“The east of Malkona, the shimmering land of Bryleah on the banks of the sacred Sanguama River—the cradle of all life on the continent… or at least, that’s what the wetskins believe. The kingdom of untamed nature here certainly boasts unparalleled diversity: the crimson backwaters of the Scar bear little resemblance to the rotting mangroves of the Fetid Fens, just as the heavy silence beneath the colossal trees of northern Sanguama starkly contrasts with the constant cacophony filling the brighter, lower thickets of the sacred river’s delta.

In those rare places where sunlight manages to pierce through the lush canopy, thousands of golden reflections begin their dance among the undergrowth. The reason for this is lacrikael, the ‘Tears of Kaelesta—a thick, transparent resin generously secreted by the local trees. Viscous and dense, it refracts and scatters light as brilliantly as the northern diamonds, shimmering under the sun in every color of the rainbow. This is why the long-eared children of Fluére named their land ‘Bryleah,’ meaning ‘The Shimmering’.

Yet, for all its breathtaking beauty, this land is not only a place of wonders but also of dangers. Creeping vines coil around the ankles of travelers, crystal flies never miss a chance to drink their blood, and lurking in the branches of any tree might be a moss-hide beast—the ruthless predator ruling the Bryleahn jungles. And I won’t even start on the unbearable humidity. Enjoy.”

Here and beyond, I present excerpts from the epoch-defining work, “Notes on Taliskarn, Its Wonders, and the Creatures That Inhabit This World.”

Core Themes and Ideas of Bryleah

• Dense jungles, yet every ray of light blooms into sparks in the droplets of lacrikael—’the shimmering lands.’
• Poisons, predators, diseases, and elusive hunters.
• Amphibian-like Bryleahns, weaving their cities among the massive branches and vines of ancient trees.
• A highly developed culture in terms of knowledge and nature—Bryleahns are philosophers and alchemists.
• A touch of Mesoamerican motifs.
• Life flourishing in every possible way—sometimes even where it shouldn’t.
• Adventures involving the search for panaceas, jungle hunts, lost temples, and much more._