Instant Mushroom House: The Moving Cities of the Chattanic Nomads
And when we were safely on the shore, dear sister, our savior did the most remarkable thing: she removed from her pouch what appeared to be a section of dried jerky, or perhaps leather that had been tanned within a hairsbreadth of its life, and upon exposing it to the rain, it grew into a shelter large enough that four grown adults could comfortably sleep underneath - or eight could sleep uncomfortably.
Our savior explained that this was one of her tribe's "Ur-Mnematsia" (or as closely as I believe I can get the spelling). After a few rounds with our translator, I assume this to mean something along the lines of "Instant Mushroom House". I could not believe what I was hearing: this temporary shelter was made from the skeleton of one of the giant mushrooms grown in the village of Mnema. Drying it had shrunk it down small enough that it was able to fold up inside her pack.
The Ur-Mnematsia
Instant Mushroom Houses, known to the inhabitants of the Island of Chattana as Ur-Mnematsia, are used almost exclusively by the nomadic groups of Chattana. When encouraged to grow in a specific configuration, the Watertight Mushrooms of Mnema can form shelters that can easily house a small family. The dehydrated mushroom shelters can be folded down like a small tent. Just add water, and the shelter pops open. They are even effective in the rain, as the Watertight Mushroom will absorb as much water as it is able to, and then the remaining water will slide off the top without dripping down through to those sheltering underneath.
The Mnemic People and Mushroom Exports
The primary export of the City-State of Mnema, to both the other City-States in the Inter-State Alliance of Chattana and other Sovereign Nations of the Coral Sea, is mushroom, being farmers of the giant mushrooms native to the region.
They can process the mushrooms into many different kinds of exports: food grade mushrooms, both fresh and preserved, chemical extracts made from the different species of mushroom they grow, and mushroom-grown tools.
One of those special preserved mushrooms are the Watertight Mushroom, a kind of mushroom known for their ability to swell and absorb up to thirty times their own weight in water. The mushroom is also tough and stringy. This makes them perfect for drying down to create lightweight tools, which can be stored easily to rehydrate at the point of use. While they are technically edible, and the low weight of the dehydrated mushrooms would technically make them an ideal pack ration, they are not often eaten because the texture isn't very pleasant.
Fishing buoys, used primarily in Coralon, are a common usage of the Watertight Mushroom; many buoys can be packed into a single pack while dehydrated, and they rehydrate and float when placed in the sea. Another common usage is in mining, which they export to many surrounding countries. A dehydrated and deflated Watertight Mushroom can be placed in a crack, and when water is poured on the mushroom, it will expand and crack open the surrounding rock without the need of explosives. The most recognizable usage of the Watertight Mushroom, however, is the Instant Mushroom House, or in the various Chattanic dialects, Ur-Mnematsia.
