Gaile (Gale)

The Gaile people are a nomadic group made up of various tribes sharing a common culture, who are spread throughout The Great Woodlands of western Adrya. Bordered by The Eastern Bog and The Marches, they acquire most of their food through game hunting and foraging in the immense forests between, although, certain tribes are also known to hunt through the prairies and scrubland of the nearby mountains. For the most part, the Gailes are reclusive, even hostile to outsiders, and every ranger who wishes to travel across Adrya must proceed with caution while traversing The Great Woodlands. They use wood and flint tools and are primarily clothed in hides and rough fabrics gained from their hunts.   Gaile tribes will often occupy an area for around a year, gathering their food from nearby until supplies begin to deplete, in which case they move on. Much of Adrya is poorly suited for farming, as the ground is either covered in trees or marsh or is too rocky and hilly. Thus, the Gaile people have never learned to cultivate crops, and have rarely left their wooded homelands, fearing the vast expanse of the ocean and The Marches. However, the ecosystem of The Great Woodlands is precarious, often seeing swellings and die-backs in its population. Resources are not scarce, however, competition between predators and other Gaile tribes can oftentimes leave much to be desired. The seasons also hold sway over the region: while heavy rains from the mountains during the fall, spring, and summer can foster an abundance of growth, a resulting dry winter can take it all away, leaving thousands of Gailes facing hunger and with little way to acquire food except by taking it from others. And so, the Gaile people never stay in one place for too long, hoping to get the most out of their territory before any serious change occurs.   Sometimes, although rarely, when faced with food shortage, the Gaile tribes will come together, usually under the leadership of a powerful figure, and march east towards Atrea, and The Great Houses. Traveling across The Eastern Bog, the Gailes will reach Garron's Gate, the half-sunken land bridge connecting the two continents. The trek across this thin strip of land is dangerous and there is often a thin layer of water constantly soaking the feet of any who cross. However, in the plight of their circumstances, the Gaile people can be seen making such a journey every few years, crashing into Atrean land in what has become known as a "Gailen incursion." Yet, due to a particularly harsh invasion seen in 1148 N.A. the fortress of Asmaria has been constructed by Great House Drea, and has since been a major obstacle in Gaile advances. While the incursions have never seen any real success or seizure of land, and most often end in the eventual annihilation of the invasion force, they nonetheless succeed in solving the population problems seen in The Great Woodlands, whether the results and desired or not.