#darien scheme

[fionamccall]

Embroidery of the foolish Darien Scheme of 1698, which set out to establish a colony in the Darien Gap on the Isthmus of Panama in the late 1690s. It failed, and bankrupted Scotland. There is still no road across the Darien Gap.

Great Tapestry of Scotland, Gallashiels, Scotland

[scotianostra]

On June 25th 1695 the company which undertook the Darien Scheme was formed.

The company came to ruin five years later through English obstruction, Spanish hostility and Scottish mismanagement. Darien House, pictured, in Bristo Street in Edinburgh was originally built as the headquarters for the ill-fated Company, it later became a lunatic asylum for paupers in the nearby workhouse.

[lunastrophe]

BG3 Drow Lore 🕷️ Kar'niss' Past - Szarkai Theory

Some of my thoughts about Kar'niss past, connected to the popular theory that he was born a szarkai - albino drow. How being a szarkai could influence his status in the drow society, his profession and other aspects of his life?

🕷️ Rare Drow - szarkai drow are said to be rare and according to Drow Of The Underdark, they "tend to appear more frequently among the noble houses than among the lower castes."

It is quite possible then that Kar'niss was a member of some noble drow house and had a high social status in comparison to many other drow males.

🕷️ Lolth's Boon - among the Lolth-sworn drow, a male child is never considered a blessing, but in case of szarkai, things are different. The birth of such a child - even male one - is perceived as a sign of Lolth's favour.

Maybe that was the reason why Kar'niss was given such an unusual name with a female suffix (-niss) instead of a male one. He was most likely seen as a worthy addition to the house, at least as worthy as a daughter would be - maybe his name was meant to emphasize his unique status.

🕷️ Career Path - szarkai resemble surface elves, so their default career path is to serve drow houses as spies and saboteurs.

Szarkai "receive intense training in espionage almost from birth," observed - and also tutored - by the cruelest priestesses and the most unscrupulous, deceptive, scheming nobles. After finishing their training, they are expected to spend even "centuries among ordinary folk, pursuing inscrutable and long-term plots."

As a szarkai, Kar'niss would probably need to learn how to think and act on his own agency, how to gain power over individuals and manipulate them, how to patiently create subtle and cruel intrigues - and, of course, how to survive on the surface as a convincing surface elf.

After completing their training, szarkai "are deployed to the surface in deep cover assignments. There, they ingratiate themselves with the surface folk when furthering the agenda of their drow masters and of Lolth."

🕷️ Hidden - szarkai's existence is expected to be "hidden from all but the highest-ranking drow." They are also "largely sequestered from drow life, being too valuable to risk losing to a casual murder" - due to this isolation, they are "physically safer than other drow, but their lot in life is no less harsh and corrupting."

So, as a szarkai, Kar'niss would have less experience with living a typical, everyday drow life. He would be raised and trained in an equivalent of cage - probably luxurious to some degree, but a cage nonetheless - staying in a closer contant only with a handful of priestesses and noble drow, mostly from his own house.

🔹 Admittedly, it is a bit hard for me to imagine Kar'niss as a typical szarkai spy: cold, calculating, deceitful, ruthless, trained to wear a mask for decades or even centuries. But on the other hand... who knows how much of his earlier self was erased or twisted - first by the Lolth's curse, then by the Absolute?

🔹 Szarkai's unique status was not protecting them from being changed into a drider for displeasing Lolth. Darien's story can be an example of that. Kar'niss' story could be somewhat similar - although there are many, many reasons why a szarkai could lose the favour of Lolth. It could be anything, really, from failing his mission to lacking faith in his goddess.

For more of my drow lore ramblings, feel free to check my pinned post 🕷️

[winterwrites23]

Hiii I hope your well!! I was wondering, you answered an ask a while ago talking about how Scotland tried having his own child, were you talking about the Darien scheme 👀👀

Indeed I was!! It's not something I've talked about in-depth, but it is a headcanon I have for Scotland. Despite his gruff personality, I do believe he's great with kids, even if he denies having a soft side.

And watching England go all 'gotta catch'em all' with the colonies, well that gave Scotland a desire to call one as his own. So even though the plan was risky, he poured all his energy into helping with the expeditions. However, as you know, the Darien scheme was a total failure due to many reasons that basically left the country bankrupt.

But that wasn't what left Scotland completely devastated by the whole thing. No, what hurt him the most was that he did meet a colony, a little boy he named Daniel, no older than four years old with dark reddish curly hair and soft brown eyes. But with the high mortality of the settlers from disease and harsh conditions, the risk of other empires invading and the shortage in supplies, Scotland realized the little colony wouldn't last long.

The Darien scheme happened over the course of two years, which included two attempts at colonization. Two years is a blink of an eye for a Nation, but for Scotland, it was two years he spent loving and caring for a little boy he called his son. He told him stories of his adventures and gave him the best he could as the little boy grew weaker and weaker as the settlers were dying off.

Scotland stayed by little Daniel's side until New Caledonia was no more, he stayed until the boy Faded in his very arms.

Since that day, Scotland hasn't been the same. He never attempted to become a father or father figure to someone ever again for fear of history repeating itself. He much preferred to be seen as an older brother or an uncle.

[rynchoso]

Words of the Fallen

Technically Darien Gautier x Vestige!Reader, but all I can say is play Summerset's main quest in ESO before reading this.

part 2

Warnings : Use of Y/N once. Angst because it is. Spoilers for the end of Summerset. Language. The letter is taken directly from the game, which is why it’s written way better than what I’ve actually written.

Words: 1000 (I can't believe I got such a perfect count)

Robin’s comment: Cried making this, bon appétit. More seriously, this chapter (the game's DLC I mean) made me hate Meridia. She was one of my favorite daedric princes, but now it's over. All hail Azura. Anyway this is basically me telling Meridia what she deserves to hear. There's also a hint of a part two at the end ;). I'll try to write it, but I can't guarantee anything.

"Never trust a Daedric Prince. If there's anything I learned from all this, that's it in a nutshell. I used to think I had a purpose, a part to play in the grand scheme of things. I suppose I did, sort of, but the way things turned out, it wasn't at all the way I imagined. Meridia said I was her vessel. I guess my fate was sealed from the moment she brought me into existence.

Now, here I am, back in the Colored Rooms. I thought that when I gave my energy to restore the sword—and I did that for my friend, not for Meridia—I thought that was the end of me. I'm back, though, but this time is different. My light, it's fading. I can feel the darkness getting closer, pressing in. I expect that once the light goes out, that will be the end.

I need to tell you something about Meridia. She's a deceiver. She promised that if I served her faithfully, I'd earn my freedom. She never told me that freedom was just another word for the void. Don't trust her. Don't trust any of the Daedric Princes. Not ever.

I've found peace though. Meridia gave me a chance to see the world, and those I care about, one last time. To save those I loved. I'm grateful for that, at least.

I wish I had a chance to say goodbye to everyone. To Skordo. To Gabrielle. Gods, I'll miss them. But most of all, (Y/N). I don't know if she will understand how much she truly meant to me. Perhaps we'll see each other again, in another place, another time. I probably won't be the version of myself that's writing these words, though. That me will be gone. I can live with that.

I only wish I could have spent more time with everybody. Had a few more adventures. Ordered those drinks like we always talked about.

I hope my friends find peace, happiness, and love. They deserve what I could never have. If anyone ever finds this book, know that I will never forget those I named herein. And, if you find them, and I pray that you do, tell them this.

Protect the ones you love. Hold them close. Cherish their every moment. Make them laugh, and laugh with them. Smile together and never, ever, forget that the moments you have are so very precious.

Oh, and tell them not to forget me, either. I mean, I am a legend, as far as I know.

The polite, handsome, and humble knight,

Darien Gautier”

You let the book fall back on the bench where you found it.

No… No…

You were breathing heavily. And a few minutes later, surrounded by those trees, you let out your anguish.

Dawnbreaker gripped tight in your hand, you screamed.

“Take it back! Take your goddamn sword back!”

“It seems my vessel isn’t the only one who ended up having feelings when he shouldn’t.”

A bright light. There it was, this patronizing voice. This voice you had respected, after giving you back your soul and helping you in Coldharbour. This voice you grew to hate.

“You bitch, he was my friend!”

“Where is your respect, Vestige?”

Vestige. You hadn't been called that since that time you helped Abnur Tharn in Elsweyr. Only the companions called you that. The companions and Meridia. But even the Daedric Prince hasn’t called you that during this whole mission. It was like you were back in Coldharbour all over again. Back fighting for what you thought was right, back, fighting against and with forces you couldn’t comprehend.

“My respect for you died when Darien got condemned. By your fault.”

“He was my vessel, an empty shell, a weapon to do my bidding. He served his purpose.”

“He was my friend!” You yelled again.

“And a traitor.”

“How the f-”

“He sacrificed he life for you. He purified my sword, not to serve me, but to help you.”

“Oh, so this is it? You’re throwing a tantrum because your tool wasn’t devoted to you only?”

“Careful with your words, Vestige.”

“You owe me! I’m the one who fought Molag Bal, I’m the one who assembled all those allies to stop the coalition! I’m the one who just stopped Nocturnal! And you owe him too! He may have purified Dawnbreaker for me, but everything else he did was for you, to serve you, because he was your champion! Because he truly thought he could trust you!”

“And you owe me for your soul. And he owes me for the purpose I gave him.”

“You wouldn’t have been able to take my soul if I hadn’t fought in Coldharbour! It’s all thanks to me! And his purpose? He could’ve been a hero without disappearing for your fucking sake! Hell, he just wanted to help his friends!”

“Friends he shouldn’t have had in the first place.”

“I swear, I defeated Molag Bal and Nocturnal, I can defeat you too. Take back your fucking sword and give me back my friend.”

You could feel Meridia’s rising anger, the air feeling tense around you despite the Daedric prince not being here physically.

“You want your ‘friend’ back?” The prince of light asked, her voice filling you with a bad feeling.

“Yes!” You answered. “Free him from your realm!”

You swore you almost heard Meridia growling, even if that sounded out of character. But that being was strict and cold, full of authority, like a severe and cruel mother. But nothing about her was motherly. She might have been less ‘evil’ than other princes, but she still served her own interests, mortals were just tools for her, or obstacles she had to get rid of. And you were sure that she was now in the second category.

“You will have to free him yourself.” Meridia declared. “That is, if you can get out of my realm.”

Her voice was tainted in cruelty, and a blinding light burnt your eyes before everything went black.

[historia-vitae-magistras]

"He's probably the best emotionally adjusted brother too."

You're making me fall for him even more

I mean the bar is on the floor here. Below the floor really. If Arthur is somewhere in the seventh circle of hell, Rhys and Brighid somewhere above that, Alasdair is in the top soil. He's a practical, ambitious bastard.

He's supremely flexible. His own original Celtic language of Pictish was supplanted by Gaelic originating in Scotland in his late teens. Scotland got fucked up by the Vikings but there's evidence that has been used to argue that the Gaelic-Norse fared better than the Anglo-Scandinavians and ties to Norway continued well into the medieval period and in other forms, into the modern day.

And while England and then Wales got brought under Norman rule fairly early on, Scotland repulsed them multiple times. Alasdair will find a way forward somehow. To many Scots, firmly Presbyterian by the end of the 17th century the acts of union in 1707 prevented a potentially absolutist catholic monarchy and contained a way to fill the ambition of an overseas empire. Though it must be said the Jacobean revolts show there certainly wasn't consensus.

But Arthur paid off the debt's remaining from nightmares such as the Darien Scheme and Alasdair took up something of the role of head of household. Power was always firmly vested in England. Do not mistake Alasdair's role as being that of the power-broker. He isn't but with their childhood birth order and the conventions of Georgian Britain it fits. While Arthur preferred the navy and the roving half wild across the ever expanding empire usually the role of a younger son in a human family, Alasdair was somewhat (emphasis on the somewhat) content to take interest in the financials and the running of things. As would happen in a human family. It's much more complicated than this, he and Arthur have gut each other plenty. But he's also fucked around and found out with Brighid and Rhys plenty too. Outside looking in, the arrangement suited him. He's detail and numerically oriented in that way. The Empire cost him dearly, but he also projected a lot of power across the world via that very same British empire. And I think that often limited but very real agency gave him a bit of a steadier head on his shoulders. The ability to look himself in the mirror and say he made the best of it while now looking back and trying as hard as his siblings to recover what he gave up is really important.

[pasthistoricalevents]

The Darien Scheme: Scotland's Epic Colonial Faceplant in Panama

[northern-lights-book-blog]

Book: THE VANISHED DAYS

By Susanna Kearsley

Series: Scottish

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Overall Rating : Five Stars but deserves 1000!

Overall Blog Rating: Five Saltire Flags

This book takes place in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. It is a time when there is so much upheaval in Scotland. Between politics, religion and a Union most don’t agree to! King James Stuart being dethroned and fleeing to France. The Jacobite movement started, and as Jacobite is the Latin name for James. Also many Scots were not happy about joining the English parliament with “The Treaty of Union by Acts of Union!” Plus so much bigotry and religious issues with Catholicism, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and it was a total disaster! On top of that there was the unsuccessful Darien scheme backed by Scotland to gain wealth and influence for a new colony Caledonia. This novel centers around the life of Lilias (Lily) Aitcheson-Graeme narrated by Adam Williamson.

Scotland 1683-1707

Adam will never forget the first time he met Lily, it was shortly after “The Treaty of Union by Acts of Union” was passed between Scotland and England parliaments in 1707. This was to form The Great Britain Parliament. Adam was staying at his friend’s home with his pregnant wife Helen, where he had been taken ill. His friend Turnbull was away, so in his friend’s place with another man Lily was being interrogated-to be able to get the proof her marriage was genuine. As her husband Jamie Graeme was a dead sailor, Lily was trying to prove she was his heir and attempting to get his back wages too. This was all due to her as Jamie Graeme’s widow, however the problem was all her witnesses were dead and they never married in a Kirk. It was an Episcopalian ceremony, where this religion seemed to have many prejudices against it and the marriage took place outside a Kirk.

Lily and Jamie’s relationship which began as children, where he was always so kind and protective, but from a noble family. Lily was also warned by her Grandmother that they were of two different classes, where Jamie would always be the Lord and she the servant. In other words, she would never be good enough for the happy go lucky boy Jaime Graeme, who was also her very best friend.

This also details Lily’s relationships with a few different families even though she was an orphan. One was her fathers second wife, another was a family she worked for and third was a woman named Barbara who found her. This is how Lily met her foundling sons where she eventually fell in love with the eldest son named Matthew, though he was a bit of restless spirit and couldn’t stay in one place for long.

This novel also has several different timelines one is current day 1707 and the other timelines start in 1683 to 1699 when Lily was eight years old until she was about twenty-three. It shows her hardships and tragedies that she has struggled through, yet still be true to herself and the ones she loves. It also shows how Adam is immediately smitten with her right from the beginning, even through his research and when he gets to understand her and her true dilemma.

This book weaves true history with a fictional story that is absolutely brilliant. It shows how the Jacobites are supporters of James II and his descendants in their claim to the British throne after the Revolution of 1688. Drawing most of their support from Catholic clans of the Scottish Highlands. It shows how he is dethroned no matter how hard he tries to get his throne back. Yet this book did sweep me and my Jacobite heart away! It shows how politics, religion and union are a big part of this tale too and how the author did such detailed research which will give readers a history lesson too.

This is a prequel, crossover and a type of companion book for Kearsley’s 2017 novel, “The Winter Sea.” It includes so many familiar families that are in the book, The Graeme’s, Moray’s, plus other familiar characters from the book. So for fans of that book this is like a dream come true, which made this reader ecstatically happy! The author did a phenomenal amount of detailed research with true history which is absolutely brilliant. Plus the clever way it is connected and crosses over to “The Winter Sea” novel is absolutely magnificent!

This novel is an absolute masterpiece, probably my favorite read of the 2021. Susanna Kearsley is the master of this genre and definitely my go-to-author, as she has been a favorite of mine for a very long time. I have read every book she has written and “The Vanished Days” is now one of my favorite books she has written, as is the previous book “The Winter Sea.” She has this incredible talent of sweeping the reader off her feet and smack in the center of her story very quickly. As she has written another choice story filled with history and compassion with special understanding of human motivation and love! A book that will definitely stay with you long after you have read it and you will want to read again and again!

It is a book I absolutely love and can't recommend enough obviously. Also I think it is a novel that can be read as a stand alone book. For readers who haven’t read The Winter Sea, I think this book sets readers up perfectly to read The Winter Sea next. I myself am going to re-read it, as it made me miss the characters from that book too!

I received this book from Sourcebooks Landmark for a fair and honest review. I voluntarily agreed to read, review, blog and promote through netgalley. All words, ideas and thoughts are my own.

[odkrycia-nauce-i-foldery-online]

ridiculous: info from reddit.com

What were some of the dumbest/most ridiculous plans or ideas in history that ended up only theorized or abandoned? https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/qi2ex4/what_were_some_of_the_dumbestmost_ridiculous/

Discussion/Question:

This is a topic that has interested me lately, and I'm having trouble finding a good list of ridiculous plans or projects that were cancelled or abandoned. There are a few things that come to mind when I think of this: The US idea to use 520 nuclear warheads to blast an alternative to the Suez canal through the Negev dessert in Israel. Project Pluto which would have seen a nuclear missile boosted by an unshielded nuclear reactor, essentially raining down radiation as it flew to its target. The Darien Scheme: a hilariously failed attempt at a Scottish colony in Panama which sought to have a hand in trade in the area, leading to the eventual construction of the Panama Canal. And there are just... a plethora of spy agency plans that fell through. I feel as though this topic has a huge potential for some crazy stories, I'd love to hear some other examples you all may have!

[meowizard]

BRO CAN I DO ONE SINGLE HOUR OF REVISION WITHOUT MY BRAIN SUPPLYING ME WITH SUM FUCKING. lorna ncnessie's family lost all their money in the darien scheme lmao YOURE DOING MATHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE'RE LEARNIGN MATHS RIGHT NOW!!!!!!! STOP MAKING TUMBLR POSTS!

[fionamccall]

How the Scottish see their history

There is no doubt that the Great Tapestry of Scotland, created in the early 2000s, and now on display at Gallashiels, is a great community project and a wonderful work of art.

It covers the entirety of Scotland's history, from the mesolithic period to the present day.

Many of the panels are truly beautiful.

It doesn't shy away from disasters like Flodden and the Jacobite campaigns, evils like witch-hunting, or failures like the Darien scheme.

So why no mention of the Cromwellian occupation of the 1650s or General Monck's march on London from Coldstream in 1660? The latter was surely one of the most momentous events in British history - and the reason we are still a monarchy today. Even the Coldstream Museum said little about it. Read Pepys's diary and you will see how extraordinary the events of 1660 seemed to those who lived through it.

We remember what we choose to remember.

[scotianostra]

On November 2nd 1698 the ill-fated First Darien Expedition arrives in central America and lands in what it christens “New Caledonia” in what is now Panama.

Dates differ from the first, second, to the third, so it’s straight down the middle for this one.

Named after the gulf where modern Panama and Colombia meet, the Darien scheme was hamstrung from the start by poor planning and English opposition. In less than two years, disease and attacks from the Spanish Empire had wiped out more than half the 2,800 Scottish settlers, and the colony was abandoned.

Barely a shadow of it lingers in the bay known locally

as Puerto Escoces (Scottish Harbour), where the Scots founded the colony of New Caledonia with an initial contingent of 1,200.

Darien’s mastermind was William Paterson, a Scot who played a pivotal role in the foundation of the Bank of England in 1694. A year later, Paterson helped create the Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies to run the colony he hoped would be a “door of the seas and key of the universe” for a nation hit by economic crisis, famine and English trade curbs.

Though the sum fell short of the amount initially pledged, it was probably equivalent to about 20 percent of the liquid wealth in Scotland at the time. Problems began before the Scots had even left for Darien, with the Company of Scotland overpaying for ships and losing a large sum to fraud. By the time the first five vessels arrived, disease had claimed dozens of lives and the toll soon mounted. Food was scarce and trading the cloth, linen and other goods the Scots brought proved hard. Spanish attacks added to their woes.

King William dealt the final blow, ordering nearby English colonies to deny any assistance to the Scots. In June 1699, the exhausted survivors left New Caledonia for New England.

Very few of them ever saw Scotland again. News of the disaster was slow to reach Scotland and more settlers set sail for Darien in summer 1699. There they met stiffer resistance from Spain and were forced out by April 1700. The Darien Expedition was over.

[solo-rpg-rambling]

Character Creation Challenge #16: Darien Xerces (Starforged NPC)

This one was something of a wild goose chase. The tarot cards and my brain kept leading me to high-power corporate reformer. But, I don't have any game that fits, and I suspect that playing Xerces and corporate dystopia would be very unfun for me.

So... An NPC, rival, antagonist, or patron who might be a good foil for Anora. A Robert Owen-style reformer whose attempts at building a utopia never quite work. At least at the start of the campaign, Xerces is a flamboyant philanthropist willing to throw resources at whatever project strikes his fancy. He takes a personal interest in these projects, but usually delegates the work to chosen proxies.

It never goes to plan. All of his utopian schemes have a fatal flaw in them. Some example missions:

Convince an independent mining colony to make a deal.

Scout out a location for an experimental settlement.

Rescue an experimental settlement from a threat.

Salvage economics and sociology textbooks from an alien vault.

Work with an anti-capitalist muralist to create a very visible public artwork.

Keeping it simple and short because I'm a day behind and lacking bandwidth. Also focusing on Ironsworn, Starforged, and Mythic for the last leg of the challenge to minimize research time.

[elgallinero]

Practice English

Darien scheme – Wikipedia — Read on en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darien_scheme

[ayeforscotland]

The middle paragraph is really the core of it. It's why the Darien Scheme, Scotland's utterly failed attempt at colonisation, keeps appearing in conversations although often inaccurately and with absolutely zero context.

And don't get me wrong, there's still a lot of Scottish people who'll maybe recognise Scotland's role in the Empire but will then turn it into a class issue where it was the fault of all the wealthy merchants which I don't think is the way to look at it from a modern perspective.

Feel like we're entering a new era on how Scotland is perceived globally, and it's quite interesting being Scottish and seeing it happen. There's quite a few liberals on TikTok and Twitter 'spilling the tea' on Scotland's role within the empire, and it's always done with this condescending "The Scots don't know their own history" angle to it. We're constantly being told we don't know our history and This is, of course, then backed up immediately by British nationalists who, while not even addressing the British empire side of it, recognise that it can help skew international perception of Scotland. I think there's a lot of effort in the past few that has gone into making Scots more knowledgeable and aware of how Scotland played a leading role in colonisation. Obviously more needs done, but it is quite frustrating seeing people pretend that we're somehow all totally oblivious to it.