#illes medes

[useless-catalanfacts]

Medes islets in front of the coast of L’Estartit (Comarques Gironines, Catalonia).

According to the legend, the famous pirate Barbarossa (Khair ed-Din) died in this islets after being chased by the Pope’s float. When the Pope’s men captured him, they killed him and threw his body overboard. For this reason, Barbarossa’s body rests eternally under these waters and, depending on the angle that the sun’s rays hit the water, you can see a shine: Barbarossa’s saber 🗡️.

(In reality, Barbarossa died in Constantinoble and is buried there.)

[hostalsantaclaraestartit]

Hostal Pension Estartit l'Estartit

[thelightshinesdim]

[snowriddenwolf]

@mechanicalriddle demanded I post pics of the new cat. This is Archimedes (aka Archie or Medes). Long story short, Archie was in a not great situation and @copiccrow offered to take him to get him medical care. As you can imagine from looking at this little fuzzball it took .5 seconds for us both to fall in love with him so he's staying here permanently.

He's got an eye infection and a respiratory illness and is mostly sleeping and eating now while the meds and TLC take care of the grossness infesting his lil body. He does like to be held and will purr like mad if you burrito him and shove him into a jacket to carry around. Today, he was feeling well enough to play with his toys for the first time!

[blossom-adventures]

5 Songs!

I’ve been tagged by the lovely @bostoniangirl21 & @bougainvillea-and-saltwater to share 5 songs that remind me of my WIP, Far Horizons & Ancient Stones or the characters that feature in it, I don’t listen to songs, I listen to film, tv and video game soundtracks so my playlist for Far Horizons is made up of pieces of music from them…

Now… I had real trouble only choosing 5 pieces of music to share with you all so… I’m being a little cheeky ☺️😆 I’m doing 5 for each of the tags, so I’m sharing 10 here because I love my playlist so so much and I want to share some of it with you all. It took me ages to decide on the 10 I have here too!

So, firstly, the 5 for the tag from @bostoniangirl21

1. Honor and Glory, by Neal Acree, Overwatch: Animated Shorts - This is Jaina’s main theme, it has a lot of musical elements that remind me of her and it works perfectly as her theme

2. Your Hands Are Cold, by Dario Marianelli, Pride & Prejudice (2005) - I’ve always used this piece of music for a moment between Jaina and Ulfric, I haven’t got to that point in the story yet but the premise of it is Jaina leaves Windhelm and Ulfric goes after her, stuff happens.

3. Lost Elf Theme, by Trevor Morris, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Trespasser DLC - I use this score when Jaina is recovering from her injuries and illness after being attacked by a werewolf, there is a sadness to it that fits Jaina’s situation really well

4. At Struggles End, by John Graham, FFXV Kingsglaive - This piece works really well for a moment quite a ways away in the story, when Jaina is trying the get away for the Emperors men and Kaidan comes to her rescue, he tells her to run while he holds them off, I’m so excited to get to that sequence.

5. Liz On Top Of The World, by Dario Marianelli, Pride & Prejudice (2005) - This piece reminds me of when Jaina is exploring Skyrim, it works really well, I think

Now for the 5 for the tag from @bougainvillea-and-saltwater

1. The Oil, by Hans Zimmer, Dunkirk - Every time I think about Jaina’s escape from Emperor Titus Mede II I have this track in my head, the quiet part is the moment that the Emperor is going through his monologue of how they could use Jaina to get to Ulfric and the louder part at the end is when she’s escaping him, I can’t listen to anything else for that point in the story, it works so well.

2. Ravus’s Last Moments, by Yoko Shimomura, FFXV OST Vol. 2 - This track, for me was perfect for Skjor’s fight with Krev, the last part of this piece is the moment when Jaina sees what has happened and looses control and turns into a werewolf

3. The Champions Goodbye, by Critical Role, Welcome to Tal’Dorei - I love this piece for a quiet moment between Jaina and Kaidan

4. Strong Bones, by Ramin Djawadi, Warcraft - I have this piece for a moment when Jaina and Ulfric are showing each other some of their scars, it’s quite an intimate moment between them both and it shows that they are trusting each other, and this track works really well for it

5. Distant Horizons, by Jeremy Soule, Skyrim OST - This is one of the pieces that I think works well for the relationship between Jaina and Balgruuf

I’m going to tag @thequeenofthewinter @nocturnalswarehouse @oblivions-dawn @wispstalk & @seradyn no pressure to share your own but I’d love to see it if you have songs/tracks to share ☺️💙

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

28th May >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Feast of Pentecost

(Liturgical Colour: Red: A(1))

First Reading Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak.

When Pentecost day came round, they had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.

Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language. They were amazed and astonished. ‘Surely’ they said ‘all these men speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; as well as visitors from Rome – Jews and proselytes alike – Cretans and Arabs; we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 103(104):1,24,29-31,34

R/ Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth. or R/ Alleluia!

Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord God, how great you are, How many are your works, O Lord! The earth is full of your riches.

R/ Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth. or R/ Alleluia!

You take back your spirit, they die, returning to the dust from which they came. You send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth.

R/ Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth. or R/ Alleluia!

May the glory of the Lord last for ever! May the Lord rejoice in his works! May my thoughts be pleasing to him. I find my joy in the Lord.

R/ Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth. or R/ Alleluia!

Second Reading 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13 In the one Spirit we were all baptised.

No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose.

Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Sequence Veni, sancte Spiritus

Holy Spirit, Lord of Light, From the clear celestial height Thy pure beaming radiance give.

Come, thou Father of the poor, Come with treasures which endure Come, thou light of all that live!

Thou, of all consolers best, Thou, the soul’s delightful guest, Dost refreshing peace bestow

Thou in toil art comfort sweet Pleasant coolness in the heat Solace in the midst of woe.

Light immortal, light divine, Visit thou these hearts of thine, And our inmost being fill:

If thou take thy grace away, Nothing pure in man will stay All his good is turned to ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew On our dryness pour thy dew Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will Melt the frozen, warm the chill Guide the steps that go astray.

Thou, on us who evermore Thee confess and thee adore, With thy sevenfold gifts descend:

Give us comfort when we die Give us life with thee on high Give us joys that never end.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Alleluia!

Gospel John 20:19-23 As the Father sent me, so am I sending you: receive the Holy Spirit.

In the evening of the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.

‘As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.’

After saying this he breathed on them and said:

‘Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[shintachief]

Bon dia gent !!! / Buenos días gente !!! • #cat_natura #catalunya_alnatural #celscatalans #only_nature_captures #ok_nature #asi_es_cielos #nature_hippys #nature_hub #nature #queboniclemporda #misnubarrones #addicted_to_landscapes #gw_details #celscatalans #instantes_fotograficos #total_landscapes #total_sky #gw_landscapes #gw_everything #catalunyaexperiences #fotos_singulares #estaes_cielos #gw_everything #ig_naturemagic #detras_delobjetivo #misnubarrones #gw_nature #estaes_playas #ok_landscape_ #photofeaturesky (en P. N. Montgrí Illes Medes Baix Ter) https://www.instagram.com/p/CexfyNQjZ27/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bellaroles]

Thoughts on the Queen's thief series (rereads book 1-4); (1st read 5-6)

@counterwiddershins I shared my thoughts on this as promised☺️

The Thief

I admit the pace and the writing took me a bit to get used to even though this time was my second read. I knew the big reveal of course but that didn't lessen my excitement as their journey progressed. I especially love Gen in this phase. So carefree and witty. My love also goes to Sophos. Though I also grudgingly like the Magus as well. (Was delighted every time he appeared in later books)

The Queen's of Attolia

This one is intense. I made the mistake of starting this late at night and I couldn't go to sleep. The shift from first person to third person POV also made me cautious of every details looking for hidden meaning. (By courtesy of the first book, I didn't trust the narrative at all lol) Even so, the last few chapters, everything happened too fast and I lost some tracks of the elaborate plan to drive away the Mede from Attolia. (Still very fun though I was not quite convinced of the romance between Gen and Irene by the end of the book.)

The King of Attolia

As I've said, I love this one the most! Maybe it's because I like seeing Gen in his infuriating ways, the relationships he's carefully trying to build, the political machination, the romance! I was totally sold on this one though I want to see more of the transition from their careful walk around each other to their totally comfortably expressing their affection in public. I love the contradictory nature of Gen being ruthless and merciful at once. And Costis! He's a gem.

A conspiracy of kings

My first read I was so bored especially at his time as a slave. I skipped a lot, remembering vaguely about how Gen had let him down and then the shooting scene and no more. This time, I read carefully and I really enjoyed this. I love Sophos. This is his book, book about his self doubt, his growth, him coming into his own role of Sounis, him having to make hard decisions. The climax of the story is one of my most favorite in the seires. Rivaling the last book.

Thick as thieves

It's like the Thief in pace and feels. Only the journey consisted of two instead. I must say I did get bored along the way. Especially when there's no dialogue, only Kamet's observation of events. But when they do talk, gosh, I enjoyed these short conversations full of hidden signs. Although the way Kamet told Immakuk and Ennikar made it quite hard for me to follow, I understood most of it and was over the moon when Costis made it clear to Kamet at last what he thought their friendship was like and more. Also I spotted the big reveal miles away this time without reading any spoilers first. Not sure to be proud of myself or not because it was quite obvious lol.

Return of the theif

Back in the same setting as the third book, I really like this but it was longer than I anticipated. I just finished the previous one around 10pm and I was sure I could finish this by morning at the cost of my sleep. Anyway, the first part is engrossing. I enjoyed Pheris's telling of the events that unfold. I love to read about those private moments Gen had to his own, and with his family and friends. But I was dreading the second part where they marched into war. Throughout the book he was so ill many times while sometimes his health was remarkably strong to withstand such treatments! (Like the trial and those tortures or even long hard battles with the Mede) I was a bit skeptical lol but I guess those times his Gods had their parts to play. I also kinda guess he's gotta have a chance to be the Thief again but that scene was terrifying to read. All in all, I love the books. A very satisfying conclusion to the series.

This is one of the few series that I thought every books are consistently good and deserved to be reread over and over again.

I had book 1-4 in paperback with those beautifully painted covers. A bit sad because I couldn't find that edition anymore. Recently bought the whole series again in ebook to reread because I work far from home.

[useless-catalanfacts]

Im not sure if you're a hiking person, but How is hiking/nature in Catalonia? I've been learning the language for the past few months and i am interested in visiting and I really love being out in nature and hiking

Hi! First of all, sorry for the delay in answering, I've been very busy this week and I've left the blog on queue, I'm catching up today.

There's lots of cool places to hike!

Historically, hiking has been very important for keeping alive the culture and language, ever since the 19th century (as a way to getting to know the country and its history, since the population had been denied its own history) and especially until the Franco dictatorship (we have mentioned before how people used going hiking as a way to get away from the police and being able to speak Catalan during the times of illegalization).

There are many hiking associations in Catalonia, you can find them with names like "centre excursionista" or "grup excursionista". I don't know how long you're staying, but if you were to stay for a relatively long time I'm sure you could probably find some hiking association near wherever you stay.

Otherwise, you might also be interested in Wikiloc. It's a website (created by a Catalan) where everyone can upload the routes they like. It's very popular and there's lots of hikes in all areas, and it shows you the route and all the information and what you can see in the way.

There's many places to hike in all around the country. There are many natural parks, with 16 being recognised above the other in (Southern) Catalonia + 1 in Northern Catalonia.

From North to South, by type of landscape:

IN THE PYRENEE MOUNTAINS:

1. Regional Natural Park of the Catalan Pyrenees (Northern Catalonia).

Includes the Canigó mountain, legendary and symbolic mountain for Catalans. If you go there for Sant Joan festivity (June 23rd), you can join the hike to go get the fire on top of the mountain (we explained it in this post).

There's many hikes in the websites Tourisme Canigou and Sud Canigó.

2. Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici

This is another beautiful park in the Pyrenees and the Sant Maurici lake. It's the only natural park in Catalonia that is considered a National Park in the Spanish system.

3. Parc Natural de l'Alt Pirineu (High Pyrenees Natural Park)

Beautiful mountains and, just like for all the other parks in the Pyrenees, near valleys with beautiful villages of Medieval origin with a heritage of Romanesque churches (the ones in Vall de Boí are recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

4. Parc Natural de les Capçaleres del Ter i del Freser

Where the Ter and Freser rivers are born. It includes the Núria Valley (Vall de Núria).

5. Parc Natural del Cadí-Moixeró

Includes the iconic Pedraforca mountain.

ASLEEP VOLCANOES:

6. Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa (Natural Park of the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone)

Includes the Fageda d'en Jordà (Jordà birch tree forest) and cool Medieval towns like Santa Pau, Besalú, Castellfollit de la Roca, els Hostalets d'en Bas, and more.

COASTAL PARKS:

7. Parc Natural del Cap de Creus (Creus Cape Natural Park)

Beautiful coastal area in the Costa Brava, also includes the Medieval monastery Sant Pere de Rodes. In the area there's lots of typically Mediterranean-style towns with white walls, some of them very touristic and some of them less so.

8. Parc Natural del Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter

In the coast of the Costa Brava, it's very beautiful. Also near lots of cute towns of Medieval origin.

9. Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà (the Empordà Wetlands Natural Park)

And on the opposite end of Catalonia:

10. Parc Natural del Delta de l'Ebre (Ebro Delta Natural Park)

Where the Ebro river reaches the Mediterranean sea. Famous for its rice fields and birdwatching. It's very flat, so it's a good idea to hire a bike and bike through the paths among the rice fields to the sea.

OTHER MOUNTAINS:

11. Parc Natural del Montseny

12. Parc Natural de Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac

13. Parc Natural de la Muntanya de Montserrat

Montserrat is one of the most famous and sacred mountains in Catalonia. It has a very characteristic shape and landscape and is home to a monastery over 1000 years old that guards the Moreneta (black Madonna, patron saint of Catalonia).

14. Parc Natural de Collserola

Collserola is the mountain range that overlooks Barcelona city.

15. Parc Natural de la Serra de Montsant

Located in the Priorat wine area (to take into account if you are wine lovers), the Monstant mountain range is located in a very rural area with lots of vineyards cultivated on the mountain slopes and also lots of historical tiny rural chapels, as well as the ruins of the Escaladei Carthusian monastery.

16. Parc Natural dels Ports

Mountains and lots of natural swimming pools you can bathe in.

You'll be able to find hikes in the websites of all of them.

I hope this was useful and that you enjoy your holidays!

[hostalsantaclaraestartit]

[afranciscomiradiezblr-blog]

Cataluña Eterna...

Centro histórico de Pals-Pals es una de las villas de gran interés arquitectónico en el Empordà, con construcciones de la Edad Media

Centro histórico de Pals

Pals es una de las villas de gran interés arquitectónico en el Empordà, con construcciones de la Edad Media que han sobrevivido con creces el paso de los siglos. Calles y casas de piedra, arcos de medio punto aquí y allá, iglesias góticas, murallas... De Pals es especialmente emblemática la Torre de les Hores (torre maestra del antiguo castillo), y llegar a la parte más alta de la villa supone encontrar un fantástico mirador sobre los campos del Empordà, el Montgrí y las Illes Medes

[argleblarg]

1 By night oun my bed I suought heem vhum my suoul lufet: I suought heem, buot I fuound heem nut.2 I vill rise-a nuo, und gu ibuout zee-a ceety in zee-a streets, und in zee-a brued veys I vill seek heem vhum my suoul lufet: I suought heem, buot I fuound heem nut.3 Zee-a vetchmee-a zeet gu ibuout zee-a ceety fuound me-a: tu vhum I seed, Sev ye-a heem vhum my suoul lufet?4 It ves buot a leettle-a zeet I pessed frum zeem, buot I fuound heem vhum my suoul lufet: I held heem, und vuould nut let heem gu, until I hed bruought heem intu my muzeer's huouse-a, und intu zee-a chember ouff her zeet cunceefed me-a.5 I cherge-a yuou, Ou ye-a duoghters ouff Jeruoselem, by zee-a rues, und by zee-a heends ouff zee-a feeld, zeet ye-a stur nut up, nur iveke-a my lufe-a, till he-a pleese-a.6 Vhu is zees zeet cumet ouout ouff zee-a vilderness leeke-a pillers ouff smuke-a, perffuomed vit myrrh und fruonkeencense-a, vit ill puoders ouff zee-a merchuont?7 Behuld hees bed, vheech is Sulumun's; threescure-a feleeuont mee-a ire-a ibuout it, ouff zee-a feleeuont ouff Isreel.8 Zeey ill huld svurds, beeng ixpert in ver: ifery muon het hees svurd upun hees zeegh becuose-a ouff feer in zee-a night.9 KEEng Sulumun mede-a heemselff a cheriut ouff zee-a vuod ouff Lebuonun.10 He-a mede-a zee-a pillers zeereuff ouff silfer, zee-a buttum zeereuff ouff guld, zee-a cufering ouff it ouff puorple-a, zee-a meedst zeereuff beeng pefed vit lufe-a, fur zee-a duoghters ouff Jeruoselem.11 Gu furt, Ou ye-a duoghters ouff Ziun, und behuld keeng Sulumun vit zee-a cruon vheruoit hees muzeer cruoned heem in zee-a dey ouff hees ispuousels, und in zee-a dey ouff zee-a gledness ouff hees heert. Bork Bork Bork!

[spectaculardistractions]

Last came forward Sthenelaidas, one of the ephors for that year, and spoke to the Lacedaemonians as follows: "The long speech of the Athenians I do not pretend to understand. They said a good deal in praise of themselves, but nowhere denied that they are injuring our allies and Peloponnese. And yet if they behaved well against the Mede then, but ill towards us now, they deserve double punishment for having ceased to be good and for having become bad. We meanwhile are the same then and now, and shall not, if we are wise, disregard the wrongs of our allies, or put off till to-morrow the duty of assisting those who must suffer to-day. Others have much money and ships and horses, but we have good allies whom we must not give up to the Athenians, nor by lawsuits and words decide the matter, as it is anything but in word that we are harmed, but render instant and powerful help. And let us not be told that it is fitting for us to deliberate under injustice; long deliberation is rather fitting for those who have injustice in contemplation. Vote therefore, Lacedaemonians, for war, as the honour of Sparta demands, and neither allow the further aggrandizement of Athens, nor betray our allies to ruin, but with the gods let us advance against the aggressors."

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War

[catolinewsdailyreadings]

Pentecost Sunday - Mass during the Day

Readings of Sunday, May 28, 2023

Reading 1

ACTS 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.”

Responsorial Psalm

PS 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 

R./ Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. or: R./ Alleluia.

Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD, my God, you are great indeed! How manifold are your works, O LORD!  the earth is full of your creatures; R./ Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. or: R./ Alleluia.

May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD be glad in his works! Pleasing to him be my theme; I will be glad in the LORD. R./ Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. or: R./ Alleluia.

If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. R./ Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. or: R./ Alleluia.

Reading 2

1 COR 12:3B-7, 12-13

Brothers and sisters: No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;  there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Sequence Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Come, Holy Spirit, come! And from your celestial home Shed a ray of light divine! Come, Father of the poor! Come, source of all our store! Come, within our bosoms shine. You, of comforters the best; You, the soul’s most welcome guest; Sweet refreshment here below; In our labor, rest most sweet; Grateful coolness in the heat; Solace in the midst of woe. O most blessed Light divine, Shine within these hearts of yours, And our inmost being fill! Where you are not, we have naught, Nothing good in deed or thought, Nothing free from taint of ill. Heal our wounds, our strength renew; On our dryness pour your dew; Wash the stains of guilt away: Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen, warm the chill; Guide the steps that go astray. On the faithful, who adore And confess you, evermore In your sevenfold gift descend; Give them virtue’s sure reward; Give them your salvation, Lord; Give them joys that never end. Amen.

Gospel

JN 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

[hcldr]

HCSM News

RT @Akande_Bolutife: It's important you know what illnesses your siblings or parents or grandparents have... why? Hereditary. The sickness genes can be passed to you and bad things can happen. #BCSM||#MedEd||#BRCA||#LCSM||#HCLDR||#mHealth||#digitalhealth||#hpm

— CareMo (@caring_mobile) Apr 2, 2023

[blossom-adventures]

Jaina’s Family!

I’ve decided to share some information on here about Jaina’s immediate family

Her immediate family being her Father, Mother, Step-Father and her Siblings

I imagine this is going to be a long post so I’ll add a read more just here, hope you like finding out some more stuff about Jaina’s family ☺️💙

Jaina’s Father - Tal’theran

Born on the 12th of Evening Star 3E385. Died on the 1st of Sun’s Height 4E165 (age 212)

Tal’theran worked as a mercenary for most of his early life, meeting and becoming very good friends with fellow mercenary Teldryn Sero, while adventuring across Morrowind he met and befriended the Telvanni wizard, Neloth, doing several jobs for him, little is know of his history, the only people who know it are Teldryn and Neloth themselves. Tal and Teldryn travelled to Skyrim several times, doing jobs for Jarls and Kings due to their reputation. While in Whiterun he met and fell in love with Helena, cousin to the young Jarl Balgruuf, the couple married and settled in Tel Mithryn. While Helena was carrying his twin children, Tal did more jobs to make sure his growing family were never without money, while on a job with Teldryn they were ambushed by people from his past, despite their combined skill, Tal was killed and Teldryn was badly injured. Teldryn - despite his injuries - managed to get Tal back to Tel Mithryn, where he was buried.

Jaina’s Mother - Helena

Born on the 23rd of Sun’s Dusk 4E144

Helena was born in Whiterun, her mother was sister to the Jarl at the time and her pregnancy was the result of a drunken night with an unknown Companion and therefore caused a scandal within the court. Helena’s mother passed away from illness when she was 2 and so she was raised by her Aunt and Uncle, becoming incredibly close to her older cousin - Balgruuf - as they grew up, seeing him as more of a brother to her than a cousin.

Helena had a whirlwind romance with a handsome Dark Elf - Tal’theran - when she was 19, they married in Whiterun before moving to Tel Mithryn, their happiness didn’t last long as Tal was killed while she carried their twin children, Balgruuf traveled to Solstheim to be with her for the twins birth and when she had recovered from it he escorted her safely back to Whiterun. She and her twin children lived with her cousin in Dragonsreach for 3 years until she met a dashing young Imperial.

Jaina’s Step-Father - Xander Tullius

Born on the 7th of Second Seed 4E144

Born and raised in the Imperial City, his mother was a tailor and his father was a member of the city guard, Xander enrolled into the Imperial Legion when he was 16. Xander was a brilliant soldier; strong, smart and even at a young age he showed his prowess in military strategy, because of this he was transferred to the Penitus Oculartus, serving the Emperor directly, saving his life 3 times from assassination attempts. He was escorting the Emperor’s niece to Solitude when the 4th attempt on the Emperor’s life was made, and he wasn’t there to defend him. The title of Emperor passed to the heir, Titus Mede II

Xander met Helena while escorting the newly crowned Emperor to Skyrim to meet the Jarls of the country for the first time, it was love at first sight for them both and Xander found it hard to focus on anything but her while they returned to Cyrodiil, finally asking permission to step down from his post to return to her. Titus allowed it on the condition that if Xander was needed by the Emperor he was honour bound to return, the terms were agreed, and Xander left Cyrodiil.

After having 4 daughters and adopting a son with Helena, Xander was summoned back to Cyrodiil, to fight in the Great War, he served his Emperor with the same commitment as he had done before leaving, this dedication cost him his left arm.

Jaina’s Twin Brother - Tal’theran

Born on the 17th of Hearthfire 4E165, born an hour before Jaina

When he was 17 he traveled to Solstheim to train to be a mercenary with his late father’s closest friend Teldryn Sero, which he did for about 3 years before an injury caused him to stop, he remained in Raven Rock though and became apprentice to the Breton blacksmith - Glover Mallory - learning the craft and becoming a master at it, he returned home to Skyrim at the beginning of 4E198 and began building his own home on the border of The Pale and Whiterun.

While visiting Dawnstar for supplies to complete his home he met a beautiful young alchemist called Cathryn, originally from the Reach but travelling to sell her supplies across Skyrim. The pair became close, and after a few months began courting one another, Tal put building his own home on hold to travel with Cathryn as her protector, until the start of the year 200 when they married in Riften, they returned to the home Tal had started to build and they finished it, including an armoury, green house and alchemy tower so they both had their trades accommodated in their home

Jaina’s Sister - Cassandra Tullius

Born on the 13th of Evening Star 4E169, the eldest of a set of triplets

Cassandra was always getting into trouble, she and Jaina caused mischief around Lakeview Manor so it is no surprise that she ended up in Riften when she left home at the age of 20. Although she didn’t officially join the Thieves Guild until she was 25 she helped them out occasionally, giving them warnings if a guard was approaching or offering to hide something for a few hours while a thief was on the run. Her efforts during this time were noticed, not just by the lower ranked thieves but also their leader, Mercer Frey offered her a place in his guild personally, he saw her potential to be a great thief.

The more time she spent in the Guild, the closer she got to Mercer’s second in command, she and Brynjolf flirt with each other constantly, most of the Guild assume it is playful banter, which it was at first, but gradually it has escalated into love and passion, they work together on a lot of their jobs and with money they have earned they bought Honeyside together to use as their private home.

Jaina’s Sister - Talia Tullius

Born on the 13th of Evening Star 4E169, second of the set of triplets

She spent several years under the tutelage of Danica Pure-Spring to become a healer, learning how to heal people through both magical and mundane methods, until she had a dispute with the priestess of Kynareth and left. Unsure of where to go next Talia returned home for a while spending her time travelling to Riverwood to spend time with her friends Ralof and Hadvar.

When the first whispers of rebellion reached the trio, Ralof and Talia wanted to join them, Hadvar did not. Their once incredibly tight friendship broke that day, Ralof and Talia travelled northeast to Windhelm to join the Stormcloaks, Talia offered her services as a healer and Ralof offered his blade to the cause. The pair have remained there since

Jaina’s Sister - Ellandra Tullius

Born on the 13th of Evening Star 4E169, the youngest of the triplets

She also studied to become a healer with Danica Pure-Spring, but unlike her sister, she remained there, becoming a priestess of Kynareth too, she has spent several years studying both the magical and mundane healing methods and has helped a lot of the people of Whiterun with illness or injury. Especially the Companions, she has lost count of the amount of times she has been summoned to Jorrvaskr or had one of the Companions in the temple, her experience with them has also gained her their respect, on a large scale, she has tended to broken bones, open wounds, illness. However the main reason she has gained their unwavering respect and trust is that she has seen a member of their Circle turn.

She was summoned to Jorrvaskr on a full moon to tend to one of the new bloods, they had caught rock joint on one of their jobs. On her way out she saw Vilkas stumble into the Underforge, he looked in pain and she was not one to ignore someone in distress, so she followed him, and witnessed him turn into a werewolf, once he knew she was there, he tried to hide himself from her, to no avail, she should have been frightened, but no, she approached him slowly and sat down next to him and held him close to her. Her actions and her kindness stayed with Vilkas after that and the pair became close, to the point that they began courting in the year 197. Their relationship remained secret for some time.

Jaina’s Sister - Madeline Tullius

Born on the 23rd of Frostfall 4E171

Madeline grew up wanting to fight like her father had done, she wanted to serve the Empire, like he did. He had to sit her down and explain to her that the Empire wasn’t a nice place to be, and that he’d be more than happy to train her in combat but he didn’t want her going to Cyrodiil. So, instead, she went to Whiterun, and to the Companions, joining their ranks at the beginning of 4E197.

She wanted to be as strong as Jaina and the others in the Circle, not knowing where some of that strength came from. While there she quickly became interested in Farkas, admiring him from afar, unaware that he was doing to same to her.

She has a love of wildflowers and romance novels, and sees the world as if it is one of her books, as much as Jaina has tried to convince her it’s not, Jaina wouldn’t want anything to happen to Maddy but often wonders how she would react if she knew what Jaina had been through

Jaina’s Adopted Brother - Haldir

Born on the 19th of Sun’s Dusk 4E164, adopted in 4E171

His mother was a scholar at the College of Winterhold and due to marry Tolfdir when she travelled to the Summerset Isles to inform her parents. An old friend and ex lover to her disapproved of her marrying a Nord or all races so attacked her, in an attempt to “make the lesser race know who she belonged to.” By the time she returned to the College, she was carrying a child. Tolfdir didn’t care about what the Elf had said and done, he still loved her and told her that he would raise the child with her as their own. Haldir was born, but his mother died in childbirth, Tolfdir was grieving for months, he didn’t know how he could raise Haldir without her, he barely looked after himself let alone a new born, so the decision was made, by the other scholars as well as Tolfdir, that Haldir would have a better life by being sent to the orphanage, where he got adopted by Helena and Xander.

He studied at the College from the age of 18 and remained there ever since, finding out about his mother from Tolfdir, falling in love with a fellow Altmer called Ellinora (Ellie for short) and becoming the Arch-Mage. He and Ellie are expecting a child now which is expected to arrive in the early months of 4E202.