Description
The Pig Pens occupy a carefully selected section of the highest Spine Bar, where the ground remains firm and dry even during the most extreme tidal events. The enclosures are built with sturdy fencing constructed from thick ironwood posts driven deep into the sand and lashed together with braided coconut fiber rope. Horizontal rails of salt-cured driftwood create a robust barrier that can withstand both the strength of the pigs and the occasional storm surge. The entire perimeter is reinforced at the base with stacked coral rocks, preventing the swine from rooting their way underneath the fencing.
Each pen features a raised sleeping shelter built in traditional Vaitafe style, with a sloped roof thatched from pandanus leaves and walls made of woven palm fronds. The shelter floors are elevated on short pilings and covered with a thick layer of dried cordgrass that provides comfortable bedding while allowing waste to fall through gaps to the sand below. During the heat of the day, the pigs retreat to these shaded structures where cooling sea breezes flow freely through the walls. Decorative carvings on the shelter posts depict the traditional connection between swine and prosperity in Vaitafe culture.
The open pen area is divided into sections using movable woven fence panels, allowing handlers to separate breeding sows, growing piglets, and boars as needed. A designated wallowing area has been excavated and lined with clay brought from the mainland, creating a mud pit that the pigs use for cooling and pest control. Fresh seawater is periodically allowed to flood this area during high tide through a cleverly designed sluice gate, which is then closed to trap the water as it evaporates and mixes with earth to create perfect wallowing mud.
Feeding troughs carved from halved logs line one side of the pen, positioned under a simple lean-to shelter that protects feed from rain and salt spray. The swine are fed a diet of fish scraps, crushed shellfish, foraged sea vegetables, and any surplus food from the settlement. A storage shed adjacent to the pens holds feed supplies, tools for mucking out waste, and spare fencing materials. Waste from the pens is collected regularly and composted, creating rich fertilizer for any future agricultural endeavors.
The pigs themselves are descended from stock brought by the Vaitafe ancestors, compact and hardy animals well-suited to island life. In Vaitafe tradition, pigs represent wealth and status, and are reserved for important feasts and ceremonial occasions. The accelerated growth within the dimensional bubble means piglets reach full size remarkably quickly, ensuring the settlement can maintain a healthy breeding population. The soft grunting and occasional squealing of the contented swine has become a familiar and oddly comforting sound in the settlement, a reminder of home and the promise of future prosperity.
Benefits
The pig pens can house up to 8 adult pigs (typically 6 sows and 2 boars) plus their offspring. The settlement can harvest up to 2 pigs per month for meat without impacting the breeding population, as sows produce litters every 3 weeks (rather than the normal 4 months) and piglets reach full size in approximately 2 months (rather than 6 months) due to the accelerated growth rate. Pigs hold significant cultural importance in Vaitafe society, and hosting a feast featuring pork grants the Duke a +2 bonus to Diplomacy checks with visiting Vaitafe dignitaries for one week after the feast. The settlement gains 2 Prestige due to the cultural significance of maintaining swine.