Introduction to the City--General Information
"In Schendi there are fortunes and there are dangers." [Explorers of Gor, p.85]
The city of Schendi is an equatorial free port, located just south of the equator. The city is administered by the Merchant Caste though the identity of the actual Administrator is never given [in the books]. The word "Schendi" has no real meaning on its own. It might possibly be a corruption of the inland dialect word "Ushindi" which means "victory." When sailing over Thassa, the first sign you will detect that you are nearing Schendi will be found about thirty to forty pasangs out to sea. You will begin to notice brownish stains in the water, traces of sediment from the Kamba and Nyoka rivers, both which exit at or near Schendi. The first actual land you will reach is Point Schendi, located on a small peninsula. The city of Schendi is then about four pasangs from the Point.
When entering the port, ships must keep a buoy lane on their port side. Ships leaving the port do the same thing. The buoy lines are color coded to lead to certain wharf sections. For example, the buoy line with yellow and white stripes leads to the general merchant wharves. There are more than forty merchant wharves in this area, each which holds four ships to a side. The harbor of Schendi is very large, about eight pasangs wide and up to three pasangs deep. At the eastern end of the harbor, the Nyoka River flows into it. The river's waters are channeled between stone embankments, set about two hundred yards apart. Because the embankments narrow the river at this point, the water enters the harbor much quicker than it would normally flow. If you wish to travel up the Nyoka River from the harbor, there is a bypass that is similar to a lock system. This bypass provides calm waters to allow easy shipping until the natural flow of the Nyoka can be reached. This bypass is more commonly called the "hook."
Schendi has a population of about a million people, most of them blacks, so it is a substantial-sized city. Gorean is the official language of Schendi and only a small percentage of its people speak the inland dialects of the jungles. Schendi is also the home port to the infamous League of Black Slavers. The League are an organized group of pirates, well known for their cruelty. They generally restrict their pirating and slaving to the waters far from Schendi, not wishing to prey upon their own people. The League generally does not sell their captures in Schendi. They prefer to sell them closer to other slave markets or at the Sardar fairs.
The sign of Schendi is the "shackle and scimitar". The shackle obviously symbolizes slavery and maybe more specifically the League of Black Slavers. The scimitar is a weapon common to the city and is sometimes used as a means of discipline or punishment. The infamous Schendi "scimitar of discipline" may be used to cut off the feet of an errant slave.
Due to its location on the equator, Schendi does not really experience a winter. During what would be winter in the southern hemisphere, it instead has a dry season. It is not really dry during this time but is actually only a season with less rain than the rest of the year. There are thought to be two dry seasons and two rainy seasons each year. The peasants and other farmers do their main planting at the start of the dry season because of the lesser rains. During the rainy season, any seeds planted would likely be washed away by the constant downpours. There are commonly two major rains each day at this time. Because of these heavy rains, a peasant must move his field every two to three seasons as the land gets depleted of minerals and nutriments by the constant rains. Entire villages must move due to this situation. Farmers in this region are more like gardeners than actual farmers. The infertility of the land is a primary reason why large population centers have not developed in the interior regions. The land will not support a large permanent settlement for any substantial length of time. The weather though does aid the Merchant trade as it permits shipping to and from Schendi all year round.
Schendi is surrounded by palisaded walls, that are meant to offer some protection from the tribes of the nearby jungles. But, Schendi is not really a fortress or well-armed city. It does not even have a navy. It is simply a merchant city with little real protection against attack. The major tribes of the jungles could probably capture the city if they truly tried to do so. Despite its lack of defenses, the books do not detail any prior attacks from other cities. Only the jungle tribes seem to pose any true threat to the port. Because of its close proximity to the jungles, Schendi also possesses its own unique odor. Within the city, you can smell pungent spices offset by the smell of the aromatic flowers and rotting vegetation. This offers quite a cacophony of aromas.
Schendi is an important port for Merchants from all over Gor. Many important Merchant houses, from a variety of cities, have offices or agents here. Schendi exports a number of products, some very unique to the city. The city has many Leather Workers engaged in the tooling of kailiauk hide. Kailiauk leather and horns are thus one of the major exports. Spices of all sorts are another such export. Palm wine is exported but there is no description of what this wine is like. We do not know its color or flavor. Small, carefully carved sapphires are also exported. The sapphires are generally a deep blue, thoughs others may be purple, white, or yellow. The sapphires are commonly carved into tiny panthers though other animals may also be carved. Ironically, despite the existence of the League of Black Slavers, slaves do not count as a major export of Schendi because they sell most of their slaves far from the city. The city does though have a number of excellent slave markets such as Ushanga, Mkufu, Utajiri, Dhahabu, Fedha, Marashi, Hariri, Kovu and Ngoma.
Most buildings within the city have been constructed of wood and have wooden ventilation shafts on their rooves. These can be easily opened or closed. An old Schendi trick is to hang strings of dried peas from the ceiling of your home. If someone then walks on the roof, the pressure they exert will release the peas. This is an excellent way to silently detect intruders. At night, small bells can be attached to the strings to wake you from your sleep. Even Tarl Cabot ran afoul of this trick when he was sneaking around Schendi.
A typical Schendi Merchant seamen may wear the following outfit. He may wear an aba to cover his head. An aba is like a hood in that it covers the head and descends down the back some. The aba may be a common article in Schendi due to the heat. Over the aba may be a cap with the two golden tassels of Schendi. He will also wear an ankle-length, loosely sleeved robe, though it may be a "tobe" instead of a robe. A tobe may be a special type of robe but I have yet to find an Earth reference to it. The book mentions the term "tobe" twice but that might be just a spelling error. I'll keep checking on that. The colors of the robe will be white and gold if he is a Merchant or blue and gold if he is a Slaver. Around the robe will be a sash and that might hold a curved dagger.
Lower caste women of Schendi and the jungles, and the white slaves in Schendi, are often taught to carry jars on their heads. This is done without the use of their hands or a towel to act as a base. It is considered to be good exercise for a girl's posture.
[The above is borrowed from Ubar Luther's website]
The dark natives are distinctive in their colorful saris, chalwars, abas and lightweight clothing. Women wear their hair uncovered, though a single light veil or tribal hat marks the free woman from the slave.
Along the cliffs over the shores are located the great houses of the wealthy. Black sand beaches and white sand beaches offer recreation to the many tourists who visit the tropical paradise.