A book by book guide to the principal settings in John Norman’s Gor series
The Gor novels travel through cities, forests, deserts,
seas, mountains, plains, islands, and even worlds beyond Gor. This guide is
organized by book and identifies the principal named places and geographic
areas that shape each story. Each entry explains where the place is, what the
land or settlement is like, and what makes it important or unusual.
This is a practical reading and roleplay reference rather
than an index of every street, room, tavern, camp, or village mentioned in
passing. When a later novel does not clearly name a smaller setting in public
descriptions, the guide identifies the important type of place without
inventing a name.
Books 1 through 13 Foundations and
Great Regions
1 Tarnsman of Gor
• Earth and New
Hampshire Location: Earth. Tarl begins as a young professor in the
wooded New Hampshire countryside. Special: The remote road and forest are
the departure point for his transportation to Gor.
• Ko-ro-ba
Location: North of the Vosk and inland from the Tamber Gulf. A towered city also called the Towers of the
Morning; it is Tarl’s ancestral Gorean home.
Special: Its Home Stone,
destruction, and restoration shape Tarl’s identity.
• Ar
Location: Central civilized Gor, south of the Vosk. One of Gor’s greatest walled cities, rich,
populous, and militarily powerful. Special: Talena and Marlenus belong to
Ar, and the struggle for the city drives the novel.
• The Sardar
Mountains Location: Remote central-northern Gor. A mysterious mountain range sacred to the
Priest-Kings and feared by most Goreans.
Special: The mountains
establish the hidden power behind Gorean civilization.
2 Outlaw of Gor
• The ruins of
Ko-ro-ba Location: Near the Tamber Gulf region. Tarl returns to find his city destroyed and
its people scattered. Special: Without his city and Home
Stone, Tarl becomes an outlaw.
• Tharna
Location: East of the Sardar region in civilized Gor. A wealthy silver city initially ruled by
veiled women under a Tatrix. Special: Its unusual government, silver
wealth, and social revolution make it unique.
• The silver mines
of Tharna Location: Beneath and near Tharna. Harsh mines worked by prisoners and
slaves. Special: They reveal the coercive foundation beneath Tharna’s
outward order.
• The road toward
the Sardar Location: Between the civilized cities and
the sacred mountains. A dangerous
overland route used by travelers and pilgrims.
Special: Tarl’s desire to
confront the Priest-Kings draws him toward it.
3 Priest-Kings of Gor
• The Sardar
Mountains Location: The sacred mountain country of Gor. High, forbidding mountains avoided by
ordinary Goreans except during pilgrimage.
Special: They hide the true
rulers of Gor.
• The Nest of the
Priest-Kings Location: Deep inside the Sardar Mountains. A vast subterranean complex of chambers,
tunnels, laboratories, and living spaces.
Special: It is the center of
Priest-King civilization and advanced technology.
• The chamber worlds
of the Nest Location: Within the Nest. Specialized interior regions support the
Priest-Kings, their eggs, attendants, and machines. Special:
The varied chambers show that the Nest is a complete nonhuman society, not
merely a palace.
4 Nomads of Gor
• The Plains of
Turia
Location: South-central Gor around Turia. Enormous grasslands crossed by the Wagon
Peoples and their herds of bosk. Special: The open plains shape a mobile
culture built on wagons, animals, and mounted warfare.
• Turia
Location: A rich city on the southern plains. A fortified commercial city surrounded by the
territories of the Wagon Peoples. Special: Its wealth and walls contrast
with the nomadic freedom outside.
• The camps of the
Wagon Peoples Location: Moving across the Plains of Turia. Great circular wagon camps belonging to the
Tuchuks, Kassars, Kataii, and Paravaci. Special: Each people maintains its own
customs, colors, herds, and leadership.
• The Tuchuk bosk
lands
Location: Across the grasslands.
Pasture country sustaining immense herds of bosk. Special:
Bosk are the economic and cultural foundation of the Wagon Peoples.
5 Assassin of Gor
• Ar
Location: Central civilized Gor.
The great city is shown from within through its streets, factions,
races, and hidden conspiracies. Special: Urban life and political
intrigue receive far more detail than in the first book.
• The House of
Cernus Location: Within Ar. A powerful slave house containing training
areas, cells, offices, and secret operations.
Special: It serves as the
center of the conspiracy Tarl investigates.
• The Stadium of
Tarns
Location: Ar. A vast arena
used for dangerous and highly popular tarn races. Special:
Racing teams, factions, and gambling become tools of politics.
• The streets and
cylinders of Ar Location: Throughout the city. Ar is built vertically as well as
horizontally, with towers, bridges, markets, and crowded districts. Special:
The setting shows the scale and complexity of a major Gorean city.
6 Raiders of Gor
• The Vosk Delta
Location: Where the Vosk River reaches the Tamber Gulf. A vast wetland of channels, reeds, marsh
islands, rence growers, and dangerous wildlife.
Special: The delta is
difficult to navigate and shelters communities beyond normal city control.
• Port Kar
Location: On the Tamber Gulf near the Vosk Delta. A dark maritime city of canals, wharves,
fleets, pirates, slavers, and rival captains.
Special: It begins without a
Home Stone and becomes Tarl’s adopted city.
• The Tamber Gulf
Location: Western waters adjoining Port Kar. A broad gulf crossed by merchant vessels,
raiders, and war fleets. Special: It gives Port Kar its wealth
and naval power.
• Cos and Tyros
Location: Island Ubarates west of the mainland. Powerful maritime island states and
traditional enemies of Port Kar. Special: Their fleets and ambitions
drive the naval war.
7 Captive of Gor
• Earth
Location: The narrator’s original world. Elinor’s comfortable Earth life provides the
contrast for everything that follows. Special: Her removal from Earth begins
one of the series’ first sustained female viewpoints.
• The northern
forests Location: North of civilized Gor. Immense forests of tall trees, rivers,
wildlife, outlaws, and Panther Girl bands.
Special: Distance from city
law permits very different communities and customs.
• Panther Girl camps
Location: Hidden within the northern forests. Stockaded or concealed camps used by armed
women living beyond ordinary city society.
Special: They are both
refuges and bases for hunting, trade, and capture.
• Treve and its
raiding country Location: The Voltai mountain region. Treve is a high, piratical city whose raiders
descend on other lands. Special: Rask of Treve connects the
forest story with the mountain city’s warrior culture.
8 Hunters of Gor
• Laura
Location: At the junction of river and forest trade routes in the north. A rough trading town serving hunters,
merchants, outlaws, and forest travelers.
Special: It is a gateway
between civilized Gor and the northern wilderness.
• The northern
forests Location: North of Laura and the civilized
cities. Deep woodland cut by streams
and trails, with abundant game and many hidden dangers. Special:
Most of the pursuit, capture, and rescue story occurs here.
• Verna’s forest
camps
Location: Within the northern forests. Temporary or defended Panther Girl camps
concealed among the trees. Special: Their mobility makes Verna
difficult to find and defeat.
• Ko-ro-ba
Location: Inland near the Tamber Gulf region. Tarl’s home city remains important to his
loyalties and relationships. Special: Its fate connects the forest
adventure with Tarl’s earlier life.
9 Marauders of Gor
• Torvaldsland
Location: Far northern Gor. A
cold region of rocky coasts, forests, farms, fjords, halls, and seafaring
settlements. Special: Its culture resembles the Norse world and differs sharply
from the southern cities.
• Kassau
Location: A northern coastal settlement. A port and trading community on the
approaches to Torvaldsland. Special: It forms a practical gateway
into the far north.
• The halls of the
Jarls
Location: Across Torvaldsland.
Large timber halls serving as homes, political centers, and feasting
places. Special: Honor, hospitality, bonds, and feuds are enacted within
them.
• The northern sea
and fjords Location: Along the coast of Torvaldsland. Cold waters traveled by longships, traders,
raiders, and fishermen. Special: Seamanship and coastal warfare
define much of the region’s life.
10 Tribesmen of Gor
• The Tahari
Location: An arid region east of the Voltai and civilized Gor. A land of deserts, rocky wastes, caravan
routes, nomadic tribes, and fortified oases.
Special: Water, kaiila, and
control of trade routes determine power.
• Tor
Location: At the western edge of the Tahari. A major caravan city through which travelers
and goods enter the desert. Special: It is a meeting place between
urban merchants and desert peoples.
• The Oasis of Nine
Wells
Location: Within the Tahari.
A rich, defended oasis ruled by Suleiman and sustained by precious
water. Special: Its wells make it strategically and economically
important.
• Klima
Location: Deep in the Tahari salt country. A brutal desert settlement associated with
salt mining and punishment. Special: The journey to Klima is nearly
as dangerous as the labor there.
• The caravan routes
Location: Across the desert between oases. Long, hazardous trails used by merchants,
nomads, and armed escorts. Special: Survival depends on water,
discipline, and knowledge of the land.
11 Slave Girl of Gor
• Earth
Location: Judy Thornton’s original world. The familiar modern world is the starting
point before her abduction. Special: The contrast emphasizes how
completely her status and surroundings change.
• Rural Gorean
estates Location: The agricultural countryside of
civilized Gor. Farms, holdings,
roads, and small communities show life away from the great cities. Special:
The book gives unusually close attention to ordinary rural work and
ownership.
• Slave markets and
training areas Location: In the towns and holdings through
which Judy passes. Commercial spaces
where enslaved people are examined, sold, housed, and instructed. Special:
The places reveal the economic machinery of Gorean slavery.
• Roads and
wilderness between holdings Location: Across settled Gorean country. Travel routes pass through fields, woodland,
and sparsely controlled areas. Special: Movement between owners
exposes Judy to several levels of Gorean society.
12 Beasts of Gor
• Port Kar
Location: On the Tamber Gulf.
Tarl’s maritime home and the base from which Samos and Tarl confront the
Kur threat. Special: Its intelligence network links local events to the wider
hidden war.
• The polar north
Location: Far beyond Torvaldsland.
A world of ice, snow, sea, extreme cold, and long seasonal darkness or
light. Special: Survival requires skills and clothing unlike those of
southern Gor.
• The lands of the
Red Hunters Location: Across the polar tundra and coasts. Sparse settlements and hunting grounds of
peoples adapted to the arctic environment.
Special: Their knowledge of
animals, weather, and ice is essential.
• The polar sea and
ice fields Location: At Gor’s far north. Dangerous waters broken by moving ice and
inhabited by large predators. Special: The landscape itself is one of
the book’s greatest threats.
13 Explorers of Gor
• Schendi
Location: On the equatorial coast.
A hot, humid port serving maritime trade with the interior. Special:
It is the gateway to the jungles and the Ua River system.
• The Ua River
Location: Flowing through equatorial interior Gor. A great tropical river bordered by dense
jungle and distant communities. Special: River travel opens regions
little known to northern Goreans.
• Lake Ushindi
Location: Deep in the equatorial interior. A major inland lake linked to river routes
and regional power. Special: It supports trade, settlement, and the empire of Bila
Huruma.
• The equatorial
jungles Location: Around Schendi, the Ua, and Lake
Ushindi. Hot forests rich in
vegetation, wildlife, disease, and hidden peoples. Special:
The environment makes travel and warfare difficult.
• The lands of Bila
Huruma Location: Interior country around the great
waterways. A large
African-influenced realm ruled through armies, tributaries, and river
communications. Special: It expands the known political geography of Gor far beyond
the familiar cities.
Books 14 through 25 Cities Roads and
War
14 Fighting Slave of Gor
• Earth
Location: Jason and Beverly’s original world. Modern Earth establishes Jason’s earlier
assumptions about himself and relationships.
Special: His abduction and
enslavement overturn those assumptions.
• Vonda
Location: A city in central civilized Gor. A wealthy urban center involved in regional
rivalries and the affairs of its Free Women and Warriors. Special:
Jason’s three-book arc is strongly tied to Vonda.
• Lady Florence’s
estate Location: In or near Vonda. A prosperous household and landed property
controlled by Lady Florence. Special: It becomes a major setting for
Jason’s training and changing status.
• Training yards and
fighting grounds Location: Within Vonda’s estates and
institutions. Places where male
slaves and fighters are conditioned and tested.
Special: They show a side of
Gorean slavery rarely explored through Tarl.
15 Rogue of Gor
• Vonda and its
surrounding lands Location: Central civilized Gor. The city and countryside remain Jason’s
political and personal point of reference.
Special: Conflicts around
Vonda continue from the previous book.
• The Vosk River
region Location: Across central Gor. A major river corridor lined with towns,
ports, farms, and military routes. Special: Control of river movement is
vital to commerce and war.
• Pirate strongholds
and river camps Location: Along the Vosk and its tributaries. Hidden or fortified bases used by raiders and
outlaw bands. Special: They provide the setting for Jason’s struggle with
Policrates.
• Victoria
Location: A river port on the Vosk.
A commercially important town linked to traffic on the river. Special:
It helps connect the local war with the wider Vosk region.
16 Guardsman of Gor
• The Vosk River
Location: Central Gor. The
great river becomes a military highway contested by cities, pirates, and
fleets. Special: The concluding campaign depends on river movement and
naval control.
• Port Cos
Location: A Vosk river town aligned with Cos. A strategic port and foothold of Cosian power
on the mainland. Special: Its loyalties connect local conflict to the island empire
of Cos.
• Victoria
Location: On the Vosk. A
trading port caught in the warfare and political shifts of the region. Special:
It illustrates how river towns survive between larger powers.
• Port Kar
Location: At the Vosk Delta and Tamber Gulf. The great maritime city remains a
counterweight to Cos and Tyros. Special: Its naval traditions and
allies influence the climax of Jason’s story.
17 Savages of Gor
• Kailiauk
Location: At the eastern edge of civilized Gor. A frontier town and market serving trade with
the Barrens. Special: It is a staging point for merchants, hunters, and
expeditions westward.
• Fort Haskins
Location: Near the edge of the Barrens. A fortified trading and military post beyond
the settled cities. Special: It marks the uncertain boundary between Gorean city
culture and the tribal west.
• The Barrens
Location: Far western Gor. A
vast prairie of grasslands, rivers, herds, storms, and tribal territories. Special:
The region parallels the historic North American plains.
• Kaiila camps
Location: Across the Barrens.
Mobile or semi-permanent tribal camps organized around kinship, hunting,
and war. Special: Their layout and customs reflect survival on the open
plains.
18 Blood Brothers of Gor
• The Barrens
Location: Far western Gor.
The broad plains continue as the main theater of tribal alliance and
war. Special: Distance from the cities allows the Kaiila peoples to
preserve their own political order.
• Kaiila villages
and camps Location: Within tribal territories. Communities of lodges, animals, families, and
warrior societies. Special: They are centers of ceremony, kinship, and defense.
• The lands of rival
tribes Location: Across the prairie. Neighboring tribal territories are separated
by custom, hunting rights, and military power.
Special: Crossing them can
mean trade, diplomacy, or war.
• Kur positions in
the west Location: Hidden within or beyond tribal
country. Secret sites from which Kur
agents influence conflict. Special: They connect a regional war to
the planet-wide Kur struggle.
19 Kajira of Gor
• Earth
Location: Tiffany Collins’s original world. Her Earth life precedes her use in a
dangerous Gorean political deception. Special: The contrast makes her imposed
role more disorienting.
• Corcyrus
Location: A city in south-central Gor. A wealthy city involved in rivalry,
succession, and political manipulation. Special: Tiffany is placed at the
center of its struggle for rule.
• The palace and
governmental quarter of Corcyrus Location: Within the city. Formal chambers, residences, and guarded
spaces used by rulers and officials. Special: The location reveals how
ceremony can conceal political weakness.
• Argentum
Location: A neighboring city and rival of Corcyrus. A silver-associated city whose interests
compete with those of Corcyrus. Special: Its rivalry helps drive the
political plot.
20 Players of Gor
• Port Kar
Location: On the Tamber Gulf.
Tarl’s home and Samos’s intelligence base. Special:
The book’s political mission begins from Port Kar’s concerns.
• Roads and towns of
traveling players Location: Across civilized Gor. Inns, squares, fairgrounds, and small cities
form the working world of entertainers. Special: A troupe can cross borders and
gather information without attracting the suspicion given to soldiers.
• Brundisium
Location: A major port on the mainland coast. A busy commercial harbor handling ships,
cargoes, travelers, and slaves. Special: Its size and traffic make it
useful for secret movement.
• Ar and its sphere
of influence Location: Central Gor. The great city’s political condition affects
surrounding towns and travelers. Special: Talena’s changing role begins
to cast a shadow over the wider region.
21 Mercenaries of Gor
• Port Kar
Location: Tarl’s maritime home.
The city remains his base of loyalty and his connection to Samos. Special:
From here he is drawn into the expanding Cos–Ar conflict.
• Ar
Location: Central civilized Gor.
Gor’s largest and proudest city is increasingly threatened by war,
pride, and political error. Special: Its decisions shape the next
several novels.
• Torcadino
Location: A strategic city west of Ar. A fortified city controlling important routes
and military movement. Special: Its siege and defense display
Gorean mercenary warfare.
• The roads and
camps of mercenary armies Location: Across the contested lands around
Ar. Temporary camps, supply routes,
and fortified positions follow hired armies.
Special: They show warfare as
a profession and business.
22 Dancer of Gor
• Earth
Location: Doreen Williamson’s original world. Her quiet life as a librarian contrasts with
the public and physical world she enters.
Special: Her abduction begins
the transformation at the center of the novel.
• Brundisium
Location: A large coastal port.
A crowded city of ships, markets, taverns, and commercial houses. Special:
Its traffic makes it a natural place for sale, entertainment, and
anonymity.
• Paga taverns
Location: In Gorean cities visited by Doreen. Public drinking and entertainment houses
staffed by musicians, dancers, and slaves.
Special: They are central to
the culture and economics of professional slave dancing.
• Training rooms and
slave quarters Location: Within commercial houses and
taverns. Controlled interior spaces
where dancers are trained, housed, and prepared. Special:
The novel gives these ordinary urban places unusual detail.
23 Renegades of Gor
• The Vosk Road
Location: Running eastward toward Ar’s Station and Ar. A heavily traveled route of inns, wagons,
pilgrims, soldiers, and refugees. Special: The road lets the novel
examine travel, tolls, law, and wartime uncertainty.
• The Crooked Tarn
Location: An inn along the road.
A roadside inn with its own staff, rooms, stables, and dangers. Special:
It is one of the series’ most detailed examples of Gorean lodging.
• Ar’s Station
Location: On the Vosk, serving Ar.
A fortified river port and colony loyal to Ar. Special:
Its defense becomes the military center of the novel.
• The Vosk and its
approaches Location: Central Gor. River, marsh, road, and port terrain surround
Ar’s Station. Special: The mixed geography shapes both siege and escape.
24 Vagabonds of Gor
• The Vosk Delta
Location: Western end of the Vosk.
Marshes, channels, rence islands, and uncertain waterways trap and
scatter armies. Special: The terrain contributes to the destruction and survival of
Ar’s forces.
• The Viktel Aria
Location: The military road leading from Ar. A major route used by armies and traffic
connected with the city. Special: Its name means the road of war
or victory and carries strong civic symbolism.
• The camps of Ar’s
army
Location: Across the Vosk region.
Huge temporary cities of soldiers, animals, wagons, officers, and camp
followers. Special: Their disorder and betrayal turn a proud army into
wandering survivors.
• Rence islands and
marsh settlements Location: Within the delta. Small communities survive on reeds, fishing,
and knowledge of waterways. Special: They remain hard for outside
armies to control.
25 Magicians of Gor
• Ar
Location: Central civilized Gor.
The city is occupied and politically transformed after military
defeat. Special: The struggle to recover its courage and Home Stone
dominates the novel.
• The Central
Cylinder and governmental quarter Location: At the heart of Ar. The seat of rulers, officials, guards, and
public authority. Special: Control of the center symbolizes control of the city.
• The streets,
markets, and taverns of occupied Ar Location: Throughout the city. Everyday urban places continue under
occupation, surveillance, and fear. Special: They provide cover for
resistance, disguise, and rumor.
• Ar’s Station
Location: On the Vosk. The
loyal colony whose Home Stone had been displayed as a prize. Special:
Its recovery becomes an act of defiance and honor.
Books 26 through 38 Later Gor and
Distant Lands
26 Witness of Gor
• Earth
Location: Janice’s original world.
She is selected partly because she knows little of Gorean history and
politics. Special: Her ignorance makes her useful as a servant and guard for
a secret prisoner.
• Treve
Location: High in the Voltai Mountains. A hidden, piratical mountain city known for
raiding and difficult access. Special: Its isolation makes it
suitable for keeping an important prisoner secret.
• The prison pits of
Treve
Location: Beneath the city or fortress complex. Dark secured chambers holding captives under
close guard. Special: The mysterious amnesiac prisoner kept there is central to
the plot.
• The Voltai
Mountains Location: East of Ar. Rugged mountain country containing isolated
fortresses, trails, and hidden places. Special: The region separates Treve
from ordinary Gorean travel and conceals political secrets.
• Occupied Ar
Location: West of the Voltai.
A defeated city under Cosian control and systematic looting. Special:
Its condition gives the secret prisoner enormous political importance.
27 Prize of Gor
• Earth
Location: Ellen’s original world.
The narrator begins as a mature Earth woman before being transported to
Gor. Special: Her age and Earth experience distinguish her viewpoint
from earlier captives.
• Ar
Location: Central Gor. The
mighty city remains under the harsh influence of Cosian occupiers and allied
mercenaries. Special: Ellen’s slavery unfolds against occupation, social
disruption, and resistance.
• Slave houses and
markets of Ar Location: Within the city. Businesses and compounds handle training,
display, sale, and ownership. Special: They show the commercial life
of slavery in a major occupied city.
• Urban households
of Ar
Location: Across the city’s districts. Private residences range from modest homes to
wealthy compounds. Special: They reveal how war and occupation affect daily domestic
life.
28 Kur of Gor
• The Steel Worlds
Location: In space beyond Gor.
Artificial or technological habitats belonging to the Kurii. Special:
The novel gives the series’ fullest view of Kur society away from Gor.
• Gor
Location: The counter-Earth.
The planet remains the object of conflict between Priest-Kings, Kurii,
and their agents. Special: Seen from a Kur viewpoint, familiar Gorean places acquire
a different strategic meaning.
• Earth
Location: The hidden counterpart of Gor. Earth is another target of Kur interest and
interference. Special: The war is shown to concern more than a single planet.
• Kur ships and
installations Location: In space and at secret bases. Technological environments built for a large
nonhuman species. Special: They contrast sharply with the restricted technology
permitted to humans on Gor.
29 Swordsmen of Gor
• The Far East of
Gor
Location: Across the Thassa from the familiar western lands. A region influenced by Japanese culture, with
different clothing, weapons, architecture, and customs. Special:
It broadens Gor beyond the Mediterranean-influenced cities.
• The Pani islands
and estates Location: In the eastern seas. Island domains controlled by lords,
retainers, villages, and fortified residences.
Special: Feudal loyalty and
rivalry organize the land.
• Lord Nishida’s
domain Location: Within Pani territory. A household, estate, and military following
bound to Nishida. Special: It becomes Tarl’s base and the center of the eastern
mission.
• The eastern sea
routes Location: Across Thassa toward the Pani
lands. Long maritime routes linking
western ports with distant islands. Special: Distance and unfamiliar waters
make travel a major undertaking.
30 Mariners of Gor
• Thassa
Location: The great sea of Gor.
Open ocean separates the familiar western world from the Pani
territories. Special: Weather, navigation, discipline, and limited supplies
dominate the voyage.
• The expedition
ships
Location: At sea between western and eastern Gor. Large vessels function as moving communities
of sailors, warriors, officers, slaves, and cargo. Special:
Shipboard hierarchy becomes as important as geography.
• Pani waters and
islands Location: Far eastern Gor. Coasts, harbors, islands, and defended
approaches surround the eastern domains.
Special: Local pilots and
maritime knowledge are essential.
• Lord Nishida’s
eastern territories Location: In the Pani region. Feudal lands contested by rival lords and
factions. Special: The voyage delivers men and resources into an existing
political war.
31 Conspirators of Gor
• Earth
Location: Allison Ashton-Baker’s original world. Her interest in Gorean games precedes her
actual transportation to Gor. Special: Fantasy becomes dangerous
reality when she is taken.
• Ar
Location: Central Gor. The
recently liberated city is rebuilding after occupation and war. Special:
Political freedom does not remove conspiracy, crime, or social upheaval.
• Slave houses and
city districts of Ar Location: Within Ar. Training houses, markets, streets, and
private compounds shape Allison’s urban experience. Special:
They expose both ordinary commerce and hidden conspiracies.
• The Voltai
Mountains Location: East of Ar. Rugged mountains containing Treve and hidden
Kur-connected sites. Special: The plot moves from urban
intrigue toward secrets concealed in the mountains.
32 Smugglers of Gor
• Brundisium
Location: A major mainland port.
A crowded harbor city through which goods, travelers, slaves, and secret
cargo can pass. Special: Its scale and commerce make it ideal for smuggling.
• Harbors warehouses
and ships Location: Along the maritime trade routes. Commercial spaces connect merchants, Scribes,
slavers, sailors, and criminals. Special: Records and cargoes can hide
both people and political schemes.
• Thassa
Location: The Gorean sea. Sea
lanes connect western ports with islands and the far eastern Pani lands. Special:
Smuggling depends on avoiding patrols and controlling information.
• The Pani
territories Location: Far eastern Gor. Feudal island lands still affected by the
conflict begun in Swordsmen. Special: Western commerce and eastern
rebellion become intertwined.
33 Rebels of Gor
• The Pani
territories Location: Far eastern Gor. Feudal domains of villages, estates, fields,
fortresses, and rival houses. Special: The region becomes the theater
of open rebellion.
• Lord Nishida’s
domain Location: Within the Pani lands. The allied lord’s holdings provide manpower,
legitimacy, and a political base. Special: Loyalty to Nishida shapes
Tarl’s role in the conflict.
• Rival castles and
fortified estates Location: Across the eastern islands. Defensive compounds control surrounding lands
and populations. Special: Capturing or isolating them is essential to the rebellion.
• Eastern coasts and
sea passages Location: Around the Pani islands. Narrow waters, ports, and coastal routes
connect the separate domains. Special: Naval movement remains
necessary even during land campaigns.
34 Plunder of Gor
• Earth
Location: Phyllis Robertson’s original world. The familiar world is the starting point
before her capture and enslavement. Special: Her disappearance places her
within a conflict she does not understand.
• Brundisium
Location: A great port on the mainland coast. A vast commercial city of docks, warehouses,
ships, markets, and crowded districts. Special: A mysterious unclaimed package
in the port could affect the fate of a world.
• The warehouses and
shipping quarter Location: Within Brundisium. Cargoes can be stored, transferred, hidden,
stolen, or sold among countless merchants.
Special: The maze of commerce
makes the rumored package hard to locate.
• The harbor and
waterfront Location: At Brundisium. Busy quays receive vessels from across
Thassa. Special: Men and beasts compete violently for control of cargo and
information.
35 Quarry of Gor
• Earth
Location: Margaret Henderson’s original world. Her wealthy and self-assured Earth life
begins the story. Special: Her encounter with a mysterious man precedes her removal
to Gor.
• Gor’s green
wilderness Location: An incompletely specified region of
Gor. Fresh forests, fields, and open
country appear beautiful but remain perilous.
Special: The natural setting
becomes the ground for pursuit and survival.
• Transport and
holding areas Location: Between capture and sale. Ships, pens, compounds, and temporary
quarters reduce captives to cargo. Special: The journey emphasizes
Margaret’s loss of control and identity.
• The hunting ground
Location: The region in which Margaret becomes the quarry. Terrain, concealment, distance, and pursuit
shape the danger. Special: The land is not merely background; it determines who can
find, flee, or survive.
36 Avengers of Gor
• Port Kar
Location: On the Tamber Gulf.
Rumors reach Tarl in his home city that corsairs are raiding under the
name of Bosk. Special: The false use of his identity sends him to investigate.
• The Farther
Islands Location: West of Cos and Tyros. A group of islands including Thera, Daphna,
and Chios. Special: Their towns and villages are systematically attacked by
corsairs.
• Thera
Location: One of the Farther Islands. An island containing the corrupt and
luxurious city of Sybaris. Special: It becomes the political and
criminal center of Tarl’s investigation.
• Sybaris
Location: On Thera. A
decadent city of taverns, palaces, slaves, wealth, and ruthless corsairs. Special:
Its pleasures conceal the organization behind the raids.
• Daphna and Chios
Location: Farther Islands west of the Island Ubarates. Island communities suffering plunder,
burning, and murder. Special: Their devastation gives the
avengers their cause.
• The dangerous
western waters Location: Around the Farther Islands. Seas crowded with predatory ships and
monstrous marine life. Special: The voyage itself is hazardous
even before battle begins.
37 Warriors of Gor
• Jad
Location: A port on the island of Cos. A major Cosian harbor from which Talena must
be transported. Special: Her delivery from Jad toward Ar would earn an enormous
reward.
• Cos
Location: A powerful Island Ubarate in Thassa. A wealthy maritime state and long-standing
rival of Ar and Port Kar. Special: Lurius of Jad uses Cosian
power and commerce in the pursuit of Talena.
• The sea route from
Jad
Location: Across dangerous waters toward the mainland. The voyage faces piracy, weather, beasts, and
armed pursuit. Special: Tarl must intercept the prisoner before she reaches the
mainland road.
• The wilderness
between the coast and Ar Location: Across central Gorean country. Roads, forests, rivers, settlements, and wild
country stand between the port and Ar. Special: The long route allows both
rescue attempts and pursuit.
• Ar
Location: Central Gor.
Talena’s former city and the destination of those seeking the
reward. Special: Its mighty gates represent judgment and likely death for
the fugitive.
38 Treasure of Gor
• The American
Southwest Location: Earth. A remote dry region of desert, mountains, and
wide skies. Special: Its isolation makes it suitable for a small private
observatory and hidden research.
• The private
observatory Location: A remote corner of the American
Southwest. A scientific facility
where Agnes Morrison Atherton works in radar imaging. Special:
Her discovery there brings her to the attention of dangerous powers.
• Earth computer and
research networks Location: Connected to the observatory. Digital systems contain information Agnes was
not meant to uncover. Special: Knowledge, rather than gold
alone, becomes a form of treasure.
• Gor
Location: The counter-Earth.
Agnes is transported into a society where her Earth status and expertise
do not protect her. Special: The search for treasure shifts from scientific discovery
to danger, ownership, and competing interests.
Notes for readers and roleplayers
Gorean geography is revealed gradually, and the novels do
not always provide exact distances or positions. Some maps made by readers
simplify or reconcile descriptions that are scattered across many volumes.
Cities may also be revisited under very different political conditions: Ar
before the Cosian war is not the same experience as occupied or liberated Ar,
and Port Kar changes after it gains a Home Stone.
Descriptions here distinguish named places from descriptive
settings. A phrase such as “the northern forests” or “the Barrens” identifies a
recognized region, while “training rooms and slave quarters” describes an
important recurring type of location when the novel does not consistently
supply a unique proper name. Exact quotations and minor local names should be
checked against the edition being used.
Sources used for cross checking
·
Gor series bibliography and setting overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gor
·
Simplified map and broad geographic notes:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gor-map-simplified.svg
·
Open Road Media book descriptions:
https://openroadmedia.com/
·
Hachette description of Witness of Gor:
https://www.hachette.co.nz/john-norman/witness-of-gor-gor-book-26
·
Google Play description of Avengers of Gor:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/John_Norman_Avengers_of_Gor?id=bz4oEAAAQBAJ
