Tarus¶
"Honor and strength are the same. One cannot have one without the other." — the eleventh Precept of Tarus (S430)
Tarus is the God of Battle and Survival, Lord of the Hunt, a god of the Domain of Union and one of the Unaligned (S420). Earlier accounts make him a Twilight God, "Lord of the Hunt, Battle and Survival (also, Lord of War)", brother to Moros and creator of the centaurs and minotaurs. His faith is a creed of strength tempered by honour, set down in the Eleven Precepts, and his five orders act "as separate sects of the same religion".
Domain and allegiance¶
In the Domain of Union the register lists "Tarus - God of Battle", lawful and neutral in temper, with the hollow-circle mark of the Unaligned, in the company of Quitas, Lord of Truth and Justice, and Valtreya, the Kalari Goddess of Valor & Battle (S420). His own document gives the same temper and the title "God of Battle and Survival" (S430).
Earlier accounts give his symbols as "Arrows, Minotaur, Bull, Boar" and make him "Creator of Centaurs, Minotaurs" and "Brother to Moros", the Lord of the Dead (S372, S429). The Centaurs are a people of the plains of Rhovun and Moarte in the old continent.
The Eleven Precepts of Tarus¶
The core principles of the faith (S430):
- Survival and order comes through strength.
- Strength comes through conflict. Competition and battle forge strength.
- Weakness is the root cause of misery and instability.
- Honourable combatants meet to measure who is greater.
- The strong should rule the weak. Conflict should determine who has the right to rule.
- Killing innocents is dishonourable. "The weak need conflict and hardship to become strong, death is counter-productive. If the weak are truly inadequate, they will be culled naturally."
- Strength requires cooperation and community. "A pillar that stands alone is not as strong as two pillars that form an arch."
- Thievery is a path of the cowardly and weak. "It is a disease upon society that must be purged."
- The strong seek to find advantage in their position, but do not fear the confrontation.
- Strength can come from acknowledging the greater strength and honor of your enemy and serving them.
- Honor and strength are the same. One cannot have one without the other.
Priesthood and orders¶
Tarus is served by battle-priests and confessors, by monks and by paladins (S430). His colours are red and brown, black and ivory; his sigils the bull, the bull skull, the wolf and the horns.
"The orders of Tarus operate completely independently from one another to the point of only vaguely recognizing each others authority or association to Tarus. They act as separate sects of the same religion." There are five, described on the page Orders of Tarus:
| Order | Character |
|---|---|
| Order of the Crimson Sand | Keeps shrines and temples with fighting arenas, travels to conflict zones to train, and where there is no conflict "bring gladiatorial games and fight clubs". Its banner is black over red with an ivory bull skull. |
| Order of Black Blood | "Wealth is strength": a largely monastic mercenary order, "considered very honourable opponents. No amount of money will have them perform dishonourably." |
| Secret Order of Burning Horns | Works "to undermine the weak to build strength" through infiltration, sabotage and misdirection "whose end result is conflict", keeping its identity secret. |
| Order of the Red Wolf | Brings civilization to the frontiers, garrisoning frontier towns against bandits, raiders and wild beasts, with shrines scattered through frontier villages. |
| Secret Order of the Cardinal Staff | Guards civilization "from agents of chaos and death"; monastic, with agents who travel the world posing as battle mages or warriors. |
Earlier accounts¶
The 2015 Compendium (S372, S384) and the 2019 Overview of Gods (S429) place Tarus among the Twilight Gods: those who, like the Dark Gods, "have taken over the dark side of their domains. However, though they have strayed from the outline Kalar had given them, they are not in direct opposition to Kalar. They are following their own path and will ally themselves with the Kalari or Rakkai based on their own objectives." There he is "Lord of the Hunt, Battle and Survival. (also, Lord of War)". The 2026 register (S420) drops the Twilight grouping and marks him Unaligned, and that reading is followed here.
Gap
The sources do not describe Tarus's temples outside the arenas of the Crimson Sand, name any of his Ascendants or priests, say how his cult stands with the Kalari and the Dark Gods, or explain the brotherhood with Moros.