Tarqinder

Tarqinder is a character in the series Gielinor. He has the title of Dragon Slayer as this is his role in the Slayers' Union.

Having appeared since the first volume he is one of the most prominent characters, and was also the first to appear in the series itself with Tarqinder having debuted in the first chapter.

Early Years
Tarqinder was born in Varrock, but on the south side of the city, something which was a setback in certain areas due to limited wealth.

When attending the local school he was bullied by Tony de Fillo, Farrell and Darako. They constantly bullied him, but their worst act was tying him by his underwear on to the Varrock fountain for all to see. In school however, Tarqinder was heralded as one of the best swordsman they had ever seen, and he took an interest in the art of combat.

Early Adulthood
At sixteen he took up a job in the bookstore Blake's Books, and took a dislike to it as well as its owner Bernard Blake.

By nineteen he loathed his work, and was being underpaid which his parents were not pleased with. On Christmas Eve he came across a Slayer by chance who was hunting a dragon which had crossed the Wilderness border. Tarqinder becomes curious and was almost killed by the beast, but the Slayer saved his life. He also helped the Slayer and saved him after his sword was destroyed. Tarqinder was told to go home, but he asked if he could become his apprentice, and after a brief dispute the Slayer who gave his name as Thomas Venright, promised to take Tarqinder on as an apprentice upon him reaching his 20th birthday.

As a Slayer
After many years of training to be a warrior, he joined the Slayers' Union. To become a Slayer he also had to train for some time, including a stay in the Khazari Jungle. He is a powerful warrior and is always seen with a weapon in his hand, usually his large sword. Tarqinder's main priority is to Misthalin, Kandarin and Asgarnia safe from any attack caused by dragon. Tarqinder is also well known throughout Varrock thanks to the stories of his heroic deeds, seemingly more than the other Slayers. He has also killed metal dragons as well.

Tarqinder was sent into the Wilderness to kill a dragon hidden beneath the ice with another slayer, Ferdinand who was to defend him from any revenants. Ferdinand broke his foot on the journey there and became almost immobile. After the nearby volcano erupted, they teleported to a random location in the Wilderness which was close to the dragon's lair. Ferdinand had an encounter with an ice spider which Tarqinder killed and later used as bait to lure the dragon out. The large red dragon killed Ferdinand who had unwillingly caught its attention by calling out to Tarqinder. Tarqinder decided to leave the dragon to a painful death by drowning it and burning it to death in lava. Tarqinder seemed incredibly angry and distraught by this event.

Travelling to Ardougne
The Slayers' Union disbanded due to lack of funding due to the economy crisis as well as funders losing faith after Ferdinand's death. Due to this he was out of work, and decided to go to Ardougne which was still prospering despite the economic crisis. Reaching the area north of Falador he met Mark Theobald who was also going to Ardougne, having become an orphan. Upon crossing White Wolf Mountain, Mark refused to help Tarqinder while the latter was attacked by a wolf and left him for dead, taking his sword, money and food with him.

Tarqinder awoke hours later in the snow. Upon getting to his feet he noticed he had been robbed, and decided he would find his items and take revenge.

Reaching Seers' Village, Tarqinder went for a drink in the Forester's Arms. He discovered Mark has been in there as a man from Falador fitting his description had drunk all the Wizard's Mind Bombs.

Tarqinder managed to catch up with Mark who had become an alcoholic again, lying in a field north of Ardougne. He took back his property and headed off warning Mark not to follow. Mark did follow, and managed to regain Tarqinder's companionship by explaining he realised the error of his ways. They reached Ardougne Market and Jake (accompanied by Veedi Limstrood) called out to Tarqinder asking if he would help kill a dragon.

The next morning, Jake woke Tarqinder and he, Jake, Mark and Veedi headed to the "Cave of Doom" and saved Henry the Head Wizard from being burnt. Jake accidentally freed the dragon by hitting it with a spell, and it killed the ogres keeping it captive. Veedi and Mark then went on to free the remaining prisoners including Henry and leave with Jake on Tarqinder's order. After a struggle with the dragon, Tarqinder killed it with a blow to the throat, killing it. He then fled but was pursued by ogres who he killed by cutting the rope supports to the bridge and dropping them into the channel of lava they were suspended above. Meeting the others, they went into Yanille where Tarqinder killed many ogres and frightening the rest to rid Yanille of ogres. Returning Henry to the Wizards' Guild, and upon leaving with Mark, Jake and Veedi, Norbert the Wizard told them he would give them assistance should they ever need it.

Discovering the Truth
Returning to Ardougne, he was then recognized by Dancus Frumac while telling Jake off and the group met with him so he could show them a note which detailed King Lathas' contributions to the economy crisis. The group were then sent on the run from Paladins working under Lathas' control, and they fled. They lost the Paladins, but encountered them again while hiding in an abandoned hut. Tarqinder dispatched them permanently using fire from his anti-dragon shield and Jake shooting them with spells. They then decided to try and stop Lathas.

Not long after, Tarqinder encountered with Tony, Farrell, Darako, Lobstorr, TzHaar-Kot-Tok and Robert Bandano. After a brief confrontation with a number of threats and violence they teamed up, with Farrell insisting that both sides need each other for help and that together they could try and stop Lathas once and for all. Tony's group also brought warning of the Socialists and their army.

Hiding in a general store, Darako devised strategies to fight back on his own, and then headed into the main shop room where he spoke with Farrell and Tony about stealing from Tarqinder and his group if the economy crisis is fixed. They attempted to steal from the shop's money but Tarqinder stopped them. Kot-Tok and Lobstorr both went to summon their respective armies to aid them as well.

The Battle
Main article: Economy War

The next day tensions had risen between King Lathas and the Socialist Army. In the shop, Bruce Brysworth appeared and teleported Jake, Mark, Veedi, Dancus and himself to the Wizards' Guild. The Socialists arrived and attacked the Paladins using powerful lava cannons named lava launchers. The TzHaar aided the Socialists but soon the Zamorakian Army stormed the city under Lathas' control and gained upper hand. Bruce, Henry, Norbert and those teleported arrived back and they hid in the shop where Henry suggested they attack the Palace which the group did. Jake and Mark were issued with advanced spell books which allowed them to break into the Palace. Tarqinder, Veedi, Mark, Jake, Henry and Norbert all headed upstairs to Lathas who had killed Dancus and was preparing to kill his Saradominist servant Harmon Reeves who posed as Zamorakian and was to kill Lathas. Jake stopped Harmon's executors and then Mark rendered Lathas unconscious with a powerful bolt. The Zamorakians then fled and the other armies departed. Lathas awoke and tried to kill Harmon with a sword but his shot was blocked by Henry who then died. Dancus was allowed to return as a ghost by Saradomin and encountered Tarqinder and the others later. A funeral was then held for Henry and Dancus' mortal remains, where Mark asked if he could return to Varrock with Tarqinder to rebuild, which Tarqinder allowed and then noted Harmon Reeves should rule Ardougne fine, and Lathas was banished to West Ardougne.

Expedition to Karamja
Tarqinder and Mark finished their work in Varrock two months after what happened in Ardougne, and the Slayers' Union had reformed. Tarqinder stated he wishes to find the Cult of the Golden Ape and discover what was in their statue's cave, and that Mark could be a possible replacement for Ferdinand. Heading to Port Sarim the next day, the two were delayed by Mark's displeasure of returning to where he grew up and where his family died. After making up they sailed to Brimhaven and entered the jungle and were surrounded by Kumthalatta and his tribe; the Cult of the Golden Ape. They disarmed him of his sword and pointed spears at them.

Imprisoned by Kumthalatta's guards, Tarqinder and Mark were forced to prove themselves to Kumthalatta by helping the village. During this Tarqinder encountered a gecko which he later adopted upon encountering again and called him Meep. Kumthalatta was pleased with Tarqinder and Mark and then told them they must help in getting back the Golden Ape statue which had gone missing.

Sent into the cave to find the statue by Kumthalatta, they first see a number of paintings detailing seemingly random things. Progressing further they found a golden looking dragon which had the statue with it. It was lost after Tarqinder caused the dragon's cavern to collapse and upon reaching the surface, he and Mark were chased by Kumthulatta. Finding his sword, a stranger called them over to his boat which he allowed them to escape on. He introduced himself as Sir Raef.

New Threats
Planning to return to Varrock, Raef told Tarqinder and Mark that the Red Mist had chased everyone out of Varrock, and offered them and Meep a place to stay. Raef had also welcomed the now homeless Tony de Fillo into his home after Tony heard Tarqinder and Mark being mentioned. Tony told them he had watched a land living shark, encountered angered sea life, and the monarchs were being stolen. After hearing King Harmon was not captured, the group decided to warn him before the sea life got to him and set sail for Ardougne on a charter ship. During the journey they fought off an attack from the sea life, and Meep directed Tarqinder to a harpoon to kill a giant squid. They then docked in Ardougne and heard that Harmon is about to make a speech.

Tarqinder, Mark, Tony, Raef and Meep heard Harmon's speech and went to him. He discussed with them the dangers of the Sea Life Army and the global warming. Harmon warned of a sea slug attack on Ardougne within the next few days and asked for the group's help. Mark then realized that the Falador Parade would be dangerous as the amount of logs being burnt would cause enough pollution for another storm. Raef and Mark went to Falador, while Tony and Tarqinder were sent in the direction of Hemenster to warn about the oncoming attack.

Tarqinder, with a new sword, Tony and Meep went to Hemenster where they encountered a revived Dancus, Raiah Gestoff and her master. The storm in Hemenster prevented Tarqinder arriving immediately, and they went on to warn of an attack that night from the sea slugs. Dancus and Raiah offered their help in defending the city of Ardougne.

The sea slugs infiltrated the city, possessing nearly all the citizens. Tarqinder, Tony, Dancus and Raiah went to Witchaven and met Kroak and his team who were also monitoring sea life. Tarqinder went inside a church in Witchaven and under the ground to an underwater cavern swarming with the slugs who were also attacking Falador and chased Tarqinder out. The group managed to fend off the slugs using fire which harmed them, and then found Harmon possessed and on the ground, dead. Raiah provided him with the resurrecting Verto Fabrica Nox but left him in a coma. Tarqinder got Dancus to teleport them to Falador which had also used fire to defeat the mollusks and then sent Raef back to control Ardougne temporarily. Tarqinder stayed in Falador.

Tarqinder and Mark met Tony at Port Sarim, who mourns the loss of all his friends. They went back to Falador before the guards suspected them, and Tarqinder entered the Castle only to be attacked by Metallian. Tony stopped him with the blunt force of Mark's spellbook. They then went into Raef's home and decided they should try to form a treaty with the sea life, and headed back to Port Sarim where they saw sea life lining the entire coast.

The three of them then waited for Sharkros to arrive at Port Sarim as they sought an audience with him. Metallian who had been following them appeared from his hiding place and informed them that Sharkros would speak with them providing they traveled by dolphins to his fortress at Musa Point. Upon arriving he turned down their offer of peace and spoke of war approaching and said the world leaders had been captured for sacrifice, as had the three of them, but then a wall exploded and Lord Rax arrived, taking them away on Fort Avias.

In the Fort, Tarqinder and the others were equipped with new armour and weapons tailored to help them combat the Sea Life Army. They were then sent to Falador where they witnessed a riot taking place after Sharkros had revealed his rebellion and attack to the world.

Sea Life Invasion
Main article: Sea Life Invasion

When the invasion began Tarqinder, Mark and Tony took the roles of protecting the White Knight's Castle. As the battle progressed, they decided they needed to help Jake, Iyla and Mr. and Mrs. Rottham who were fighting on the front line. An explosion occurred and the three of them fought off sea life attackers (now going by the name "Oceanic Empire") and helped Norbert and Wizard Orca who had come from the Dark Wizards' Tower. They then headed to the Main Square and convinced Jake, Iyla and Mr. and Mrs. Rottham to leave the city, deeming it a lost cause. Outside, Tarqinder asked the wizards to teleport them away, but this was not possible due to multiple reasons. Fort Avias was destroyed by Sharkros and his troops. Norbert then observed the ash that erupted from Crandor's volcano was heading for Asgarnia.

Having found refuge in Goblin Village, Tarqinder lamented on how bad things were. Kumthalatta - who was killed by sea life - appeared to him and said he should keep on and fight to his death. Farrell, Metallian and Phillip Styne arrived by boat, with Metallian stating he had taken a new path in life. He soon showed his true colours by attempting to kill Tarqinder with his lava launcher, but ended up hitting Phillip Styne and killing himself and Farrell in an ensuing struggle. Tony was deeply affected by this. The wizarding group decided they should venture to Yanille and help the Wizards' Guild which had been bombarded by the ash which had also hit southern Asgarnia. When they departed, Tarqinder, Mark and Tony were left and they went ahead with attacking Falador on their own. They managed to fend off an attack from the Red Mist and went to the White Knight's Castle which Sharkros had taken control of. Sharkros offered Tarqinder and Mark their freedom so Tony forced them to flee, but Tony threatened Sharkros with his life, but he retaliated by warning him that Guthix would purge the world of humans should this happen. Tony however destroyed himself and Sharkros by smashing together the Relic of Araz and a glass ball from the Ark of Eternal Damnation together, thus ending the Oceanic Empire's invasion as resistance across the world was taking care of each attack. Guthix traveled to Falador, and Tarqinder, Mark, Dancus, Raiah, Jake, Iyla, Mr. and Mrs. Rottham, Bruce, Hecate, Norbert and Orca witnessed his arrival. Tarqinder tried to reason with him, stating Sharkros was evil, and Guthix read his mind and learned it was the truth. He then departed, giving humanity another chance. A memorial was later made to the victims of both the Economy War and Sea Life Invasion, and everyone made their farewells, and as Tarqinder and Mark departed for Falador (the latter having took Tarqinder's offer of becoming a Slayer) they were followed by small rock creatures which had burrowed to the surface.

Aftermath
In the Wintumber of that year, when the world had repaired itself, Tarqinder and Mark went out on their first mission which led them to the Wilderness, with Mark having taken Ferdinand's role as a Revenant Slayer.

The Pyrak
When Tarqinder returned home he was greeted by a disturbance which was — unknown to him — caused by the Pyrak.

Personality
In his earlier years Tarqinder was somewhat weak having been bullied, and by the time he was nineteen he was still shown to be curious enough to take foolish risks and in awe of certain things.

Tarqinder is shown generally as being a brave fighter who is willing to fight even on his own at times. He is rarely seen to doubt his strength and that of others around him, but this becomes apparent when situations are bleak.

He has also been shown to have much anger and hatred, especially towards some dragons while being in awe of others. He is also fond of certain species, as he took on Meep to be his companion animal, while being violent and content to slaughter ogres who had invaded Yanille. When he was robbed by Mark Theobald upon presuming he was dead, Tarqinder gained a strong grudge against him and sought revenge, and despite taking him on again as a companion he did not forget this instance.

He has also been seen as inconsiderate and forgetful on one occasion.

Development
Tarqinder was originally proposed as a character for a light-hearted series entitled Tarqinder the Dragon Slayer which featured him as a more bumbling hero, but this was soon changed. The series idea was dropped but the character remained, and was shifted to a more serious series which evolved into Gielinor.

Throughout Volume One: Economy, Tarqinder is shown as a legendary character who is well known by people of the Varrock area, but as the series progresses he comes across as more human, especially as more of his backstory is revealed.