Tarisha

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General Tarisha, leader of Gilgalon’s dinosaur cavalry and head trainer at the Dinosaur Ranch, is viewed with both respect and fear by her subordinates. She is not cruel, but is known to be strict and demanding, especially by the cavalry trainees - understandably so, given the dangers posed by the creatures she trains them to work with.

She is a lean, well-muscled human woman in her late thirties. Her hair is brown— nearly black— and worn in a sensible style, tied back with little adornment. Her sharp, dark eyes are quick to catch even a step out of line from any of her trainees, whether they are her human charges or the dinosaurs at the ranch.

Personality

Tarisha does not find enjoyment in tormenting her trainees, but after years of working with the cavalry dinosaurs, she has little patience for those who do not take them seriously. In fact, she bears a constant reminder of the importance of such things, as her left shoulder and upper arm are scarred in the distinctive shape of a therizinosaurus’s claws.

Though she is seen as harsh and, at times, unfair, by her trainees, that is primarily due to the risks they will encounter from their dinosaur mounts if they do not take her training seriously. When interacting with the general public while off-duty, she is kind, and is always happy to answer well-intentioned questions about the dinosaurs, especially from children.

Psionic Ability

Though one would not guess it at first glance, Tarisha has honed a considerable psionic talent to use in her work with the dinosaurs. Though her gifts initially appeared rather minor, she was able to grow them over time by practicing with progressively more difficult species of dinosaurs. While she is not trained in psionic spells, she is well-practiced in the art of using psionic talents to subdue and influence dinosaurs.

To Train the Untrainable

Tarisha has always harbored a secret ambition to be the first to tame several untameable creatures. Currently, she is working to determine a method of taming a Triceratops, but eventually, she hopes to train a Pterodactyl. However, she has no illusions about her abilities, and is unlikely to actually seek out these untameable dinosaurs until she has a solid plan that she feels is likely to be successful.

A Minor Disagreement

Tarisha dislikes that the Dinosaur Ranch has been instructed to provide dinosaur-based entertainment to the public. She feels that it is a distraction from her work, both for her and for the dinosaurs, and that it ought to be discontinued. However, given the amount of money it provides to the ranch, she recognizes that is unlikely to be a particularly effective argument. She has, for the moment, settled for a compromise, in which the corral is only open for public viewing on specified days. She hopes to make use of these days to help acclimate some of the dinosaurs to working with distractions in the background.