Isle Of Anango
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Isle Of Anango

The Isle of Anango is located on Gor. Gor is a fictional Counter-Earth based on the books by John Norman. This island is Sovereign and Ruled by a Tatrix (female ruler). This community is representative of the Three Pillars, Homestone: Anango, Caste: Ini
 
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 Merchant Law

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Tatrix Lady Aasiyah
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Tatrix Lady Aasiyah


Number of posts : 391
Registration date : 2009-01-02

Merchant Law Empty
PostSubject: Merchant Law   Merchant Law Icon_minitimeMon Jan 26, 2009 11:23 am

MERCHANT LAW

There is a saying on Gor, " Gold has no caste". I 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 fewer 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, amongst themselves developing and
enforcing a body of merchant law., the only common legal arrangement
existing among the Gorean Cities.

Merchants also, if effect, arrange and administer the four great fairs that takes
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 content itself with its ceremonies
and sacrifices, and is only to happy to delegate the complex management
of those vast, commercial phenomena, the Sadar Faris, to members of the
lowly, much despised Caste of Merchants, without which, incidentally,
the fairs most likely would not exist, certainly not at any rate in
their current form.
Nomads of Gor page 84

The fairs, too, however, have many other functions. It is here the Merchant Law is drafted
and stabilized.
Beasts of Gor Page 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 almost 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 alls,
enforce the Merchant Law when pertinent, even against their own
citizens. If they did not, of courts, the fairs would be closed to the
citizens of that city.\
Priest Kings of Gor Page 10

It is important to understand the separation of jurisdiction when it comes
to areas which 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 covers this
specially 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 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 right 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 market, all of which are subject to
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 Sardar. A similar rule exists for all "official" measurements used
in trade.

The weight and the stone, incidentally, are standardized thought the Gorean
cities by Merchant Law, the only common body of law existing among the
cities. The official "stone" actually a sold metal cylinder, is kept by
the way, near the Sardar. Four times a year, on a given day in each of
the four greats fairs held annually near the Sardar, it s brought forth
with scales, that merchants from whatever city may test their own
standard "stone" against it. As in th 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.
Raider of Gor page 127-128

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 jurisdiction involved are, of course local
Magicians of Gor page 394

Merchant law provides the rule by which certification and pedigrees will be
produced , the registering of breed 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 child of slaves are
treated and/or handled. In most cities a child born to a slave is also
a slave even if the child was conceived by a Free man, Free men wishing
to have Free children 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 a slave girls may give birth to Free persons
as 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 brad from women temporarily freed for purpose of their
conception, then enslaved. In Tharna Law a person conceived by a Free
person by a Free person is considered to be a Free person, even if they
are 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 mothers Owner.
Vagabonds of Gor chapter 26




Slavers
are considered a sub-caste of the Merchants although there is mention
that the slavers themselves rather consider themselves to be an
independent caste. The fact is though, that the rules and laws which
pertain to the trade of human property are clearly stated as part of
the 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 the Merchant Law, and Tahari customs," I
said "That I am not a slave, for though I am a prisoner. I have been
neither brand or collared, nor have I performed a gesture of submission.
Tribesmen of Gor page 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 permission of the 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 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 page 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
a arbiter in such inter municipal matters, the girls becomes briefly
the property of their rescuers, else how could they be freed? Further,
according to Merchant Lw, 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
page 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 page 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 page 62

Some fellows do not brand their slaves. I said. That is stupid she
aid. It is also contrary to the laws of most cities. I said. And to Merchant Law, as well.
Vagabonds of Gor. page 188

But her left thigh wore 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 Kajiae, with the left thigh being in
practice the overwhelmingly favored brand site.
Fighting Slave of Gor page 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 requires the
payment of a few such as it is seen in festivals, fairs and such. The
representative of the Merchants to whom I report 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 Helmuts
port, and Schendi and Bazi are most interested in having their port
heavily trafficked and strictly policed.
Hunter of Gor page 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 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 she was, say blond, Against such fraud, needless to say,
the law provides redress. Slavers will take pains to check 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 Chapter 19

Merchant law almost allows for a form of neutral ground in time of conflict,
offering goods and serices under an even opportunity and without having
to be on one of the other side of a conflict.

Various cities, through their own Merchant Castes, lease land for these
stockage 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 page 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 on both sides in given
conflicts.
Dancer of Gor page 322
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