Web Bed

The whole of the Rostral Tesseract is set apart by its warmer than average climate when compared to other tesseracts within the Manifold. The Rostran and ovinex species, being native to the tropical Rostral D cube layer, have developed a variety of strategies to cope with the sometimes stifling mugginess that pervades their island homes in the depths of summer. The Low Rostran culture developed a unique sort of bedding to allow for comfortable sleeping even on the hottest and most humid of days, and their innovation has since been adopted by High Rostrans and Civil Ovinex alike.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

In principle, a Low Rostran web bed is essentially a hammock strung out as a web across a raised wooden frame instead of between trees. The original Low Rostran beds were simple rectangular or circular frames, but modern variants feature bent wooden rails along the sides to allow the web to better match the contours of a sleeper's body when loaded down as well as raised corner posts or overhanging wire semi-circles to provide support for a drape of bug netting. Larger web beds are constructed for the use of couples wishing to sleep together, though special considerations must be made in these designs such that the web does not constantly force both occupants towards the center and so that, in the course of certain amorous activities, the web will not break free from its moorings.
The use of broad, soft straps instead of the straw or down-stuffed bedding found in many other cultures provides ample ventilation for the sleeper's backside, making sleeping in a hot room just a little bit more comfortable. Additional padding, in the form of loose-woven blankets, can be laid over the web for additional comfort as required. A fan - or, in the rare cases where the island night is cold, a space heater - can be directed towards the bed to cool (or warm) the sleeper from all sides, the ventilation being able to reach the sleeper from below as well as above. Fancy models will feature elaborately carved rails and a space beneath for a litter of moisture-absorbing material to help further reduce mugginess and, during particularly sweaty nights, to help keep the floor clean. Some models come equiped with adjustable rail supports to allow for different sleeping angles or for the bed to double as a form of seating.

Item type

Furniture