Phersu (pronounced FARE-soo) is a nation of Zabarshu elves and Basharma magma giants. The elves split their time between their freedom of their kin-flotillas and the authority of their monarchical villages, two parallel societies very different from each other, while in the interiors of the islands live the Basharma.
Geography
The third largest archipelago in the Wounds by land area, behind the Grievous Islands and the Wisps, Phersu is a cluster of active volcanic islands spread across over 400 miles of the Na-Gaesa Ocean. As with the rest of the Wounds, Phersu has a tropical climate with little seasonal variation in temperature, though with distinct wet and dry seasons.
The interiors of the islands of Lauchume, Teiraru, and Ulpaia rise to high elevations, with the others all remaining much closer to sea level. Tropical forests at the lower levels transform into cloud forests near the tops of the volcanic peaks, at least on those that are not actively erupting.
Phersu is roughly 580 miles northwest of Varameno, 800 miles north of the Chain, and 480 miles northeast of the Soul's End Islands.
History
Descended from those who arrived on the aeroliths, the elves of Phersu long ago abandoned their flying cities, which now lie covered in corals south of the archipelago. The earliest elven arrivals to the region landed sometime around Y3000*, but they were joined by others in multiple waves lasting until Y6000*.
Demographics
The majority of Phersu's population is elven, and of those nearly all are Zabarshu elves. They are joined by much smaller numbers of humans, gnomes, tengu, and aquatic elves. With a relatively small population, the Basharma giants only reside in the island interiors.
Culture
Religion
Phersu religion is highly eclectic. Most elves worship their ancestral pantheon, with a particular emphasis on Satres as a god of the moon and the tides. Other deities of the pantheon are venerated as well, but unusually they do not recognize Voltumna, Vanth, or Urusthe as gods. The elves of Phersu do not build temples or shrines but rather conduct their worship at open air sites in rituals led by cleric-druids.
Other faiths common in Phersu include worship of the Ta-Lasau-Kori trees, the Beating Heart, and the Sunken Star. The Basharma, meanwhile, venerate primordial earth-spirits.
Society
The elves of Phersu traditionally split their lives between the sea and the shore, spending some of each year in small seaside settlements and the rest in their kin-flotillas, two very different societies that exist in parallel. On land, they are beholden to the absolute monarchs of their villages, whose word is questioned by none and obeyed by all. But as soon as they launch their ships into the waves, they are no longer bound by such rule. At sea they gather into small fleets, usually comprised of multiple families of some degree of relation to each other, that share supplies and mutual support, in sharp contrast to the top-down distribution of resources in the villages. Though the degree of time split between the two societies varies widely, most elves return to the villages only for ceremonial purposes, to repair or resupply their vessels, or to construct new ships.
The Basharma and the Zabarshu elves have generally amicable relations, though the giants do not have all too much contact with other peoples. They prefer to remain in their rugged volcanic lands, away from the coasts, and therefore many who stop by Phersu are not even aware of their presence.
Languages
Zabarshan Elven, Sea-Speak, and Jotun are all commonly spoken languages in Phersu. As with most peoples of the Wounds, neither the elves nor the giants commonly engage in writing, preferring to maintain knowledge orally instead.
Architecture and urbanization
Phersu elven settlements center around massive roundhouses, each up to a hundred feet in diameter, framed in wood and with walls of stone and roofs of palm thatching. These serve as the core of their community, where the village monarch and their family lives and where any religious or ceremonial events take place. Though different sections of the roundhouses may be set aside for distinct purposes, they generally lack interior walls, with areas only temporarily blocked from view by ornately woven curtains. Around the roundhouses are arranged smaller buildings, either round or rectangular, where the rest of the community lives, works, and stores their possessions. Elven settlements on Phersu are almost entirely coastal, either directly on or only a short distance from the sea. They do not build docks or piers but rather use nearby beaches as landing sites. It is unusual for an elven village to be home to more than three hundred people at a time.
While Basharma communities can be relatively large, concentrated around certain volcanoes at any given time, they are also inherently transient. The giants move between the volcanoes that are the most active, and therefore might suddenly abandon a home where they lived for months or years in favor of relocating elsewhere on their island, where they rebuild anew.
Seafaring
Renowned as some of the finest ship-builders of the Wounds, the elves of Phersu primarily make use of a type of outrigger sailing craft. Large enough to support a small family, these are labored over by all in a kin-flotilla to ensure it is the finest ship possible, as each is used for many decades if not for centuries. Phersu vessels are easily recognizable from the carved patterns in their hulls - most typical are concentric designs imbued with warding magic and fish-scale patterns.
Phersu kin-flotillas rarely leave sight of the coast, though individual vessels may wander farther into the ocean, including sometimes to other archipelagos.
The Zabarshu elves of Phersu are renowned as excellent swimmers, a skill taught from a very young age. They free dive for fish, shells, and other items regularly, though some make use of magical methods of breathing to stay below water for extended periods.
Burial practices
The Phersu elves practice a form of sea burial, in which the deceased is placed upon a small raft, carried out to sea by another vessel before being set adrift in the waves to travel in the light of Satres.
Deceased Basharma are returned to the volcanoes, where they are slowly consumed by lava, as even their natural resistance to high temperatures is not enough to protect them in cases of complete immersion. In doing so the Basharma believe the heat of the dead is released to nourish the living - their funerals are very communal affairs that everyone who knew the individual in question seeks to attend.