The lowest rank in the Lair is somebody who can't roleplay. If I post *looks you up and down, taking in the details of your appearance, visible weapons and manner of dress* and they post back ~sees you looking at me~ - that's all I need to know. They're sleenmeat. I'll let them hang around and have a chance to get a clue, but I have learned, over the years, that somebody either gets roleplay or they don't. You can't teach somebody to roleplay. If they get it, they can learn to be better at it, but if they don't get it, they never will. Some people are only capable of seeing things through their own eyes, they just lack something that lets them turn around and see the other side of the chessboard. So, for these people, none of the rest of this applies.
The second lowest rank is new slaves, capped name or not. After my first Panther character was killed (surprise attacked by Nena, when I was a member of her Lair), I next tried to learn more by being a slave in Menny's Lair. The biggest mistake that they made was that they dropped everything to grab and collar every new person that came in. I could be alone with my Mistress and in comes panthertoy#615, and he's gonna be the center of attention for the next hour. He never comes back and panthertoy#616 comes in the next day. I think this policy encouraged people to game out and come back as new people. So this Lair is designed to test people's roleplay and commitment to roleplay - before we even post to them one time. They have to invest their time to get our attention. The other side of this coin is that we have to pay attention to those slaves that have earned it, not take them for granted, while we play with an endless stream of new people.
The third rank is uncollared captives. If I don't see some promise in a potential slave, I won't even collar them. I don't care if they cap their name or not, in fact, I prefer that they do, because I enjoy being cruel to captive frees, and I don't enjoy it when I am forced to be cruel to a slave. A full M/member can do anything they want to this category of person in the Lair.
Fourth are thralls. The lowest collared kajira in the Lair is a goddess to my favorite thrall. Then kajirae, regardless of personal collar or PClaw collar.
{Kmba} collar is reserved for slaves of rank, like the firstgirl of the Lair. My working philosophy is that {PClaw} collar is my personal collar. I only put it on slaves I think are worthy of serving me. But, as I serve the Lair as Leader, my slaves serve the Lair as workslaves and common ####s. {Kmba} collar means that those slaves are responsible for training and supervising any other slave with my full authority and confidence. I'd also suggest that any Panther pay serious attention to any advice given by a slave in {Kmba} collar, as, by the time a slave is in one, they pretty much understand my philosophy of Gor and of how the Lair should run. It is possible for a thrall to get a {Kmba} collar, though not real likely.
Any good roleplayer who says she wants to be a Panther can be a Proby. Probys are not issued weapons, nor are they allowed out the gate alone. This has to do with protecting the Lair from moles, people who would join for the sole purpose of betraying the Lair. This can't happen until somebody has invested a week of roleplay time (two weeks for new thralls in ankle chains is for the same reason). Probies often leave, I just rule it and anything that stems from it invalid.
An experienced Panther or skilled roleplayer can skip some of the following Panther ranks. But for the most part, a Panther would learn new skills and have different duties, as she moved up in rank.
Scouts are expendable. They're learning to be sneaky. Quiet movement, not leaving trails, looking for trails, signs, spoors, etc. Scouts are learning to become detail oriented, to be exquisitely careful, and to stay alive by their wits, since they are not good fighters yet. A Scout's main duty is to find the danger, and signal to the Guards. Scouts should roleplay patrolling the Forest. If you want to post your roleplay to be evaluated for promotions, you should start one thread and post everything as responses to that post, to keep the board managable. Scouts should hunt by checking traplines, collecting forage, fishing, hunting small game with a spear, and finding spoor of big game to call in more hunters. Scouts should study scripts on the Board, and the webpages.
Guards are learning to be the best fighters on Gor. Some Panthers are never going to get past Guard. Men are bigger, stronger, more numerous, and have better weapons. We have to be better. We have to know the rules better, understand judging better, type faster, think faster, practice harder and become obsessed with learning to fight. If I didn't feel that I was as good as Donar, I wouldn't feel that I was fit to lead this Lair. If I seem laid-back about my own combat skills now, it is only after years with being obsessed with becoming the best fighter I could be. Guards should roleplay practicing with different weapons, particularly the bow and spear, and then moving on to sparring and experimenting with new weapons. They need to learn to tend wounds, and they should also study in the library, scripts of judged spars and combat sites like the Spar Guide. Guards should hunt less dangerous big game such as tabuk, tarsk, large snakes and unarmed humans. Having another person come in and roleplay as a prey animal is encouraged.
Runners carry messages into dangerous territory or relay crucial information from one place to another within the territory. These Panthers need to have mastered scouting and combat skills, and be able to think fast and type fast and deal with the unexpected. They need to be particularly good at disguise, and have enough self control to be able to impersonate FW or slaves, if necessary. Runners should roleplay training lower-ranked Panthers. They should study Captive and Hunters, as well as the other books, and the webpages of Ubar Luther. Runners should developing Healer skills, and be hunting the more dangerous forest beasts, such as panthers, sleens and armed humans.
A Huntress is capable of going out alone, and taking on a small group of adversaries, to kill them. She must also be skilled enough to fight and direct other fighters at the same time, in group combat. Huntress is the first rank among what would be considered High Girls, trusted with the authority to lead in the Leader's absence. Huntresses should roleplay training others, serious sparring, and directing others in group tasks, such as building or logging.
A Slaver is capble of going out alone, taking on a small group of adversaries and capturing some of them, which is much harder than killing them. A Slaver has also developed a good understanding of psychological warfare, how to undermine enemy morale, negotiate terms, and break frees to slaves. She supervises kajira trainers. Slavers are also heavily involved in trade, and interactions with other Homes.
A Firekeeper is responsible for the well being of the Home, internally and externally. She keeps the fires burning properly, she keeps order around the fires, and she defends the fire by defending the Home. A Firekeeper commands NPC defenses and has the authority to arm slaves for defense of the Lair.
I'll never be a Leader. I want to lead by teaching and delegating authority. So, my rank, to me, is Storyteller. But, I don't put that on my tags, because it would generate a big hoo-ha on the Boards, because there were no Panther Storytellers in the books. I maintain the history of the Lair, the continuity, the purpose of having this Lair. I lead by telling Zatrina's Story, or Gisele's, or anybody's story, and letting the Panthers take what meaning from it they will. I sing the Lair anthem, and preserve our Homestone, and the personal Stones of previous Leaders, as well as traditions that have evolved.
I have never seen a lair survive the retirement, death or capture of a Leader. Lairs have always been too dependent on strong Leadership, and then failed when that Leader did. I want this Lair to be bigger than that. I live dangerously, and I try to build a Lair that would survive my demise.
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