Olasia Mangrove

Place

Place Name:

Olasia Mangrove

Biome:

Mangrove

Size:

Unknown

Continent:

Unknown

Subcontinent

Unknown

Geography

The Olasia Mangrove forest was a marshy backwater that stretched inland for miles, where the sea met the coastal shores of the Olasia region. The tides would bring the waters into the low lying coastal regions and leave them stranded inland, forming these marshes. The waters here were brackish and supported very few plants, the region's namesake mangrove being one of them. The terrain was filled with these trees that grew out of the waters along with their exposed roots.

They lined every water way in the region and their wood was used extensively for construction and crafting of any tool. Being open to the sea, the region was affected by any conditions out at sea. The water levels could rise by meters with every changing of the tides or turn milky or clear depending on the conditions out at sea. The water was clear as freshwater on most occasions but became muddier as one progressed inland, before turning into a muddy bog where it joined the solid grounds of the interior continents.

The region was relatively flat in most places except for a few hills which rose above the water levels. Even these elevated grounds above the water were covered in mangrove and held a lot of strategic value as the only places where proper construction could be made over solid ground. The water existed everywhere in this region and was the quickest way between any two locations. Boats were used to facilitate long distance travel; shorter distances would be covered by wading through them or on mounts that could ford deep water and wooden rafts.

The region was warm and humid and served as a breeding ground for many insects and diseases. This was mostly evident in the summers when the whole region would come down with strange new plagues and fevers. There was a rainy season during the summers when the swamp would be continuously showered by endless rains. The waters of the region would rise and cover entire mangrove clumps leaving only their branches and leaves exposed. The brackish water impeded the growth of crops in what little unflooded grounds was available, thus most tribes had to depend on hunting for food and sustenance.

In winter, the temperatures could plummet quickly when the cold currents swept in with the tide. This tide would bring in a variety of fishes from the sea where they would breed and multiply among the mangrove roots, before heading back out to sea. The presence of these fishes attracted many fishing folks who would head into the region every winter to make their fortunes. The briny marsh water was used to naturally preserve the fishes and produce a final product that was a common delicacy among fishermen throughout the lands.

Plants

The Olasia Mangrove forest was covered with different varieties of mangrove such as the fyran, the orund and other vegetation that could survive the brackish waters. The small elevated regions all over the swamps supported other varieties of vegetation including shrubbery, trees and bamboo like plants that were called the um’lyeu. The region was not particularly fertile and did not have a lot of crops that grew in the elevated surfaces. Thus, agriculture was not the first source of sustenance for the natives who relied more on hunting for their food.

The fyran was a variety of mangrove that grew in the Olasia region. It had all the characteristics of a normal mangrove tree but grew taller and had wider stems than any other variety in the region. They could reach incredible heights of up to twenty feet. This made them a valuable source of wood and were regularly used to carve planks and wooden frames for the construction of dry docks and raised platforms by the more industrious zu'aan natives. These practices died away with the coming of the kin'toni, who were not the most adept wood craftsmen and unable to attain the standards achieved by their predecessors.

The kin'toni stopped the practice of harvesting wood from these trees, leading to the Fyran's unchecked growth and takeover of the Olasia region. The orund was the second variety of mangrove that grew in the region. It was smaller and rarely reached the size of a full grown tree. At his full-grown height, it reached up to a maximum of ten feet and had smaller stems when compared to the fyran. Its wood was not adequate for construction and was only useful as firewood or kindling when dried.

The orund was also different from the fyran in terms of color, it had a lighter shade of colors, from brighter green leaves to an off-white stem and branches. Their roots were branched out into many different nodes and had a large portion sticking out of the water. The nooks and crevasses within their roots were vital as they provided habitats and breeding grounds for the fishes that moved into these regions during their breeding season.

The um'lyeu was a bamboo-like plant that grew in clumps all over the elevated surfaces of the Olasia forests that were above water. They were grown for their long stems which were water resistant and could double as basic construction material. They were a dull yellow in color and had long, dry leaves that occurred all along their stem. They could float on water and could serve as decent rafts when more of these stems were tied together to form a platform. Their hollow bodies were also used as flasks by the natives of the region.

Animals

The Olasia Mangrove forest was home to a wide variety of wildlife including fishes, amphibious reptiles and predatory birds. Three of the most distinctive wildlife of these waters included the ems fish, the darurt and the snake like bur'chea. The Ems was a sleek open water fish that would migrate to the backwaters of the Olasi Mangrove forests every winter. They used the shallow and comparatively warmer waters of the mangrove forest as their breeding grounds where they came to replenish their numbers while waiting for more favorable conditions out in the open waters.

The ems was capable of growing to a maximum length of two feet and had a translucent scaly layer covering the entirety of its body. It had a fresh pink meat that was nourishing and refreshing at the same time. The fish was a major food source for many tribes and was considered a specialty of the region. It was a valuable item of export from the region among the more organized tribes who had functioning trade connections and routes. The Darurt was an amphibious animal that lived among the Olasia mangrove forests.

It resembled a conventional crocodile but was smaller, with a maximum size of three feet and had soft rubbery skin that covered a thick layer of blubber. It had an ungainly and awkward appearance because of its proportionally larger body section. with thinner legs and webbed feet. It was deceptively agile in water and could stay underwater for hours at a time before it surfaced to breathe. It spent most of its life underwater and was rarely seen over land.

It was an unreliable food source because of the varying quantities of meat that could be harvested from one darurt to another. The darurt was more commonly hunted for its blubber which was used for torches and lamps. The darurt had a carnivorous diet and preyed on the overwhelming numbers of ems fish that could spawn in a single breeding season. They played an important role in maintaining the balance of the Olasia ecosystem and preventing the ems population from exploding beyond unsustainable levels.

The bur'chea was another variety of aquatic life that lived in the waters of the Olasia mangrove forest. It resembled an eel or a snake and was usually colored in brightly contrasting colors that resembled bands tied around the creature's body. Its body was capable of growing to over five foot in length which would coil around the smaller fishes and organisms of the swamp floor that it fed on. The bur’chea was indigenous to the forest and was not found in any other habitat.

It could only survive in the brackish waters of the region and could easily die or go into shock if placed in freshwater It was a very inadequate source of food and had no practical use, apart from its skin which was used as a decorative item and in elements of clothing. Their numbers are greatly limited because of their widespread hunting by native weavers of the zu'aan tribes.

Historical Timeline of Ages

Age Name	Dates	Controller
Stone Age	Before 1E 0	Unknown
Copper Age	1E 1–1E 2200	Unknown
Bronze Age	1E 2200–1E 4400	Unknown
Iron Age	2E 0–2E 700	Unknown
Ancient Age	2E 700–2E 2200	Unknown
Middle Age	3E 0–3E 2050	Unknown
Early Modern Age	3E 2050–3E 2600	Unknown
Industrial Age	3E 2600–3E 2700	Unknown
Machine Age	3E 2700–3E 2800	Unknown
Atomic Age	3E 2800–3E 2850	Unknown
Space Age	3E 2850–3E 2875	Unknown
Information Age	3E 2875–3E 2900	Unknown
Genetic Age	3E 2950–3E 3000	Unknown
Awakening Age	3E 3000–3E 3415	Unknown
Twilight Age	4E 0–4E 500	Quilyeath Kin'toni Clan

This article is written by Jangou. Copyright 2026 Jangou S. All rights reserved.