Greta Goodbarrel

Greta Goodbarrel (F.A. 1739 - S.A. 35) was a prominent politician and revolutionary in the halfling villages of Brandybrook, Bloomerville, and Bramblebury. She was the author of two constitutions that created and maintained a halfling republic in Bramblebury, and served from F.A. 1788 to S.A. 1 as an Elder under Thain Isalie Gardner and again as an elected Elder from S.A. 18 until her resignation in S.A. 20. A polymath, Greta was also an author, a violinist, a political theorist, a journalist, a poet, and a prominent winemaker.

Biography

Early Life (F.A. 1739 - 1788)

Greta was born in F.A. 1739, in a secluded part of the Orenian countryside. Little is known about her early life. Though her parents followed some halfling traditions, Greta was raised a Canonist and expected to become a homemaker. She was discouraged by her mother from pursuing many of the hobbies her father taught her such as reading, writing, and playing the violin. In 1782, after getting sick of being told to marry and have children, Greta left her childhood home and wandered into Arcas, where she eventually took up with Valorin Celia’thilln, a high elf librarian from Haelun’or. Greta lived in Haelun’or for three years, where she studied Haelun’orian politics, wrote poetry, and became closely associated with the staff at the Eternal Library at the time.

After a falling out with Valorin in 1785, Greta moved to Brandybrook, beginning her political career almost immediately after her arrival. Inspired by the democratic government she had witnessed in Haelun’or, Greta worked to introduce a similar constitution to Brandybrook. To support this effort, Greta formed the secret Halfling Liberty Organization alongside Minto Townsend and was later joined by Theodore Mowood, Andon Cloudberry, and Filibert Applefoot. The organization proved short-lived, however, and was dissolved in 1787 a controversial speech criticizing Thain Isalie Gardner was given by Greta at her wedding to Filibert.

First Eldership (F.A. 1739 - S.A. 1)

Despite Greta’s awkward introduction to her, Isalie agreed to read Greta’s petitions and proposed constitution, and after Isalie’s daughter, Elder Kit-Kat Gardner, was killed in the Battle at Last Light, Isalie appointed Greta Elder, and promised to consider implementing a democratic government once the Inferi Crisis had ended. It was around the same time Greta became an Elder that she met and fell in love with Kerraline Erawick, eventually leading her to divorce Filibert Applefoot in 1791, though not before having her only child, Elizabeth Goodbarrel, with him.

Greta’s first Eldership saw the destruction of Brandybrook and the founding of Bloomerville, a temporary halfling village on the outskirts of Fort Hope. It was in Bloomerville in 1793 that Greta married Kerraline and planted her first vineyard, continuing the age-old Goodbarrel tradition of winemaking. Bloomerville also served as the location for a meeting in which Greta presented the future constitution of Bramblebury to the halfling people.

Though Greta had earned the friendship and support of Isalie, who signed her constitution into effect upon the halflings' arrival in Almaris, not all halflings agreed with Greta’s political ideas. Due to backlash she received for her constitution as well as a challenge by Iris Peregrin, Greta conceded the 1797 (S.A. 1) Bramblebury Mayoral Election.

Between Elderships (S.A. 1 - S.A. 18)

After leaving public office, Greta began a newspaper called the Bramblebury Gazette, in which she commented on certain political matters in the village. During Bramblebury’s Knoxist crisis, she criticized Knoxists’ treatment of “King” Cyris Collingwood. By this point, Greta had become irreligious and believed that the Knoxist religion and the halfling government should be kept separate. Feeling threatened by the individual who claimed to be Knox, Greta and her family briefly fled Bramblebury to Haelun’or, but soon returned once they realized there was no danger.

When the 1805 (S.A. 9) Bramblebury Mayoral Election rolled around, Greta decided not to run and instead supported her wife Kerraline in her run against Onelia Peregrin and Burt Hassenfort. Still interested in keeping the republic working, Greta moderated the debates and was present for when the crowd began calling for the return of an Elder system. Wanting to make sure her constitution stayed intact through the transition, Greta asked Isalie to step down, and hastily wrote a new constitution that replaced the positions of Thain and Mayor with three Elders. This constitution went into effect in S.A. 10; and Kerraline, Onelia, and Burt were promptly elected the first three Elders of Bramblebury.

The ongoing cultural and religious conflicts in Bramblebury, combined with a lack of direction on what powers the Elders had within the constitution, led to a great deal of conflict between the three Elders. Though some of Greta’s friends began privately casting doubt on the system, Greta did her best to try and keep it intact, and in S.A. 18 she ran for Elder alongside her friend Winter Gardner.

Second Eldership and Retirement (S.A. 18 - S.A. 35)

Though Winter did not win enough votes to become Elder, losing to Jordan Applebottom and James Peregrin, Greta earned more votes than any other candidate. Having been very careful about expressing her more controversial views while campaigning, it did not take long for Greta to find herself in conflict with her fellow Elders. Believing the system to have failed, in S.A. Greta resigned and left the village for some time. Not long after, James also resigned, and Jordan handed over control of the village to Rolladango Applefoot, who was made Thain, ending the republic.

After retiring from politics, Greta focused on writing and winemaking. It was during this time that Greta received her late father’s violin and took up playing again. Greta’s retirement also saw her friend Jolynn Gardner de Astrea teach her to craft Sorvians. Perhaps most significantly, it was after her second eldership that Greta wrote a comprehensive recent history of the halflings known as the Rise and Fall of the Halfling. She later also published a little green book of quotations, which proved to be her last work.

Disillusioned with the results of her political efforts and saddened by the departure of Isalie from Bramblebury, the unexpected death of Jolynn in battle, and the increasingly poor health of Winter, in S.A. 35 Greta committed suicide by poisoning her own wine. She died on her 92nd birthday. Greta was honored by her family and the village with a ship burial on Bramblebury’s beach.

Notable Accomplishments

• One of the first and arguably the main proponent of democracy in late Brandybrook and Bramblebury, authored both of Bramblebury’s constitutions and advised these governments both in official and unofficial positions
• Served as an Elder under Thain Isalie Gardner and again as part of the three Elder system alongside Jordan Applebottom and James Peregrin
• Active writer, authored several books and pamphlets as well as a newspaper
• Produced hundreds of bottles of wine in six different varieties all from ingredients grown and harvested by her

Family

Mother: Madelyn Goobdarrel (neé Greenfoot)

Father: Gregory Goodbarrel

Childen: With Filibert Applefoot: Elizabeth Goodbarrel

Notable Cousins: Micah O’Connel (1st, once removed), Faye Goodbarrel (1st, once removed), Hawthorn Goodbarrel (1st, once removed)

Spouse: Filibert Applefoot (m. 1787, div. 1791), Kerraline Goodbarrel (neé Erawick) (m. 1793)

Apperance

Greta was fair-skinned. She was tall for a halfling, standing at 3’4”. She had a round face and large bright blue eyes, as well as long, curly ginger hair. Greta’s most famous outfit consisted of brown trousers and a green jacket over a brown waistcoat and white blouse. She sometimes wore a tricorne hat with this outfit. Far-sighted, Greta began occasionally wearing reading glasses in her 60s and wore them consistently from her 80s onward.