Landfall of the Black Jarl Member Availability       Message Forums saffron{UTAR}Gor Pages "Do not ask the stones or the trees how to live; they cannot tell you; they do not have tongues; do not ask the wise man how to live, for, if he knows, he will know he cannot tell you; if you would learn how to live, do not ask the question; its answer is not in the question but in the answer, which is not in words; do not ask how to live, but, instead, proceed to do so." "..... Many of them were giants, huge men, inured to the cold, accustomed to war and the labor of the oar, raised from boyhood on steep, isolated farms near the sea, grown strong and hard on work, and meat and cereals. Such men, from boyhood, in harsh games had learned to run, to leap, to throw the spear, to wield the sword, to wield the axe, to stand against steel, even bloodied, unflinching. Such men, these, would be the hardest of the hard, for only the largest, the swiftest and finest might win for themselves a bench on the ship of a captain, and the man great enough to command such as they must be first and mightiest among them, for the men of Torvaldsland will obey no other,......... " Read Below AND Our Visitors Guide then: Visit in Peace and be Welcome (Note: Jotunheim Great Hall is situated on the site of Svein Blue Tooth's Great Hall and so is the Great Hall of the Lands formerly known as the Lands of The Bluetooth. It lies approximately 5 pasangs south of the Skerry of Vars. To find Forkbeard's holdings go to The Steading, and to find Thorgard's holdings go to Scagnar.). Notes:Some of the content May be regarded as Adult, so if You are under the legal age in Your area or country ... Please leave. There is no pornography or nudity in this site. We endeavour to be as faithful as is feasibly possible in Our recreation of the Gor of the books, and specifically Book 9 Marauders of Gor.

The fifty Serpent Ships led by 'The Merciless' had travelled far from the Southern Thassa.  Manned by the rugged seafaring Men of Torvaldsland, and packed with goods, livestock and slaves from the Plains of The Wagon Peoples, they were now reaching journey's end.   Standing in the Prow, on this early morn, the figure of a large Man clad in Black and wearing the Horned Ceremonial Helm could be discerned through the early morning mist rising from the Thassa.  A horn is heard from the high steep cliffs of a fiord, followed by the sounding of hundreds of others, filling the air with haunting sounds.   From each ship, answering horns are heard, a welcoming and a greeting ....... UTAR - 'The Black Jarl' has returned Home to rule His realm ' Jotunheim Landfall' Return of The Jarl     Torvaldsland     Visitors     General Rules     Return of The Jarl The great Serpent ships entered the fiord, sailing between the dark high cliffs.  Horns announcing their arrival as they progressed up the ever narrowing waterway.  Their progress involving many zig-zag manouvers and sometimes a complete reversal of direction as if returning to the sea, all to avoid hidden underwater, natural and manmade, obstructions which could sink any ship encountering them. Eventually the fiord opened into a vast valley, dotted with farms and surrounded by high snow capped peaks, entrances to other smaller valleys can be seen leading off the main one.  At the foot of the great sweep of the valley the anchorage can be seen and the Great Hall with its protective Palisade. As the Merciless neared the anchorage, Torvaldslanders of all status levels thronged to the waters edge, cheering, shouting and waving.  Warriors shaking great axes over Their heads in welcome.  FW waving, some weeping and calling out in Their excitement. Slaves male and female laughing, shrieking and leaping. UTAR leapt from the ship onto the oars, leaping from oar to oar as they ploughed into the waters and rose, from oar to oar He progressed circling the great ship as it neared the land, finally leaping once more onto the deck and standing in the prow waving to His People. A great roar of cheering from both shore and ships accompanied this athletic feat known as the Oar Dance. Finally the ship arrived at shore and was quickly moored.  The Men of Jotunheim had returned.  Free Men, Free Women and slaves alike rushed forward greeting Their Men, Jarls, and Friends, laughing, weeping, overjoyed.   Free Men carried the Jarl on Their shoulders to His Great Hall..... There would be many days of feasting. Return of The Jarl     Torvaldsland     Visitors     General Rules     Site Index

Torvaldsland Torvaldsland is located in the North of Gor, the Men being fierce, proud and in size larger than the usual Gorean humans.   Apart from the City of Kassau, Torvaldslanders live in often mountain locked lands at the end of fiords terminating in the Sea of Thassa, virtually unapproachable excepting through the well guarded, treacherous and booby trapped waters of the fiords. Others live on rocky, easily defended isles off the coast of the mainland.  Food is provided by the farming of crops and livestock, fishing and raiding (viking). All Men having a trade of some sort as well as being Warriors and Seafarers. The Rulers in Torvaldsland are The High Jarls, equivalent to the Ubar of the South and just as powerful. He has under His Leadership other Jarls, Captains and Warriors and Free Men. Free Women are treated with great respect by the Men of Torvaldsland. ".... Free women in the north have much power. TheJarl's Woman, in the Kaissa of the north, is a more powerful piece than the Ubara in the Kaissa of the south. This is not to deny that the Ubara in the south, in fact, exercises as much or more power than her northern counterpart. It is only to recognize that her power in the south is less explicitly acknowledged....." The Free Women are of all complexities.. from vibrant, outgoing and opinionated to the dour and inhibited. A great contrast from the wanton slaves who warm the furs of the Masters and are renowned for their belly.  There are no silks in Torvaldsland, slaves are slaves. Female slaves are known as bondmaids and male slaves as thralls. The majority of slaves are owned by the Jarl but some are individually owned by the other Masters (Jarls) of the land. Both male and female slaves are lively, spirited and in many ways have less restrictions than those of the south, but all are totally obedient or suffer severe punishment. Return of The Jarl     Torvaldsland     Visitors     General Rules     Site Index Visitors Visitors are asked to read Guidelines for Visitors  NOTE: We are not tolerant of Vistors who do not show Us the courtesy of reading before entering.   The rules are the rules of Jotunheim - pay close to attention to them - They ARE enforced.   If these rules are not to Your liking then do not enter. Jotunheim is a Torvaldsland Kill Zone: Harassing or attacking a Jotunheim Warrior without good reason can mean swift death. Not by sparring but by a possible multiple attack by many Warriors. This is Gor, treatment is dealt out as would be done at the hands of the Torvaldslanders of the books .... including the 'Berserker Rage' - an ass or an urt does not warrant a warrior's death in a spar. Harass or attack a Jotunheim Free Woman or a slave, or Those living here and so under Jotunheim protection, also means death on the spot.  We will not tolerate such behaviour so far from the realism of the books. You have been warned    (Note: See Assassin rule below) General Rules of Jotunheim You are expected to know and abide by the site rules . Ignorance of these rules is no excuse, since they are clearly posted and you can read. *s* Assassin kills are not recognized in Jotunheim. Due to the inaccessibility of the Fiords and Torvaldslander general attitudes toward strangers, especially those with ill intent.  No assassin would reach His target alive, let alone escape to enjoy his earnings. If you are new to Gor, please choose an appropriate name and place an ~o~ after it to indicate you're an observer. You may watch and ask questions but you can't participate in the roleplay activities. The omission of the ~o~ from the names of slaves renders them liable to capture and collaring. If you enter with a capped name like John, Joe or Sally, you will be treated as a Freeperson. If you enter with a lower-case name, like susan or robert, you will be treated as a slave. Please enter with an open mind. If you find the ideals of Gor, Masters and slaves, not to your liking, then just leave without making rude comments or insulting anyone. If you cannot do that, don't enter. If you disregard this warning, you will rapidly make yourself unwelcome on this chat site. Note: On entering Frees should post WHERE They are moving to within the Landfall, because They are disembarking from a Ship having travelled up the Fiord. They are arriving in the Landfall Holdings and are at the waters edge. Before Them are various buildings associated with the life style of a Torvaldsland Home, homes of Frees, a smithy where the blacksmith works, trade workshops, buildings associated with the multitude of crafts and trades, from the woolen looms to sailmakers, workers in wood, steel and iron, and Serpent Ship builders. Buildings for the processing of fish, fur and meat. Pens and shelters for animals during winter and for daily use. Towering above all, some 500 yards from the waters edge is the Great Hall of Jotunheim. All Frees are accompanied by armed Guards constantly, until known and welcomed by the Jarl as accepted Visitors to Our Home. 'Jotunheim Landfall' is based on Book 9 of the Gor Series by J. Norman. "...the word for Stranger is the same as the word for Enemy.." This is Gor... harsh, beautiful and wild. Be Gor or be dead.

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