The Swamps - Bohortha Eilan
Much of Bohortha Eilan is covered in thick mangrove swamps - in fact the island consists of a central wedge of hard bedrock which houses most of the settlements and then an extended swamp on the south-western end, and a smaller swamp extending out to the northeast. The southwest swamp was built up over millennia when the rich alluvial silt of the mainland was swept out from the river's mouth into the strong sea currents and was deposited on the low lying southern side of the island's backbone. Gradually the land level rose until the mangrove roots could take hold and form vast thickets among which even more soil could collect. This is a strange land - a land of dank, dark places with stinking brackish water inhabited by numerous small mammals, the water muskrat - a close relative of the water rat - being the most prevalent due to its large size (about the size of a very small pig) and its ferocious nature. In addition there are a variety of water snakes, mainly harmless, which are often difficult to distinguish from the mangrove roots as they swim through the sluggish brown water.
There is little oxygen in this water, and so very few fish make the swamp their home - except for the marsh lodefish, which has realized that spawning in the murky depths where the swamp meets the sea offers its young protection from the larger predators of the open sea. The lodefish is so called because it has the ability to find its way back to the same spawning ground each year, and so the mangrove swamp is suddenly alive around its edges with young fish in early spring.
Other vines have used the mangrove roots as anchors, and climbed skyward from the swamp towards the light. The canopy of the swamp - if it could be seen from the sky - is brightly coloured with the red and pink Hantava vine in midsummer, but other vines choke the plants below, and many of the trees that form the basis of the swamp are hollow and dead, held in place only by all of the matting that links them to all those around them. This vine also has sap which is considered to have some healing properties, and is harvested by the local fishing communities.
There are some who live within the swamps, and on the edges in the tidal regions. These villages make their buildings out of wood and bamboo, usually on stilts to allow for the tidal variation that sweeps through the swamps and edges of the island. With little fresh water being available except that which comes from the sky, almost every house boils ocean water to purify it, and then sells the salt to the drylanders or uses it to cure meat and fish. Because of the damp heat of the swamps, most houses have a gap between the top of the house and the roof to allow air passage. The roofs are made of bamboo, split into half with the inside up, to channel water from the constant rainstorms. The deluge is channelled into wooden tanks kept under the homes, where it is stored for later use.
Most of the villagers do their cooking outside, under an overhang projecting from the side of the building. The houses are surrounded by patios and porches, with only the main living quarters and bedrooms protected by walls. Food is usually stored at the centre of the house, keeping it away from the sun and the pests that inhabit the swamps. Some rooms have an open weave floor, to allow air to pass up from the bottom as well as to make cleaning them simple, but many forgo that style, due to the stench of the marsh water.
Almost all villagers move about by boat, for the land is too damp to be safely passable. These boats are stored underneath or alongside the house, but when they are not there, fishing lines hang down into the water, and it will be the duty of one of the children or ancient elders to sit and watch the lines. The main living floors of the houses are only accessible by ladder, in order to keep animals from being able to ascend into the house. The patios and open windows are covered with a white cloth, woven from the pulped core of some of the vines within the swamp, which allows most of the light in while keeping flying insects out. Finally, in the village centre there are pontoon walkways that connect house to house and to a central meeting area, but these structures are costly enough that they often only reach the five or six houses closest to the centre.