Gertrude Al'Shane

Gertrude, although a normal Innatraean, is far from being an average woman. She isn't a fighter, goddess bound, or Weaver. She is in fact a rose apple farmer. There is however much more to this seemingly average Innatraean woman.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Gertrude is that she's Crilla's twin sister. Not unusual in itself, except that Weavers live extraordinarily long lives, and Gertrude should have died from natural age long ago. They are both over five hundred years old. The reason for this is unknown to either sister, and has long since just been accepted by the them, after many investigations of course.

Gertrude has been all over Innatraea in her long life. Usually helping those in need, with everything from resisting military occupations to farming. She has never trained for combat, tactics, politics, or anything involving being in power. But her long life as something akin to a field nurse, farmer, and resistance fighter has made her into a formidable woman.

Most recently she has been living in the small farm town of Aliselle Falls. She and her husband Jonathan moved there a few decades ago when they purchased a rose apple farm together. Previous to that she was assisting a Rinowhn Tribe in resisting Aedonian occupation.

Shortly after our story begins she is joined by her sister, after Crilla retires from the Weavers. Both of them oddly end up becoming adopted mothers not too long after that. Gertrude, and her husband Jonathan, rescue a Rinowhn woman named Chaya, after she was attacked. Chaya gives birth to Jonaas on her deathbed and they raise him as their own. Meanwhile Crilla finds Rosalie, abandoned as a baby, and makes the same choice.

What odd secrets will we discover about this most unusual farm wife? Why is she still alive after over five centuries of life?