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The Goreans believe, incredibly enough, that the capacity to master a tarn is innate and that some men possess this characteristic and that some do not. One does not learn to master a tarn. It is a matter of blood and spirit, of beast and man, of a relation between two beings which must be immediate, intuitive, spontaneous. It is said that a tarn knows who is a tarnsman and who is not, and that those who are not die in this first meeting.
Tarns, who are vicious things, are seldom more than half tamed and, like their diminutive counterparts the hawks, are carnivorous. It is not unknown for a tarn to attack and devour his own rider. They fear nothing but the tarn-goad. They are trained by men of the Caste of Tarn Keepers to respond to it while still young, when they can be fastened by wires to the training perches.
Whenever a young bird soars away or refuses obedience in some fashion, he is dragged back to the perch and beaten with the tarn-goad. Rings, comparable to those which are fastened on the legs of the young birds, are worn by the adult birds to reinforce the memory of the hobbling wire and the tarn-goad. Later, of course, the adult birds are not fastened, but the conditioning given them in their youth usually holds except when they become abnormally disturbed or have not been able to obtain food.
The spirit of the tarn must not be broken, not that of a war tarn. He is trained to the point where it is necessary for a strong master to decide whether he shall serve him or slay him. You will come to know your tarn, and he will come to know you. You will be as one in the sky, the tarn the body, you the mind and will. You will live in an armed truce with the tarn. If you become weak or helpless, he will kill you. As long as you remain strong, his master, he will serve you, respect you, obey you.'
Guidance of the tarn is done by virtue of a throat strap, to which are attached 6 leather streamers (or reins). The reins are of different colours but one learns them by ring position. Each of the reins attaches to a small ring on the throat strap. One draws on the rein which is attached to the ring most nearly approximating the direction in which one wishes to go. The reins are numbered in a clockwise position with the top ring being position 1. Some tarns are trained to respond to the reins, their owners voice, and lastly by the Tarnsmans body position, though this is very advanced.
The Straps and how to RP moving Your Tarn
one strap - to rise in flight or gain altitude
two strap - to ascend and veer to the right
three strap - to descend and veer to the right
four strap - to land or lose altitude
five strap - to descend and verr to the left
six strap - to ascend and veer to the left
releasing the reins - signal for straight and constant flight
The Command Given to send your Tarn away
'tabuk' - call given to the tarn to indicate that it is to hunt for food - rider may or may not be mounted when the call is made
How to Make Your Tarn return to You
This can be done in varies Roleplay fashions, I personally use a loud whistle like flute found around my neck. Others can perhaps make a distinctive " Squawk" sound, or perhaps shout out a single word. Your tarn when it has gone to feed will not travel to far off, and they have a keen sense of Vision as well as hearing. Many tarnsmen use verbal commands on an utmost well trained tarn. In the Novels it mentions Tarls Tarn, known as 'Ubar of the Skies', responded on verbal commands, and rarely did He use the six straps.
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