Moving in the night's velvet darkness, hidden to the casual eye, he walks his lonely path. Slipping into the warmth of the Inn, hugging the shadows against the wall, he takes a seat in the deepest puddle of halflight. People lift their eyes from their own pursuits for but a moment, then quickly look away, fear of what they might see in his eyes driving their motions. Does he sigh within himself? Who but the man himself knows.

Pushing back his hood, he settles deep into the soft furs with a sigh. The Inn's Owner looks up, His laughing eyes taking in the clear brow. "Welcome, Killer. Enjoy your stay! Girl! See what Our guest might wish this cold night."

He smiles a bit as the saucy slavegirl approaches him, clearly untroubled by his somber black, softly swaying hips promising sweet treasures. Treasures he has not tasted in many hands...fear is a bad aphrodisiac.

In the Gor books, Assassins fill a vital role within Gorean society, ridding it of the detritus of humanity that hides behind wealth and power. The following information is taken directly from Book 12, Beasts: pg 358:

Assassins:

• Will only kill if they have taken money

("There is only gold and steel")


• must kill their training partner to graduate and become an Assassin. The last impediment to the turning of their heart to stone is the slaying of one who is dear to them.



• wear Black



• wear the sign of the Black Dagger on their forehead when on a contract (hunting)



• are properly called "Killer" by those who respect them



• are paid in Gold which is subsequently called "Black Gold", or "Blood Money". Many will not accept it as it is considered tainted.



• use a killing dagger whose hilt is inscribed with "I have sought him, I have found him". This is left in the body.

The differences between the assassins of the Gor Novels and those of ircGor are striking. At one time there was an attempt to organize those claiming to be assassins on IRC into a guild. The guild had strict rules and only the Elders could accept contracts. Those contracts had to be based on verifiable information (logs, eyewitness accounts, etc.) Kills had to be a minimum of two paragraphs (two posts) and had to offer time for the victim to defend himself. The kill had to occur in a Kill Zone and the Channel Owner (who was informed of the kill before it occurred) was the final arbiter on the efficacy of the kill. Once a kill was deemed 'good', the victim was expected to de-reg his/her nick and disappear from Gor.

It should go without saying that this method, while a noble attempt, met with limited success. Renegade assassins muddied the waters, contracts were taken out on slaves, victims refused to die, kills were made in No Kill Zones, and out of pure spite with no reasoning behind them. To most serious Gorean channels that remain, an IRC kill is specious and ignored. There are better ways to ostracize a loser.