Wagons People Part 3

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This concern with courage is reflected in the infamous Scar Codes of the Wagon Peoples. You must earn these scars, and each such scar has a specific meaning attached to it. All of the tribes can read the meaning of these scars. The Courage Scar is a bright red scar and is always the highest scar on your face. It is obviously earned for showing courage and is a prerequisite for all other scars. Without this scar, you cannot pay court to a free woman, own a wagon, or own more than five bosk or three kailla. Not all wear their Courage Scar visibly though, depending on the circumstances, though it would be very rare. For example, Tarl earned a Courage Scar but never got one placed onto his face. Unfortunately, the names and meanings of the other possible scars were not provided in the books. For example, Kamchak bore seven scars on his face: red, yellow, blue, black, two more yellow, and one more black. We only know the meaning for the red scar. We do know that the other three Ubars were scarred differently from Kamchak.

Simply having these scars created is a courageous act. Most of the scars are set in pairs, moving diagonally down from the side of the head toward the nose and chin. The scars are worked into the skin by needles and knives, using pigments and bosk dung, over a period of several days. This is obviously painful and some men have even died while having these scars affixed. The scars resemble corded chevrons. Such scarred visages present a fearsome image to their foes. The tribes also have facial tattooing but little is said about this matter and it is unknown if the tattoos also possess meaning or whether they are purely decorative.

Though many might not believe the Wagon Peoples have an ordered military organization, they most certainly do. It is a rather simple system, breaking down into three different sized groups. These are known as the Oralu, Orlu and the Or. These terms translate respectively into the Thousand, Hundred and the Ten, which signifies the amount of warriors in each unit. Each warrior of the tribes is a member of an Or, each Or is a member of an Orlu and each Orlu is a member of an Oralu. Each warrior knows his place within his group so each group works very well together.

These units may be arranged in various formations, dependent upon the strategic and tactical needs at the time. For example, in one narrow formation, there was a column of Orlu units. Each Orlu unit was five warriors abreast in twenty rows. After each unit, there was left an empty space large enough to fit an Orlu. This formation and its spacing helped decrease the amount of dust that was raised by the mounted units. The spacing allows provided some time for the dust to subside after each unit, and thus not hindering the next unit in the column.

The leader of each of these three military units is called a Commander. In respect for these Commanders, the warriors of the tribes will smote their lances on their shield. They do this once for the Commander of an Or, twice for an Orlu, and three times for an Oralu. The Commander of a Thousand is the next level under the Ubar. At least for the Tuchuks, red is the color for their Commanders. For example, outside a Commander's wagon will be a standard of the tribe. The pole holding this standard is painted red, indicating this is the wagon of a Commander. There does not appear though to be any specific differentiation for the standard between the Commanders of the three units.

During the day, drums, bosk horns and motions of the standard dictate the movement of the military units of the tribes. Such methods can also be used to send messages at other times and not just during times of war. By night, this communication is conducted with drums, bosk horns and war lanterns slung on high poles carried by certain kaiila riders. The lanterns come in different colors such as red, yellow, green, and blue. The books though do not provide details on the specific meanings of these colors. When the initial bosk horns blow, signaling an attack is being made against the camps, everyone rushes to their places and positions, including the women.

When an attack is made, it is the duty of the free women to cover the fires and to prepare the men's weapons, bringing forth arrows, bows and lances. There is no need for them to retrieve the quivas as they are kept in the saddle sheathes on the kaiila. The bosk must also be hitched up, to prevent them from wandering off or getting in the way as well as so the wagons can be moved if necessary. The slaves are also chained, partially to prevent them from joining in on the attack. After these matters are completed, the women will ascend to the top of the wagons so that they can see the war lanterns. The women are capable of reading these signals as well as the men. These lanterns may indicate whether the wagons must be moved and if so, in what direction they should move. If Turians are attacking, it is known that they commonly will burn any and all wagons. In general, the women of the tribes do not engage in combat. At best, they might wait, armed with knives, for their men to toss them victims to kill. A single example of this was provided in the books and it is unsure whether this is common practice or was an isolated incident.

Most warfare on the plains is mounted combat, whether it is the tribes on their kaiila or Turians atop war tharlarion. Tarn cavalries only pose a rare threat, as the nearest tarn cavalries are located in Ar. The city of Turia does not possess their own tarn cavalries. At best, Turians could hire a band of mercenary tarnsmen though that does not seem to be a common occurrence. We do know that when attacking, the tribes may have commissary wagons, where their warriors can obtain food and drink, such as dried bosk meat and water. In battle, warriors of the tribes may sing war songs as well. One such song may be the Blue Sky Song, a Tuchuk song, that has a refrain "�that though I die, yet there will be the bosk, the grass and sky." (Nomads of Gor, p.263)

The Wagon Peoples lack siege engines and the skills to use them, thus making it more difficult for them to conquer fortified cities. Due to their lack of siegecraft, they most often surround a city, attacking anything that dares to leave or approach the city. But, when they are able to conquer a city, often through trickery, they usually annihilate it completely. They kill or enslave everyone, including the domestic animals. They may even poison the wells and salt the earth. It is said that some cities still lay in ruins that were conquered by the tribes hundreds of years ago.

A thousand years ago, united Wagon Peoples carried their devastation to the very walls of both Ar and Ko-ro-ba. Luckily, both cities were able to stop and push back the fierce tribes. But such was never forgotten, by any of the tribes or cities. Then, during the events of Nomads of Gor, the Tuchuks were able to conquer the city of Turia, a city that had never been conquered before. Through trickery and force of arms, the Tuchuks were able to take Turia but they did not annihilate it as they often did to other places they conquered. Kamchak, Ubar of the Tuchuks, decided to return their Home Stone to the Turians. This was done ostensibly so the Wagon Peoples would always have an enemy but may also have been done in part because Kamchak's mother was Turian. In addition, it was thought that economically, the tribes needed Turia.

After the conquest of Turia, and the elevation of Kamchak to the position of Ubar, the reunification of the four tribes brought about some changes. Now, the Wagon Peoples rarely make raids on each other to acquire slaves. Instead, they raid other peoples and have allegedly traveled as far north as Venna and maybe even the Sardar. It is said that a woman is not safe within a thousand pasangs of the wagons. What this reunification also means is that a strike against the cities of Ar and Ko-ro-ba, or other major Gorean cities, could occur again one day. This does pose a security threat to the cities of Gor. Though, it is unknown how long Kamchak shall reign as Ubar San and whether he will call for such attacks.

The Wagon People use a variety of weapons in war and hunting. These include the lance, horn bow, quiva, rope and bola, all of which are usually carried when mounted. They rarely use swords. Many swords, such as the gladius, would be too short to be useful from the back of a kaiila, and mounted combat is the preferred method among the tribes. Despite the existence of some larger swords on Gor, such as the saber and scimitar, which would be effective while mounted, the tribes still prefer other weapons. This is partially due to their preferred style of combat, that they prefer not to approach an enemy any closer than what is needed for a bow, or maybe as close as the lance. Defensively, some men will wear conical helmets that are often fur rimmed. Some of these helmets may possess a net of colored chains that hang over the face with holes only for the eyes. This is obviously additional protection for the face. The men also use small, round leather shields that are lacquered to a glossy finish. The color of the lacquer indicates the identity of your tribe.

The three-weighted bola is a thrown weapon that consists of three long straps of leather, each about five feet long, terminating in a leather sack that contains a heavy, round metal weight. The bola can be targeted toward different areas of the body, dependent upon the caster's intentions. If it is thrown low, with its approximately ten-foot sweep, it is almost impossible to evade. It will then entangle a person or creature's legs, and could even break them. If it is targeted toward the torso, it can bind a person's arms to their body. More difficult throws could entail strangling a man around the neck or even crushing his skull. A Wagon Person commonly will entangle a foe with the bola and then kill him with a quiva. Bolas are also commonly used to hunt the tumit, a large flightless bird with a hooked beak as long as a forearm. The best season for hunting tumits occurs during the spring. There is even a bladed version of the bola that cuts as well as binds.

Horn bows are used by several different Gorean cultures. The horn bow of the Wagon Peoples is used primarily while mounted. It is a double-curved bow, about four feet long, and built of layers of bosk horn, bound and reinforced with metal and leather. The bow is banded with metal at seven points including at the grip. This metal is obtained through trade with the Turians, often in half-inch rolled strips. The leather on the bow is generally applied diagonally, except for at the grip where it is applied horizontally. On their saddle, they will have a lacquered, narrow, rectangular quiver with as many as forty arrows. A Wagon Person can commonly fire twenty arrows, accurately, in half an Ehn. The horn bow though lacks the range and power of a longbow or crossbow. But at close range, it is a fearsome weapon. One of the arrowheads used is called the Tuchuk barbed arrow, which is most likely used in warfare. Pile arrows are more common for hunting as it is easier to withdraw such an arrowhead from a wound.

The Kaiila lance is also used primarily while mounted. These lances are black, cut from the poles of young tem-wood trees. The lances are so flexible that they could be bent almost double before breaking. Rather than being couched, these lances are carried in the right fist. They are used for thrusting rather than the battering ram effect of European lances. They can be used almost as delicately and swiftly as a saber. A loose loop of boskhide, wound twice about the right wrist, helps the wielder retain the weapon. The lance is rarely thrown in battle. Some of these lances possess a rider hook, under the point, that can be used to dismount opponents.

The quiva is the almost legendary, balanced saddle knife of the Wagon Peoples of the prairies. It is about a foot in length, double edged, and tapers to a daggerlike point. The quiva is used more as a missile weapon than a hand-to-hand weapon. It is not necessary to throw it hard as its sharpness and weight do much of the work for you. As the Wagon Peoples do not engage in metalworking, they must acquire their quivas elsewhere. Consequently, most quivas are made in Ar and sold in sets of seven, as there are seven sheaths in the kaiila saddles of the Wagon Peoples. The quivas are made differently for each tribe of the Wagon Peoples. The quivas are almost always kept in the saddle sheaths, on the side of the saddle denoting which hand you use.

Despite the fact that they are manufactured in Ar, the quiva is apparently almost exclusively a weapon of the Wagon People. In the novels, Tarl Cabot is the only non-Wagon Person who is ever depicted using a quiva. The fact that it is referred to as a legendary or mystic weapon seems to elevate it beyond common status. Even the rare whip-knife of Port Kar is not said to be a legendary weapon, despite its rarity. Tarl Cabot even creates a carnival act out of his use of the quiva, a weapon that seems unfamiliar to most. Tarl is able to hit a thrown tospit at forty feet and at one hundred feet could hit a four-inch wide disk. Obviously if it were a common weapon, it would not seem so odd that Tarl was using a quiva. It would have been but a typical knife-throwing act.

The mount of the tribes is the southern kaiila, and it is trained to fight with its rider as one. Training to ride begins extremely early among the tribes. "The children of the Wagon Peoples are taught the saddle of the kaiila before they can walk." (Nomads of Gor, p.17) The southern kaiila are different in some ways from the desert kaiila or the kaiila of the red savages. The southern kaiila is a lofty, graceful and very agile animal. It has a long neck and though mammalian, it does not suckle its young. The mother instinctively delivers its young near game and the young will begin to hunt as soon as it can stand. It can easily outmaneuver a high tharlarion, which would give a tribesman an advantage against a Turian mounted on a high tharlarion. It is carnivorous but requires less food than a tarn for once it eats its fill, it won't eat for several days. It normally stands about twenty to twenty-two hands at the shoulder. They are fast creatures and can cover as much as six hundred pasangs a day, about 420 miles. They are commonly tawny-colored but some are also black. They have two large eyes, one on each side, and they are triply lidded. The third lid is transparent and allows them to travel in adverse weather like storms. At this time, it is at its most dangerous and often hunts then. They are trained to avoid the thrown spear and until it is proficient in this skill it is not allowed to breed. Those who cannot learn are killed. A kaiila saddle is big enough to hold a bound slave across it.

The clothes of the men of the tribes resemble much that was worn by the Mongols of Earth. They may have a leather jerkin, covered by a quilted jacket that may be trimmed with fur and have a fur collar. They might wear wide leather trousers held by a five-buckled belt. Their boots may be made of hide and trimmed with fur. They might wear a hood and cape of fur or a flopping cap of fur covering a conical steel helmet. While riding, they may also wear a soft, leather wind scarf to use against the wind and dust of the ride. In the coldest weathers, both men and women, free and slave, will wear furred boots and trousers, coats and ear-flapped caps that tie under the chin. Thus, it becomes difficult to differentiate between the free and slave though there may still be signs. Kajirae had long, unbound hair and their collar might be visible. Male slaves wore shackles, linked by a foot of chain.

The free women of the tribes are generally a dour and severe lot. They commonly wear long leather dresses, which reach down to about four inches above the ankles. They wear their hair in braids and they do not wear veils. Slaves must always keep their hair unbound. Free women cannot wear silk as it is for slaves only. It is said that any women who loves the feel of silk is a slave at heart. All women of the tribes, whether free or slave, wear nose rings. Their bosk also wear nose rings though their rings are heavy and gold unlike the tiny gold rings worn by the women, not unlike wedding rings of Earth. The tribes regard ear piercing as barbaric. Tuchuk women fear being caught by Turians who they know will pierce their ears. The free women also cannot receive scars. They tend to do many chores around the camps such as cooking, tending the pots that are hung on tem-wood tripods over dung fires. The free women hate and envy female slaves, thus may be cruel to them. The free women also do not fight in battle.

There also appear to be another group of free women within the Wagon Peoples, dissimilar to those just described. These are the women of the Wagon Peoples who have been specifically raised to be eventually placed at a stake in the Love War games. Such women are often spoiled, the men catering to their whims. In Nomads of Gor, Hereena is the primary example of this type of woman. She was a member of the First Wagon, and was a very beautiful woman with light brown skin and black eyes. Instead of the usual long, leather dress, she wore a brief leather skirt that was slit on the right side so that she could ride a kaiila. She also wore a sleeveless leather blouse and a crimson cape. Her wild, black hair was bound by a band of scarlet cloth. She did have a nose ring, like the rest of the women of the tribes. Hereena would become the Third Stake at the Love Wars, a slight gap in her teeth preventing her from being assigned to First Stake. A Turian officer representing the merchant Saphrar won her and then sold her to Saphrar. Harold of the Tuchuks would later steal her from Turia and keep her as his slave.

Most slaves are expected to do numerous chores around the camps. For example, they must groom the bosk as well as polish their horns and hooves. They must gather fodder and bosk dung as well as going off to fetch water, commonly using a leather bucket attached to a wooden yoke. A slave might have to travel four pasangs to reach the nearest stream. The wagons must be wiped and the wheels greased. The meat must be hammered and possibly even cooked. Besides their work duties, some kajirae may also learn how to dance, such as the love dances of the different tribes. The Dance of the Tuchuk Slave Girl is one dance, though it is not clear whether it is a love dance or not. Slaves may wear silk, though it is usually only done in the privacy of a wagon.

One of the highest prices ever paid for a slave was forty pieces of gold, four quivas, and a Kaiila saddle. This was paid by Albrecht, a Kassar, to regain a girl he lost in a wager to Kamchak. But, Kamchak would later pay an even greater price, ten thousand bars of gold, for a slave. Kamchak paid this amount to Albrecht to regain Aphris who had been captured by the Paravaci and then taken by Albrecht. But, as it was Turian gold, then some might say the price was not really high at all. Turian slaves are almost never freed though Dina, freed by Tarl, and Aphris, freed by Kamchak, were notable exceptions.

In the Wagon Peoples, their slaves are commonly clad in a clothing style called Kajir. For slave girls, this means they wear four articles of clothing, two red and two black. These items include the Chatka, Curla, Kalmak and Koora. The Curla is a red cord that is tied about the girl's waist. The Chatka, a long narrow strip of black leather, fits over this cord in the front, passes between the girl's legs and passes over the cord in the back. The Chatka is drawn tight. The Kalmak is a short, open, sleeveless vest of black leather and is donned after the first two items. Lastly, the Koora is placed on, a strip of red cloth, matching the Curla, that is worn as a headband. Slaves cannot braid or dress their hair so the Koora is the best they can do. For male slaves to be clad Kajir means only that they must wear the Kes, a short, sleeveless work tunic of black leather. The Wagon Peoples have few male slaves except for some on work chains.