Mirebite Resin

Overview

Mirebite Resin is a tar-like substance excreted by the dying stage of the Mirebiter, a swamp-dwelling biting insect of the jungles of Suriima. Dark, viscous and with a potent aroma, this resin is highly valued. The resin has a variety of uses, but mostly it is utilised in rituals.

Appearance

The resin is thick and black in colour, with a faint greenish sheen under light (like the Mirebiter's carapace). When fresh, it is sticky but malleable, adhering easily to skin, cloth, or vegetation. Over a few days, it hardens and develops into a cracked, bark-like texture. The smell is notably curious, like a rotting smell but slightly sweet, somehow. It is a smell that divides folks. Some find it nice, some find it abhorrent with very little in-between.

Harvesting

It is only produced during the final hours of a Mirebiter's adult life, as their internal organs liquefy following successful reproduction. Resin collectors, typically locals that are familiar with the Mirebiter's swarming season and traditional locations, track the dying swams and collect fresh deposits as soon as possible. Due its short lifespan of viability in the wild, once a year generation, and the risks of collecting amidst the dangers of the jungle swamps, Mirebite Resin is a rare and expensive commodity.

Uses

The main use for the resin is for rituals and spiritual events, as a form of incense. It is treated as soon as it collect to maintain its potency and viscosity, preventing the hardening as it burns better that way. The fact that the Resin is a product of a pest's death, essentially, has tied its association to that of being able to ward of unwanted spirits. As such, if it can be afforded, the resin can also be burned during funerary rites to ensure the departed's spirit is not interfered with by another as it passes to the afterlife. Ironically, when burned it also acts as an insect repellent, but the scarcity of the material means that other materials are preferred for that use, but can be handy for the collector's if they find themselves in a pinch whilst doing their duties.