Barizhan

Barizhan is the Ethuveraz's southern neighbor and the land of the goblins. The Chadevan Sea is on Barizhan's southern coast.

Novels:
The Goblin Emperor

The Witness for the Dead

The Grief of Stones

Short Stories:
Lora Selezh

Government
Barizhan is governed by the Great Avar, or Avar of Avarsin, and he rules from his palace, the Corat' Dav Arhos. The current Great Avar is Maru Sevraseched. The Great Avar can only be male, and there is societal and institutional sexism in that women are considered part of the husband's family, and daughters are less valued than sons. The Great Avar held his power by holding "the allegiances of the avarsin, the myriad lesser rulers—more numerous than princes, but far more powerful than even the Ethuverazheise dukes—who made up the practical government of Barizhan.” Minor avarsin sometimes fostered their sons to the Great Avar's household as a sign of fealty (and insurance against betrayal). Would-be Great Avars fight for the position without clear succession.

The colors of Barizhan (mixed with the Ethuveraz) are gold and blue.

Geography
The Tetara river "meets the Istandaärtha near the border with Barizhan”. The Pelanra is the western coast of Barizhan. Pelanra is known for its people having golden eyes. The people there also seem to take Pel- as the beginning of their surname.

Urvekh' is a town on the coast of Barizhan, which is the location of the Convent of the Lighthouse Keepers, which is maintained by the votaries of Ashevezhkho.

Ghouls are uncommon in the south of the Ethuveraz, so they're likely uncommon in Barizhan.

Suncats live on the southern coast and are considered good luck. Evrin are mastiff-sized white deer that foraged in the wheat fields of the south, possibly in or near Barizhan, which is sacred to a goblin sect that is strong in the border cantons.

Culture
The language of Barizhan is Barizhin. A group of people from Barizhan are called Barizheisei, or Barizheisoi if all the group members are women. "We could do no less" is a common response to thanks from guests.

In Barizhan custom, “servants were family—legally always and often by blood.” This involves those in charge being close and friendly with servants, and servants having a very casual relationship with their employers. A dav is is a Barizheise word that seems to be “something midway between “household” and “office.” Goblins did not distinguish between the two.”

Varedeise tradition is typically hostile to Barizhan, although the Elflands wanted to maintain a good relationship with Barizhan to have access to the rich trade of the Chadevan Sea. In northern Barizhan, “intermarriage between elves and goblins was becoming more and more common.” Barizhan has an ambassador in the Untheileneise Court. The current ambassador is Vorzhis Gormened.

Lighting candles for the deceased appears to be a relatively popular tradition of Barizhan. In goblin folklore, the River of Tears separates the land of the living from the land of the dead. There is a Barizheise sect “which included among the gods a figure called the Grandmother of Grandmothers, the Dakh’dakhenmero, who, they believed, watched over the family. Every family’s Dakh’dakhenmero figure was different.” The Barizheise priesthood grew corrupt during Vikhelno's time, which led to his writing anti-clerical works about them, which led to the rise of the Vikhelneisei, who followed his works, and took them farther in anti-clerical leanings.

Nesecho are a special kind of decorative knot meant to signal friendship. “Goblins never apologize for anything, especially not in public.”

Braided hair is common for men in Barizhan.

A Barizheise zhoän appears to be a kind of restaurant. Rich, peppery hot chocolate is popular in Barizhan to finish winter meals. Oslov is a traditional Barizheise food.

In relatively recent history, there was something called the Archipelager Wars. Goblins came north during the gold rush.

“Pel-Teramed was a southern Barizheise dramatist who lived about two hundred years” prior to the events of The Witness for the Dead. There was a fad for his operas relatively recently in the Ethuveraz. There was also a Barizheise novel “about a lighthouse keeper and his family and the tragedies that befall them after the wreck of the Grief of Stones on their rocks”, which later inspired Iäna Pel-Thenhior's opera, The Grief of Stones. “Barizheise opera is either a series of bloodbaths or interminably boring recitations of the characters’ lineages, or both at once. And even if I wanted to, Parzhadel would never let me. He’s far too canny a businessman for that.”

Residents

 * Belu
 * Mer Cedharad
 * Chenelo Drazharan (former) (deceased)
 * Esret (former)
 * Holitho Sevraseched
 * Inver
 * Othala Kelberened (former)
 * Maru Sevraseched
 * Nadaro Gormened (former)
 * Nadeian Vizhenka (former)
 * Pel-Teramed (former) (deceased)
 * Shaleän Sevraseched (former)
 * Teia (former)
 * Thever Sevraseched
 * Ursu Perenched
 * Captain Vizhenka (former)
 * Vorzhis Gormened (former)