Baerisia

Design on inside cover of "Baerisia"

*This is the book by Brimbol Courester*. *For the chain of islands, see Baerisian Islands*.

The nonfiction *Baerisia* is a comprehensive documentation of the Baerisian Islands that explores the ecology and geography of the tropical archipelago, first drafted by halfling academic Brimbol Courester during his education in Illyria. The book is credited with disseminating the culture and trade goods of the Baerisian Islands among nobility and creating demand for Baerisian furs, herbs, and other extracted goods.

Its contents do not intently focus on Islander culture, but as a consequence of discussing the nature of the Baerisian Islands and its historical development, contemporary readers were introduced to the customs and artisinal goods of a world away.

Despite warnings from his peers and Neuphaniard sympathisers that the book would reinspire colonial ambitions in the chain of islands, the reverse happened: trade and mercantile interest was drawn to the Baerisian Islands, and even later with Auber conquest, defense of those interests was greater than would have been otherwise possible.

## Summary

### Ecology and environment

The Baerisian Islands are introduced by describing an Islander's procedure before leaving the safety of his home to acquire food for his family, which includes a variety of healing powders like yarrow and Clementine bark, as well as making multiple prayers to the Great Spirit begging to return home to his family. They leave covered head to toe except for their eyes, over which they place a mesh so they are still mostly covered from mosquitoes.

The natural environment is hostile to a degree that Courester claims is unrivaled elsewhere in the world. These include:

* Intense heat, which can reach over 100º F during the hottest part of the day
* Difficult terrain, with thick mud, dense forests, and wetlands making travel slow and disorienting
* Dimly lit forests in many areas that are perfect for predators and for misplaced footing
* Sustained and near-deafening levels of noise from hooting birds to buzzing flies
* The unimaginable stench of the plants, undergrowth and swamps

Courester discusses that in many areas, physical remains of the mysterious Cold-Masters do not rot like traditional bodies, but simply bloat and become covered in foliage. When prodded or stepped on, however, they release a corrosive and lethal gas that has earned the fear and caution of all Islanders. The gas, simply dubbed "orange," is a brightly colored gas that withers plants and causes choking, blindness, rapid necrosis of exposed surfaces, and almost certain death. Though its incidence is far lower than the past, it is still a real possibility for travelers in the islands, especially those that are not densely populated.

There are also a number of hostile plant life like stinging vines and carnivorous "death-roots" that ensnare and trap hapless hunters. However, the most prominent threat are the variety of animals that can injure, maim, and kill the unwary or unlucky. The worst threat, he claims, are the biting flies.

Courester writes,

> Of all the ills of *Baerisia*, the midge [mosquitoes] are by far the greatest threat in daily life. Their buzzing will drive you to insanity and their bite can unleash the death knell of quarter fever. Though the bark powder will work more often than not, it is not certain, and once one has the fever, it will remain with you for life, and even them, it will not be long after that you will perish. The reason they are the worst of *Baerisia* by far is they are everywhere. You will not walk but a cubit from your home and be clouded in black flies, that drink your blood and in return offer you death. A man can walk in *Baerisia* with luck and never encounter a predator, but no one who is unprepared for the midge will leave the islands alive.
>
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Among the other beasts Courester describes, those that demand the greatest caution are as follows:

* Giant wasps that lay their eggs inside halflings, which hatch into thousands of stinging larvae
* Venomous snakes that have piercing fangs and venom that kills within minutes
* Leeches which are almost guaranteed to find their way under any clothing
* Thunder-lizards that rule the jungles and swamps, especially the feared sea-devil and lizard-king
* Vegepygmies that set up booby traps to maim those who trespass on their territory
* Grung tribes that follow Islanders for prime hunting ground, then kill them
* Rot grubs that burrow to one's heart and kills within thirty seconds

There are a large number more examples, but Courester emphasizes these as being the main threats to any halfling tribe on the hunt.

### Island fiefs and tribes

Courester details the three main tribal fiefs that have stood since the days after being freed from the by "Izamusang," who was later identified as Gaius Olivius, from the Cold-Masters. These fiefs are Little-Saffron, the people who were allied with the Olivian Army; Betel-Brood, the tribal state of those who were mostly indifferent; and the Morrow-Moon, which were hostile to all foreign invaders.

The fiefs remain fairly continuous even into this modern account, as tribal alliances are long-standing and remain mostly the same, save for many Little-Saffron tribes being absorbed into the greater Betel-Brood fief. This is primarily due to the Betel-Brood being well-suited for isolationist living away from other tribes, even if the Little-Saffron fief is more suited for trade and amity.

The individual unit of a tribe is the *barisay*, a chief and shaman that is selected among the previous chief's sons that acts as a spiritual guide and judge for the tribe. They get their name from the *baris*, the boats that are used to travel between the many islands.