💅 Personal & Social Service
These duties ensure the Mistress's flawless presentation in public and private, which directly reflects her husband's or family's honor.
Attire Management: The central role is acting as a constant lady's maid. The slave must be skilled in:
Dressing: Assisting the Mistress with the layers of Free Woman attire (including slips, shifts, and outer robes/tunics), ensuring correct folding and placement of the garments.
Veil Maintenance: The Veil is a symbol of Free status. The slave cleans, irons (or smooths), and stores the Mistress's veils, presenting them correctly before the Mistress leaves her chambers.
Accessory Care: Maintaining and cleaning jewelry, slippers, combs, and any symbolic items the Mistress wears.
Grooming: Performing intimate personal care for the Mistress:
Hair Styling: Combing, braiding, and styling the Mistress's hair according to the fashion of her caste and city.
Bathing and Oiling: Preparing the bathwater (checking temperature), supplying special scented oils, and assisting the Mistress with washing and drying.
Carrying & Public Deference: When accompanying the Mistress:
The Escort: The slave girl follows a step or two behind, carrying the Mistress's basket, fan, parasol, or purchases from the market.
Posture: The slave's constant posture of submission (lowered head, clasped hands) serves as a visible status marker, affirming the Mistress's own Free and high-caste standing to onlookers.
🏡 Domestic & Household Management Support
The Mistress is typically responsible for the smooth running of the private and domestic aspects of the Master's home. The slave acts as her assistant in this administration:
Supervising Lower Slaves: If the household has multiple slaves, the Mistress directs them, and the slave girl (often a favorite or personal attendant) carries out the Mistress's commands, acting as a forewoman over the kitchen, cleaning, or laundry staff.
Entertaining Support: When the Mistress hosts other Free Women (e.g., for Kanda or gossip), the slave is responsible for:
Serving food and drink to the guests (and their slaves).
Ensuring the room is perfectly clean and decorated prior to the gathering.
Message Running: Delivering personal, often discreet, verbal or written messages from the Mistress to her husband, her family, or other Free Women.
⚠️ Special Considerations (The Mistress's Power)
The most important difference is the nature of the power dynamic:
Emotional Labor: A Mistress often demands a higher degree of emotional obedience and companionship than the Master. The slave girl may be required to serve as a sounding board, a confidante, or even a living toy, often subject to the Mistress's unpredictable moods and social anxieties.
Punishment: While the Master has ultimate authority, the Mistress often has immediate power over her personal slave for minor infractions. Punishments are typically focused on humiliation or deprivation (e.g., forcing her to kneel for hours, or neglecting her feeding/oiling) rather than the heavy legal penalties the Master is responsible for.
This is a request to detail the household management and support duties of a Kajira (slave girl) in a Gorean household, drawing a parallel to a medieval domestic setting.
In a large Gorean Hold or wealthy town house, which resembles a medieval manor in its structure and self-sufficiency, the Kajira can be in charge of a massive range of tasks. Her role changes dramatically depending on whether she is a Personal Slave (focusing on one Master/Mistress) or a Household Slave (focused on the physical running of the building).
If she is the senior or head household slave, she essentially runs the home as the Mistress's deputy, a role similar to a medieval House Steward or Chamberlain.
🏰 Household Management and Domestic Command
In a wealthy Gorean household, the Kajira would be the key figure in the day-to-day operations, directly reporting to and taking orders from the Mistress (or the Master).
1. Kitchen and Provisioning Command
The kitchen is the heart of the home, and a high-ranking household slave is often the effective Head Cook/Kitchen Mistress.
Menu Planning: Based on the supplies purchased by the Master or Mistress, she plans the daily meals for the Master's family, the Free Guards, and the other slaves.
Inventory Control: She is responsible for the storage, preservation, and inventory of all foodstuffs, including dried meats, grains, Kashwa (tea/coffee substitute), T'rala (wine), and Kanda fruit.
Managing Staff: She supervises the lower kitchen slaves—directing them in water fetching, fire maintenance, vegetable prep, and washing dishes (which would be done by hand with abrasive sand, ash, or lye soap).
Feast Preparation: Coordinating all labor required for large gatherings, feasts, or banquets hosted by the Master.
2. Personnel Management (Overseeing the Kennel)
If the household owns multiple slaves, a senior Kajira acts as the Kennel Mistress or Educator.
Assigning Duties: Allocating specific chores to other slaves (e.g., assigning two girls to laundry, one to the Master’s study, and one to the Mistress’s chambers).
Discipline: She is often entrusted with the authority to administer minor, immediate physical corrections to other slaves for poor work or minor infractions, ensuring discipline without interrupting the Free Persons.
Security: Ensuring all slaves are correctly locked into their cages or barracks at night, acting as a security checkpoint for the kennel.
3. Textile and Laundry Operations
This is a continuous, labor-intensive duty in a medieval-style household, where clothing is valuable and cleaned entirely by hand.
Laundry Supervisor: Overseeing the entire wash process, from collecting dirty linens and robes to transporting them to the wash-house or stream. This involves hours of soaking, scrubbing with harsh lye soap, beating, and rinsing.
Mending and Mending Staff: She would oversee a small group dedicated to constantly repairing clothes, ensuring the Master's and Mistress's garments are always mended and ready for wear.
Storage and Pest Prevention: Ensuring that all textiles—especially valuable silks—are stored with insect-repelling herbs (or specific oils) to protect them from pests like moths or rodents.
4. Financial & Property Oversight (Delegated)
Though a slave cannot own anything, she can be given managerial duties over her Master's property, similar to a bailiff.
Inventory of Goods: Maintaining a physical count of non-food household goods, such as tools, lamps, furniture, and less-critical weapons/armor, ensuring nothing is lost or stolen.
Basic Record-Keeping: If literate (which is a rare, high-value skill), she may be in charge of keeping basic, non-legal household accounts for the Mistress—tracking expenditures on oil, fuel, and daily purchases.
Maintenance: Organizing the cleaning and oiling of metalwork, the sanding and sealing of wooden floors, and making minor structural repairs (like patching a wall) using other laborers.
In short, in a large household, a Kajira would hold the actual Stewardship of the domestic sphere. The Mistress gives the high-level commands and maintains the social face of the home, but the Kajira handles the dirty, physical, and logistical details of keeping the entire operation running smoothly.
The Assistant Head of the Scribe Caste is a highly powerful and influential official within Gorean society. As a high-ranking member of the Blue Caste (Scribes, who deal with law, history, records, and education), their life is focused on intellectual, legal, and administrative work.
A Kajira serving such a master would have duties combining high-level personal service with meticulous care of the Scribe's valuable intellectual property and official workspace. Her role is to be a silent, tireless assistant who ensures the Master's focus is never broken by physical needs or disorganized materials.
Here are the key duties a Kajira would perform for the Assistant Head of the Scribe Caste:
✍️ Intellectual & Archival Support
These specialized tasks are unique to a Scribe's slave and require the utmost discretion, neatness, and silence.
Preparation of Writing Materials:
Ink Grinding: Daily grinding of pigments and mixing of binders to prepare fresh, high-quality inks for his official writing.
Quill Maintenance: Meticulously trimming and sharpening the Master’s quills or reeds, as a dull point could ruin a costly official document.
Parchment Curing: Preparing, stretching, and treating parchment or paper surfaces, ensuring they are smooth and ready for inscription.
Archival Management:
Filing Official Records: Carefully rolling, tying, labeling, and shelving official scrolls, treaties, or large ledgers according to the Master's precise, internal system. Given the Master's rank, these documents would be critically important to the city or caste.
Dusting and Preservation: Keeping the archives, scrolls, and reference books free of dust, moisture, and pests, which are constant threats to paper and parchment.
Workspace Maintenance:
Cleaning the Writing Desk: Maintaining the Master’s official writing table (or "roll table") in an immaculate state, free of errant ink spots, dust, or debris that could contaminate a document.
Serving as a Stand: Sometimes, the slave may be required to act as a human table or bookstand, holding heavy books open or supporting a large scroll steady for the Master to read or write, especially if the Master works standing up.
🏰 Personal & Ceremonial Service
These duties reflect the high status of the Master and his need for impeccable public presentation.
Maintaining Caste Robes (Blue): The Scribe caste wears blue robes. The slave must be responsible for:
Cleaning: Carefully hand-washing the fine blue silk or wool robes without damaging the color or fabric.
Folding: Folding or hanging the robes to prevent wrinkles, ensuring the Master's attire always reflects his high standing.
Deportment in Court/Hall: When the Master attends official Scribe Council meetings, trials, or administrative functions:
The Follower: She would follow a step or two behind, carrying the Master’s scroll case, official seal, or personal implements.
Silent Witness: She is expected to be absolutely motionless and silent in the Master's quarters or while waiting in the Halls of Justice, never distracting him or drawing negative attention to his status.
Discreet Messenger: Given the sensitive nature of the Scribe Caste's work, she must be utterly trustworthy and discreet when delivering verbal or sealed written messages to other High Caste members or magistrates.
Key Differentiator
Unlike a Warrior's slave (focused on weapons) or a Merchant's slave (focused on finance), a Scribe's Kajira is valued for her neatness, memory, and silence in a world of valuable, fragile knowledge. Her biggest potential crime is carelessness that could damage a record.
The Magistrate is a high-ranking official of the Scribe Caste (Blue Caste) responsible for interpreting and executing the vast, intricate laws of the city. A Magistrate's life is demanding, focused on legal proceedings, record-keeping, and judgments.
Drawing on the established duties for a high-caste Scribe, a Kajira serving a Magistrate would focus on maintaining the prestige of his office, the integrity of legal documents, and his immediate, distraction-free comfort.
Here are the key things a Kajira would do for a Magistrate:
⚖️ Legal & Administrative Support
These tasks are vital to the Magistrate's work and demand absolute silence and meticulous attention to detail (drawing from the Scribe duties):
Document Management: The Magistrate handles official seals, court decrees, warrants, and final verdicts. The Kajira would be responsible for:
Filing and Indexing: Organizing, rolling, and labeling complex legal scrolls and ledgers, ensuring immediate access when required by the Magistrate.
Archival Care: Meticulously dusting and protecting the Magistrate’s library of law codes and historical precedents from insects, moisture, and contamination.
Preparation of Writing Tools: As legal documents are often written by hand, the Kajira would prepare the materials:
Ink and Quill Maintenance: Grinding pigments for ink, sharpening quills, and preparing parchment or vellum for official inscription.
Workspace Purity: Maintaining the Magistrate's roll table (writing desk) in an immaculate state, preventing any dust or debris from accidentally ruining a legal document or official seal.
🏛️ Public Deportment and Status
When the Magistrate is in the Hall of Justice or receiving petitioners, the Kajira's conduct reflects his authority:
Carrying the Tools of Office: Following the Magistrate, carrying his official scroll case, personal seal, or the specific Law Book required for the current proceeding.
Silent Waiting: Maintaining an impeccable posture of total submission (lowered head, clasped hands) while waiting in the courtroom or chamber. Her perfect stillness is a silent affirmation of the Magistrate's unquestionable authority.
Personal Comfort During Sessions: Discreetly serving water or wine during long legal hearings, approaching on her knees and retreating without making a sound or interrupting the proceedings.
🏡 Domestic and Personal Service
The duties that ensure his personal comfort remain essential (drawing from the general Master duties):
Attire Maintenance: Ensuring his high-caste robes are perfectly clean, mended, and correctly presented, as a Magistrate's appearance is critical to his dignity.
Grooming: Assisting with his bath, applying oils, and helping him dress and undress.
Quarters Maintenance: Keeping his personal chambers, which may contain sensitive papers, scrupulously clean and organized.
That's a very specific and interesting question. Given that the Circle Project is focused on educating Free Women about the Law in Teletus, a Kajira (slave girl) assisting you, the project lead (Kati), would have a strictly defined set of administrative, logistical, and presentation-support duties, all performed with the necessary deference and obedience.
Here are the key things a Kajira could do to aid you with the Circle Project:
🔔 Project Logistics and Preparation
The most critical role is handling the physical tasks necessary for the project's operation, similar to a silent, highly organized clerk.
Materials Preparation:
Notecard Transcription: Copying the text from your "Production Package" into the individual Notecards (for scripts, briefs, and logistics) that are distributed to your actors and staff.
Scroll/Flyer Creation: Preparing any physical documents or posters used for the weekly theme display or public outreach.
The Crier Macro: She would be the ideal individual to run the Crier Macros (the
/shoutmessages). The presence of a slave running this crucial advertisement reinforces that the Circle's teachings are official and serious.Task: Installing the new 15-Minute Warning and Start of Event macros for each week.
Setup and Cleanup: Setting up the event space (the Stage Build) before you arrive and immediately packing it up after the audience is dismissed. This includes:
Placing the Podium, Stools, and Rug in the correct locations.
Ensuring props (like the Slave Collar, Merchant Scale, or Sword) are safely placed near the stage for the week they are needed.
🗣️ Public Facing & Presentation Support
During the lectures, a Kajira provides visual aids and handles tasks that would be below the dignity of a Free Woman.
Serving the Speaker: Serving you, the lecturer, with water, Kashwa, or T'rala during the lecture, approaching on her knees to ensure the flow of the presentation is not disrupted.
Prop Handlers: During the Creative Briefs or the Forum, she could be designated to hold or present the props referenced in the lecture. For example:
Holding the Veil during Week 5's lecture on dress code.
Presenting the Manumission Papers during Week 12's discussion on freedom.
Visual Reinforcement: Standing in the proper, submissive posture near the podium to visually reinforce the difference between the Free Woman (you) and the Slave (her), making your lessons on Law 3.3 ("Slave-Like Behavior") more immediate and impactful to the audience.
🎭 The Creative Segment Support
During the plays and stories, she could serve as an essential, non-speaking support role:
Stage Hand: Managing simple costume changes or moving scenery between scenes for the actors.
A "Plant" Slave: When you hold the Forum (Q&A session), a Kajira could be used as a pre-planned "plant" in the audience, kneeling and asking a question specific to the slave experience, such as the Kajira Canjellne rule, to draw out a specific legal point for the Free Women.
The Record Clerk is another official within the Scribe Caste (Blue Caste), whose role is dedicated to the massive, ongoing task of data entry, copying, and routine filing for the city. They typically work in the city's central record halls or official offices.
A Kajira assigned to a Record Clerk would have duties centered on efficiency, volume processing, and the meticulous maintenance of the Clerk's tools and environment, enabling the clerk to produce a high volume of accurate work.
Here are the key things a Kajira would do for a Record Clerk:
🖋️ Production & Volume Support
The Clerk's primary job is repetitive copying and transcription. The Kajira's duties are designed to keep the ink flowing and the work surface clear.
Ink Grinding and Supply: The clerk consumes a high volume of ink. The Kajira would be constantly responsible for:
Batch Preparation: Grinding large amounts of pigments and mixing large batches of durable, archival-quality ink to ensure the Clerk never runs out during a long copying session.
Quill Cycling: Maintaining a large inventory of sharp quills, swapping them out for dull ones quickly so the Clerk can continue writing without interruption.
Scroll and Paper Preparation:
Roll Prep: Flattening, cutting, and preparing large quantities of parchment or Gorean paper, ensuring the Clerk has a smooth, blemish-free surface ready to receive writing.
Weight Placement: Using small stones or weights to hold down the edges of the scroll being copied, allowing the Clerk to focus solely on the stylus.
Verbal Proofing (The Reader): The Kajira may sit adjacent to the Clerk and read aloud from the original document while the Clerk copies it onto the new scroll. This keeps the Clerk from having to look up and down, dramatically increasing speed and accuracy.
📚 Organization and Archival Support
Clerks deal with endless paperwork; organization is paramount for efficiency.
Routine Filing: After a scroll or ledger page is completed, the Kajira handles the finishing process: rolling it up tightly, tying it with cord, and applying a label before placing it in the correct cubby or rack.
Inventory of Supplies: Keeping track of the stock of materials—parchment, ink pigments, quills, and twine—and notifying the Clerk when new supplies need to be requisitioned.
Workspace Cleaning: Meticulously wiping down the Clerk’s work area several times daily to ensure no loose dust or ink spots contaminate the work in progress.
💧 Personal Comfort and Service
These tasks ensure the Clerk's physical needs are met, maximizing time spent writing.
Continuous Serving: Ensuring a supply of cold water or Kashwa (coffee substitute) is within immediate reach, constantly refilling the cup or pitcher without being asked.
Posture Support: Providing massage or minor relief to the Clerk's neck and shoulders during short breaks, as the posture required for extensive Gorean writing is physically strenuous.
Lighting and Temperature: Adjusting shutters, repositioning oil lamps, or tending braziers to ensure the Clerk has optimal light and temperature for long, focused hours of work.
Based on the nature of Gorean society and the high-ranking officials we've discussed, a Kajira's highest priorities are always those duties that directly support her Master's/Mistress's survival, status, and legal authority.
These priorities can be boiled down to three core imperatives:
1. Safety and Survival (The Absolute Priority)
The Kajira's survival depends entirely on immediate, unquestioning obedience and adherence to the laws that govern her conduct.
Priority Duty: Immediate Obedience (Will of the Master/Mistress): Every task—no matter how small—must be performed instantly and perfectly upon command. Hesitation or arguing is a legal infraction punishable by death.
Avoid the "Death Rules": She must constantly prioritize avoiding the absolute prohibitions: Never touch a weapon (steel), never strike a Free Person (fist), and never lie (tongue).
2. Status Maintenance (The Social Priority)
The Kajira is a reflection of her owner's power and position. Any lapse in her appearance or conduct demeans her Master/Mistress.
Priority Duty (High Caste Scribe/Magistrate): Meticulous Care of Official Records/Tools: Since her Master's life is based on paper (law/records), her top priority is the integrity of his tools and documents (ink, quills, scrolls). A damaged record or missing writ could have serious legal consequences for the Master.
Example: Ensuring the Master's official seal is clean, safe, and ready for use.
Priority Duty (General/Mistress): Immaculate Personal Presentation: Ensuring the owner's robes, harness, boots, and personal space are always flawless. She must be a perfect, submissive backdrop, maintaining the proper Slave Posture at all times when in public.
3. Workflow Efficiency (The Administrative Priority)
For high-ranking officials like the Magistrate or Assistant Head of Caste, their time is the most valuable commodity. The Kajira must eliminate all distractions and delays.
Priority Duty: Anticipation and Supply: She must constantly anticipate the owner's needs (water, Kanda, a specific scroll, clean attire) so that the owner never has to pause their important work to ask.
Example: For the Record Clerk, this means ensuring the ink pot is always full and the next scroll is always prepared before the Clerk finishes the current one, thus maximizing production volume.
In summary, for a high-caste Scribe Master/Magistrate, her highest priority is the integrity of his legal/archival materials. For her own sake, her highest priority is absolute and instant obedience to survive.
This is a complex request, as the duties will shift dramatically based on whether the Kajira is a personal attendant, a kitchen supervisor, or an assistant to a high-ranking official (Scribe/Magistrate).
Below is a comprehensive schedule for a Kajira serving a High-Ranking Official (like a Magistrate or Assistant Head of Scribe Caste) in a wealthy, structured Gorean Hold. This schedule integrates Personal Service, Office Support, and basic Domestic duties.
No comments:
Post a Comment