iNFORMATION SCROLLS #3: On Pani Free Men (Other Ranks)

A scribe is one who does the paper work of the camp and tasks requiring some level of intelligence. The role of the scribe ranges from magistrates of a large city, a region, or a camp to record keepers, lawyers, accountants, historians etc. This title was also given to High Pani Female of Status.


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Daikan
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A Daikan was a financial magistrate that serve as a merchant, trader, and broker to helps individuals or businesses of a large city, a region, or a camp to raise funds to purchase things (such as new machinery or homes), assist in the movement of money via payment mechanisms, and to provide ways to invest excess funds, such as savings accounts and bonds. This title was also given to High Pani Female of Status.



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The Sensei is the Dojo Instructor in a Household of a large city, a region, or a camp. and an experienced advisors called upon by the Shogun and thier students. A Sensei is a person you can take inspiration from, whom you respect but feel comfortable enough turning to in a time of need. A Sensei should not use their students as tools for their egos to prove how superior they are.

To the contrary the Sensei should lead their students to discover their strengths and weaknesses so they may grow and florist in the Martial Arts and Life. They were the ones that helped a warrior not only fight but find their inner peace to endure the things they will have to do as warrior.

Sen means “before”, Sei means “life, birth, living or lived”. Thus a Sensei is someone who has experienced something before you. He has walked the path you are planning to follow before you, he can tell you what to do. In more general terms, it’s a teacher, normally the head instructor of the Dojo you are attending.

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((The Practice of Martial Arts))
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We were some twenty yards from the fellow, who was engaged, I supposed, in certain martial exercises, certainly of a rather stylized, formal nature. I had never seen anything exactly like this before. He was standing, and sometimes wheeled about, gracefully. He had two hands on an unusual
sword, with which he described certain evolutions, thrusts, strokes, a return to guard, and so on. It seemed ritualistic, but he was certainly intent on what he was doing. I had the sense of a severe concentration.

-Swordsmen of Gor pg 224

Eight of the Pani then rose from their places and four of them, unarmed, faced the other four, similarly unarmed. They then bowed to one another, warily squared off and, shortly, engaged. Another of the Pani, an umpire or referee, or, better, I suppose, an adjudicator, began to observe and
supervise the practice. He occasionally commented, even scolded. In this engagement no mortal blows were to be dealt, of course, and when a stroke which would have spelled death or disablement was held up short, the adjudicator pronounced his verdict, and one of the fellows would politely
withdraw from the contest, in effect having been ruled dead or, one supposes, disabled. One-on-one combat can be stylized amongst the Pani, and may proceed rather formally, for all its sudden swiftness and violence, alternating with an almost unnatural stillness, reminiscent of a larl or panther,
intent, immobile, subtly quivering, before its attack.

Interestingly, although four were engaged on a side, when one was removed from the contest, his opponent did not then join with his fellows to overwhelm the survivors, but stood back. In effect, then, one had what seemed to amount to four one-on-one contests. In actual warfare, I trusted this civility would not be respected. Courtesy is one thing, but courtesy at the expense of victory seemed to me a dubious tactical election. Finally one fellow held the floor from one team, so to speak, and he was faced by three of the other group. He defeated two and was defeated by the third. The eight fellows
then stood, exchanged bows, and resumed their places.

"May we speak?" I asked Tajima.
"Not now," said Tajima, softly.

-Swordsmen of Gor

((The use of wooden weapons))

A large number of contests, of various sorts, took place in the dojo, most with weapons of wood. These were surrogates for several weapons, in particular the short sword, or companion sword, and the long sword. Some glaives without blades were used. An interesting variation on these surrogate weapons was supple poles, long, light, peeled, whiplike branches which might flash about, scarcely visible. These, I gathered, were less surrogate weapons than training devices, to quicken reflexes, and enhance skills. Occasionally steel was used, but, again, of course, the strokes were held up short. Sometimes one surrogate weapon was put against a different surrogate weapon. Sometimes an unarmed individual was to engage an individual armed, say, with a sheathed dagger. Understandably, a reasonable amount of care was taken in the dojo to reduce injury and, certainly, to prevent death, the holding of strokes, and such, but, nonetheless, bloodshed was not infrequent, and broken limbs, wrists, and arms, were not
unknown. These injuries seemed to be accepted with equanimity, save where it was suspected that intent was involved. The Pani seemed to feel in such a case that something was out of balance, however slightly, and an adjustment was in order. A disharmony was in need of correction. In such case one slash reddening a wooden blade might be used to pay for another.

"Now?" I asked Tajima.
"No," said Tajima.

The exercises and contests within the dojo were obviously intended to provide serious and detailed martial training, and I am sure they had great value in this regard. Why should they not? Indeed, had I not, long ago, in Ko-ro-ba, the Towers of the Morning, engaged in similar exercises, though commonly with actual weapons? But one can do only so much in such training, of course, whether with wood or steel. It is one thing to face a fellow with a wooden sword, say, who will hold his stroke, or try to do so, and quite another to face a fellow armed with finely edged steel who has every intention
of killing you. In the latter case every corpuscle comes alive, and the whole business is commonly done within a flash or two of steel. There is no training, as it is said, which can compare with the dojo of blood.
Swordsmen of Gor pg 393 - 397


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Warriors
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The Pani had three Classes of warriors or fighters as some would call them..
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First they had the Swordsmen who were the Highest More Respected Samurai Warriors. The Swordsman would commonly be seen carrying two Swords (katanas)

Second they had the Chujo who is a Lieutenant general this is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second in command on the battlefield

Third they had the [bAshigaru[/b]who were the Archers, Spearmen, Riders, Larl Handlers, Tarnsmen, Scouts, Hunters, Infantrymen and Guardsmen in the Pani armies. They were conscripted foot-soldiers and were lower-ranking than Swordsmen or Chujo.
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"I now saw one of the Pani emerging from the hut, carrying a head. These heads were clearly trophies of a sort. For example, a warrior might win favor from his daimyo or shogun by gathering heads, this understood as a proof of prowess in war. In such a way one might earn promotion, land, gifts, preferment, and such. I would also later learn that these heads, particularly if one of a celebrated foe, might be treasured, and kept indefinitely, the hair being carefully combed and dressed, the head being perfumed, the teeth painted black, and so on. “
- Swordsmen of Gor

“Lord Nishida bowed first. There is apparently a certain order to such things, who bows first, how deeply one bows, and such.”
- Mariners of Gor

“Hands, too, amongst the higher Pani, are often concealed in the broad sleeves of their robes. This makes possible the concealment, and the ready availability, of a sleeve dagger.”
- Mariners of Gor

“We do not require prisoners but seldom did so. Sometimes prisoners were tortured, and crucified, presumably primarily as examples to terrify enemies, reduce the temptation to sedition, and such. A common form of Gorean execution is impalement. The Pani regarded this as barbarous, but looked lightly on crucifixion."

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Most interestingly to me were the cots in the area, of which there were several. These cots were mostly improvised, walled with rope nets strung between trees, and, too, large, heavy poles, doubtless
from local trees, trimmed of bark and branches. Rope netting is used rather than wire to protect the birds. Tarn wire, for example, sometimes used to "roof a city," to defend it from tarn attack, is almost invisible, and can easily cut the wing from a descending bird. A lighter form of wire is called "slave
wire," and it, too, is dangerous. A slave attempting to escape through such wire is likely to be found suspended within it, piteously begging for help, half cut to pieces. Two of the cots were large and conical. Their framing, formed of light metal tubing, fitted together, was not untypical of a form of cot found in open camps. I supposed it derived from Thentis, and might have been brought to the coast by wagon, and then north by ship, as doubtless was the case with many forms of supplies.
-Swordsmen of Gor

“An interesting exception to this sort of thing is that a prisoner, or one on the verge of capture, may be accorded the right to accept a new daimyo or shogun. Once he does this he is then honor bound to serve the new leader, as he did his old, and, it seems, he may be depended on to do so. He is not a mercenary, but he is a loyal follower, whomsoever he follows."
–Swordsmen of Gor

“In his belt, blades uppermost, were the two swords, the companion sword and the longer blade.”
- Swordsmen of Gor

“I was at Cabots side to protect his left. And as a man fell he was at the left of a Pani warrior with a large horned face concealing helmet the Pani warrior clutched a long curved sword with two hands. ”
– Mariners of Gor

“We do not require prisoners but seldom did so. Sometimes prisoners were tortured, and crucified, presumably primarily as examples to terrify enemies, reduce the temptation to sedition, and such. A common form of Gorean execution is impalement. The Pani regarded this as barbarous, but looked lightly on crucifixion."
–Swordsmen of Gor

“I had no idea of how effective lower Pani, mostly peasants, impressed or enlisted as ashigaru, might be, as it was not their way of life, so to speak, as it seemed to be for higher Pani, such as the warriors of Lord Temmu, and Lords Nishida and Okimoto, but I was sure they could be trained, might be terrified not to fight, and, in any event, might be present in large numbers.”
–– Mariners of Gor
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"I saw some Pani about. Some had heads fastened at their belt. I saw no prisoners."
-Swordsmen of Gor pg 264

"These heads were clearly trophies of a sort. For example, a warrior might win favor from his daimyo or shogun by garnering heads, this understood as a proof of prowess in war. In such a way one might earn promotion, land, gifts, preferments, and such. I would also later learn that these heads, particularly if one of a celebrated foe, might be treasured, and kept indefinitely, the hair being carefully combed and dressed, the head being perfumed, the teeth painted black, and so on. The blackness of teeth was apparently regarded as cosmetically appealing. Indeed, certain beauties of the Pani, I would learn, blackened their teeth to enhance their charms. To be sure, neither of the contract women of Lord Nishida, one of whom was Sumomo,
who was apparently of interest to Tajima, and the other of whom was Hana, as I later discovered, I was pleased to note, had adopted this practice.
He in the helmet mask turned toward me, and I saw that the mask, in design and color, was garish. Too, it was horned. The entire effect was that of a hideous face, as of some frightful creature, or monster of sorts, surely not even a human face."
-Swordsmen of Gor pg 469-470

"Let Lord Nishida be notified," I urged, "that he may
intervene."
"That is Lord Nishida," said Tajima, indicating the figure in
the fearsome mask with the bloodied sword.
"It cannot be," I said.
"It is," said Tajima.
"But his sword is bloodied," I protested.
"Lord Nishida is a great warrior," said Tajima.
"He fights, he, sword to sword?" I asked.
"Certainly," said Tajima. "It is our way. Who would follow
another?"
"Take prisoners!" I said.
"We do not require prisoners," said Tajima.

In common Gorean warfare it is not unknown for prisoners to be taken. They may be interrogated, worked, sold, and such. Too, occasionally, if important, and of station, they may be ransomed. The Pani, it seemed, might take prisoners but seldom did so. Sometimes prisoners were tortured, and
crucified, presumably primarily as examples to terrify enemies, reduce the temptation to sedition, and such. A common form of Gorean execution is impalement. The Pani regarded this as barbarous, but looked lightly on crucifixion. Such things apparently vary culturally. Perhaps one reason
the Pani are not prone to making prisoners is that it is thought that the prisoner might be expected, if honorable, to end his own life, to erase his shame at having fallen into the hands of the enemy, and thus, if this is so, he might as well be spared this indignity by being granted an earlier surcease.

-Swordsmen of Gor pg 479-480

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There were Assassin among the Pani unlike the black caste they did not wear a dagger mark and would not stop until the target is dead. They were like Rōnin having no master or lord. Only loyal depending on the gold they are paid and themselves. Like regular Swordsman and Rōnin, the Assassins wore their two swords along with a variety of other weapons as well..
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Those brought to Tarncamp were, I had gathered from Pertinax, mercenaries, bandits, brigands, thieves, murderers, wanderers, low men, cast-off men, men lost from Home Stones, and such. Many, I understood, had come from the occupational forces now expelled from Ar. The word of such men might be as the rustle of the wind amidst leech plants. Their loyalties would on the whole be to their own hides and purses. They would on the whole be as much for hire as the Assassins, save that the Assassin, once the dagger has been painted on his forehead, signaling he is hunting, is loyal to a fee.

Swordsmen of Gor - page 343
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Then they had the Rōnin who was a in essence a Swordsman with no Lord (Daimyo) or Master/Teacher (Sensei). A Swordsman became master-less from the death or fall of his Lord or Master, or after the loss of his Lord or Master’s favor or privilege. Like regular Swordsman, rōnin wore their two swords. The rōnin used a variety of other weapons as well..
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“In his belt, blades uppermost, were the two swords, the companion sword and the longer blade.”
- Swordsmen of Gor

"With whom do you train in the forest?" I asked.
"Nodachi," he said.
"He is not a two-name person?" I asked.
"That is not his name," said Tajima. "His name is secret. He conceals it. He is called 'Nodachi'. That is merely a name for a battle sword, one to be used in the field."
"I understand little of this," I said.
"He is ronen," said Tajima. "A fellow of the waves, as it is
said, one with no home, one carried by the current, one with
no master, no captain. There are many such."
“A mercenary?” I suggested.
“Ah, Tarl Cabot, tarnsman,” said Tajima, “how little you know of these things.”
“Doubtless.” I said.
“Loyalty,” said Tajima, “is required of the warrior. His lord must be dead, or imprisoned. Or it may be he was betrayed by his lord, or that his lord proved unworthy of his devotion. It is lonely for the Ronen. One remembers. One does not forget. Over the ice a cloud drifts. The bird clings to the cold branch. It cries its pain in the night.”

-Swordsmen of Gor