Post by Ryan of the Fordneys on Mar 31, 2009 13:50:38 GMT
The shores of Genista
Northeast of Ambion lies the island of Genista, also known by the peasant moniker of Broomland. It is a place free of the perpetual ice its northern neighbor, the Isle of Questing, faces all the time. Yet it is nonetheless locked within the cold embrace of the Micran Arctic, giving this place a markedly northern atmosphere, akin to Iceland. Early Bosworthians forwent settling Genista in lieu of the more hospitable mainland to the south, which was more favorable to sheep and agriculture, and had large forests for timber.
Even so, the rolling green hills of Genista have been known for years. Count Orion of Rommenashire, a nobleman from New Britannia, is noted for having first sailed the coastline of the island. In his notes he observed the dominant plant life of the island, the common broom, known in Latin as planta genista. He called the place Insula Genista, or Island of the Broom Plant, and the name stuck. Even so, Genista remained uninhabited for many years until the foundation of Bosworth and the growth of its cities. The later, English-speaking New Britannians who settled the area, retained the latter Latin form of the name, and simply called the island Genista. As cities like Shrewsbury and Ambion grew, and the population of Wakefield Island reduced the availability of open land, settlers and the less-fortunate peasants who could not afford pricier locations began to settle Genista.
The first village to be settled was named in like honor of plant that dominates the flora here, yet tied in with the strong culture of the settlers. This village became known as Plantagenet and grew into a fine trading center, where sheep and peat were shipped to the mainland for trade in goods that could not be gotten here on the island. Although of noble name, Plantagenet was founded by the poor and destitute, and the homes thatched with the numerous broom plants led to the place being called "Thatchshire" by the locals. Likewise, the retention of the Latin name by those with only a vague education also led to the name of the island being known locally as "Broomland", since it often had to be explained what the name Genista meant. Although anyone sailing into Genista in the summer knows the reason the locals call it Broomland, since the plant dominates the scrub of the hills, and colors them yellow with millions of flowers each year.
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Please note that I just started this on a whim and intend to expand and continue it. I'm referring to the two unlabeled islands to the northeast of Wakefield. Since these seem to have no description that I could find, I thought no-one would mind my writing about one of them. Let me know if certain names already in place (like Eleanora) or something else should be changed.
