#vis :: ( garrison )

[friendscfmine]

//sorry for making another Bad Post on my Bad Post Blog

[wishforhome]

Hiiii Happy DADWC Friday!

Prompt for Viago/Teia: aftermath of a job that went sideways

- asexualtabris 💜

Veilguard fic, Viago/Teia, T+, 433 words

@dadrunkwriting

This is maybe less "aftermath" and more "in-the-middle-of math" but, y'know, these things happen.

They stand, breathless, tucked away in the dark corner of a balcony. Teia’s body is pressed against his, and he can see her pulse fluttering in her throat. She clamps a hand over her own mouth to quiet her panting.

Beneath them, footsteps race by, raised voices that go along with a frantic search.

A few seconds more, and the noise recedes.

Teia pulls away, barely. Viago winces as her hand goes to his side, biting back a pained noise. She has found the gap where blood seeps from a puncture in his armor.

“Vi,” she murmurs, her voice low and urgent. “You need a healer.”

“Probably,” he admits. “We’ll have to make it back to the Diamond first, though.”

He leans back against the wall, his breath still coming in ragged gasp. Each one burns. “We’ll manage,” Teia says with a resolute certainty.

“We need to finish the contract first.”

Teia shoots him a withering look. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re bleeding out.”

He shakes his head. “Crows don’t fail contracts,” he insists. “Especially not Talons who are supposed to be freeing Treviso.” He presses a hand to his side. The red of his blood looks strange against the black leather of his gloves. “I’ll be fine.”

There’s a pause before she shakes her head, giving a long-suffering sigh. “Fine,” she says. “Let’s get you patched up as best we can here, then we’ll try again.”

Teia pulls a flask from one of the pouches at her waist, pulling the cork from it with her teeth before pressing it into his hand. “Drink,” she says.

The tonic is bitter and herbal, but no worse than the concoctions Viago tests on himself daily. He downs it in a couple of swallows, closing his eyes as he feels it begin to work. It is a strange feeling, skin knitting back together. It is still the most exquisite pain, but the bleeding has slowed. Probably. It’s hard to tell.

“You good?” Teia asks.

“Fantastic,” Viago says dryly.

“Most of the guards went north, so we should have a clear shot at the garrison this time.”

Viago nods, pushing himself away from the wall. He leans out from the balcony – it looks clear. “You go high, I’ll go low?” he suggests.

Teia shakes her head. “No,” she says. “We go together. Let’s take the rooftops this time. Think you can manage it?”

He shifts his shoulders a little, gives his back a slight twist. The healing will hold for now, he thinks. It’s enough. “Always,” he says. “Let’s go.”

[whencyclopedia]

Eighth Crusade

The Eighth Crusade of 1270 CE was, like the Seventh Crusade (1248-1254 CE), led by the French king Louis IX (r. 1226-1270 CE). As previously, the idea was to attack and defeat the Muslims first in Egypt and then either reconquer or negotiate control of key Christian sites in the Levant, including Jerusalem. Tunis was decided upon as the first target, from where the Crusaders could then attack Egypt. The plan was dealt the fatal blow of Louis IX's death from illness in August 1270 CE, and the campaign was abandoned before it had even properly begun.

Louis IX & the Levant

Louis had led the Seventh Crusade, which had met with disaster at the battle of Mansourah in April 1250 CE. He had even been captured but later released after payment of a ransom and the concession of Damietta on the Nile River. Louis had then stayed in the Levant for four years when he refortified such key Latin strongholds as Acre. 16 years later, the French king once more turned his attention to the Middle East, his second bite at the crusading cherry.

Louis had been sending funds annually to the Latin states in the Levant in the intervening years since his botched first crusade, but the rest of Europe was rather preoccupied with affairs elsewhere. In England, a civil war raged (1258-1265 CE), and the Popes were in constant battle with the Holy Roman Empire over control of Sicily and parts of Italy. It seemed that nobody cared very much for the fate of Holy Sites in the Middle East.

In the Middle East, meanwhile, the situation for the Christian cities looked bleak. The Mongol Empire, seemingly intent on total conquest everywhere, was moving closer and closer to the Mediterranean coast. In 1258 CE Baghdad, the seat of the Abbasid Caliphate, was captured, followed by Ayyubid-controlled Aleppo in January 1260 CE and Damascus in March of the same year. It looked very much like the Crusader states might be next in line when the Mongols made raids on Ascalon, Jerusalem, and northern Egypt. When a Mongol garrison was established at Gaza, an attack on Sidon quickly followed in August 1260 CE. Without outside help, Bohemund VI of Antioch-Tripoli was obliged to accept subservience to the Mongols and permit a permanent garrison to be established at Antioch.

Continue reading...

[skvernoslavianin]

!!!!!!I URGENTLY NEED A SUPERNATURAL AU ARCANE!!!!!!!

where Vi and Jinx are sisters-monster-hunters, Kate is Vi's "personal" angel from the heavenly garrison, who helps and loves a specific person very much.

there's a lot of wild stuff going on around here, apocalypse, vampires, demons hehehe

Ambessa is one of the princess of hell🛐

Vander is most likely suitable for the role of Bobby, i think

[scotianostra]

Marie Of Lorraine, also called Mary Of Guise/ Marie De Lorraine, or De Guise was born on November. 22nd, 1515 at Bar-le-Duc, Lorraine, France.

I cover Marie three or four times a year, but this time I shall post about her palace at 533 Castlehill on the Royal Mile.

Born in 1515, at the age of 11 Marie joined a convent. Her stay was relatively brief because her uncle, the Duke of Lorraine, took her into the French court where she matured into a tall, attractive, intelligent woman with auburn hair and grey eyes and with a ‘charming manner’. In 1534 she entered the first of her two relatively short marriages: to the Duke of Longueville with whom she bore 2 sons. Marie was widowed on the death of her husband in 1537. With the encouragement of the French king, Francis I,  Marie was betrothed to James V, and arrived in St Andrews to be married in the summer of 1538 whence followed 40 days of extravagant celebrations in honour of the occasion. She made her formal entry into the city of Edinburgh later in the year. As consort, Marie was guaranteed life-long rights (‘jointure’) to the Palace of Falkland, Stirling Castle, Linlithgow Palace, and other properties, together with substantial land holdings. By 1541 Marie had borne two sons, both of whom died in that year. In 1542, a daughter was born, the future Mary Queen of Scots: not the distant future given that her father died 6 days after her birth and the infant Mary thus became queen.

The Earl of Arran was appointed regent and governed during the turbulent years which followed, including the ‘rough wooing’ when an English invasion sought to force the Scots into accepting a marriage between Mary and Edward VI. Marie supported Arran and helped to maintain the effective alliance with France which eventually led to the withdrawal of the English army. In 1548, during the siege of Haddington, then occupied by an English garrison, Marie and the Scottish government signed the Treaty of Haddington at St Mary’s Abbey in which Mary was betrothed to the French Dauphin. In 1550/51 Marie travelled to France to complete the betrothal arrangements, among other things. On her return to Scotland, she set machinery in motion to replace Arran, buying  him off with a French dukedom, and so became Queen Regent in 1554. Her regency lasted until her death at the age of 44 in 1560.

It is thought that Marie spent much of her time in residence at Blyth’s Close off Castle Hill, in the period before her regency 1543-1554. Blyth’s Close no longer exists, having been demolished around 1846 to make way for New College and the Assembly Hall. Its location on the north side of the High Street was roughly opposite the Lawnmarket and, in the mid -16th century, Marie’s house would have been a large, imposing property with gardens and orchards laid out on the slope down to the Norloch. The view to the north would have been open and expansive. In the 1820s and 30s the buildings in the close were in a dilapidated, crumbling state and the High Street was by then crowded with the high tenement buildings with which we are familiar today. Victorian antiquarians took a great  interest in old Edinburgh and one among them, Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, concerned about the state of the increasingly ruinous Queen Regent’s house, bought all salvageable fixtures and fittings from the tenants.

His collection included four carved oak roundels which had formed part of what had been a rich and colourful renaissance décor. By this time the roundels, having been moved from their original positions as ceiling or wall mounts, reapplied elsewhere and whitewashed over several times, had lost almost all trace of their original colours, but the carved coats of arms were (and still are) clear. Sharpe died in 1831 and his huge collection was auctioned off. Much was acquired by the National Museum, but not the roundels. These were purchased by the 2nd Duke of Sutherland. The duke seems to have been toying with the idea of using them as part of the interior décor of Dunrobin Castle. Apparently, they were never put on display in the castle and simply stored away. They finally came to light in a Dunrobin Castle attic sale in 2021, when Dr Groundwater was able to bid for them on behalf of the National Museum of Scotland. Her success cost around £19 000!

The roundels have been restored and are due to be going on display in The Kingdom of the Scots area in The National Museum of Scotland, I'm unsure if they have been put out as yet, maybe a wee trip to the museum is in hand to see, and get some pics.

As I said 533 Castlehill was demolished in 1861 to make way for the Free Church General Assembly Hall. Before demolition, portions of a beautifully painted ceiling from the palace were rescued and preserved. It's hard to imagine how the Palce looked, we have some drawings and Canmore have photos of some of the ceiling art, I shall post a link to, so you can look att more photos, the pioneering photographer duo, Hill and Adamson took a photo, as you can see in the stereoscope photos. The doorway is a remnant of the building. The last two photos are my own, taken just a week a go at r New College.

[asongofstarkandtargaryen]

ASOS JON VI: OBSERVATION SKILL

This is one chapter before the Battle of the Night's Watch and we witness Jon manifesting his good observation skill once again- despite the fact that he's seriously injured and has a fever.

This is the chapter where Jon returns to the Night's Watch injured after he abandoned the Free Folk. He notices that most of his black brothers are missing and Donal Noye confirms that Bower Marsh (the temporary leader of NW until they'll elect a new one) has sent the garrison all over the Wall to defend it from Wildings ' attacks. As Jon correctly notes, this is exactly what Mance wanted to happen (and it's one of the many reasons Bower Marsh wouldn't make a good Commander):

Jon swallowed a goan. Feints. Mance wants us to spread ourselves thin, don't you see?" And Bower Marsh has obliged him. "The gate is here. The attack is here".

He's correct as we'll find out on the next chapter once the attack on Castle Black begins.

Jon's next question is who Bower Marsh named castellan until he returns and the answer - Ser Wynton Sour - seems disappointing to both Donal Noye and him ( add this to the list of Bower Marsh's bad decisions)

Jon's observation about Bower Marsh's leadership skills ( or his lack of them) is spot on:

The Old Pomegranate was amiable and diligent First Steward, but he was woefully ill-suited to face a wilding host.

While Maester Aemon removes the arrow from his leg, Jon continues to think about who is gonna be the next Lord Commander ( you never gonna guess it, boy!) and his thoughts are very perceptive:

A choosing. With Qhorin Halfhand and Ser Jaremy Rykker both dead and Ben Stark still missing, who was there? Not Bowen Marsh or Ser Wynton Stout, that was certain. Had Thoren Smallwood survived the Fist, or Ser Ottyn Wythers? No, it will be Cotter Pyke or Ser Denys Mallister. Which, though? The commanders at the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch were good men, but very different; Ser Denys courtly and cautious, as chivalrous as he was elderly, Pyke younger, bastard-born, rough-tongued, and bold to a fault. Worse, the two men despised each other. The Old Bear had always kept them far apart, at opposite ends of the Wall. The Mallisters had a bone-deep mistrust of the ironborn, Jon knew.

[darkwingphoenix]

@loominggaia Great Kingdoms in Civ Vi, Part Two: Damijana and Zareen

Previous Post

Damijana: Towering Kingdom

Cities within 9 tiles of the Capital have 100% Loyalty and +50% to all yields. Cities beyond 9 tiles have -50% Loyalty and -20% to all yields. All districts may only be placed directly adjacent to other Districts, Wonders, or the City Center, but have major adjacency bonuses to all districts and Wonders.

This is specifically designed to keep Damijana's territory small and allow Damijana to act as a tall-playing civilization.

Chieftess Serafeen: Project Starlight

All Campuses and Campus buildings are 50% cheaper and give an additional 25% to yields (Stacks with Damijana Ability), and Spaceports and Science Victory projects cost 30% less.

Serafeen is OBSESSED with going to the moon, might as well extend that to a Science Victory-focused Leader ability.

Unique Unit: Eye of Damijana

Unique Scout unit that replaces the Ranger. Cheaper to build and slightly stronger. Can reveal invisible units and Spies within 3 tiles of them while in your territory, and receives +10 Combat Strength when fighting such units. Make Operations by enemy spies 2 levels higher when garrisoned in a City Center or Encampment.

The Eyes of Damijana seem to be the only actually useful unit for this, so I decided to make then recon units able to spot Spies and invisible units.

Unique District: Tower City

Unique district that replaces the Neighborhood. Can only be placed adjacent to other Districts, but available at Industrialization always grants +6 housing and gives +2 Gold, +6 Food, +6 Production, and +4 Amenities.

The Tower City is designed to help Damijana deal with shitty terrain and have a solid population regardless of no Farms.

Overall Damijani Playstyle

Damijana's major goal is to set up a solid 9 tile radius around their Capital to get numerous cities built and make districts a top priority while going for a Science Victory.

Zareen Empire: Iron Empire

All Districts and Wonders give major adjacency bonuses to Commercial Hubs, Industrial Zones, and Harbors. All Districts give standard adjacency bonuses to all other Districts.

A simple yet powerful ability, Zareen gets a flat bonus to Districts centered around Production and Gold gathering, as well as a focus on Districts.

Empress Qara: Iron Empress

All Cities have -15% to all yields from Improvements, excluding Mines and Quarries. Mine and Quarries give +2 Production, +4 Gold, and +2 Food. These are doubled if over a Strategic Resource, Luxury Resource, and Bonus Resource, respectively. Chopping Woods and Rainforests provides 100% Production than normal.

Yet another simple ability, Zareen under Qara suffers when there are few mines or quarries to work, while encouraging deforestation.

Unique Unit: Ironjaw Handler

Unique unit that is stronger than the Line Infantry it replaces. More expensive to maintain, but is significantly stronger. +10 Strength against units of a previous Era and an additional +5 to wounded units.

Ironjaws seem strong, so they're a unique unit for Zareen. Super strong when fighting primitive units.

Unique District: Zareenite Neighborhood

Unique District that replaces the Neighborhood and available at Industrialization, and provides +6 housing regardless of Appeal, and has +4 Production and +2 Amenities

Similar to Damijana's Unique District, Zareenite Neighborhoods allow Zareen to grow without high Appeal.

Overall Zareen Playstyle

Zareen wants to get some powerful cities using their huge production while clearing forests and useless Bonus Resources to make way for Districts, Mines, and Neighborhoods, and using Ironjaws to take anything in their way.

[pileofsith]

Nameless Part Seven - Boga Page 5/6

Jen June @ the Pau City garrison:

🡨 Previous Next 🡪

Part I Navigation: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 Part II Navigation: 1 / 2 / 3 Part III Navigation: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 Part IV Navigation: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 Part V Navigation: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 Part VI Navigation: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 Part VII Navigation: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

(Full view for sharper image.)

[frozen-fountain]

Get to know the fanfic writer

Thank you once again to @late-to-the-fandom for the tag. In turn I tag: @visualheresy, @laboradorescence, @oceangirl24, @bees-and-sunshine, @0nelittlebirdtoldme, and @hrh-spinach.

When did you post your first-ever fanfic?

All the way back in 2005.

First Character(s) you wrote?

That's for me to know and most of you to hopefully never find out.

Main Character(s) you're currently writing?

I'm alternating between Shadow (FFVI) and Cloud and Tifa (alternating viewpoints).

Character(s) you haven't written about before but plan to soon?

Well, he's been the secondary character enough times now that I really need to give Reeve his spotlight some time. Cloud's viewpoint also requires giving Zack and Sephiroth more of a voice than they've directly had in this project so far. And then my next longer project puts me in Setzer's head which... joy. But I think I've at least written a few lines for just about everyone in these ensembles at this point.

Fandom(s) you're currently writing?

Final Fantasies VII and VI.

Platonic Pairing(s) you're currently writing?

Shadow and Baram, though ngl the relationship on the page has turned more ambiguous than I had in mind at the outset. Let's throw Shadow and Relm's not-relationship in there, too. More broadly I'm also getting into Cloud and Tifa's ways of interfacing with a whole village of faces old and new; it's been fun characterising them through different reactions to the same person.

Romantic Pairing(s) you're currently writing?

Cloud/Tifa (messy), and I suppose Shadow/Relm's inevitably unnamed mother (barely romantic at all).

Your top AO3 tags?

Character Study, Post-Canon, and Romance.

Current platform you use for posting?

AO3, and Tumblr and Reddit for attempts at promotion.

Snippet of the WIP you are currently working on?

Ooh, I really liked this part even though it's still unpolished:

“Ain't no ord'nary train on its tracks.” The fire outlines him in gold as he says it, makes darker the dark hole where another eye used to be. He cackles with his eyes on the woods as the train passes by, its lights making prison bars from the shadows of the trees. “That just gone by's the Phantom Train, on its way to the next life after this one.”

You scoff as the clack of metal on metal fades into the night and take another swig of your liquor. Some paint stripper stolen and not missed from a falling-down bar outside of Zozo. The woodsmoke-scented air is warm as tobacco and silent, now that the search has been called off. “Stories for kids and old folks,” you mutter.

He shakes his head, lifts his bottle. Pauses with his hand on the neck and no closer to his lips. “Not this one. And it was you and me put a few more faces in those carriages, you bet your ass.”

“You say so, buddy.”

He smirks, a red and sinister thing in the firelight. “Oh yeah? Then you tell me, Mr. Scholar,” and he nodded towards the tangled briar behind you, “where it gone and went, if it ain't passed outta this plane altogether.”

You turn your head and there is nothing. Only unbroken inky black and the hoot of an owl rustling in the treetops. A shiver racks your body as the forest slides back into place, as though nothing had ever passed this way at all. Shrugging it off, you drain your bottle. “The woods is dark. Awful lotta things can get lost in there.” A grin, and you toe the bounty by your feet with the flapping, ragged toe of your boot. “Worked out real swell for us.”

You pulled it off. The garrison abandoned you to the night some hours ago, their torches guttered and the strong arms of the law returned to their homes and leaving the darkness for the crickets. Another train passed out of sight a little lighter than it embarked, and you'd both be eating good when you made it to the next town. A day or two, no word of the hooded figures that held a driver at knifepoint, and no-one would ask questions with the right amount of gil dropped onto their counter.

He cackles and sits back, the joints of his elbows cracking as the wear and tear of the dash through the bracken sets in. “Think what you want.”

You humour him with a smile. “How'd those dear departed souls get the afterlife way back when, then? 'Fore trains was running? Answer me that.”

“Well, you know folk. Tale gets a little update every couple hundred years. Way back when it was a long road you gotta walk on, I guess. Little later comes a carriage with a pale rider to take you to the next world. Chocobos with fuckin' death rattles comin' outta they beaks. Go down south where it's marshland and they'll tell you to watch for the pass of the will-o'-the-wisp, 'cause that's the light that guides the ferryman and his dead cargo. Fella told me they got a big steamboat these days. You can see the ghosts hangin' off the sides and wavin' their ghost kercheifs when the moon is -”

“Shut the fuck up.” Another of his stories – always the biggest brute in the bar whose head he bashed in, or the tart with the biggest tits throwing herself in his way.

“I'm tellin' ya.” He chuckles then and raises his half-empty bottle to the sky. “Here's to progress!”

[nonsensical-shitposting]

Okay, trying to get my rough ideas for the Team Snakereverse AU onto the screen (and also test out my editing capabilities)- the original concept for the AU was just to reverse the initial positions of Vi, Kabbu, and Leif from canon, but then it snowballed immensely from there. Here’s our lovable protagonists, with descriptions of what they’re up to under the cut:

Sick of her job as an underpaid, overworked contractor scavenging from the Fallen Hive, Vi was exiled from the Bee Kingdom on the termite overseers’ orders after she tried to organize a strike. She’d barely arrived in Defiant Root when Astotheles’ Metal Island Mercenaries struck the settlement, during which Vi distinguished herself by helping fight off the mercenaries armed with nothing but a pair of hastily-repaired bayonets trashed by termite soldiers (which she refers to as her “Beeyonets”). Disillusioned by the mercenaries’ modus operandi and disgusted with the local termite garrison’s reluctance to properly defend Defiant Root during the raid, Vi took off in search of somewhere she could meet with like-minded bugs and help put an end to the Termite Kingdom’s imperialism and negligence, both in the Bee Kingdom and across the rest of Bugaria. At first, she thought she’d found a place like that in the Ant Kingdom’s Underground Haven, but quickly learned that the bugs there were more interested in debating minuscule details of theory rather than taking any kind of action and got herself kicked out for complaining about this too much. Upon finding the Explorers’ Association, she realized a job there would give her a perfect cover for traveling across Bugaria searching for other prospective revolutionaries... and, hey, if she’s being honest, the idea of getting to track down ancient treasures and making sure they end up in the hands of bugs who actually deserve them (such as herself) sounds pretty good too!

Already badly injured, Kabbu was left semi-conscious after being thrown into an ancient crystal early on in the battle with the Beast, resulting in Bit and his master dragging him into a hiding place and telling him to wait for an opening to flee, which he did only to watch both of them die as they tried to bait the Beast into following them away from where they’d left him. Realizing too late that being slammed into the crystal had given him control of earth magic, a furious Kabbu buried the Beast alive, tearing up vast tracts of the surrounding swamplands before coming to his senses. Fleeing in shame and fear, Kabbu blamed himself for his friends’ deaths, believing that if he hadn’t been there they would’ve been able to escape from the Beast and survived, and resolved that he would never explore or use his new powers ever again. Kabbu took a desk job at the Explorers’ Association upon arriving in the Ant Kingdom in an attempt to punish himself and continued holding himself to his vow to not explore. Unfortunately, seeing a bright, driven young bee on the verge of being rejected as an explorer weakened Kabbu’s resolve, and before he knew it he was volunteering to team up with Vi temporarily so she could get an Association permit. Kabbu privately promised himself that he’d quit and return to his old job the moment Vi found someone else who’d be willing to join her exploration team, but now that he’s getting attached to both of his new friends (especially considering how much more he’s been starting to feel like his old self after adventuring with Vi and Leif), he may end up asking for his temporary placement on Vi’s team to be made permanent.

Discovered by Vi and Kabbu in the upper levels of the sunken Rubber Stronghold, this blue-and-yellow moth is a unique case in that they’re actually two beings sharing one body. The first is Leif, a moth who died in the Stronghold after a flood cut him off from his team during a scouting mission, and the second is the cordyceps that crawled into his body and inadvertently got his brain working again, which Vi dubbed Corder upon learning that connecting to Leif’s brain had allowed the cordyceps to develop a mind of its own. Leif is not exactly happy with the circumstances of his resurrection (which Corder has been very apologetic about), but both recognize that they can’t currently survive without the other, so they’ve worked out a deal where they copilot Leif’s body until they figure out a more permanent solution. Due to Leif’s lack of combat abilities, Corder’s been trying to fill in there by letting out one of its sharper-edged tendrils and making it look like a whip, though for the sake of keeping up their cover it has to control one of Leif’s hands to hold the “whip” when other bugs are around. Yes, they do get a lot of questions about whether a whip is really a practical weapon- one thing Corder and Leif can agree on is to make a running gag out of responding with different, increasingly ridiculous answers every time.

[samieree]

Born in Flames || Game of Thrones

OC x ?😏

-> Chapter XXXIII ''Dārilaros''

Chapter XXXIV ''A meeting''

The time has finally come to the meeting with her allies and present a plan of action. Everyone gathered in the room with the map, sitting on chairs at the table. Only Grey Worm and ser Arthur stood, close to the wall.

"You want the Iron Throne, so just take it." Yara spoke up. "We have an army, a fleet and dragons, if we attack King's Landing with everything we have, the city will fall the same day."

"And how many innocent people will die, especially if the dragons are set free?" Tyrion remarked.

"This is war. If you don't have the nerve for it, don't play it." Ellaria interjected.

"We're supposed to discuss the plan, not argue and insult each other." Visenya said, interrupting everyone. "Just because we declare war doesn't mean that thousands of ordinary people have to die, I won't allow that. And I don't intend to rule the kingdom of ashes."

"That's good." this time Olenna spoke up. "I don't remember a Queen who was more beloved than my granddaughter. She was loved by both commoners and the powerful. And what is left of her? Ashes. The common and the powerful are like children, really. They won't obey you unless they fear you."

This is their first meeting, and almost nothing has gone her way this far. It was easier when she dealt with the Lords in Essos, they were evil men, she had no problem intimidating them into doing what she wanted. Here the situation was more complicated, she had to unite people who had to support her in order to stay on the throne.

She felt she couldn't show weakness because if she did, it would be the end of her. They will tear her to pieces and there will be nothing left of her.

"They have to fear the consequences of their actions, not me." she replied calmly. "Also, almost half the fleet has sailed back to Meereen, so we're not at full strength yet." she noticed.

"You're going to wait..." Olenna paused for a moment, counting in her head how long it would be before the ships return. "Almost half a year? Until winter comes?"

"We have enough men to lay siege to the city if you don't want to attack directly." Yara came back to her idea of ​���attacking King's Landing right away, it was in her mind the fastest way to take the Iron Throne.

Vis sighed in her mind and leaned further into her chair. She turned her gaze to Tyrion and nodded. Enough of this verbal bickering, they will tell them their plan for now and then they will argue if necessary.

"It would be a great idea, if not for a few "buts"..."he started and got up from his chair to illustrate their plan, pointing to specific places on the map and moving the figures. "King's Landing is surrounded mostly by forests, which is a problem in itself, and we don't know where the Iron Fleet or Lannister forces are right now, other than the garrison in the city. We also cannot forget about some of the Lords whom Cersei converted to her side by talking about foreign armies brought to Westeros and referring to their memories of the Mad King."

This time, no one commented on a single word Tyrion said. Everyone was waiting for the rest of his statement, which filled Visenya with hope that they would all be able to come to an agreement. She didn't have much input into the current plan, she just pointed out a few things. She would like to be able to say something more, to know what needs to be considered when planning the next steps, battles, sieges, and movement of troops.

Mostly she stayed silent and listened to her friends, learning from what they said, but she didn't have the courage to admit to them that she didn't know something. She was the Queen after all, she was supposed to lead them. This fear remained in her, that if she showed weakness, her potential allies would abandon her.

"Cersei will not attack first, she will wait for our move as long as she can. If she was going to attack any place, it would be Highgarden." he moved the lion figurine to the Tyrell residence. "Food supplies and gold that she will desperately need. Therefore, the Reach troops will remain in the Reach. We will transport the supplies we need at this moment on ships that will also take soldiers from Dorne. Before that, we will provoke the Iron Fleet by sending a small force to Casterly Rock, to secure the transport as best as possible." he paused for a moment. The rest of the plan was much more general. "Then we'll take care of the army in the country, outside King's Landind, so that they won't be able to break the siege. By then we should be able to challenge the Iron Fleet as they attempt to deliver supplies to King's Landing."

"That is my plan." she finally got up from her seat, leaning on the table with her hands. "Do I have your support?"

She felt her heart speed up and her lips suddenly become mercilessly dry. This is the first important moment in the fast-approaching war. Either they support her or she will be left alone on the battlefield.

"You have mine." Yara spoke first, decisively, without any hesitation in her voice.

"Dorne is with you, Your Grace." Elaria spoke up right after her.

The tension was already starting to leave her shoulders, but there was one more person who had to accept this plan and she turned her gaze to her. Olenna Tyrell. She finally nodded too.

"Thank you for your trust, I won't let you down." she smiled at everyone.

"Can we talk privately for a moment, Your Grace?" Lady Tyrell's question surprised her, but she nodded and everyone else began to leave the chamber. When they were alone, she went to sit on the chair next to her.

"I think I know what you want to say... You want revenge on Cersei. I know that's why you all support my claim to the throne." she said, taking a seat. That was the only reason she could think of for this conversation and she could assure her that justice will be served. "I swear that those who hurt us will pay for it a hundredfold. And then there will finally be peace in Westeros.

"Peace?" she didn't answer whether that was what she wanted to talk about, but she obviously picked up on the topic and had her own opinion. She had heard of the Queen of Thorns before her escape and knew she was an intelligent woman. That's why she wanted to listen to everything he had to say and draw some lesson from it. "Do you think there was peace when your grandfather sat on the Iron Throne? Or his father? Or that it would be if your father ruled? There is never peace, my dear. People will always find a reason to fight."

She wanted to deny it, to say that it was possible to keep the peace and she would do it, but then she realized that she couldn't argue, that Olenna was right. People fight when they are dissatisfied, and you can't please everyone. Someone will want more and more wealth, others will want higher and higher titles. She had already experienced in Meereen that it was impossible to create a place without violence, but she wanted to continue living this utopian dream.

"I wanted to give you a piece of advice." she finally said what she had wanted from the beginning. "Will you take it from an old woman?"

"I will never despise advice that someone wants to give me for free." she smiled warmly and shifted in her chair, crossing her legs.

"Your Hand is a clever man. I've known many people like him in my life and I've outlived them all. Do you know why? I ignored them." this surprised Visenya, she didn't expect this type of advice. "Lords of Westeros are sheep. Are you a sheep?"

Her smile faded. For a moment she wanted to look down, because it was hard for her to stand Olenna's gaze, but she didn't, she forced herself to manage it. Is she a gentle, naive sheep? Often yes... But she wouldn't call the Lords of the Seven Kingdoms that, but maybe she just didn't know them as well as Olenna.

"No. You are the dragon." a delicate smile appeared on her face again as soon as she heard these words. "Be a dragon."

"I will be."

* * *

The boat reached the shores of Dragonstone, in almost the same place where, about a month earlier, Visenya Targaryen had taken her first step in Westeros in four years. Tyrion, Missandei and a small force of Dothraki stood on the shore in case any trouble occurred.

Robb Stark and Ser Davos Seaworth came ashore, accompanied by some of their men.

"Someone escaped death from under the scythe." Tyrion spoke first, using his 'unfailing humor'.

"Someone has done it more times than me." Robb replied.

The last time they saw each other was when Tyrion returned from the Wall and went to Winterfell to hand over the design of a saddle for Bran so he could ride. Their relationship was not very good, mainly due to the suspicion that Tyrion ordered Bran's murder. And now he is here on Dragonstone, wearing the pin of the Hand of the Queen.

How far can his talk take him?

Tyrion preferred not to speak to Ser Davos due to the fact that when they were fighting against each other, when Stannis was attacking the capital, Davos's son was killed because of his plan. Yes... It's better not to bring up these memories.

"Welcome to Dragonstone." Missandei greeted everyone before Tyrion could say anything else. "The Queen knows it's a long journey and she appreciates the efforts you've made to get here. If you don't mind handing over your weapons.

It wasn't a question of whether they minded or not, they had no other choice. Of course they won't let them enter the castle with weapons. Robb tried to be optimistic, after all, things weren't looking bad so far, they were still alive.

When everyone gave up their weapons, things got a little worse, because some of the Dothraki went to get the boat that they used to reach the shore from the ship, picked it up and started walking away with it. So we are prisoners here?

"Please, this way." she smiled and gestured with her head for them to follow her. They had to walk most of the beach and up all the stairs before they entered the castle.

As they followed her, Davos went over to ask her where she was from, while Robb remained silent and focused on her unusual outfit. It was rather typical for women to wear dresses, especially those of high birth. However, Missandei did not have a dress, only a cloak which shape imitated the cut of the dress. Additionally, two belts crossed on her chest, holding some kind of shoulder straps, one of them had a silver brooch, circle with three dragon heads attached to it. And, of course, trousers and high boots. I wonder if their queen wears the same kind of clothes... She was probably the one who started this 'trend'.

"This place has changed." ser Davos said to him after he had exchanged a few words with Missandei and they continued walking along the beach towards the castle.

"Inside probably even more so, you won't see the same sigils anymore." he replied.

"I hope I don't have to visit the prison again."

He rolled his eyes at this answer and said nothing more. They would have no reason to keep them prisoners, they would rather kill them. But they are still alive, that's the most important thing. Perhaps they will even be able to leave this island on their own.

The building itself made a great impression, mainly due to the figures of dragons crowning the towers or above the gate and at the entrances. A stronghold for the Dragon Queen indeed. Although climbing all those stairs when you spent the last many days on the ship and didn't have much opportunity to walk... A bit of a challenge.

"How's Sansa? I heard she's alive and well." Tyrion asked him when they were almost halfway up.

"She's fine." he replied rather dryly. He still had a bad taste for the Lannisters, even though - apparently - Tyrion was now fighting against his family.

"Does she miss me a lot?" yes... He had already forgotten that they married his little sister to Tyrion... He gave him a look that was enough of an answer. "A marriage of convenience, and unconsummated." You would try to do it differently... "Anyway... She's smarter than she lets on."

"Oh, she's changed..." he sighed. He regretted that he had not been able to protect her from all the horrors that had befallen her, but the most important thing was that she had survived. She changed... Like all of them, they grew up faster than they should have.

"Someday I want to hear how you survived my father's trap and then took Winterfell back from the Boltons with your siblings." Tyrion wanted to add, 'You Starks are hard to kill', but he thought that would be an exaggeration, even for him.

At first, Robb felt a huge need to punch him for reminding him of those very painful moments. The only thing that stopped him was that he needed the Queen's help and he couldn't start a conflict between them.

"When you tell me how it happened that the Lannister went from being a torturer to becoming the Hand of Visenya Targaryen?"

"I have never been a torturer." Tyrion defended himself. He had never done anything bad to this girl, and now he actually admired her for what she was able to achieve. He may like to tease, but he won't let himself be called that. "And my path to this 'top' was long and quite bloody. To be honest, I was drunk for most of it." there was silence for a moment as they climbed the stairs. "Tell me, why exactly did you accept the invitation? If I were advising you, I would strongly advise you not to come here."

"Apparently I don't learn from my mistakes. Or maybe-" He stopped abruptly when he heard an inhuman screech just behind them.

Both he and Davos fell to the ground, as a pitch-black dragon flew just above their heads. More flew right behind him, green, golden and white, shimmering blue in the sun. The four of them had been circling the island and now they were racing around the castle.

Only the two of them fell to the ground, the others seemed to be used to this sight and inhuman sounds that quickly chilled their blood. Tyrion walked over and offered his hand to help him up.

"I'd say you'd get used to them, but you never really do." he declared, smiling slightly under his breath. "Come, their mother is waiting for you."

Inside, Visenya was not yet sitting on the throne, but she was impatiently pacing the room and waiting. As Tyrion and Missandei went to greet her guest, only Ser Arthur and a pair of Unsullied were left with her to stand guard.

She kept thinking about how she should start the conversation and what she should say to get what she wanted. He agreed to come, so that was already half of a win, but now she had to convince him. With Dorne and the Reach it was easier, Varys took care of the most important conversations - even though she didn't ask him to... - and there was a different mentality in these parts of the country. They did not lose much strength in the war, they were burning for revenge, while the North suffered a lot and probably wanted peace above all.

She doesn't want soldiers from them, she just wants the Starks to also support her claim to the throne and acknowledge her authority, that's all. But if you consider what the Mad King did to Brandon and Rickard Stark, what her father did to Lyanna Stark... But she is not them, she will not allow herself to be judged by the crimes of her ancestors.

"What do you think he's like?" she asked suddenly, finally moving away from the window. "Brave or stupid to accept my invitation?" she slowly walked up the stairs and finally sat down.

"People have heard of your achievements in Essos."

"And they also heard the rumors spread by Cersei. Apparently in some village they say I have a tail and horns."

"Quite a funny vision, who knows, maybe they would add to your charm?" she rolled her eyes. She knew that he was teasing her, trying to calm her down, so he must have noticed that she was stressed.

She would have said something back, but at that moment the door to the chamber began to open, so she straightened up in her seat and stared straight ahead. She should be used to it by now, but something made her unable not to get stressed. She kept her hands clasped in her lap and concentrated on not playing with them, not showing any nervousness.

"You stand in the presence of Visenya of House Targaryen, rightful heir to the Iron Throne, rightful Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Queen of Yunkai, Queen of Astapor, Queen of Meereen, the Unburnt, Breaker of the Chains." she was introduced with all her titles by Missandei, who was taking her place by the stairs to her left, Tyrion standing to her right.

Robb's first thought was that he had never heard of a person holding so many titles. Has anyone really ever called her all those titles? What does 'the Unburnt' even mean? Either she has actually achieved so much in the last four years, or she has a very large ego, or both.

"This is Robb Stark, King in the North." Ser Davos said, his voice echoing through the hall.

She didn't even listen to him much, she stared at the boy who immediately seemed familiar to her.

She had seen him before, seen those curls, even from this distance she could also tell that she had seen those blue eyes before. She dreamed of and danced with him. So maybe it belongs to him...

She realized that she had been silent for too long, that she should say something.

"Thank you for accepting my invitation, Your Grace." she emphasized these two words. "I hope the journey wasn't too hard." she decided to exchange pleasantries, as she first had to put thoughts of him aside before she could move on to politics.

"The winds were quite kind to us, thank you." he replied, having to focus on the here and now.

Of course, it didn't escape his notice that they had met before. She was the woman who had not left his thoughts for several days since the dream, she was the one who mounted the dragon and flew on its back. That silver hair and purple eyes are unmistakable, of course, a Targaryen.

"You don't have to be afraid of me. I'm not like my enemies, I don't invite people under my roof and then kill them." she assured, even though nothing in his behavior indicated that he was afraid of her.

"A woman with an army, a fleet, and four dragons telling you not to be afraid of her is unheard of." she smiled slightly under her breath, even though he said it with noticeable irony in his voice, or maybe as a joke? She couldn't tell. "And you call yourself the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, and I call myself the King of one of those kingdoms, doesn't that make us enemies, Your Grace?"

"Do you want to be my enemy?" she couldn't help but ask this question, even though she didn't expect any answer, so she quickly continued. "I don't want wars, violence should be the last resort, that's why I invited you here. We have a common enemy: Cersei Lannister. I propose that we become allies."

"On what basis?"

"The one you're thinking about. Support my claim to the crown, acknowledge my authority, and I will give us all our desired revenge."

Of course that's what she wants, that's why she invited him, just like he thought from the beginning... Perhaps if what was said about her - or rather what rumors Cersei was spreading - were at least partially true, he would not think long, just kneel and swear allegiance. But she didn't look like a monster, she didn't act like one. In fact, after what she really did, common people would say that she is an angel in human body.

It could have been just a cover, but it made him decide to fight for the independence of his kingdom.

"I can support your claim, but not to my kingdom." he said firmly. "I'm sorry, Your Grace, but we don't know each other. We know as much about ourselves as we have been told. You are invoking a right that you don't actually have because your dynasty was overthrown. All you can do is win throne back and then I will recognize your rights." he paused for a moment, watching her reaction. She didn't look angry. "Do you really want to rule lands you don't know? I've heard  many good and bad things about you, I don't know what to believe, you can't expect to come back after four years and everyone submitting to you."

She didn't expect it, but she also didn't think of her rights as something she didn't actually have. Who else would have a better claim to the throne? There is no one else left to inherit from Robert, kingdoms could not remain under the rule of the usurper Cersei. It's not just that this woman doesn't deserve the crown, but also that she doesn't know how to rule, doesn't care about the people under her, and only wants power and a good life. This is not what a ruler should want.

She didn't lose hope, on the contrary - she believed that she was able to convince him. For some reason, fate had allowed them to 'mee'" before under quite nice circumstances, certainly not to become enemies later.

"I don't want to just rule, I want to change." she replied more dispassionately than she wanted. She decided that she had to somehow shorten the distance between them, let him to known her, if they were to get along. At the same time, she would also like to get to know him better... She got up from her throne and began to slowly approach. "You've probably also heard a lot about the little girl that Tywin kept as his trophy, a memory of times gone by - that's a nice phrase I heard once. It would seem that many people should feel sorry for me: An orphan, my father died before I was born, and my mother was raped and killed by the Mountain shortly after, right after he killed my siblings." she paused for a moment to make her next words sound stronger. "Nobody was sorry. No one delivered justice. Robert actually demanded my head, the head of a several-day-old baby. He tried to kill me a few times, of course he did, he hated my father so much, he was so afraid that his blood would survive and become a threat to him one day."

She had to stop for a moment to don't let tears - that were coming to her eyes as the memories of her childhood flooded her - fall.

Robb didn't dare interrupt her. He knew her story as much as it was talked about. The maester once taught him about the last members of this house, Visenya, and Viserys and Daenerys, who managed to escape to Essos right after the war. Since Visenya was here alone, he guessed that the other two had not survived until now.

He never paid much attention to her history, he was a child, he preferred to duel with Theon, first with wooden and then with blunt swords, than to learn history. But now, hearing it straight from her... He sympathized. He could easily say that, he felt sorry for her. While he had fun running around Winterfell, when he could come to his parents at any time - even at night when he had a nightmare - and he had no worries, she never had that luxury. She was forever alone, with the specter of death hanging over her head. She lived under the roof of someone like Tywin Lannister, who - as he knew from experience - was ready to do anything to win.

If she wanted to make me feel sorry for her, she's already succeeded.

"I survived. I've lived seventeen years of something I wouldn't call life. I survived and finally managed to escape. I spent four years in completely foreign lands, and yet they were the best years of my life. You said you heard a lot of good things about me... Did you hear that I freed slaves from all over Slaver's Bay? The Breaker of Chains. No one ever did this, no one thought that they were people too and deserved a normal life. Soon, the concept of 'slavery' will become history. And they have will come back to it... The dragons. The world hadn't seen them for over a hundred years until my children were born. The Dothraki never followed any woman, they considered them too weak. They also never crossed any sea. And yet now they listen to me, they crossed the sea for me." she finished speaking as she stopped a step in front of him. "Many men have tried to kill me, but no one succeeded. If all that has happened to me isn't a sign that I was born to rule the Seven Kingdoms, I don't know what else it could be. If not fate, how else to explain it?"

"Maybe. But you will rule the frozen wasteland unless we defeat the real enemy."

In his answer, he did not refer to what she said about herself, he did not want to show that he admired her for what she did for those people from across the sea. He should finally address the issue that made him decide to come here and talk to her in the first place.

"My only enemy is Cersei Lannister."

"You are wrong, Your Grace." Davos interrupted. "Death is the enemy of us all."

"Very poetic." this time it was Tyrion who joined the discussion. She didn't see any hidden meaning behind Davos' words, but she started thinking about them in a different context...

"Let him talk." she said, giving her Hand a quick glance. "Continue..." she trailed off because she didn't know the man's name.

"Ser Davos Seaworth, thank you." he cleared his throat quietly. "I don't mean any poetry..." He looked at Tyrion for a moment. "...but a real threat. The undead army is on the other side of the Wall and they will attack us soon. An army that knows no fatigue and does not leave bodies on the battlefield. This is our enemy. If we don't deal with him... Does it really matter whose corpse sits on the Iron Throne?"

"If it doesn't matter, you might as well pledge your allegiance here and now. We all together will deal with Cersei, and then we'll go fight... Whatever you were talking about."

Honestly, she wished Tyrion wouldn't interfere right now. She didn't have anything better to say herself, and she tried to appreciate that Tyrion wanted to win another house's support for her, but she felt it didn't make sense today. They can argue all they want, but no one will trust a stranger enough to put the fate of their people in his hands.

"Enough." she said to him quietly. She hoped that would be enough to stop him from interfering with the bend-the-knee issue again. "We are strangers. I understand that you will not give your lands to me, and you should understand that I will not dedicate my army to your cause, to fight against some... Army of the undead?"

She wasn't entirely skeptical about Ser Davos' words, considering one of her dreams, but she couldn't blindly believe in them... She wasn't alone, she was dragging thousands of people along with her, she had to think about their safety, not just her own. Additionally, she has just begun the final preparations for the war against Cersei, the ships have already sailed, the fighting will begin soon. If she withdraws from the campaign as soon as it begins, what will her allies think of her? Without her in the south, Cersei will not be afraid to send an army to take over more and more lands and oppress more and more people.

"I know it sounds like some store made to scare naughty children." Robb spoke up. "But if it weren't for that, I wouldn't be here. My own sister advised me against it, and yet here I am. Maybe it's stupidity, maybe it's desperation, but coming here, I trusted you with my life, because - like you - I want to save people who have already suffered enough."

She was about to say something, she even knew what, but then they heard hurried footsteps coming from behind the corridor. It was Varys, he walked past their guests and went straight to Visenya, leaned down and whispered a few words:

"Your Grace, we need to talk urgently, it's very important."

She nodded gently and he moved away from her. She had to politely end this conversation somehow. Maybe it's even good, she will have time to think about how to approach it, now that she has the whole picture of the situation.

"Forgive me, you've come such a long way, you must be very tired. We will prepare you chambers, Missandei will show you. We'll have a bath run for you and bring you supper. If you need anything, speak to her." she forced a smile and was about to turn to Varys, but she noticed the distrustful face especially on Robb's face. Yeah... I should have understood trauma better. "I swear to my mother's memory that nothing will happen to you under my roof. You can walk around the entire island, after all, you are not my prisoners."

"You took our boat." he noticed, stopping her for a moment more.

"You'll get it back when we finish our meeting."

That was the last thing she said. She stood with her back to them and waited for them to leave so she could talk about this 'important matter'.

Robb and Davos had no other choice, so they left the chamber, and Missandei left with them. Of course he was afraid to stay in someone's home, especially since he didn't have any weapons. On the one hand, the memories of the Red Wedding came back to him as soon as he saw Visenya, but on the other hand, he felt an inexplicable peace in her presence.

She carried herself in a way that exuded confidence and strength, her outfit was in the same style as Missandei's, only more ornate. A silver chain ran across her chest, with a long piece of fabric with embroidered scales attached to it at the back. Even her hairstyle was unique, lots of braids tied up into a bun, with only a few strands left loose. When you looked at her, you truly saw a Queen, a strong personality, who knew what she wanted and how to get it.

However, after talking to her... To a large extent, it was all just appearances. She was not a cold-blooded murderer who would do anything to achieve her goal. Her difficult past certainly shaped most of her character. Therefore, he was prone to believe that she really wanted to change the world for the better.

They were practically the same age, and although life has verified many of their dreams, they still have ideals in them.

It was even good that they were interrupted. He will be able to prepare better for his next conversation with her, now that he knows how he should approach her.

Behind closed doors, however, the conversation finally began.

"We already know where the Iron Fleet is..." Varys began. It was clear from the beginning that he had bad news. "Two or three ships escaped, the rest sunk or captured. Ellaria Sand and Sand Snakes, who were to leave ships at Sunspear captured or dead, Yara and Theon Greyjoy captured or dead."

For a moment she didn't know what to do. This was only the beginning, and their plan was already starting to fall apart. Conducting a war so that as few people die as possible is much more difficult and complicated than throwing all your forces at once and breaking the enemy...

Nobody said it will be easy to be good.

"If they're alive, Euron will definitely sail with them to King's Landing... Is there any chance he's not there yet?" she asked finally.

Maybe she should sacrifice them, after all, they knew what they were signing up for. But what kind of Queen will she be if she so quickly gives up on the people who decided to fight for her?

"It is possible, but Your Grace-"

"So please, write to Euron." she interrupted Varys before he could dissuade her from this idea. "Write, that if he releases all those captured, I will meet with him."

He wanted to meet the Dragon Queen, so I will give him the opportunity, but not for free.

~

-> Chapter XXXV ''Advices'' -> general masterlist -> Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon masterlist

[bijoumikhawal]

"To begin with, let me stress that the recent evidence indicates that Philometor’s permitting the settlement of (Jewish) mercenaries (including their role in the military and administration) and the erection of a (Jewish) temple, is not a singular case; it was by no means exceptional.⁵⁶ In fact, we encounter several other ethnic minorities in Ptolemaic Egypt around that time, which, like the Jews, were actively involved in the defense and administrative apparatus of the Ptolemies. So, for instance, we hear of Samaritans and Idumeans serving the Ptolemies.⁵⁷ More strikingly, however, and in addition to these affairs, our evidence also shows that the leaders of those minorities were referred to as high priests – much as Onias had been.⁵⁸ [...]

The recent studies referred to above are concerned with the involvement and relationship between the Ptolemaic military, Greek soldiers and Egyptian temples.⁶⁰ These studies have treated the phenomenon of an increased involvement of Ptolemaic military personnel – mostly of Greek and not native Egyptian origin – in the building or reconstruction of Egyptian temples. Oftentimes, we find that the Egyptian temples were overseen by Greek officers, who also served as high priests of those places of worship. In juxtaposition with their religious title/office, they also held important military positions such as strategos or commanders of a fortress (phrouarch).⁶¹ Dietze and Gorre’s studies reveal that Egyptian temples, usually the local center of a certain region, often served as fortresses too, and were deliberately erected for strategic domestic and foreign purposes, especially in the later Ptolemaic period, and specifically under Ptolemy VI Philometor.⁶² Dietze, in particular, has suggested that an Egyptian temple commonly housed a garrison and that the temple structures reflected their defensive purposes also in their architecture.⁶³ In addition, she has provided many examples of Egyptian temples which were built (or refurbished) during Philometor’s reign or shortly thereafter, and which were primarily located and erected in the southern part of Egypt.⁶⁴ The reason for this was Philometor’s (successful) attempts at calming the region following the persistent and irking civil uprisings which plagued the south of Egypt during his early reign. Calming the region was achieved by enforcing Ptolemaic military presence which also meant that more conscripts were needed to man those newly established garrisons. It seems that the Ptolemaic authorities championed the solution of placing military units in temples, by means of which they could bind the local inhabitants to the Ptolemaic state and its rulers through their religious practice. Pairing the security issues with religious matters greatly contributed to forestalling potential future outbursts of violence against the Greek ruling-class of Egypt. Along with those domestic concerns, this strategy also proved itself effective against possible external threats (as illustrated in the example of the south against spontaneous attacks of local Nubian warlords and tribes).⁶⁵ [...]

Viewed from a Ptolemaic perspective, we may once more turn to the Josephan reports on the building of the Oniad Temple and interpret them from a different angle.We recall that Philometor’s reign was plagued by two major security threats already mentioned, namely civil uprisings of the native Egyptian population in the south, and the second, perhaps more serious external threat of a Seleucid invasion from the north (which in fact materialized twice in 169/168 and 168/167 BCE). As I and others have often pointed out, Onias’ flight to Egypt around the time of Antiochus’ IV invasion of Egypt (i.e. in ca. 168/167 BCE) came exactly at the right moment for Philometor. Thus, Onias’ request to build his temple can perhaps be better understood in a Ptolemaic, rather than in a purely Jewish context. That is, the Ptolemaic perspective may explain some minor, yet important, details in the story Josephus relates on the erection of Onias’ Temple (and royal permission to erect it), which perhaps have hitherto been misunderstood.

As such, Josephus tells us in his longer account of Onias’ Temple in his Antiquities – in a much debated and controversial passage – that Onias asked for a specific territory for his temple project. Here we also learn that he erected his temple on the site of an abandoned and apparently damaged Egyptian one.⁶⁶ Seen from a Jewish halakhic perspective, such conduct would render Onias’ Temple impure, which is exactly the point bemoaned by Josephus. We may add that Onias’ actions must have been scorned not only by Josephus, but by other (Jews) too. However, if we set this narrative against the recent evidence from the Ptolemaic papyri and inscriptions, it seems that the refurbishing of pagan native Egyptian shrines and their re-settlement with foreign soldiers had been standard Ptolemaic practice.

It follows that Josephus’ ‘Epistolary Piece’ in fact attests to this specific Ptolemaic policy, but interprets it against the backdrop of Jewish halakhah. The aim was to portray Onias as an impious character, as I have illustrated in Chapter 1. Thus, Onias was given a specific territory by the Ptolemaic king – although he indeed seems to have had a word, as claimed by Josephus, on where exactly to establish his community – which contained a deserted or destroyed Egyptian temple, namely that of Bubastis.⁶⁷ Of course, he must have rejected the idea of actually reestablishing a foreign cult place. This fact emerges from his request to (re‐)build the former temple of Bubastis to make it fit for the worship of Onias’ domestic deity, the Jewish God.⁶⁸

This specific Ptolemaic defense policy may be considered as well to explain Josephus’ datum that Onias, next to his temple, had built “a fortress.”⁶⁹ Our evidence from comparable cases studied by Dietze suggests that temples simultaneously functioned as fortresses, and vice versa.⁷⁰ In that context, it should be noted that Josephus elsewhere writes (BJ 1.31) that Onias also founded (ἔκτισεν) a city which resembled Jerusalem. It is notable that Josephus only once mentions that fact, whereas the resemblance of Oniad edifices to Jerusalem (or the lack thereof – see BJ 7 .427) is noted by him once more in the context of the altar or the Oniad Temple.⁷¹ Josephus’ claim that Onias founded a city is a remarkable detail worth discussing, since, in a Ptolemaic context, the foundation of a city was a restricted act, usually reserved for the king only.⁷² However, recent papyrological and epigraphical evidence reveals that this rule did not necessarily apply generally. "

Pages 340-344 of Priests in Exile by Meron M Piotrkowski

[just-a-little-and-funny-fangirl]

Salve, popolo di Tumblr! Ho deciso di fare il riassunto dettagliato di uno dei miei film d'animazione preferiti di sempre: SOUTH PARK: IL FILM PIÙ, PIÙ LUNGO E TUTTO INTERO.

Lo vidi per la prima volta che era il 24 luglio di quest'anno. Me ne innamorai subito. Considero questa data il mio ingresso nel fandom di South Park. Dopo qualche settimana, ad agosto iniziai a vedere la serie e la concludetti a settembre. Ne ho amato ogni istante! Non vedo l'ora che escano i nuovi special e le nuove stagioni.

So che questa roba verrà letta da una persona sola però mi ha aiutato nella scrittura e ci tenevo a farla.

Prima di iniziare però, ecco alcune precisazioni:

Il doppiaggio italiano è il primo, usato quando South Park andava in onda sulla Mediaset. L'adattamento italiano non era molto fedele ma quello del film è spiccicato alla versione originale. Esultiamo!

Purtroppo nel doppiaggio italiano, le canzoni non sono state doppiate, cosa che invece è stata fatta nelle versioni estere. Solo "The Mole's Reprise" è stata doppiata. Forse per la sua brevità o perché sembrava più un dialogo.

Le canzoni saranno tra parentesi, in grassetto, di diversi colori e vi sarà collegato un link che vi porterà ad ognuna di esse

Bando alla ciance, INIZIAMO!

Il film inizia con una canzone cantata inizialmente da Stan, che ci introduce in un apparentemente ordinaria domenica mattina nella cittadina di South Park. Stan raduna i suoi amici Kenny, Kyle (seguito dal suo fratellino Ike) e Cartman per andare a vedere il film canadese "Culi di fuoco", in cui sono protagonisti Trombino e Pompadour, il duo comico canadese tanto amato dai protagonisti (Mountain Town).

Non appena arrivati al cinema, il cassiere nega loro l'acquisto dei biglietti perché il film è vietato ai minori non accompagnati. I cinque non si arrendono e offrono 10$ ad un barbone per farsi accompagnare da lui in sala. Il film inizia e si rivela essere un film in puro stile comico Trombino e Pompadour, con una grande presenza di sorregge, di parolacce e oscenità (Uncle Fucker).

Presto la sala si svuota perché il pubblico trova che il film sia osceno ma i cinque bambini rimangono e continuano a vedere il film estasiati da ciò che vedono e sentono.

Una volta finito il film, i ragazzi escono dal cinema e iniziano a pronunciare le oscenità sentite nel film. Subito dopo si recano allo stagno dove i loro coetanei stanno pattinando e si vantano con loro di aver visto il film e delle parolacce che hanno imparato. Nel mentre Stan viene raggiunto da Wendy che stava pattinando e non appena lei gli si avvicina lui vomita (come faceva sempre durante le prime stagioni). Wendy viene raggiunta da Gregory, un nuovo ragazzo trasferitosi da Yardale e per cui Wendy sembra provare attrazione. I due tornano a pattinare lasciando Stan turbato (Wendy’s Song, Part 1).

Nel frattempo, gli altri ragazzi decidono di andare a vedere il film. Il mattino seguente a scuola, tutti fanno uso del linguaggio scurrile del film. I quattro protagonisti si mettono nei guai pronunciando volgarità davanti e contro il signor Garrison (ovviamente è Cartman ad insultarlo direttamente). I bambini vengono quindi mandati dal signor Mackey, che cerca di capire da dove provenga il loro linguaggio scurrile. Arrivano le madri dei protagonisti e Cartman, che non sa stare zitto, racconta che hanno sentito le volgarità nel film di Trombino e Pompadour. Le mamme sono sconvolte ma più di tutte lo è Sheila, la madre di Kyle. Il signor Mackey è intenzionato a scrivere una lettera a tutti i genitori per avvisarli sui pericoli del film ma Cartman afferma che ormai l'hanno visto tutti. Poco dopo in mensa (Wendy’s Song, Part 2) i ragazzi salutano Chef e gli raccontano di essere nei guai a causa del film e che non potranno più vederlo. Stan ne approfitta per chiedergli come si fa a piacere ad una ragazza più di chiunque altro. Chef distrattamente e senza pensarci su gli dice che deve semplicemente trovare il clitoride. Stan non capisce cosa intenda e Chef cambia discorso, capendo di aver detto una sciocchezza. Stan chiede agli altri se sanno dove trovare il clitoride ma neanche loro capiscono di che si tratti (Kenny che non sa una cosa sul sesso, WOW!). In quel momento il signor Mackey annuncia che il regolamento scolastico ora impedisce di indossare le magliette di Trombino e Pompadour e che chiunque le indossi verrà mandato a casa. Tutti gli studenti vanno via con gioia, tranne Wendy e Gregory, ai quali non è mai fregato nulla di vedere il film.

Al telegiornale si parla di come il film pare traviare la gioventù americana (la scena dalla gara di spelling è una delle mie preferite in assoluto). Sheila ha uno scontro televisivo con il ministro dello spettacolo canadese e la donna lo insulta ferocemente. In seguito, i ragazzi si recano dal signor Mackey per un corso di riabilitazione voluto dalle mamme per fare in modo che i figli smettano di usare un linguaggio volgare. Il corso sembra funzionare (It’s Easy, M’Kay) e il signor Mackey annuncia ai bambini che ormai sono guariti. Dice loro di sfruttare il pomeriggio per migliorarsi.

E cosa faranno mai i nostri ragazzetti preferiti? Vanno a vedere nuovamente il film! Fuori dal cinema Cartman afferma che non è possibile dare fuoco ad una scorreggia come fanno i due canadesi nel film ma Kenny afferma che secondo lui è possibile. I due quindi scommettono 100$. Kenny inizialmente ci riesce ma finisce per prendere fuoco. Vani sono i tentativi dei ragazzi per estinguere le fiamme.

Le fiamme vengono estinte da del sale che viene rovesciato su Kenny (che poi, poteva rotolarsi sulla neve, no?). Kenny viene urgentemente portato in ospedale dove viene operato da dei medici incapaci e con i suoi amici che assistono all’operazione, ma più preoccupati che le madri scoprano che hanno rivisto il film, che per il loro amico. Alla fine, i medici sostituiscono il cuore di Kenny con una patata lessa e il poveretto (povero in tutti i sensi) muore dopo tre secondi. Stan, Kyle e Cartman non sono poi turbatissimi della cosa. Cartman fa ovviamente il cazzone affermandosi felice di non dover dare i soldi della scommessa a Kenny. Le madri dei tre arrivano e mettono in punizione i figli per aver rivisto il film: Stan e Kyle si beccano due settimane di punizione e Cartman tre.

Nel mentre che i ragazzi lasciano l’ospedale, l’anima di Kenny nell’aldilà pare raggiungere il Paradiso, dove tante donne nude lo aspettano (e ce lo fanno credere tantissimo che stia andando in Paradiso) ma l’ingresso gli viene negato (Could It Be You Are Free At Last. NO!) e finisce all’Inferno (Hell Isn’t Good).

Fine prima parte

Continuerò in un altro post perché Tumblr non consente più di 10 immagini a post.

[bookofjin]

Biography of Nian Xian (ZS14)

[A general during the final years of Northern Wei. He (presumable) followed Xiaowu west and then served Western Wei.]

Nian Xian, courtesy name Gailu, had pleasing a appearance and quality, and quit well read in the books and histories. At the time he was a school boy, he was within the school reading books when there was a good appraiser of character who passed by the school, and the various students vied to get to him. Xian alone did not go. He laughed and spoke to the various students, saying:

A boy, dead or alive, his riches and honours depends are with Heaven, why hurry for an appraisal!

As young he came upon grieving for his father, and during the mourning period he gained acclaim for filial piety. Later, for his merit in routing Wei Kegu, he was appointed a detached commander. Soon after he was summoned to comfort the Gaoche, Xianbei, etc. of Yun province, all of them surrendered and submitted to him. He was appointed Acting with the Tally and General who Pacifies the East, and ennobled Earl of Zhunliu county, with an estate of 500 households.

Beginning of Jianyi [528 AD], he became Great Chief Controller, garrisoning Jingxing, and concurrently General who Consoles the Army and Commandery Warden of Liyang. When Erzhu Rong entered Luo, he was designated General of Chariots and Cavalry, Brilliantly Blessed Grandee of the Right, and Grand Coachman dignitary, combined Archer-Servant of the Right of the Masters of Writing and Acting Tribunal of the Eastern Circuit, and advanced in feudal rank to Duke of Ping'en county, increasing his estate with 500 households.

Beginning of Putai [531 AD], he was appointed Envoy Holding the Tally, the Various Army Affairs of Ying瀛 province, General of Agile Cavalry, and Inspector of Ying瀛 province. Middle of Yongxi [532 – 534], he was designated First Grade Chieftain who Leads the People, concurrently Cavalier Regular Attendant, Acting on the Affairs of Nanyan province. Soon after he advanced in title to Great General of Agile Cavalry, and entered to become Master of Writing Within the Halls, with promotion to Ceremony Similar to the Three Ministers.

When Xiaowu of Wei desired to chastise Shenwu of Qi, he used Xian as Great Chief Controller of the Central Army's Northern Front, advanced his feudal rank to Duke of Anding commandery, increased his estate with 1 000 households, with promotion to Attendant-at-Centre, Opening Office with Ceremony Similar to the Three Ministers.

Beginning of Datong [c. 535 - 536 AD], he was designated Grand Commandant, and set out to be Inspector of Qin province, promoted to Grand Tutor, and provided with a rear section of drums and pipes.

3rd Year [537 AD], he moved to Grand Preceptor, Chief Controller for the Various Army Affairs of He, Liang, Gua, Shan鄯, Wei, Tao, and Sha, Seven Provinces, Great General, and Inspector of He province. Some time after he returned to court, and combined with Recording the Affairs of the Masters of Writing. During the campaign of Heqiao, Xian did not put his strength into the battle, and therefore was the first to turn back. From that point his fame and reputation rather diminished.

5th Year [539 AD], he was appointed Chief Controller for the Various Army Affairs of Qin, Wei, Yuan, and Jing涇, Four Provinces, and Inspector of Qin province. He passed away in the province. His posthumous title was Bright and Deciding [zhaoding].

Xian among the various Excellencies was the elder of all of them. From Taizu and downwards, everyone bowed to and was respectful of him. His son Hua was by nature harmonious and generous, and had the manners of those senior. His office reached Opening Office with Ceremony Similar to the Three Ministers and Inspector of He合 province.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.8

453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin. 413 – Emperor Honorius signs an edict providing tax relief for the Italian provinces Tuscia, Campania, Picenum, Samnium, Apulia, Lucania and Calabria, which were plundered by the Visigoths. 589 – Reccared I opens the Third Council of Toledo, marking the entry of Visigothic Spain into the Catholic Church. 1360 – Treaty of Brétigny drafted between King Edward III of England and King John II of France (the Good). 1373 – Julian of Norwich, a Christian mystic and anchoress, experiences the deathbed visions described in her Revelations of Divine Love. 1429 – Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years' War. 1450 – Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI. 1516 – A group of imperial guards, led by Trịnh Duy Sản, murdered Emperor Lê Tương Dực and fled, leaving the capital Thăng Long undefended. 1541 – Hernando de Soto stops near present-day Walls, Mississippi, and sees the Mississippi River (then known by the Spanish as Río de Espíritu Santo, the name given to it by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519). 1608 – A newly nationalized silver mine in Scotland at Hilderston, West Lothian is re-opened by Bevis Bulmer. 1639 – William Coddington founds Newport, Rhode Island. 1758 – The Maratha Empire captures Peshawar from the Durrani Empire in the Battle of Peshawar. The Maratha Empire was extended to its farthest distance away from Pune that it ever reached, over 2,000 km (1,200 mi), almost to the borders of Afghanistan. 1788 – King Louis XVI of France attempts to impose the reforms of Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne by abolishing the parlements. 1794 – Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who was also a tax collector with the Ferme générale, is tried, convicted and guillotined in one day in Paris. 1821 – Greek War of Independence: The Greeks defeat the Turks at the Battle of Gravia Inn. 1842 – A train derails and catches fire in Paris, killing between 52 and 200 people. 1846 – Mexican–American War: American forces led by Zachary Taylor defeat a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war. 1877 – At Gilmore's Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens. 1886 – Pharmacist John Pemberton first sells a carbonated beverage named "Coca-Cola" as a patent medicine. 1898 – The first games of the Italian football league system are played. 1899 – The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin produced its first play. 1902 – In Martinique, Mount Pelée erupts, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survive the blast. 1912 – Paramount Pictures is founded. 1919 – Edward George Honey proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate the Armistice of 11 November 1918 which ended World War I. 1921 – The creation of the Communist Party of Romania. 1924 – The Klaipėda Convention is signed formally incorporating Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) into Lithuania. 1927 – Attempting to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York, French war heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli disappear after taking off aboard The White Bird biplane. 1933 – Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement. 1941 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby. 1942 – World War II: The German 11th Army begins Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt) and destroys the bridgehead of the three Soviet armies defending the Kerch Peninsula. 1942 – World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington. 1942 – World War II: Gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos Islands rebel in the Cocos Islands Mutiny. Their mutiny is crushed and three of them are executed, the only British Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War. 1945 – World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Berlin-Karlshorst comes into effect. 1945 – End of the Prague uprising, celebrated now as a national holiday in the Czech Republic. 1945 – Hundreds of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Sétif massacre. 1945 – The Halifax riot starts when thousands of civilians and servicemen rampage through Halifax, Nova Scotia. 1946 – Estonian schoolgirls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial which preceded the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn. 1950 – The Tollund Man was discovered in a peat bog near Silkeborg, Denmark. 1957 – South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem began a state visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor. 1963 – South Vietnamese soldiers under the Roman Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem open fire on Buddhists defying a ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Vesak, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis. 1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental. 1970 – The Beatles release their 12th and final studio album Let It Be. 1972 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place naval mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation. 1973 – A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota ends with the surrender of the militants. 1976 – The rollercoaster The New Revolution, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain. 1978 – The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler. 1980 – The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox. 1984 – Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. René Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour. 1984 – The USSR announces a boycott upon the Summer Olympics at Los Angeles, later joined by 14 other countries. 1984 – The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances. 1987 – The SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall, Northern Ireland. 1988 – A fire at Illinois Bell's Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the "worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history". 1997 – China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 crashes on approach into Bao'an International Airport, killing 35 people. 2019 – British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection. 2021 – A car bomb explodes in front of a school in Kabul, capital city of Afghanistan killing at least 55 people and wounding over 150.

[scotianostra]

September 10th 1547 saw the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh.

Fought along the Firth of Forth near Musselburgh, southeast of Edinburgh, this battle is also sometimes called the Battle of Falside.

It marked the beginning of a new phase in the Rough Wooing, the sustained English attempt to compel the Scots to accept a marriage between their queen and the English king. The overwhelming English victory destroyed the main Scots field force, allowed the English to establish garrisons across southern Scotland, and brought the French into the war on the Scottish side.

When the Scottish Parliament refused to ratify the Treaty of Greenwich in December 1543, Henry VIII launched successive invasions of Scotland to force acceptance of the main provision of the treaty, the marriage of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, to Prince Edward, the future Edward VI. At Henry’s death in January 1547, the Scots remained defiant. Because of the king’s youth, control of the English government passed to Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, who, as the king’s eldest uncle, assumed office as lord protector. In Scotland, the government of the even more youthful queen was headed by James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, who worked in uneasy partnership with a pro-French party led by the queen mother, Marie de Guise.

In late August 1547, while massing a force of more than 16,000 on the border at Berwick, Somerset issued a proclamation to the people of Scotland reminding them of the 1543 agreement and of the history and geography they shared with the English. His army, he claimed, was coming not to threaten Scotland, but “to defend and maintain the honour of both the princes and realms” sounds like a previous King eh?!

Crossing the frontier on 31 August, the English marched along the coast toward Edinburgh, supported on their flank by a fleet under Edward Fiennes de Clinton, Lord Clinton. Moving swiftly, the English seized castles along their line of march and dispersed harassing bands of Scots. On 9 September, Somerset encountered the main Scottish force, 20,000 in number, holding a strong position along the river Esk.

Next morning, Somerset ordered his right wing to assault the Scottish line, thereby shifting the entire army toward the Forth and the protection of Clinton’s guns. Arran, in command of the Scottish force, misinterpreted the movement; he believed Somerset was trying to avoid an engagement by taking his men to the coast for embarkation on the fleet. Arran accordingly ordered the Scots to leave their well-prepared defences and attack.

Seeing the Scottish movement, Somerset halted his army and formed line of battle. The Scots, far inferior to the English in cavalry, had no cover for the flanks of their pikemen, the same bristling formations of spearmen that James IV had used so ineffectively at Flodden Field. Slowed by cavalry charges and broken by artillery, the Scottish formations disintegrated, and the battle degenerated into a slaughter as the English infantry pursued the fleeing Scots to the gates of Edinburgh.

While English losses numbered 500 to 600, the Scots, figures vary from 6 to 15 thousand, over 2,000 were captured.

Organised Scottish resistance ceased, and Somerset spent the following months securing southern Scotland by seizing strong points and establishing a web of English garrisons centred on the fortress at Haddington.

Thanks to French inducements- Arran, who was given the title Duke of Chatelherault-and the efforts of the queen mother, the Scots turned in this emergency to their ancient ally, France.

Concluded in July 1548, the Treaty of Haddington promised the Scots French military assistance in return for the marriage of their queen to the eldest son of Henri II. In late July, Mary was spirited into France, there to be raised at Henri’s court. Although a victory for English arms, Pinkie was a defeat for English policy, opening a decade of French dominance in Scotland and ensuring that the Scottish queen would become Catholic in religion and French in sympathy.

Pinkie Cleugh was the last pitched battle between Scotland and England. The Memorial to the battle is at Salters Road near Wallyford.

Members of the Old Musselburgh Club with the Pinkie Cleugh Battlefield Group will,as we I post this,, led by a piper, walk along the battlefield trail, starting from the Roman Bridge in Musselburgh. and meeting at the memorial stone in time for the commemoration at 1pm, where the laying of floral tribute and speeches are made.

Ian Wood, club treasurer, will read 10 of the names out of the 10,000 who lost their lives in the conflict, which will be followed by an act of remembrance.

Pics include a wood cut depiction of the battle from not long after it happened, “The Raising of The Fire Cross for the Assembly of the Highland Clans before the Battle, a depiction of the battle and two of the memorials to the battle, the second is a relatively new one showing two soldiers in combat.