Nulhaso Baymen

*Part of Criminality of Otheia*

*Part of Economy of Otheia*

*Part of Trade and Transportation*

The Nulhaso Baymen are a variety of buccaneer which operates in the Nulhaso Bay, carrying out the lucrative logging trade along the coast of the region. They primarily cut Hipwood trees, which can be boiled down into a fine orange dye that is then sold to traders.

### History

The majority of the Baymen of Nulhaso are ex-pirates and other corsairs who worked against the Aslock Warm Sea Company. They plied the northern Warm Sea, taking plunder from ships and boats they caught there. It is thought that these pirates first encountered Hipwood here, taking it from the AWSC and Falkeni trading vessels they caught, but these were likely thought worthless and burned along with the captured vessel itself. However, at some point they learned of the value of Hipwood dye, and some would make for the Northeastern reaches of the Warm Sea in search of coastlines rich in the wood.

By 350, there was a small community of Otheiae working and logging in the Nulhaso Bay, where large quantities of Hipwood were to be found. Here, in the wet coastal forests which cling to the bay, they would begin their trade, logging the wood in the forests and carrying it to the coast. Here, it would either be sold to ships which came to do business with the Baymen, or it might placed in a stockpile to await transport south or west by the Baymen themselves, who still possess a few small ships of their own. The wood is typically traded for tools, powder, clothing, and especially rum and sugar imported from the Pitkali Dreggag, which is the most sought-after good by the Baymen.

### Hipwood

Hipwood is a type of a large legume which grows only in the jungles of the Nulhaso River. When cut into strips and set to rot in a large vat of water, the water will turn red-orange with time, and if this sludge is boiled, it will result in a rich orange dye. This dye is extremely sought after in the north, and is particularly valuable. Estimates by one Falun captain hold that the Hipwood dye trade would be the most valuable on the Warm Sea, were it not for the Slave Trade and Spice Trade.

### Lifestyle

For five out of seven days, the Baymen work, cutting the Hipwood, which can grow as wide as 2m meters across, and sometimes needs to be blasted apart with explosives. These logs are then hewn into smaller pieces, and carried to shore, often in the largest piece physically possible to move, for Baymen take great pride in showing off to their comrades. On the sixth day, the Baymen rest, and on the seventh, they hunt. Hunting is one of the few sources of food available to the Baymen. Typically they travel inland along the rivers to the plains, where they hunt large wild cattle from their boats or on foot. Their prey, once killed, is then cut into pieces and worn like a cloak back to their coastal camps, where it is then prepared to be eaten over the coming week. Other sources of food include wild fruits and vegetables. The preferred drink of the Baymen is Pitkali rum, which they eagerly trade their harvest for. The Baymen live in small coastal communities, living under open-walled huts with thatched ceilings, sleeping in hammocks, and cooking in communal barbecue pits. Their settlements are sometimes raised off the ground on stilts, as in the rainy season, the ground entirely turns to mud along the coast.

Life is harsh for the Baymen, and danger is rife in the jungles of Nulhaso. Aside from the heat, which can kill in that region of the world, tropical disease is rife, and its not unheard of for unwary Baymen to be carried off into the jungles by a jaguar, or to be taken and killed by one of the crocodiles which prowl the rivers and swamps. Furthermore, there is also conflict with the natives, who view the Baymen as intruding on their territory. The Baymen, in turn, have been known to try and force the native Mehichanin into indentured servitude to help cut the logs. The two factions often come to blows over these issues.

### Appearance and population

Baymen, both men and women, are universally heavily muscled and are extremely tan. They wear ragged sailors clothing, but often go shirtless to better disperse the heat. As such, they are often seen only in trousers and shoes, sometimes less. They go about with large hewing axes and are rarely seen without the hanger swords common to most Otheiae on the Warm Sea.

There are an estimated 300 Baymen living in the area.