gently...
[9:54] Rryen xxxx: most men would not let you lay up there nude like that, they would have you in a collar and chains on your knees
[9:54] Larah Oh: you must come from even farer away than the jungles...
[9:55] Larah Oh: else you would have known that that is not the custom in the jungles
[9:55] Rryen xxxx sips more of the soup as i relax back


5. and the Taluna tries her best in seduction!!!

[9:55] Larah Oh: its hot here....you may take your shirt off instead of suffering in the moist heat...
[9:55] Rryen xxxx: oh i doubt city men care about the customs of your forest
[9:56] Larah Oh: well there are no cities in the jungles...the jungles do not care for cities...even bila haruma, the black ubar lives not in a city
[9:56] Larah Oh: the trees, I think...do not care for houses...smiles gently...
[9:57] Larah Oh: where is your homestone, wanderer of gor, so far away from the world that you know?
[9:58] Rryen xxxx: i dont particluar have one,,a homestone


6. but she has no success...a pity...another male lost...she needs to hone her seductive skills, it seems

[9:58] Rryen xxxx: stands up and takes more soup as i fill the shell and eat more
[10:03] Rryen xxxx: be well girl
[10:03] Rryen xxxx: well i will go to my boat now, i dont trust you live alone and not sure i want to be here whensome of your tibe comes home
[10:03] Rryen xxxx has left the sim.


7. Summary

Vulo soup seems not to be seductive...a pity...me I like it! Maybe we should add an aphrodisiacal...:/

Larah's & Cathli's Battle Bows

Computed Autofire Reconnaissance
Low Range enhanced Register Arrows
Low Range behind the Horizon buoyancy hit Curve (Siege mode)
Low Range steep angle enhanced direct hit curve
Gorean Meter (GM) Scripted
Five different shoot soundsets
Draw Sound
Five different Siege Arrows
Adjustable Speed
Adjustable Aim height
SL Zero Directional Arrow
Parallel scripted
Mono Compiled
Mouseview Button
Full Range Gesture Access
Glow Tail Tracer Arrow
Concise Hit Protocol
Color Code Arrows
Combat mode/ Ultra Low Lag mode
Poison Arrow (ML)
Resize Scripted
Optional Toggledraw
Integrated Sim lag (dilation ) meter

Makers Guarantee: Free update Service
The Scripts are robust and multiply tested, checked, rechecked to ensure its never failing
If you battle on the large Battlefields of Gor, THIS is the bow for winners

These bows do not compromise: They are scripted and built to perform in the worst of conditions, its features are optimized for the large battles on gor.

1. Features

The bows perform without failure even in worst conditions, due to parallel scripting, prim and script minimization, simple texturing, mono compilation, a concise chat protocol and excluding gadgets that are not needed.
Its features are focusing on maximum performance in raids and defense situations, an ultra high register for low range arrows, lowering arrow bounce, but high buoyancy and an automatic aim correction in melee range.
unique Second life Zero directional slender arrows, italian design, with tracer glow tail feature to follow your hits that VISUALIZE which type of arrow you selected
ultra low lag feature with reduced script features and even more parallel scripting to battle even in worst conditions

The siege functions of the bow will have dramatic changes on the battlefield! They make this bow the ultimate weapon for the large wars on gor.

This bow has been developed for winners.

Adjustable arrow speed does NOT mean you shoot more arrows per second, and a high arrow speed does not mean you hit better: It only means the arrow flies faster or slower. The number of shot arrows per second is not changed with arrow speed. A slower arrow registers better, because the server has more time to estimate a hit. A fast arrow allows you to better hit a far away avatar that changes direction frequently. However a slow arrow that is also heavier flies a different curve: its downward directed flight vector enables you to aim for a direct hit without loosing the chance for a splash hit if you did not hit precisely enough. A similar effect is reached when a large avatar shoots at a small one from a greater height at a short distance.
Any arrow, approaching at an obtuse angle, faces a larger splash zone: The hit probability grows.

The CURVE of the downwards angle is determined by speed and by the weight of the arrow. However, a reduced arrow speed reduces reaction time if your opponent changes directions. Therefore these advantages count on short distances that are typical for battle.

Another tactical situation, typical for battle is opponents hiding behind walls. The buoyancy of a heavy arrow lets it drop inside from above, adding realism to battle like it has not ever been encountered on our Gor, where arrows fly straight and never drop. The deadly rain of arrows that archers aimed for, with their missiles coming from above that used to be a tactics on the medieval battlefield is now available for Battle on Gor!

Cathli&Larah

Gor matures!

1. Introduction
2. Disturbances in evolving Gor
2.1 Age Confirmation
2.2 “By-the-books”
2.3 “Roleplay-items”
3. Mature Gor
4. Conclusion

1. Introduction

Our SL Gor is quite easy to define: We roleplay in an environment scripted and designed to be as near to the descriptions in the books of John Norman as we can make it.
We copy lifestyles of typical groups and cities, and we build beautiful simulations of the world of Gor.

However, we do not STAGE the books, the dialogues and the events are primarily ours. That way new and entertaining stories evolve every day that could have happened in the books. In other words, we do not roleplay the books, we roleplay on the basis of the books.

In comparing the time between 2006 and today, the style of our roleplay changed little by little..and we are now in a different kind of Gor than we were.

2. Disturbances in evolving Gor
2.1 Age Confirmation

The introduction of age confirmation may have had an influence, however its effect was by no means immediate, if there was any effect at all. At times we had the impression that age confirmation made us more interesting for the pimply teenager than ever, and the adults were avoiding Gor altogether. However, it may be that the masses of teenagers that were intrigued by an age restricted area one by one left disappointedly and we now ARE a mature community.

It can however be taken as a fact, that sexual themed and or violent roleplay are exceptions and predominantly happen elsewhere outside gorean themed sims.

Both are not necessary to roleplay Gor as depicted in the books. A roleplay scene like…”I had, in my turn, with several of the other of the Forkbeard’s men, enjoyed Pudding and Gunnhild; both were superb” (Marauders of Gor, page 203)…are an entirely sufficient description for a scene that obviously depicts an orgy.

2.2 “By-the-books”

As mentioned above, the truest way to roleplay by the books is to stage scenes from the books. However, that is not meant here.In most cases, the “by-the-books” themed sims put a higher emphasis on men’s superior strengths and skills and even ban most or all female fighters from their sims' roleplay (Femlaw) or set up rules and conditions that favour their men dramatically. As a result women are to behave far more obedient to the overwhelming Gorean man on these sims, in many cases adopting oriental ways of dress (robes of concealment) combined with pre- victorian behavior.

Panther and Taluna tribes following this movement frequently battled each other. Ensuing roleplay is of course less rewarding, since the roleplayers stay in their environment that they are familiar with (in Panther camps) and the thrilling element of Men being part of the roleplay is entirely lost as well.

Therefore, like the name of this movement already indicates, a good name is used to sell restrictions on roleplay for a more pre- defined storyline, that appears less rewarding for the majority of roleplayers.

Subsequently countering this movement, several gorean themed sims like Sardar banned “by-the-books” roleplay groups from their sims.

All in all, “by-the-books” is in no way truer to scenes in the books. Its just a name (see this blog, July 2009, Disney movement). However, the main impact of this movement was a separation of second life Gor. Gorean Cities are usually roleplaying on their own or with other Cities, Outlaws, Mercenaries, Pirates and Panthers are frequently having their gorean roleplay elsewhere.

Sims depicting northern lives, like Thorvaldsland or Viking sims, barren sims depicting Savage tribes and jungle sims have a separate status, since they are not part of the main gorean rule set, as laid out by the three pillars of caste, homestone, slavery. These sims have proliferated due to a more relaxed handling of issues, since roleplay is less predetermined due to less sources in the books.

2.3 “Roleplay-items”

With the introduction of meter- controlled “Roleplay-items”, a rush to hoard these set in, leading to an increasing inflation and the usage of all kinds of cheats, causing great numbers of complaints and frenzied efforts of sim administrations to keep these under control. The outcome of “Roleplay-items” was predictably a massive increase of kidnappings to gain and gather items, while roleplay itself was negatively affected, since kidnappings were not motivated by roleplay but by gathering items. Sim Management frequently supported these raids, kidnappings and rescues to increase traffic. In order to support their groups, Sim Owners installed or allowed the installation of “Factory Units” and subsequently complained when they were malfunctioning, or deemed to be malfunctioning, while smaller groups on Gor who had less access to these items suffered member losses due to a more obvious disadvantage when trades could not be done.

3. Mature Gor

In parallel to all these disruptive movements on Second Life Gor the multiple efforts of Sim managements and roleplayers advertising ‘roleplay, roleplay roleplay’ have taken effect.
Ads for sims almost invariably mention a focus on roleplay.

Groups that do not go well together mix less, ‘captures’ are more roleplay oriented. Standard “bind-collar-brand-rape-cage” roleplay is frequently frowned upon as much as the unimaginative “submit-or-die” roleplay of former years. OOC- Auctions have become a fashion to finance sims and to promote a get together of players. A growing majority of roleplay is initiated behind the ooc curtain of the roleplay stage: The roleplayers are more involved in the initial preparational stages and in success oriented behaviors, success meaning a multi- faceted and richly scened play.
Raids are frequently announced and negotiated with sim management before they are even staged, with the benefit of a fair and welcoming moderation of issues and group leaders sorting issues in their own groups before they become disruptive to make it work.

3.1 Current status

We may or may not miss the happy “pew-pew” of the past like in the aria sims, we may or may not miss the quiet lonesome days in a cage or on a cross in deep dungeons without any roleplay, the endless ban list of many sims, we may or may not miss the neverending discussions about minor differences in the interpretation of sim- rules, but:

The awareness that roleplay with an unwilling party is rarely rewarding for both roleplayers has changed the way we act on gor dramatically:

Neither the expectation that reckless entering of a Panther/Outlaw/Merc/Pirate camp will invariably result in exciting capture roleplay as a captive, nor the expectation that capturing a happy Panther/Outlaw/Merc/Pirate from his/her camp would automatically create a submissive, sweet and loving kajira or at least a steaming night in the furs have proven to be the rule.

Mature roleplayers talk with each other, they plan and create, they hone their skills and shape their gorean bio s, they enter new roleplay consciously and considerate, creating wonderful storylines, creating THEIR gorean bio true to their hearts.

4. Conclusion

The mature gorean roleplayers, serene, confident in their status and roles took over. An increasing majority of roleplays evolve intricate storylines, multifaceted with either party winning over now and then, reflecting fairness and truthfulness in who we are.

Our Gor evolved to the better!

© Larah