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Unlike many low-effort authors, who simply write down any nonsense they hear without second-guessing it, Bernold the Distrustful had always been a skeptic. Everything mentioned in his work was either observed by him personally or, in the very least, meticulously verified. This probably explains why even decades later his books are still relevant.
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Book content
... While visiting several distant forest villages one can still hear a questionable tale or two about the so-called veerlings, who can occasionally be spotted on the edge of deep woods.
The peasants living in those areas will gladly paint you a picture of some forest-dwelling beastmen whose appearance, apart from cat-like noses, closely resembles humans. They also possess a gentle, laid-back temper, which makes them so much more approachable than other Forest tribes.
Whenever the veracity of these stories is challenged, there's always a peasant ready to announce that it was their grandfather, brother, or some other relative who saw a veerling with their own eyes - only for you to discover that these witnesses succumbed to a sudden fever about a year ago.
Alas, even after years of searching I haven't found a single person who could swear on the Golden Truths and their immortal soul that they had any direct contact with a veerling or at least saw a glimpse of one personally.
This leads us to a simple conclusion: veerlings are entirely made-up, and there is no substantial proof that they exist or have ever existed.
The most likely origin of these stories is some village simpletons running into orcs who, for reasons unknown, decide against slaughtering them on the spot - and since it's a rare occurrence to escape such a scenario with your head still attached to your body, it's naively explained as encounters with a benevolent beastmen tribe inhabiting nearby woods...
