Tharlarion

 

Many types of tharlarion exist in the wild. Some types of tharlarion have also been domesticated, for various purposes.

There are two main types of tharlarion, which contain several sub-species - the HIGH THARLARION, or saddle tharlarion, and the BROAD THARLARION, otherwise known as the draft tharlarion.

The high tharlarion is generally considered a mount for the less civilised masses of Gor, those who have not yet mastered the training and riding of the tarn. They are common in the lower areas - particularly swampland and deserts.

BREEDING

It's said that tharlarions began to be kept and bred at least a thousand generations prior to the taming of the first tarn.

Wild tharlarion are not captured and tamed. These great beasts must be raised from the moment of hatching.

As with most reptiles they are egg-hatched, with the eggs described as leathery and quite tough. Their fat is commonly used in lamp oil.

Tharlarion eggs are kept in special heated incubation sheds until ready to hatch, sunk deep into sand.

At the time of hatching, the average weight of a youngster is 140-200 pounds. Their snouts are tied shut with a foot-long snout strap, which is used to draw the tharlarion from the egg. This is because the tharlarions are hatched with already quite vicious teeth!

The newly-hatched tharlarion will then be wrapped in a ten-foot long girth cloth, often sewn from woolen sacks by slaves, before being taken to a nursery to begin its training.

Tharlarions are commonly kept in wooden corrals constructed from woven branches.

 

HIGH THARLARION

The purely carnivorous, agile high tharlarion is commonly used for riding. Their short forearms are almost useless, but their legs are powerful and swift.

High tharlarions have incredible stamina and speed. Their usual stride is a proud, stalking movement, but when urged faster they can travel about twenty paces in a single stride.

Their metabolism is slower than a tarns, but they could likely consume half their weight in a day. They require water far less than a tarn, too.

They're known for their sluggish nervous system and near imperviousness to pain. They are used often as mounts in battle, particularly in shock cavalry, since they are aggressive and sturdy creatures. Some Slavers train them for use in field captures.

Tharlarion riders use a special saddle which is built to absorb the shock of the great bounding strides - the seat being mounted on a hydraulic fitting which floats in a lubricant and keeps the saddly parallel to the ground.

Commonly, they also wear a thick leather belt tightly buckled about their abdomen along with a pair of high, soft tharlarion boots to protect themselves from the abrasive hides of their mounts.

A tharlarion lance is a weapon that may be used in combat by a warrior riding a tharlarion, but it can also be an essential tool in protection from and control of the beast itself.

A tharlarions claws are often shod, not so much for practical purposes as for purely aesthetic value.

Lets talk about some special breeds of high tharlarion ...

Riding tharlarions come in various sizes. They also come in various colours, and black tharlarions are said to be extremely rare and prized. 

The high tharlarions used in the great armies tend to be the larger, and a very intimidating beast indeed. Smaller rider tharlarions are more known for their swiftness. These are commonly refered to as saddle tharlarion.

The bipedalian tharlarion is a close cousin of the saddle tharlarion. They are commonly used by warriors in missions such as foraging, scouting, skirmishing and also as fast-passage light cart pullers.

But the swiftest breed of tharlarion, of course, is the racing tharlarion. These are bred and registered purely for the purposes of taking part in racing tournaments, such as the Vennan races. Like with many bred animals on Gor, the blood lines of racers are carefully kept and registered, and some famous ones include Venetzia, Toraii and Thalonian. 

BROAD/DRAFT THARLARION

The quadrupedal BROAD THARLARION is known as herbivorous and very docile creature. They're very large creatures, sometimes being over forty feet in length.

They are often used in the pulling of large merchant wagons or for clearing large stretches of land. Calvarymen might use them also, and the driver is known as a strap-master.

Tharlarion in general are known for their sluggish nervous system and near imperviousness to pain, so the strap master's job involves a great deal of beating about the head and neck to get the beast to cooperate.

Most of the larger breeds of tharlarion have two brains, or rather a brain and a brain-like organ located near the base of their spine.

There is a special breed of draft tharlarion known as the HORNED THARLARION, distinguishable from the common breed by their horns. They are also smaller, and often used to draw small carts.

The RIVER THARLARION are larger, and are mainly distinguishable by their webbed feet. They are used by the bargemen of the Cartius RIver to pull barges and ferries, who employ a whipping stick to control the creatures.

Cabot describes them as scaled, vast and long-necked, but with the ability to move delicately through the water. They commonly feed on fish.

The land tharlarion can swim too, though not as efficiently as the river tharlarion.