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Th-Wild-Nauga-art - 5/25/18

"Stalking the Wild Nauga - a Tale of the Hunt in the Modern Middle Ages" possibly by Master Cathal from Thor's Mountain in Meridies

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NOTICE -

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.

Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

Thank you,

Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous

Stefan at florilegium.org

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Stalking the Wild Nauga - a Tale of the Hunt in the Modern Middle Ages

possibly by Master Cathal from Thor's Mountain in Meridies

It was early in the forenoon of the day - scarce past the ringing of the vespers bell, when I spied it. That strange and most elusive of beasts, a nauga in its natural habitat.

While there are many sorts of nauga - and none should be disdained -this was one of the larger sort. Not the fierce and belligerent Ottoman nauga, un christian-like and with its flair of Araby, which vexed so many crusaders feet and is even now prized as a trophy for the great hall to rest upon, or seat young children. Nor was it the larger sort, which can devour the hind portions of even two people at once as well as any small coin they have the misfortune to leave about. Love seats, they are called, but this is a vile deception for they are most discomfortable, just wide enough to trap the unwary and yet so short none of real height may derive comfort.

Nay, this nauga was one of the most prized of its ilk, the fearsome sofa, renowned for its ability to hide disguised as a bed at night and yet, come morn - La! Tis again standing in plain sight, bold as a bishops clerk for all to see hiding as a sofa again. This beast, bane of guests and in-laws alike is renowned for its ability to wrench the back, stiffen the limbs or, yea, most verily - even unto swallowing small children and house pets whole on occasion.

Thus my hunters eye was agleam as I saw this beast, put out by its owners. What transgressions it may have committed remains even now a mystery, but the men who moved it moaned and swore with many a vile imprecation as they released it into the wilds of the yard, so I must assume its demeanor had been ill-tempered indeed.

Verily, it proved this calumny, standing in the midst of the yard, awaiting the unwary there patiently yet boldly. It was obviously a creature of stubbornness and willful determination, for it never fled, but held its ground as though challenging any that came upon it to move it from its place.

None did. That is until two men, clad in the grey long tunics and trews of the town's public service did arrive, and after pronouncing it both too large and too great a beast in weight to be confronted fled in ignominy, their floor footed dragon snorting and belching foul gases in its dismay.

Then I did approach the now dismayed owners, who looked upon the beast with concern and worry. "Come," I said "this creature is of no great account - allow me to skin it upon its demise and I will help you face it down, and yea, even take the brunt of whatever protests it may make".

This was deemed a fair bargain, and so we three - the goodman, his wife and I, along with two sprats from the neighborhood, whom we bribed with sweet cakes - went to it and made battle! I will say it proved a worthy foe, for it did resist mightily in climbing atop that wagon of theirs, a tiny thing from the lands of far off Nippon. I would have thought it unequal to the task, but the Nipponese wagon proved valiant in the end and with much struggle we delivered it to the place where all naugas must eventually go. Here, where servants of the township fill the land with the trash of days it would find its final repose.

While the goodman and his wife departed for a time to pay the towns servant and warder who dwelt there, his sum of coin (for filling land is in no way free, and to keep the nauga, such is its repute, they desired no less than seven clams. In the land of Trimaris, such is the value of seafood.

I went after it with my little knife, a sack to hand for just this purpose, and catching it unawares I skinn'd it most quickly.

Now, many know of the nauga, but not of the varieties of the breed, and some will yield hide of a thin and chintzy sort, but many also, true leather - it was one of this breed that the nauga was, and why I sought it. Skinning it, I discarded the lesser hide, but kept the leather of its face, its seat and arms. In the end, after having stripped its hide from bone and flesh it sat there, a sad sight to see.

Few know that the bones of a nauga are wood, and even now, on its stubby feet I would not leave such bounty to waste, nor its innards which can be wondrous soft and fluffy, but a servant of the city descended upon me, shouting many approbations and so I fled, and with the goodman and wife in their tiny wagon retired to the pub, to share in a post hunt ale. Upon arriving home with my bounty, I was met with a worrisome sight!

There stood one of the reeves, a sheriffs man, who then did talk to me in stern wise. It seemed that to skin nauga's in land being filled by the town is deemed some sort of minor crime, but upon discussion it was revealed not a crime as first seemed. It proved that while the taking of the hide was of no importance, the towns servant feared for my safety, for there in the Filled Lands lie many hazards, such as other, wilder naugas, strange odiferous creatures such as the noisome Hefty. The ever sly idiot box, which when put into the wild, stalks the unwary with its single glass eye, delivering shocks of anbaric voltage dwelt there was well. Even the harmless scrap, when released into the wilds of the Filled Lands will become feral, stalking hapless victims with its lumbrous ways, teeth like nails biting any who are careless enough to tread upon it.

And so, after all was done the constable and I departed in friendly wise, he having issued "only a warning" that I not poach the Filled Lands again, for such was mightily against the wish of the magistrate and our lord mayor.

Even now, as I stretch and admire the leather I got from the nauga, its hide a Kelly green, its skin as smooth as the leathers of Cordova, I smile to think on't. For the adventure of the hunting of the nauga yielded great good, tunics an pouches aplenty from its hide. From such a hide I will make a pouch and belt for my daughter most fair, and I shall regale her at the fireside with the tale, and we shall marvel at the memory of the Hunting of the Wild Nauga.

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If this article is reprinted in a publication, please place a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.