Tarnsmen |
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A special type of Warrior, possibly even a subcaste, is the Tarnsman.
Tarnsmen ride the mighty tarns, giant birds, also called the Brothers
of the Wind. A tarn resembles a hawk but possesses a crest like a jay.
It is surprisingly light for its size due to the hollowness of its bones.
Despite its lightness, it is still an extremely powerful bird that can
fly from the ground with a spring and sudden wing flurry. It is a diurnal
creature and a carnivore. They usually only eat what they catch themselves,
commonly tabuks and wild bull. If enough food is available, they will
eat half their own weight. But, near the end of the Gorean series, by
the time of Renegades of Gor, some tarns have been trained to eat prepared
meat. Tarns are trained by the Caste of Tarn Keepers, a low Caste. A tarn is seldom more than half-tamed, and it is not unknown for a tarn to even attack its own rider. Tarns do not thrive well in captivity. It is said that: "To live a tarn must fly, far and often." and "Like its brother the wind when the tarn is not free it has no choice but to die." (Priest Kings of Gor, p.191-2) Tarns are basically fearless, fearing only the tarn goad. And only trained tarns will fear that. It is also extremely difficult to fly a tarn from the sight of land. If they were hooded and brought by ship to the open sea, they would be fine but they won't willingly leave the sight of land. The plumage of tarns varies and many are bred for their color. The most common color is a greenish-brown. Black tarns are used for night raids and white ones for winter raids. Multi-colored tarns are used by proud warriors who do not care for camouflage. There is even a jungle tarn, a rare creature, that is gloriously plumaged and comes from the tropical reaches of the Cartius. War tarns have their talons shod in steel. There are also draft tarns, used for transporting cargo, and saddle tarns, used as transport. The capacity to master a tarn is thought to be innate. It cannot be learned. Warriors who wish to become Tarnsmen are taken to meet a tarn. The Warrior must be accepted by the tarn or he will be eaten by the mighty bird. It is unknown how many Warriors meet their death in this manner. A war tarn must be controlled by a strong master, and if that master ever gets weak or helpless, the tarn may kill him. Tarnsmen wear leathers though this is not really a form of armor but more a protection against the elements and against the bird. Tarnsmen have a few tools they use to aid in their control of their tarns. The tarn goad is a metal rod, about two feet long, with a leather loop attached. It has a switch on the handle for on and off, and emits an electric shock in a sparkled of yellow sparks. It will hurt your flesh but won't mark it if you are hit by one. It is used primarily to control the tarn and the goad is the only thing a tarn fears. A tarn goad may also be used to direct the tarn. One hits the bird in the direction opposite to the one you wish to go. But this is imprecise and there is a danger in using the goad too much as it will become less effective. A tarn whistle, also called a tarn call, is used to call specific tarns. It has a single, shrill note and summons only one tarn. If you lose your whistle, you have basically lost your mount so they are guarded well. Tarns are commonly guided by a throat strap, to which are attached six leather streamers, or reins. They are fixed in a metal ring on the forward portion of the saddle. The reins are of different colors but you learn them by ring position and not color. Each rein attaches to a small ring on the throat strap and the rings are evenly spaced. One draws on the rein which is attached to the ring which most closely resembles the direction you wish to go. To land or lose attitude, use the four strap which exerts pressure on a ring beneath the tarn's throat. To rise in flight or gain altitude, use the one strap which is on the back of the tarn's neck. The six strap makes the tarn veer to the left and climb slightly. The two strap makes it veers to the right and climb slightly. The throat strap rings are numbered clockwise. Letting the reins hang on the saddle ring, with no pressure on the throat strap, is the signal for a constant and straight flight. Tarn saddles have a five-rung leather mounting ladder, on the left side, which folds up at the side of the saddle. You strap yourself into the saddle with a strap, a saddle belt. Tarn saddles are wide enough to accommodate a bound female slave across it. There are other ways to carry a captive girl as well such as saddle cages and nets. Tarn saddles are rather large with saddle packs, weapon sheaths and paired slave rings. Tarn baskets may have guidance attachments to control the tarn from the basket, similar to the normal guidance from a saddle. There are many sizes and varieties of baskets. The most common basket is flat-bottomed, square-sided, and about four feet deep. One of a young Tarnsman's first mission is commonly to capture a slave from another city for his personal quarters. When he returns home with his new captive, he gives her over to his sisters. They will bathe, perfume and cloth her in slave livery. There will then be a feast where the slave will be presented to his parents, friends and Warrior comrades. As the music plays, the girl will be collared and later will be made to dance. She will then eventually offer her new master wine. Once he drinks, then everyone can commence eating and from then on, his sisters will no longer serve him. Thus, it seems likely that most Tarnsmen will own at least one slave girl. There are several ways to capture a girl from your tarn. A tarn may grab the girl in its talons and then land. At that point, you can dismount, remove the girl from its talons, bind her and then fasten her to your saddle. A Tarnsman could also fly low and hit a girl with a wing so that she is sent sprawling. The warrior could then quickly dismount and capture her. A Tarnsman might also hit a girl with the butt of a spear instead of the tarn wing. Still other Tarnsmen will fly low and rope a girl using the braided leather ropes familiar to all tarnsmen. Tarns can make a rapid diving descent. The tarn does not breathe during the entire descent until the point of impact or vicinty of the area if no impact occurs. Tarnsmen are trained to take a deep breath before such a descent and are recommended not to breathe during the dive. The descent velocity of a tarn has been estimated at about four hundred pasangs an Ahn, a little over 200 miles per hour. A raiding tarnsman usually carry his weapons, rations, a compass, maps, binding fiber and extra bowstrings. They commonly use spears and crossbows from tarnback. A tarn can even carry a knotted rope of seven to ten men without difficulty. This is helpful in attacks on a city. There are some excellent quotes about tarnsmen as well. "The spirit of the tarn must not be broken, not that of the 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." (Tarnsman of Gor, p.58) "Once one has been a tarnsman, one must return again and again to the birds." (Outlaw of Gor, p.130) "The element of the tarnsman is…the clouds, the saddle and the sky; his steed is the tarn, his field of battle, strewn with light and wind, higher than mountains, deeper than the sea, is the very sky itself." (Captive of Gor, p.190) |