Tarim



TARIM Prophet-God of Erlik "It was long years ago, say our priests that the sea gods of ancient Lemuria waxed angry and reached up sea-weed-laden hands to pull all the islands of Lemuria down to their heaving bosoms… A leader rose up amid the cataclysm – the man called Tarim! He stilled his tribesmen’s panic, and directed them to flee into the very sea they feared! He was a mystic – a seer who healed the sick and the lame – and who unerringly led his people westward across the sea… westward – toward the setting sun till they settled on what is not the eastern shore of the Vilayet and became known as Hyrkanians. Later still, some of my nearer ancestors crossed even that inland sea and founded Aghrapur, capital of the kingdom now called… Turan! But there is no Hyrkanian, on either side of the Vilayet, who pays not homage to Tarim! He lives on, century after century, in the person of his descendants, each of whom is declared to be Tarim Incarnate!"-Roy Thomas, Hawks from the Sea

Pantheon

 * Hyrkanian and Turanian Pantheon

Regions of Worship

 * Hyrkania
 * Turan

The Living Tarim, his manifestation, resides in Turan.

Divine Relationships

 * Erlik (patron god)

Representation
Like Erlik, Tarim was a principal god of the Turanians and their ancestral people, the Hyrkanians, although less sinister a deity than Erlik. Tarim’s origins and nature are likewise obscure and half-forgotten. By most accounts, he was a deity to be sworn by and nothing more. Other tales say that Tarim was a man blessed by Erlik who was the first to bring the worship of Erlik the Shrouded to the Hyrkanians from the land of Pathenia.

Historically, Tarim was the leader that led the Lemurians off their sinking isles to the shores of the main continent. He lives on, century after century in the person of his descendents, for thousands of years later he led the Lemurians, now known as Hyrkanians, to the eastern shore of the Vilayet and founded Aghrapur. The Living Tarim, Tarim Incarnate, is a holy person descended from that original leader.

Tarim appears as a human form whose face and features are cloaked by a hooded robe.

Gender representation: male

Symbolism

 * Fire
 * Yellow Hand
 * Bull Head

Spheres of Power

 * Healing
 * Prophecy
 * Mysticism
 * Animal Herding

Rituals & Beliefs
Erlik would be a minor god were it not for the prophet known as Living Tarim. Tarim brought Erlik worship from a remote region known as Pathenia to a group of Hyrkanian tribes who, with the strength of their religious fervor, swept down and founded the Turanian empire.

It is often supposedly safer for common people to address Tarim with everyday prayers and swearing, then his harsh patron god Erlik.

Tarim appears as a human form whose face and features are cloaked by a hooded robe. It is said that he sits on a throne in the inner sanctum of Erlik's domed temple in Aghrapur.

The Priesthood
Tarim’s high priests are all under the mental domination of the Master of Yimsha, it is possible that the religion is spurious, an invention of the Black Circle used to dominate the Hyrkanians. The priests of Tarim do, at least, seem to have some loyalty to Turan and its king. The Seers of Yimsha have most likely posed the Tarim as an avatar of Erlik himself. This is not publicly known!

Implementation IC & In-Game
Vanilla Ymir religion as placeholder. Any horned helmet can be used as typical for this cult. Decorations include, drums, banners, braziers and torches.

More Information

 * Faith and Fervour (Conan RPG Book)
 * The Road of Kings (Conan RPG Book)
 * The People of the Black Circle (R.E. Howard)
 * Conan the Barbarian Vol 1 19 (Comic)
 * Conan the Barbarian Vol 1 20 (Comic)
 * Conan the Barbarian Vol 1 25 (Comic)
 * Conan the Barbarian Vol 1 26 (Comic)