Jaba-Dal (Zean: Breathless Marsh) spans the south-western area of the Zea continent. It is known for the thick layer of suffocating vapor covering the ground in the night. It is home to the
Nata-Fii tribe (Zean: People of the Swallow).
Geography
Jaba-Dal is located in the south-west of Zea, where the river Len splits into several smaller rivers and streams, resulting in vast wetlands. While it is known that the vapor extends to the shore of the continent, as evidenced by sea exploration, majority of the land area is still not mapped.
Geology
The most obvious geological feature of the Marsh are the gashes. Gashes are usually below 10-meter-long and 2-meter-wide openings in the ground, from where a toxic vapor is released. It is hypothesized that its accumulation is what lead to the gashes opening. It is unknown whether the supply of the vapor is finite, or whether the water seeping underground is fueling a chemical reaction. Similar openings in the ground are sometimes found free of the toxic gas and expeditions revealed layers of limestone and other minerals, resulting in several small quarries being established by Nata-Fii. All the stone formations are covered with several meters of soil full of half-decayed vegetation.
The vapor cycle
The vapor (sometimes called Dal – the Breathless) emanates from the gashes at a constant rate, in a concentration not immediately fatal for a healthy human. Prolonged exposure, however, results in dizziness, migraines, shallow breathing, and increased heart rate. After several hours of exposure death occurs, presumably due to the vapor filling one’s lungs. The symptoms decrease with distance to the nearest gash.
During the night, the temperature in the Marsh drops significantly, causing the vapor to coalesce and cling to the ground instead of dispersing. This results in a 2-meter-tall layer of dense mist, quickly suffocating everything on the ground level. The mist then rises shortly after sunrise, giving opportunity to the scarce life living in the Marsh to recover and prepare for the next night.
Ecosystem
The vapor does not affect the development of flora, or at least enough flora is resistant to it to allow for large forest to emerge. Lush vines spread from tree to tree, while the ground is dominated by ferns and tall reeds.
The vapor prevented development of majority of land animals. Several small species of rodents adapted to survive by building burrows with underwater entrances. Fish and insect life thrives in the rivers. Only few species of birds are observed in the Marsh, with flocks of the
Fii-Mara (Zean: Green Sparrow) dominating the skies.
Human settlements
The Marsh is an extremely unhospitable place, however, the Nata-Fii were able to establish a significant presence deep in the wetlands. Their capital, the Seat of the Sparrow (or Har-Fii) rivals the other two Seats in population and size, and a second encampment, known as the Southern Post was declared safe several months ago.
It is worth noting, that the first Dain expedition to reach shores of Zea had the terrible luck to come upon the Jaba-Dal as their landing site. Several lives were lost before the voyage continued east, famously reaching the Seat of the Spider (Har-Got) and establishing the first contact between civilizations.
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