Hello to Dear Friends....and Tele is Back in Gor

I ignore this blog so much I did not even think to check for comments, and there were four on the last post alone! My sincere thanks to all who post here...as rarely as I post myself, I am quite pleased anyone reads this at all.

And while I am in world less (clearing my "defensible space" around my mountain house...lots of cutting and hauling, etc.) I have in fact rejoined a Gorean sim. My return to sl Gor has rather an odd twist: after much cajoling and very kind suggesting (begging) on the part of Cinde Fate, I found myself joined to Torvic Pass, a Gorean sim risen out of most of the population of my original sim, Torvaldsland.

I had mixed feelings about joining; partly because I had left Tland, mostly because I didn't think I'd ever rp in Gor again. But as I became more and more disappointed with spellfire, the meter system used in Imrath Tir, the fantasy sim I roleplayed in (and what wonderful people and values are represented there)....I mean, I really, really hate spellfire. It works by ejecting a rectangular shaped damage prim from the center of your av, no matter your weapon. So axe fighting or sword fighting is really just throwing bricks at people. Some people, some very skilled fighters, like it, but I found I was not one.

And so, back to Torvic Pass for my combat rp (as we still have not managed to get this off the ground in Caledon, and I have always been reticent to inject such a large change to the Caledonian System (CalSys for short) I started hanging out with my old friends in Torvic. Mostly, Torvold/Brutis. The sim was trying to go into full combat rp, unlike my other Gorean sim which only did tourneys, and I was curious.

Enter drama. Enter money. Exit sim.

The week I joined half the sim left over what I still consider to be insufficient reasons as far as I know them (and much I do not know). But I saw how some of them left, and was not much impressed. Then about four weeks later they simply announced that TP was closing: they had bought two sims (I don't know why, when they could barely float one) and the tier was not manageable even with the few of us about kicking in a little. I packed up my things, and wondered what to do next.

As before, a few of those who had left had joined another sim; one of the Free Women there was and is starting her own, but these were not my old friends, these were people I barely knew who had walked away from my old friends (some of them I have known since my rubber hair days). That option was quickly ruled out. Then I remembered how well Cornelius Tal had handled himself at the Relay for Life last year....walking out in front of all those strangers and announcing his name and cause...I was impressed. I saw he had some assocations with a sim called Fina. And also a man I met once in Tland long ago who was very good with the old Laura sword, Jake Molinaro. Here, I thought, are two guys I like (I also looked up Blue Conovor) and two of them say they are connected to Fina. I check the Map, see that Fina is part of an entire Continent, in full role play (with a continent full of enemies and allies, surely) talked to Jake and signed up that night.

I even entered their Tourney Saturday, using their own scripted sword (went out in the first round, lost, won, and then lost, but to a very good fighter...think I did pretty well). Overall, this seems like a good group of people. Am I fully Gorean, or do I embrace all of Gor? No, and I said so on my application. Meaning, I desire no bondmaid or slave and will own no one; also, I still rp chaste regardless (the first time panthers catch me, and they are known for rape, we will see how that plays out, but I will not budge on that rule).

Have I seen cruelty? So far, just once, with a captured outlaw who probably was not the one we were looking for...but then we just threw him off the bridge to drown. The first time I see somebody's av impaled or some other such thing, a true Enemy of the City, well, that may be difficult.

But I remind myself we are talking about avatars here, everyone there knows the score, and I'll take it one day at a time.

However, I get a chance to train with some of the best fighters I have met in all of sl, using the best weapons I know in sl. And there is something very clear cut about sl Gor: each Man really is Ubar (or King) in his circle of Steel; my skill with the Blade sets my limits. The only sad thing is that, as in most all of sl Gor, the bow is the preferred weapon for combat (simply because you can run and shoot and it's hard to hit someone with a bow with an axe, say). That, to me, is a great loss. There should be much stronger restrictions about bow use in place; that was something Aragon had right in Torvic. In time, maybe.

But for now, I'm surrounded by guys who are mostly better with the blade than I am. And there is a sense of Honor, and Brotherhood, and stark Reality to sl Gor that I missed during my time away. Honor really is sacred.

The books, you know, were meant as a fantasy excursion into exploration of Honor in that sense, and as sexual fantasy material for those who enjoy a little "forced" fantasy. I have only read two; that was enough (I hope I am not asked to read more for they are not very good and I cannot detach myself from scenes where captured women, one day crying for their homeland, become multi-orgasmic when stimulated by their captors). I did not live in the world of the Iliad. I do not know what Briseis' experience truly would have been (Achilles' famous slave, taken by Agamemnon). But I do not think it would have been that. Actual slavery, the taking of human beings as property in warfare, can never have been good for the human soul...on either side (and Frederick Douglass' remarkable narrative comes to mind on this point). But as I said, that is not my interest in sl Gor. Their sense of loyalty to the Homestone, of Brotherhood, of Honor, their constant honing of combat skills...even the decorum of the Free Women and the silly flattering of the bondmaids....well, all that is rather charming for an hour or two on a free summer morning. The thrill of being in actual combat rp is quite real, at least so far. I am sure all who read know what I think of actual war, war in real life...a thing of absolute last resort. Likewise cruelty in any form. I find none of it romantic. I find nationalism, even patriotism, must be embraced with a constant critical eye towards individual human rights; no government is worth praise that denies these.

And so, in sl Gor, I get fantasy...which is what second life is really about. People read Lord of the Rings with almost religious fervor (including me) for a spate of reasons; but one of them surely is the clear black and white....orcs can be killed all day, aggression released, without worrying about the feelings of the orc, or its family or friends left behind. They are just evil. Some part of human nature yearns for that kind of moral clarity, as a part of us (at least most men, and some women) crave release for the aggressive instincts which in some cases, now and in our long evolutionary history, have kept us alive!

Sl Gor is not Tolkien. Indeed, some of the Tolkienish sims can be a little, oh, what is the word: airy. No, sl Gor is quite down to earth, and so far at least, I can put up with what I do not like for that part which I do like.

I will also note (for any who have read tis meandering and unedited post this far) that actual Pirates are forming in Caledon, under Dirk Schwarz at least. He and I have discussed various meters. With the help of a couple of void sims (we truly cannot raid Vic City, or some such) I think a couple of Pirate bands could well form (perhaps one could insist they have letters of marque....call themselves the Privateers of Caledon..grins) and actual rp combat may well begin. Many have expressed interest in learning weapons and using them. To me and to others. Do not hold yourselves back! Go to Harbinger's, get a few things to fight with, and talk to Mr. Schwarz or myself about metering systems....they are all free and we have several choices. If this kind of activity begins, my interest in Caledon may rekindle. I know many lovely people there, but I am just not much of a tea and crumpet guy, and my schedule makes it hard for me to make the balls, etc., which I find fun but emotionally exhausting.

Well, regardless, I still live in Caledon (for now, at least). My associations there remain. But Adventure is a good thing, and for the moment I am finding it in Fina, a wonderfully built and highly trafficked City with lots of action. I cannot predict the future. What I do know is that I have made real friends other places, Caledon included, and miss them.

Any who are interested in the Pirate thing, contact me, Dirk, Elle, Vid, maybe Dia (her Grace)...I know there are others! The idea of fighting (ah, losing time to time) is scary at first, but really, it is all good fun.

Lastly, I am surprised how many Caledonians I run into in Gor....you know, in the IM all of a sudden..."oh, you are Sir Tele...I've heard of you," "nice to meet you Miss so and so" when a moment before it was all Tal, little one....etc. Chuckles.

Anyway, must go. More housework and yardwork to do than I care to say. My sincere, sincere, love to all. Caledon remains my port in any real storm.

Tele