Gio Teland halted his ox when his mouldboard plough turned up another rusted spearhead in the north field. He stooped to pick the spearhead up and threw it on the pile of rocks and other bitter remembrances of a war that he’d only experienced through the tales passed down from his father before him.
They say that the blood of war makes grasses grow, but it had only made his family’s soil sour and difficult to work. Being trampled on, over fertilized, and washed out for nearly 100 years took its toll on the ground. It had taken much effort and care to get to the point of being good enough to plant crops again. And now, with the repairs of the trade road to the capital city of Anumynost complete, Gio’s humble town of Altiorra was more prosperous than ever.
Wiping his brow, Gio glanced over to one of his workers and smiled. She was at the mortar and pestle grinding up some bone grass that he’d work into this newly ploughed lot. On a walk along the river southeast of his home some about a year ago, Gio found a fair stash of the coveted grass and had transplanted some it closer to home in hopes of using it to balance out his acidic soil. The transplant was a success and he’d been able to turn another dead parcel of land into a vibrant field of cornstalks and carrots.
Gio knew he couldn’t keep this discovery to himself. It was not in his nature to be greedy. The Virtue of Charity demanded that he share and help others thrive. He shared his good fortune of the bone grass with his fellows and the few plots of fallow land brought health and wealth to all. Whilst hunting and foraging were a main source of food at the moment, along with goods merchants were beginning to bring through town, Gio hoped that, one day, Altiorra would be home to many large farms and be more self-sufficient.
He envisioned a day when Altiorra’s harvest festival would play host to many menn from throughout the kingdom of Ashland and beyond, where they would celebrate hard work and the Virtue of Diligence. Perhaps once day he could build a monument to this most important Virtue as a reminder of the fruits of their shared labours.
