The Voice of Gor

Picture contributed by Gᴡᴏʀɴ Hᴀɢᴇʟꜱᴇɴ (gwordn.tripsa), Rune Priest of Torvaldsland

The last evening and night for the abductees on Earth is dawning – but they don’t know it yet.

And suddenly, the exploration of the mysterious vaults beneath an old factory ends somewhere completely different…

Many thanks to Ganima for the lighting technology, Amsterdam backstage.

PHOTO COMPETITION “AMSTERDAM”

It was difficult for me to decide who took the best photos. I liked them all. But here are my criteria:

Ahyoka covered the full spectrum of events and also shows some of the other players.
Atiya’s photos were stylistically the best and have an interesting atmosphere.
Evan’s photos don’t show Amsterdam, but only the discotheque (which I didn’t even see), but the photos turned out well nonetheless.

Many thanks to everyone who participated – and now hold out your hands, it’s raining money!
Rarius Yuroki (Yuroki Uriza) sim owner

1st Prize 3000 Linden Dollars: AhyokaTayanita (top)
2nd prize 2000 Linden dollars: Atiya (miethai) (center)
3rd Prize 1000 Linden Dollars: Evan (Evandanir) (bottom)

[Intro RP for the Abductees:]

You sit at your kitchen table, sipping coffee on a lazy Saturday morning, when the mail arrives with a thud through the slot. Among the bills and flyers is a thick, cream-colored envelope with elegant gold embossing. Your name is handwritten in neat cursive, and the return address reads “Von Meyland Research Foundation, Amsterdam.” Curiosity piqued, you slice it open with a butter knife.

Inside is a letter on heavy stationery, the kind that feels official and important. It begins: “Dear [Your Name], We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to participate in an innovative social experiment conducted in collaboration with a team of behavioral scientists. This hidden camera reality program, titled ‘Echoes of Interaction,’ will explore human dynamics in controlled settings. The experience spans ten days in Amsterdam, with the first three days for orientation and the final seven in an isolated environment designed to simulate real-world social pressures—think of it as a paid vacation with a twist.”

Your eyes widen as you read on. The accommodation is a private houseboat moored in the heart of Amsterdam’s canals, complete with all amenities, meals provided, and a stipend equivalent to two weeks’ salary. The main sponsors are listed: The Chronander Bank, a longstanding European financial institution known for ethical investments, and the von Meyland Research Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to psychological and sociological research. It’s all expenses paid, including round-trip flights, and emphasizes participant safety, consent, and the option to withdraw at any time.

Tucked into the envelope is a printed airline ticket: economy class on KLM from your local airport to Schiphol, dated two weeks from now. You scrutinize it—the barcode, the flight numbers, the passenger details all match. To be sure, you grab your phone and pull up the KLM app, scanning the code.

It validates instantly: “Reservation confirmed.” Next, you check the travel agency mentioned on the ticket stub, “EuroVoyage Travel Services.” A quick search on their website shows they’re a reputable Amsterdam-based firm with glowing reviews on TripAdvisor and a Better Business Bureau equivalent rating in the Netherlands. No red flags; everything seems legit.

Still, a hidden camera show? Social experiment? You decide to dig deeper. You type “Von Meyland Research Foundation” into your search bar. The results pour in: it’s a well-established organization founded in the 1950s by a philanthropist family, focused on advancing human sciences through ethical studies. They’ve funded groundbreaking research on group behavior, empathy, and urban living, with partnerships at universities like Oxford and Harvard.

No scandals, just awards for innovation and transparency. Next, “The Chronander Bank”—ah, a Sweden-based bank with a sterling reputation for sustainable finance, supporting education and environmental causes. They’re known as do-gooders in the financial world, with a history of charitable foundations and zero ties to shady dealings. Everything checks out; these aren’t fly-by-night operations but pillars of respectability.

A grin spreads across your face. Why not? Work has been a grind lately, and Amsterdam has always been on your bucket list—the canals, the bikes, the vibe. This could be an unexpected adventure, a free holiday disguised as something quirky. You imagine waking up on that houseboat, the gentle lap of water against the hull, sunlight filtering through portholes onto cozy wooden interiors.
amsterdam.net5losttogether.com

You reply to the enclosed RSVP card with a firm “Yes,” sealing it and dropping it in the mailbox. What could go wrong? It’s time for a little excitement in your life.

General Assembly of the Southern Trade Alliance – Kurtzal [04-18-2026]

2. AGENDA:

1. Report on the expulsion of the so-called Pasha of Klima (Rarius Yuroki)
2. Report on some misunderstandings in communication between the Salt Ubar and some oases (the Salt Ubar)
3. Report on the new STA members (Rarius Yuroki, delegations of the new members)
4. Discussion and vote on the contract signed by Selnar, allowing the STA to open a trading post there
5. The STA plans to equip an expedition to the northern forests to trade with panthers – discussion
Background: Presentation at the En’Kara Fair by Aηɢeʟ Kereꜱ Blades (angelkeres.nightwish)
6. Discussion on the hostile attitude of Ar’s Station and the Titus Brothers towards the STA
7. Discussion on access to the Exchange Point of the Oasis of Klima
Should every merchant trading in salt from Klima and traveling through the desert carry documents issued by the Salt Ubar?
8. Possible admission of new members
9. Distribution of the new salt bags from the Oasis of Klima, only to STA members
10. Miscellaneous

Before the event began, the Khan of Isfahan announced that Isfahan would leave the STA. He left the hall amidst a torrent of insults directed at Rarius Yuroki. Those present ignored his outburst.

1. Rarius Yuroki reported that the self-proclaimed Pasha of Klima had fled in the face of the overwhelming force advancing on Exchange Point and Klima.

2. The Salt Ubar addressed the desert leaders, warning that an illegitimate man has declared himself Pasha of Klima without proper communication reaching him. Because no message arrived, his forces did not intervene. He stresses that this breakdown in communication is dangerous and could threaten other regions. He expresses gratitude to those who acted in defense of Klima, calls it a sign of solidarity, but also a warning that messages must travel quickly. He emphasizes the need for protected caravans and active Dune Guards, and hopes the missing messenger is still alive or merely lost.

3. Delegations from the following were present:
Kurtzal, Oasis of Two Scimitars, Isfahan, The Kasbah (Salt Ubar), Oasis of Lame Kaiila and Oasis of Klima, Teletus, Lara, Oasis of Seven Palms. Oasis of Sand Sleen, Turia and Kassau were excused.

4. The delegation from Teletus assured them that their port was large enough for the “Lysander”. It was decided to send a delegation to Teletus to inspect the port.

5. It was decided that in approximately two months an official STA expedition would be equipped to the northern forests and the panthers there, in order to try to establish trade.

A possible starting point could be the port of Kassau, which is an associate member of the STA. Discussions were held about splitting into smaller groups and using smaller ships to reach the individual trading points.

6. + 7. Item 6 was postponed for several reasons, and some information is still lacking to make any decisions. Item 7 was also postponed because the topic will be addressed in the 10th Salt Decree, which is currently being drafted under the supervision of the Salt Ubar.

8. Agenda item 8 was cancelled

9. The new salt bags from the Oasis ok Klima have been presented; they bear the new STA logo and have been certified by the STA. The oases of the STA receive them free of charge, and STA members pay only half price, in accordance with the 9th Salt Decree. [“however you will handle that, prim coins, hud coins, emoting only”]

A caravan leader prepares near the Oasis of Lame Kaiila for the strenuous and energy-sapping march to the Oasis of Klima.

Presentation at the En’Kara Fair [2026, edited] by Rarius Yuroki (Yuroki Uriza), merchant and owner of the House of Yuroki Bank, Oasis of Lame Kaiila

Greetings Goreans, welcome to the presentation about coins on Gor and how to handle them.

Here is the content again:
1. What do we know about coins on Gor?
2. Hud coins versus prim coins
3. Which coins already exist in Secondlife Gor?
4. Role-playing with coins; ideas, suggestions and tips
5. Slaves and coins

^{Two Gorean coins merchants attempt to determine the exchange rates of coins an the En’Kara Fair}

1. What do we know about coins on Gor?

The good news first: There is very little standardization of exchange rates on Gor. At every Sardar Fair, the money traders attempt to propose standardization, but their proposal fails every time. (Har har! Do not even try it now!)

Not enough good news – and I’ll explain why that’s good news in a moment: Specific exchange rates vary from city to city and region to region.

Between twenty and four tarsks make one copper tarsk. Between ten and one hundred copper tarsks make one silver tarsk. However, it seems to be standard practice for ten silver tarsks to equal one gold tarn. A double gold tarn is worth the same as two single gold tarns. Eight pieces of Tarsk make one copper Tarsk, one hundred copper Tarsk make one silver Tarsk, and ten silver Tarsk make one gold Tarsk. In Port Kar and the Vosk Delta, ten pieces of Tarsk are exchanged for one copper Tarsk and 100 copper Tarsk for one silver Tarsk.

Your are already confused, arent’ you?

Do you want more confusion? Here we go:

10 Copper Tarsks = 1 Silver Tarsk
“There are one hundred copper tarsks to one silver tarsk in Kailiauk. The ratio is ten to one in certain other cities and towns.”
Savages of Gor, Page 120
BUT:
40 Copper Tarsks = 1 Silver Tarsk
“The tarsk is a silver coin, worth forty copper tarn disks.”
Assassin of Gor, Page 160

Coin Denomination	Book	Book Number	Page
Copper Tarsk Bit “shaving”	Swordsmen of Gor	29	298
Copper Tarsk Bit “piece”	Conspirators of Gor	31	403
Copper Tarsk Bit	Beasts of Gor	12	77
Copper Tarsk	Tribesmen of Gor	10	36
Copper Tarn	Outlaw of Gor	2	68
Copper Ten-Piece	Rogue of Gor	15	126
Copper Twenty-Piece	Conspirators of Gor	31	186
Copper Forty-Piece	Assassin of Gor	5	27–28
Copper Eighty-Piece	Assassin of Gor	5	27–28
“Smaller” Silver Tarsk	Prize of Gor	27	488
“Larger” Silver Tarsk	Kajira of Gor	19	407
Silver Tarn	Tarnsman of Gor	1	165
Silver Forty-Piece	Assassin of Gor	5	157
Silver Eighty-Piece	Assassin of Gor	5	107
Silver Stater	Swordsmen of Gor	29	132
Gold Tarsk	Smugglers of Gor	32	522
Gold Tarn	Tribesmen of Gor	10	158
Gold Stater	Kajira of Gor	19	394
Gold Tarn of Double Weight	Assassin of Gor	5	4

Result: Norman’s books do not provide clear norms regarding the value of coins, only general trends. I recommend to make it simple:
8 Tarsk Bits = 1 Copper Tarsk
100 Copper Tarsk = 1 Silver Tarsk
10 Silver Tarsk = 1 Gold Tarn
2 Gold Tarn = Double Gold Tarn

Why is this confusion good news?

Quite simply: because bankers and coin merchants now have something to do. They have to determine the value of coins being exchanged by strangers. They have to identify counterfeit coins. They might even have to mint coins themselves. You can’t do that yourself; you need a professional because you lack the knowledge: “I was not always as knowledgeable as I might be about the relative values of various coins, of numerous cities, which, of course, depended on such things as compositions and weights, and exchange rates, which might fluctuate considerably.” (Magicians of Gor, Page 411)

Here we are! The coin merchants are a sub-caste of the merchant caste. We know everything about coins! And not only that: we know how to draw up a loan agreement on Gor, how to spot counterfeit coins, we know ….shhhhhhhh….. who to bribe to gain influence.

^{A Gorean coin merchant steps hard on a warrior’s toes because the warrior wanted to pay with invisible coins}

2. Hud coins versus prim coins

Now the bad news: Nobody plays it that way, nobody wants to be a coin merchant. (Except for me, of course.) Why?

We need to briefly digress into the past of the Gorean roleplay, for example:
Gorm Runo: “I first became aware of online Gor in 1998.”
Gorm Runo: “It was in a chatroom in Yahoo Chat called the Three Moons Tavern of Gor.”

Roleplaying in forums means: you can’t rez or see anything and have to emote everything. So anyone could be a millionaire on Gor, they just had to use emotes. That was also the case at the beginning of Second Life: there were coins you could rez, but they were copyable, like the Yen coins that still exist today on on the Secondlife marketplace.

If someone wants to be a millionaire instantly:: Here you can see the copyable Yen coins. The surface and the (illegible) lettering are the same on all coins, only the color of the coins varies. They are available here: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/YEN-Coins-Ingots-2/2602286

(If something like that is offered to me in character, my bank will only pay “the value of the metal”.)

That only changed when the Gorean meter introduced hud coins, which could be used, for example, to buy one’s freedom from capture. This was simple and convenient, but of course unrealistic because it’s OOC and the coins are not visible.

This hasn’t changed with the zCS HUD coins. They are simply a unit of account used to determine the OOC exchange value of virtual products.

^{[13:02] Marcus Attilius (badass.sciarri): What are you doing in my bed?
[13:02] Torm (niceshortbeard.jinxing): I am having sex with your slave…
[13:02] Marcus Attilius (badass.sciarri): But you are alone?!
[13:02] Torm (niceshortbeard.jinxing): I emoted her! (Emoters of Gor, pg. 87)}

Here is the most important quote:

To be sure, there is little standardization in these matters, for much depends on the actual weights of the coins and the quantities of precious metals, certified by the municipal stamps, contained in the coins. Sometimes, too, coins are split or shaved. Further, the debasing of coinage is not unknown. Scales, and rumors, it seems, are often used by coin merchants. One of the central coins on Gor is the golden tarn disk of Ar, against which many cities standardize their own gold piece. (pg. 155, Rogue of Gor.)

Can you see municipal stamps on hud coins? No

Can you see the origin of a coin in hud coins, for example, something from Ar? No.

Could one compare the coins from Ar with the coins from Olni using hud coins? No.

But you can do all that with prim coins: you can rez them and read what’s written on the surface.

Of course, you could just emote all of that, but that inevitably leads to drama because I’d accuse anyone whose coin I couldn’t see of counterfeiting. And on my sim, that person would be arrested. Just for fun.

^{Notecard “Foreign Currency Exchange Rates (HoY bank)”, updated monthly, also includes screenshots of all existing prim coins (click to enlarge)}

3. Which coins already exist in Secondlife Gor?

Since 2011, I’ve made non-copyable coins for around 30 sims. Over 80 (!) sims have made their own non-copyable coins so far, for example, Olni or Belnend. Why does hardly anyone use them? Most of them no longer exist, but where all the coins? Admittedly, I traded all the coins I could get for mine in roleplay, but there must still be countless coins lying around in some inventory.

^{Copper Tarsk bit of Port Cos, City of Ar 1 copper tarks bit (HoY bank), Argentum copper tarks bit, made by Brock Alcove (peko.alcove) (including a script: “Argentum 1 Copper tarsk Bit 6: This is Official Argentum Coin”)}

The smallest unit is a copper tarks bit (aboce): “A copper coin worth from 1/4 to 1/20 of a copper tarks, depending on the original value of the coins and how that coin has seen segmented. The usaul numer of Tarsk-hits in a coppaer tarks tends to be eight.- In Port Kar and the Vosl basin region, there are ten tarksbits to a copper tarks.”.

So? Do you have copper Tarks bits in your hud? No, you don’t.

^{Hochburg 1 copper tarks made by Drusus Tacitus (rowan00), Hazelwood 1 copper tarsk made by beth (jood.mckee) (very rare!), Port Kar 1 copper, Venna 1 copper, Tarnwald 1 copper tarks /HoY mint)}

A copper coin that is the whole coin of least value, equalling upt to twenty tarsk bits, though more typically, eight. The copper tarsks of Ar, for instance, are designed to be separated into eight sections.

A copper tarsk: “In many paga taverns, one may have paga and food, and a girl for the alcove, if one wants for a single copper tarsk”.

Since 2007, we have received many suggestions on how to convert the value, for example to the dollar; these range from 70 cents for one copper tarsk to 15 dollars for one copper tarsk.

^{1 silver tarn from Cartius, Holmesk, Tharna, City of Ar, Anango (HoY Mint) Port sun made by Pippi Moonites (Pippi.moonites), Hochburg made by Drusus Tacitus (rowan00), Torvaldsland (without mention of location) made by Ivar Longbeard (ivar.eberhardt)}

A silver tarsk: “ten silver tarsks, such a sum would last a man months on Gor”.

How much are the silver coins worth? The highest amount proposed is 1500 US dollars. I consider that unrealistic.

“My financial resources, the ten silver tarsks, such a sum would last a man months on Gor” (Rogue of Gor, p.59). The average American worker earns $5,000 per month, which would be 10 silver tarsks. One silver tarks is therefore worth US approximately 500 US$. That would mean that 1 copper task is worth approximately 5 US dollars. For a copper task, one could therefore buy a hamburger.

^{1 gold tarn from Torvickburg, made by 丂in ßLøøÐαXe (sinder.ariantho), 1 gold tarn from City of Ar, Kasra, Jasmine, Oasis of Sand Sleen, Turmus, 1 doble gold tarn from Besnit and Piedmont (HoY mint)}

Gold tarn and a doble gold tarn: “A gold tarn disk is more than many common laborers earn in a year” (approximately 50.000 $) With a gold tarn coin, you can buy a war tarn; the coin is therefore worth about as much as a car in real life.

^{“But how could one spend the coins, and on what?”}

2. Role-playing with coins; ideas, suggestions and tips

– The biggest problem is not getting coins, but spending them.

I only recommend using prim coins for specific actions; for example, escorting free women traveling by mercenaries, buying and selling slaves, paying assassins (not everyone can afford that! And hud coins are therefore totally ridiculous).

I recently experienced this myself: a group from the black caste, whom I had hired as mercenaries, wanted hud coins as payment. What’s the next thing you want to hear? A killer demands Lindendollars? Absolute nonsense.

It’s less advisable to use prim coins in taverns or cafes, as this becomes cumbersome and confusing, and visitors are not allowed to rez coins on melee-only sims. Even wages paid to caste members didn’t work – it’s too complicated and quickly becomes boring. Taxes shouldn’t be enforced either, because that overwhelms people. Believe me, I’ve been making coins since 2011, and it’s never worked – people just left the sim.

What does work very well, however, is this: trading companies and independent slave houses should pay taxes to the council or the Admin/Ubar and also provide a written report of their transactions (roleplaying possibilities for scribes, magistrates, merchants, etc.). I would insist that payment be made with prim coins, so that one can be sure of not being given “counterfeit” money.

^{Two Gorean Free Women accuse each other of having paid with counterfeit money.}

The sim owner must support you, but prim coins should never be mandatory, only an option to make roleplaying more realistic. If a sim owner tries to force you into out-of-character (OOC) activities by only allowing hud coins, I would recommend to leave this sim. There are about 150, and they’re all looking for players. A sim owner who hinders roleplaying for merchants instead of promoting it doesn’t deserve support.

– Coin exchange: Regardless of which coins you are offered (copyable or non-copyable), to exchange them for valid and certified coins: you need a scale and a silver and gold coin from Ar (you can get these from me; they show the coat of arms of the city of Ar, which consisted of four Sims). Certified means: you can see on the surface where it comes from. If someone offers me copyable coins, or if I can’t recognize their origin in roleplay, I’ll pay the value of the “metal” (endless roleplay possibilities).

^{A warrior could not pay his debts to the bank and was put in chains.}

– Loans: In the small board you will find a notecard for a draft of a Tabularum obsignatione. Tabularum obsignatione was an IOU (acknowledgement of debt) in ancient Rome. Nexum was a debt bondage contract in the early Roman Republic. Don’t forget the witnesses:
“These papers are certified by the bank of Bemus in Venna, and are witnessed by the signatures of two citizens of that city.”
(Fighting Slave of Gor)

If someone borrows coins and doesn’t pay them back within a certain timeframe: call your slaver! He’ll have something to do!

^{Coin Girl of Gor}

5.Slaves and coins

Generally, slaves were not allowed to touch coin. They could be punished severely, even to the point of having their hands cut off, for having unauthorized money on their person or in their belongings. This, in other words, was touching money without authorization.

However, slaves were often given money to run errands, go shopping, to give to their owners, etc. This money could be carried in a bag tied around their necks, in their mouths or carried in their hands. (Even the free carried coins in the mouth because most Gorean clothes have no pockets). The difference between this and the previous statement is that they were authorized to have the money.

Slaves could touch coins in Gor, as long as they had the permission of their owners to do so. (fore quotes read the notecard: “slaves and coins” in the small board)

“Coin girls” were sent out by their Masters with coin boxes and bells to earn him money for her use.

Coin girls were a form of street slave, usually sent into the streets around dusk by their masters, who commonly own several of them, with a chain on their neck, to which would be attached, normally, a bell, to call attention to their whereabouts, and a small, locked coin box. And woe to the girl who returns with coins jangling in the box! To be sure, in some places, one might even have a paga slave, or a brothel slave, for as little as a tarsk bit.
(Renegades of Gor)

“The girl did not now, of course, carry a purse. Slave girls are not permitted to carry such things. When shopping she carries the coins usually in her mouth or hand. Sometimes she ties them in a scarf about a wrist or ankle. Sometimes her master places them in a bag, which is then tied about her neck. Gorean garments, generally, incidentally, except for the garments of craftsmen, do not have pockets. Coins, and personal items, and such, are usually, by free persons, carried in pouches, which are usually concealed within the robes of a free woman, or slung about the waist, or shoulder, of a free man.” (Guardsman of Gor),

We’ve reached the end of my presentation. If you need any help, or if you’d like me (= the House of Yuroki Mint) to make you some coins, just let me know.

Thank you so much for your patience and for listening.