As an urban planner, the idea of completely isolating a whole civilization on a tiny peninsula is…interesting. Intriguing! Dare I say, THOUGH-PROVOKING!!!
Being that they weren’t trading with anyone else due to their sharp pointy reefs (I need a geologist in here to tell me how those spiky outcroppings happened, that’s got to be cool) Gilneas must have been surviving off of it’s own land. Meaning that they needed to have an understanding of sustainable farming when it came to everything. Food, clothing, building materials, Gilneans are probably the most amazing craftspeople on Azeroth. Using as little as possible, while getting the most out of it.
This also brings a little sense to their whole druidism thing. They had to have a respect for the land out of necessity. I imagine that their following of the light was more intertwined with the nature side of life and growth, to the point where being a paladin wasn’t quite an option.
Also, the fact that they haven’t run out of trees yet is amazing. There’s a surprising amount of unforested land on Gilneas, frankly it seems like they’ve even got something resembling a national park in the form of the Blackwald. I imagine that, prior to the worgen curse, citizens could take little walks through its untouched paths.
Also, there’s their whole fishing business, which is likely where they got the majority of their food, as land animals are more useful for clothing or fieldwork than for meat, when it comes to sustainability. Being that they were bound to their little peninsula, they must’ve had an innate understanding of the currents surrounding Gilneas, enough so that they were reliably able to provide for their whole country, along with a major metropolis, without fail for decades.
Seriously I don’t get why we don’t see more Gilneans in senior positions in the alliance. They know their crap. They might be cute dogs but they’re also cute dogs who could school you six ways from sunday.
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…also a good way of containing any epidemics that may arise.
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Well there was a whole civil war over how bad it was getting.
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Well…wasn’t the civil war all about the actual building of the wall? If I remember my lore correctly (I often don’t) The site proposed by Lord Godfrey would cut off Lord Crowley’s lands, along with the towns of Ambermill and Pyrewood. The civil war was about trying to, at the very least, negotiate the site of the wall, and at the most, Crowley hoped to stop Genn from building it all together.
Because the second someone managed to work around the wall all their general defenses crumbled and they needed the help of the Night Elves to save their bacon.
People being self-sufficient isn’t exactly a new concept. Given this is a fantasy game, it’s probably best not to think too hard on how Gilneas managed to cultivate it’s tree population and what socio-economic theory their leaders applied to the maintenance of a Kingdom that has magic and other fantasy aspects to apply them as a higher-learned group deserving of higher positions.
Well you could argue that they only fell because of extraordinary circumstances that nobody could’ve prepared for,
jk though, you’re 100% right. Tis a fantasy game, where goldshire, a town with three or four houses, has a population of 1300. Still fun food for thought!
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Read the lore.
They only isolated after the 2nd War with the Horde in Warcraft 2.
Prior to that, they had trade relations with the other human kingdoms.
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Y…yes? That’s what I’m talking about?
Isolating a nation, on a tiny peninsula, for even a decade, is a massive undertaking love. Read some urban history. 
Your initial post made it seem like you’ve never read the lore.
They haven’t been isolated all that long. They were one of the strongest nations in the Alliance in Warcraft 2. Furthermore, much of what we see of Gilneas now is the ruins POST cataclysm. There used to be more. And they used to hold territory north of the Greymane Wall as well into Siverpine.
Meaning, to build up prior to their isolation they had the resources they needed to do so, and after isolating they had what they needed to sustain.
From there — it’s not like they don’t have their own mages and priests for magic.
I mean I don’t see why you’ve gotta be snarky about it, but goodness gracious yeah I know that all we’re seeing is Gilneas post cata.
Except that the cataclysm happens during our stint at Duskhaven. AND most of that land outside of the wall, with Ambermill and Pyrewood, was under the watch of Lord Darius Crowley, who led the Northgate rebellion against the building of the wall. I imagine that they wouldn’t be parting with their resources happily, or willfully, due to the fact that they were being cut off.
Also like, Gilneas split around year 17-18. Cataclysm happened in year 28. That’s still a decade with no trade, no outside aid, no traveling. Everyone’s just stuck on that little peninsula for ten years.
Kinda hard to compare with King Genn “Come-yiff-me-Daddy” Greymane. Maybe if Blizz gets some good writers and they remember there’s more faction cities than SW and Org.
And yes, respecting the land and fishing was very helpful to our survival. We where starting to have some minor disagreements but we where still a peaceful land. Then, everything changed when the Forsaken attacked.
Y’know…honestly you can’t compare with that silver fox. I mean…well, y’know.
Y’know.
…
None of us have to say anything but we all know we would.
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It’s even more astounding that most of those 1300 live and can fit in the inn.
I mean…I think they’re like…packed like sardines? It certainly looks like that whenever you visit.
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