Post by Admin on Jul 26, 2014 16:51:48 GMT -5
They took up refuge in a region that exploration revealed to hold fertile lands, settling quietly to re-establish their homes and farms. For a time, they lived in peace, enjoying the fruits of their labors and growing, eventually branching out to form other colonies that would in time become the cities known today. With the passage of time came introduction to their ‘neighbors’ in the north, the tribes of Vasile. Though their initial interactions were challenging and occasionally violent, enough communication was established where-by they could begin trading, especially in healing herbs and food-stuffs.
In the time of the volcano’s eruption, Gardiner held its breath, waiting to see if they would be affected by the rush of ash and soot. Though it reached the southernmost colony, there was time enough for the people to evacuate, seeking temporary shelter with their Vasilean trading partners before they returned home to find their already verdant lands enriched by the volcanic ash.
Through the passage of time, trading expanded to the east upon learning of the peoples who settled in those regions that had formed their own kingdom.The Gardiners chose to remain independent, like the tribes, coming to the aid of the tribes during the Blood Plague that ravaged the tribal lands. They were able to halt the spread of the pernicious disease, yet the lands were left vulnerable to the raids of the Far Northerners, who took advantage of the plague to mount incursions into Vasile. Left with little choice, the two regions appealed to the eastern Kingdom for aid.
Everything comes with a price, including assistance. Negotiation ensued, and the regions of Shelbourne and Vasile were pressed into the Kingdom as extensions, but with concessions regarding certain autonomies of custom and religion. For the last several centuries, the Duchy of Shelbourne has been a part of Archades, known for its neutrality in all aspects of politics.
Physically, the Gardiners are average height and build. They are strong, but built on the lean side, with voracious appetites for life. They are often cheerful, practical and earthy people with brown hair and blue or hazel eyes. Most have the gift of understanding the lands, but an occasional Gardiner is born with a gift for medicine and healing.