In such a rapidly evolving ecology such as the Planet's, deciding what currently is edible is a very tricky and hazardous process.

Thus the flexibility of the gut-living symbiont "Adaptabug" had a very high survival value for its hosts and hence for itself.

The Adaptabug is essentially a gut-living fauna like the old earth E. Coli. The gut fauna and flora, even on old Earth, aided the food digestion and absorption process of larger animals, in exchange for food and a very sheltered and favourable environment.

The Adaptabug is essentially a little genetic library caching every genetic framework that comes its way.

When the host eats something toxic to itself or the Adaptabug, the Adaptabug runs through its library of genetic material in search of something that will enable to cope with the new influx.

Usually after a painful period of flatulence and diarrhea, the Adaptabug finds some process to convert the incoming food into something edible to its host and hence through the hosts bloodstream, to itself.

Life was harsh and short indeed for the early Fenlings until some Adaptabug finally managed to adapt itself to the new human hosts.

In the fens all such structures fell away for two main reasons...

• The fens constitute a constantly shifting environment where no address is permanent and hiding is much easier than finding.
• The seed population for the fens where exactly those to whom the fens where appealing and to whom the feudal society forming on the adjacent highlands were appalling.

Coercion based civilization has never been possible in the fens. However, in the face of many overriding dangers, there are several continent and species spanning examples cooperation arising for mutual benefit.