Character from The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
The oldest liveship still sailing — a flat-bottomed river barge with a quiet, deep intelligence, bonded to Captain Leftrin through generations of trust.
Tarman is the most understated liveship in the saga. Where Vivacia is dramatic and Paragon is mad, Tarman is quiet, patient, and deeply competent. He communicates with Leftrin through subtle shifts — a change in how the tiller responds, a gentle nudge toward a better channel — rather than the open conversation other liveships maintain. He is arguably the wisest liveship because he has had the longest to think. His willingness to undertake the dragon keeper expedition up the Rain Wild River, into waters no ship has navigated, speaks to a courage that is easy to overlook because it's so quiet.
A broad, flat-bottomed barge built for river work rather than ocean sailing. His figurehead is less dramatic than the great trading liveships — a simple carved face that rarely moves or speaks, preferring to communicate through more subtle means. His wizardwood hull is ancient and dark, polished by centuries of river water.
Also known as: Tarman, The Tarman