Guar

Artwork of a Pack Guar.

Guars are creatures part of a large reptilian family native to both Morrowind and Black Marsh, where they are domesticated by inhabitants of both regions for various purposes.

Description

Guars are bipedal reptilian creatures native to both Morrowind and Black Marsh, which have been used as beasts of burden for eras. More intelligent than horses; guar have been used for many varying purposes besides mounts and pack animals: including tracking in a similar manner to scent hounds and serving in combat alongside warriors. As omnivores, the guar diet mainly consists of plant-based foods, but like their Alit and Kagouti cousins, they have been known to occasionally consume flesh. Normally docile, some guars have been known to be vicious when provoked: one pack guar, named Bittergreen the Wild, went mad and slaughtered an entire convoy at Caravan Crest in Deshaan, during the Second Era. In Morrowind, guars serve as the dominant domesticated herd animal, often used as beasts of burden and bred for their hides and meat.

Variants

• Banded Guar Chargers are large riding guars bred for cavalry use, able to carry armored warriors into battle.
• Golden Eye Guars are a crossbreed between banded and wild (likely Freckled) guars, which are used as mounts. They are described as fearsome, intelligent, and difficult to control.
• Tessellated Guars are a sturdy, multipurpose breed that are often used as mounts. They are described as being at home in almost any climate, from marshes to ashlands.
• Green Narsis Guars are a breed of guar common to central Morrowind, where they are the standard mount and dray beasts used in the area.
• Pale Velothi Guars are a very hardy breed used as mounts, which come from the ash-lands downwind of the volcanoes of the Velothi Mountains, and are well adapted to surviving under the harshest of conditions. They are very striking in appearance, having white hides and blue eyes.
• Freckled Guars are a medium-sized guar breed which are mainly used for hauling goods to and fro across Morrowind and parts of Black Marsh, and it is because of this that they are often called Pack or Caravan guars. Due to their medium stature, they are not the most common breed used as mounts, but they are sometimes utilized for this purpose. They are considered the most intelligent breed.
• Pony Guars, as they are sometimes nicknamed by visitors to Morrowind, are smaller species of guar that are rarely exported due to lacking in physical strength. They are not well-known outside of Southern Morrowind, and are sometimes taken as pets, while also being raised for their hides and meat. There are two known varieties: the Common, and Striated pony guar.
• Albino Guars are guars of any breed who are unique due to the white color of their skin. At least One Guar lived on Vvardenfell during the Third Era that matched this description.
• The Bantam Guar, despite its name, is part of the Scuttler family and therefore is not a Guar at all. Many people call them "ugly Chickens", as they have the distinctive body shape and behavior of the bird. They have wings, but unlike their distant relative the Cliff Racer, they cannot fly. Farmers in southern Morrowind breed them for their eggs and meat, though some Bantam Guars can be found in other parts of Tamriel such as Khenarthi's Roost and Valenwood.

Gallery

A Banded Guar.

A Golden Eye Guar.

A Tessellated Guar.

A Green Narsis Guar.

A Pale Velothi Guar.

A Freckled Guar.

A Common Pony Guar.

A Striated Pony Guar.

An Albino Guar.

A Bantam Guar.

By game

• Guar (Morrowind)
• Guar (Online)

Trivia

• According to No-Fingers, a guar sniffing someone is a sign of affection.
• Both true guar and bantam guar are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs.
• According to Esqoo, training a guar to carry packs can take only a week, whereas training them to carry a rider can take over a month. This is because guar have an inborn instinct to turn and bite anything that lands on their backs.
• The claws on a guar's feet are naturally durable, and do not need to be maintained through clipping or any other such trimming. Their lower colons however are prone to parasitic infections, but these are easily dealt with by tickling at the base of the tail, which allows the sphincter to relax and purge the parasites.
• Two favorite foods of guar are live rodents and Scathecraw, the latter of which causes severe flatulence.