User blog:Glflegolas/BIome of the Week -- Issue 13 -- January 14, 2017

Hello folks,

This week, the "biome" that I will be featuring in this blog isn't exactly a biome. Instead, it's more of a case of rather unusual terrain generation, that is possible under some circumstances. This week, I will be featuring the special case of the barachois, also known as a barrier beach.

Where is it?
A Barachois doesn't generate as its own biome. Instead, it is found near the beach biome, which, in turn, is found near The Sea. For those of you who don't know, a barachois occurs when the currents of the sea close off an inlet, forming a lake -- usually brackish in nature -- in the area that was once part of the ocean. Barachois are quite common in many parts of Atlantic Canada. There's a little more information available on the wikipedia page.

In the mod, there's no surefire way of finding barachois, as they are generated only under a rather specific set of conditions. Either a lake biome variant or a very low area, below y=67, must generate directly behind the beach. The barachois I found in creative mode was found in the following location, in version 30.5:
 * x=34435
 * z=71755
 * Seed: 472444613890168665

Here, a lake biome varient generated right behind the barrier beach.

The other barachois is found on Isildur's Bane server, and is very near where I'm building my house. I'll feature it on my builds page when my house is done. It consists of an island that generated immediately adjacent to the Gondorain coastline.

What do you like about this biome?
Well, I like this feature of the terrain for several reasons. One of the main reasons is because this feature is very common in real life where I live, and they look just as nice IRL as they do in the mod. In fact, it's easier to find a barachois IRL than it is in the mod. Secondly, a barachois can make for a very nice harbour, if you are willing to dredge out the entrance. Finally, it's a great supply of reeds, clay, and sand, right next to home.

Any advice for travellers?
For those of you who are trying to find a barachois, get yourself a horse and start riding along the beaches of Middle-Earth! Don't expect to find these features frequently; I myself had to fly in creative mode for nearly 30 minutes in order to find one. Also, the gulls are very loud, and can easily drive you crazy. You might want to lower the volume of your sound before visiting.

Aside from that, the other hazards you may encounter depend entirely on the biome behind the barachois.