Avennas Oyster
Short introduction
Avennas Oyster was the source of the pearls, which first Grópius Avenna Porrótor, then his daughter, Serena Avenna Bellóta, imported from a small stripe of coast they had been granted access to by the local Madini. It was a seashell that never reached the ground of Tarrabaenia, but its greyish pearls, highly prized by the Tarrabaenians, made its way to Tarrabaenia until their source, the oyster, vanished, probably due to overcollecting.
Appearance, distribution and ecology
The oysters appearance is only known from Grópius' drawings, which he made during his travels. While a few different drawings exist, there is no point of reference to their size, so we can only assume they were about the size of a hand. Their shells did not produce any fine mother of pearl and were very thick and irregular in shape and surface, resembling the bark of an old tree. We do not know what colour the shell was, as Grópius only compared it to that of the cap of a Camissa mushroom, the identity of which is unknown.
The Avennas oyster seems to have been home only in the very southwestern part of th Mukebahari Bay. Here the water is warm all year long due to the volcanic activity of the area and rich enough in nutrients, that regular algae or bacteria blooms occur. These were most likely a food source for the Avennas Oyster. When the colony was depleted, Avennas oyster gatherers had to leave the area and search for new employment. This was some two hundred years after the oyster was discovered in the first place.
Behaviour, cultural role and use
The Avennas oyster clinged to the numerous rocks present in the small bay. Although there were sandy patches as well, Grópius stressed that the oyster could not be found there. The travel diary of Grópius states, that he originally was looking for food as he and his expedition were running low on supplies. So it was only by chance that the Avenna pearls were found. As a food source on the other hand, the oyster did not fulfill Avennas hopes, as it tasted 'most incredibly bitter' as he stated.
The Avenna pearls dominated Tarrabaenian jewellery and handicrafts for a few dozen years. They were highly sought after especially for their soft surface and their anthracite hue.
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