A Study on Guar

A Study On Guars by Gidiron Yoiua

Near the beginning of the Third Era, Emperor Tiber Septim is said to have made a tour of the newly incorporated Province of Morrowind. During the Emperor's visit to the Deshaan plains in the south east, he famously dubbed the species of striped guar found there 'tigers' -- a creature heretofore unknown to the Dark Elves. The ferocious tiger guar has since become a highly prized game animal for noble huntsmen and trophies can be found throughout the Empire.

Less well-known in the West is the tiger guar's smaller cousin, the common guar. Domesticated guar have been a valuable source of meat and hides for centuries prior to the founding of the Third Empire. Today the hardy bipeds can be seen throughout Morrowind, carrying merchants' packs, pulling carts, and serving as mounts in the infamously horseless province. With the recent reorganization of Vvardenfell Territory to a Provincial District, the island has finally become available for proper study. As such, I set out to study the guar in this largely unspoiled land.

Upon my arrival in Seyda Neen, a small settlement on the swampy southern coast of Vvardenfell, the only guar in sight belonged to a trader headed for Balmora. Upon interviewing the locals, I learned wild guar avoid the region for fear of sinking into the mire. Supposedly the man-sized mud crabs hiding along the shore are also known to prey on stray guar and, as a smirking old elf put it, 'careless outlanders who mistake them for rocks.' Having seen these sluggish crabs for myself, I do not think there is much cause to worry there. Nonetheless, an injured guar might very well fall prey to one.

After spending several hours in Seyda Neen I joined a group of pilgrims headed north. We had arrived on the same ship and it is always best to travel in numbers when treading unfamiliar ground. Our party made good speed and we entered the lush and fertile Ascadian Isles region before sunset. While I failed to spot any wild guar that first day, we encountered many in the days that followed. I observed many a wild guar drinking from the shallow pools surrounding Lake Amaya and rooting for the very nutritious corkbulbs that grow in the area. The farmers we met along the way were less than enthused about the wild guar's proclivity for digging up food, especially those farmers growing ash yams. Their domesticated guar at least had the decency to let a farmer dig up their meals without ruining the entire plot, or so they said. I certainly saw the odd farm guar digging for food when its owner wasn't looking.

While the pilgrims' tales of Vivec replacing a farmer's dead guar and Saint Seryn being tough as a guar sounded promising, they were not truly guar related and we parted ways at the Shrine of Humility. From there I traveled to Ald'ruhn with a young warrior sworn to House Redoran. The ashlands spreading out from Red Mountain in which the city can be found made for a shocking contrast with the green Ascadian Isles. Here I got to see the guar's true value as a beast of burden in hostile Morrowind. Where my companion and I had to cover our faces to keep the ash out of eyes and lungs, the guar in the area hardly seemed affected at all. Their thick skin provides ample protection from the elements while their eyes are protected behind a clear gelatinous layer. My companion informed me that House Redoran has guar mounted warriors patrolling the roads, protecting pilgrims and merchants from bandits and blighted horrors alike. Clad in native Dark Elven armor, these patrols can travel through any weather with ease. The primitive Ashlander nomads likewise travel through Vvardenfell's ash storms with their herds of guar and beetles. Their craftsmen are said to be adept at working guar hide. Unfortunately the danger posed by these barbarians meant I was not able to investigate these things for myself.

On the road to Ald'ruhn I had the opportunity to see the wild guar's territorial habits up close. Previously our large group deterred them, but now that it was just the two of us they were quite fierce. While my companion had no problem fending them off, a wild guar is quite fearsome at close range. Although their teeth are not all that dangerous, the natural strength and tenacity so prized in pack guar lends itself well to trampling hapless travelers. Keeping the high ground against a creature this size is recommended not only to prevent being knocked over, but also to scare off the guar. Unlike the tiger guar and despite its territorial behavior, the common guar is quite meek and easily demoralized. This holds true even when encountered in herds, once one guar in the herd is spooked the rest of the herd is liable to run off with it.

I ended up staying in Ald'ruhn for several months making forays into the ashlands surrounding the city aided by local hunters and scouts. These excursions and the occasional invisibility potion provided me with the opportunity to study the guar's mating habits in exquisite depth.

[For the next 10 pages the book graphically describes and depicts the entire guar mating process.]