In Treasure of Gor, John Norman explores the role of the Caste of Assassins through its weapons, commissions, identifying marks, and association with the Black Courts. The passages portray the Assassin as a professional who acts for a fee, whose hunt is marked by the black dagger, and whose methods inspire both fear and controversy. They also examine the caste’s relationship with poison, the crossbow, and the boundaries surrounding a commission, revealing how the Black Caste’s reputation extends into the political and social life of Gor.

The crossbow or rifle bow is looked down upon by many Goreans because it is supposedly easier to master than the straight bow, and also, one suspects, because it is commonly associated with the Black Caste, the caste of Assassins.
Page 194

Bold, glorious, high-walled Ar, dismal, squalid, shabby Ar; Ar of palaces, theaters, stadiums, rich markets, elegant restaurants, lovely shopping streets, and Ar of basement brothels, dingy taverns, and secret markets where honor can be sold, poisons purchased, and assassins hired.
Page 312

The power of an Administrator is limited; that of a Ubar is not, save perhaps by revolution or the stroke of an assassin’s knife.
Page 357

Would Tiskias, after he had satisfied himself with respect to what the prisoners knew, and whom they might have been in contact with, pay the Panther Girls to do away with the prisoners? I feared that that was likely. I remember the lonely bridge that night in Ar. But, would the Panther Girls do such a thing? I had never heard of Panther Girls, like mercenaries or assassins, killing for pay.
Page 459

“As I thought,” said Rupert, “the quarrel is black.”

“The Black Caste,” said a man.

“The Assassins,” said another.

“They are expensive,” said another.

“I do not understand,” said a man. “One does not kill slaves. One buys and sells them. One owns and enjoys them.”

“What human would fee an Assassin for so strange and ugly a deed?” asked a man.

“Perhaps nothing human,” said Rupert. He then turned to me.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Yes, Master,” I said. “I felt sick, but now I am better. I am now all right.”

“What do you know of Assassins?” he asked.

“Very little,” I said.

“Your assailant was an Assassin,” he said. “He will have taken fee.”

“Master?” I asked.

“He will try again,” said Rupert.
Pages 568

He was helmeted.

I turned to face him. My weight was on my knees and hands, my fingers clutching at the grass.

In the Y-shaped aperture of the helmet I could see little of his forehead or features.

“Tal,” said he, “pretty kajira.”

“What are you going to do with me?” I asked.

Slowly he removed the helmet, and put it beside him, at his feet.

“There are customs,” he said, “proprieties.”

On his forehead, inked there, was a tiny dagger.

I did not understand that.

“I have ascended the nine steps of blood,” he said. “I am of the Black Court of Brundisium.”

“I do not understand,” I said. “I understand nothing. Why have you put the image of a dagger on your forehead?”

“It is the sign of one of the Black Caste, when he is hunting,” he said. “It warns others not to interfere with his hunt.”

“I do not understand,” I said.

“I will be quick,” he said.

“I am a slave,” I said, “only a slave!”

“I have taken fee,” he said.

“You are he of the black quarrel!” I said.

“Yes,” he said.
Page 588

“Han-leel,” I said, “was an assassin.”

“I wager no simple assassin,” said Rupert.

“No,” I said, “he was of the Black Caste. It was he who had loosed the black quarrel earlier.”

“Undoubtedly,” said Rupert.

“He said something about the Black Court of Brundisium,” I said.

“I have heard of it,” said Rupert. “It is one of the most famous, largest, and most feared, holdings of the Black Caste. It is no wonder that Han-leel seemed to know much of Brundisium.”
Page 591

“Perhaps because you thought an Assassin successful in completing his part of an understanding, one you arranged at the behest of a Kur.”

“No!” he said.

“The Assassin was unsuccessful,” said Rupert. “The slave lives.”

“Excellent,” said Tiskias. “Slaves are not to be killed, but to be worked, enjoyed, and used.”

“The Assassin’s name was Han-leel,” said Rupert. “You do not know of him, of course.”

“No,” said Tiskias.

“If you did know of him,” said Rupert, “you need concern yourself with him no longer.”

“I understand,” said Tiskias.
Page 600

“Poison is dishonorable?” I said.

“It is generally frowned upon by men,” said Rupert. “Its use is foresworn even by those of the Black Caste. Perhaps it is too much like the ost, small, unseen, furtive, unsuspected, difficult to guard against, suddenly striking.”

“It is dishonorable,” I said.

“For men,” he said, “at least inappropriate.”

“They prefer meeting,” I said, “sword to sword, spear to spear.”

“Much depends on the caste,” he said. “Those of the Black Caste do not eschew the patient bow, the crossbow.”
Page 658

The Crossbow and the Reputation of the Black Caste

The crossbow, also called the rifle bow, is regarded with disdain by some Goreans, who consider it easier to master than the straight bow. The passage also suggests that this attitude may stem from the weapon’s association with the Caste of Assassins. This reflects how the caste’s reputation influences perceptions of its preferred weapons.

Assassination and Political Power

The novel presents the assassin’s knife as a potential limit on the otherwise extensive power of a Ubar. Alongside revolution, assassination is identified as a force capable of bringing even the highest political authority to an end. The reference illustrates the political significance of the Assassin beyond the immediate act of killing.

The Black Caste and the Market for Death

Ar is described as a city where assassins can be hired alongside the sale of poisons and other illicit services. The passage places assassination within the darker commercial world of the city, presenting it as a service that can be purchased for a price.

The Commission and the Fee

The encounter with Han-leel establishes that an Assassin who has accepted a fee may pursue the intended target more than once. After surviving an attack, the narrator is warned that the Assassin will try again. The later discussion confirms that Han-leel had been hired and that the attempt failed because the intended victim remained alive. Together, these passages emphasize the importance of the commission and the distinction between accepting a fee and successfully completing the assigned work.

The Black Dagger and the Hunt

Han-leel identifies himself through the dagger inked upon his forehead, explaining that it is the sign of a member of the Black Caste who is hunting. The mark serves as a warning to others not to interfere. His declaration that he has ascended the Nine Steps of Blood and belongs to the Black Court of Brundisium connects the symbol to both his initiation and his professional affiliation.

The Black Court of Brundisium

The Black Court of Brundisium is described as one of the largest, most famous, and most feared holdings of the Black Caste. Han-leel’s membership establishes a connection between an individual Assassin and this wider institution. The reference reinforces the importance of the Black Courts as centers associated with the caste’s identity and organization.

The Limits of the Assassin’s Commission

The attempt on a slave’s life raises a question about the purpose of the commission and the intended victim. Rupert notes that the Assassin failed because the slave survived, while Tiskias expresses approval that she was not killed, insisting that slaves are to be worked, enjoyed, and used. These passages reveal a conflict between the hired act of killing and the interests of those who regard the intended victim as property. They also demonstrate that the success or failure of a commission can have consequences beyond the Assassin and the person who hired him.

Poison and the Assassin’s Craft

The novel states that the use of poison is generally frowned upon and that even members of the Black Caste forswear it. Rupert contrasts poison’s unseen and difficult-to-guard-against nature with more openly recognized forms of combat, while noting that Assassins do not reject the patient bow or crossbow. The passage distinguishes the use of concealed weapons from the use of poison, suggesting that the caste’s methods have their own boundaries.