Tag: StormborneLore

Essential Food Aid Services for UK Residents

Individuals exploring a well-stocked food pantry, highlighting the importance of food access and support services.

Compiled by StormborneLore because I’ve known hunger, and I know the shame that shouldn’t be there.

🌾 Introduction

Food is a human right not a luxury. Yet across the UK, thousands face hunger daily, often quietly. I’ve lived in homeless hostels. I’ve relied on food banks. I’ve stretched oats and salt into meals and felt the sting of choosing between heating or eating.

This guide is for anyone facing food insecurity in the UK. You deserve help not judgment.

Below is a growing list of national and local services that offer free or low-cost food, groceries, and support. Please share, save, and if you know a resource not listed here, message me. I’ll add it.

🍽️ National & Local Food Help – UK

🔹 The Trussell Trust
Provides emergency food parcels through a referral system.
📍 Find your local food bank
🌐 https://www.trusselltrust.org

🔹 IFAN – Independent Food Aid Network
Connects users to independent (non-Trussell) food banks across the UK.
🌐 https://www.foodaidnetwork.org.uk/

🔹 St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP)
Offers food, clothing, community outreach, and support services.
🌐 https://www.svp.org.uk/

📱 Tech That Helps

🔹 Olio App
Connects people to surplus food shared by neighbours, businesses, and stores.
🌐 https://olioex.com/

🔹 Too Good To Go
Rescue unsold meals from shops and cafés at discounted prices.
🌐 https://toogoodtogo.co.uk/

🏛️ Local Authority Help

🔹 Welfare Support Schemes
Most UK councils offer emergency support including food vouchers or short-term grants.
🔍 Search “Your Local Council + Emergency Food Support”
💡 You can also contact Citizens Advice for local resources.

An artistic representation of a brain symbolizing mental health and support, reflecting themes of compassion and understanding.

💬 Mental Health Support if You’re Struggling

🧠 Mind UK
Support for anxiety, depression, grief, and mental health struggles.
🌐 https://www.mind.org.uk/

☎️ Samaritans
Free, confidential 24/7 support line.
📞 Call 116 123
🌐 https://www.samaritans.org/

✨ Your Voice Matters

💬 Know a good charity, food co-op, or support service?
Please comment or email I’ll update the list regularly.

📢 Have you experienced food poverty?
If you feel safe sharing your story, it could help someone feel less alone.

A heartfelt handshake symbolizing support and unity in the face of food insecurity.

🧭 Final Thoughts

You are not alone.
These services exist to help you eat, live, and survive with dignity.
It’s okay to need help. Asking is strength, not weakness.

This list will grow. So will we.

July 13, 2025
I Stand for Human Rights

From Palestine to Ukraine and Beyond

Symbolizing justice and peace, two doves perch on a scale, representing the call for human rights.

Peace. Dignity. Equality. On a healthy planet.

These are not political demands. They are the foundational promises made to all of us through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations on 10 December 1948. These rights were written not in comfort, but in the shadow of war, genocide, and oppression.

They are rights meant to protect every person, everywhere.

And yet, in 2025, we still witness starvation, exile, bombardment, injustice, censorship, and fear.

I stand with the people of Palestine children trapped in rubble, civilians without food, and voices drowned out by politics.

I stand with the people of Ukraine, caught in a brutal war where cities are shelled and homes destroyed.

I stand with those fleeing anywhere Syria, Sudan, Yemen, the Rohingya for the right to be safe, housed, fed, and free.

I stand with people who are simply trying to survive.

What Are Human Rights?
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights begins with a simple truth:

*”All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

This document was built to protect that truth. It includes rights such as:

The right to life, liberty, and security
Freedom from torture, slavery, and arbitrary arrest
The right to asylum and nationality
Freedom of opinion, religion, and peaceful protest
Access to food, housing, education, healthcare, and work
These are not luxuries. They are the agreed foundations of justice and peace.

You don’t need to be perfect to deserve them. You don’t need to be powerful. You just need to be human.

A Personal Voice, Not a Political One
I do not claim to have all the answers. But I know suffering when I see it.

I know that international law matters, and that it is being ignored.

I know that families are burying children they couldn’t save.

I know that food, water, and medicine are being denied.

And I know that staying silent feels like betrayal.

This platform, StormborneLore, blends myth and memory. But sometimes, reality bleeds through.

So let this be real.

Let it be clear:

I stand with Palestine
I stand with Ukraine
I stand with all people whose basic human rights are under attack
No one should live in fear for existing.

No one should starve in silence.

No one should be forgotten.

Final Words
Human rights are not a theory. They are a heartbeat.

Please read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Share it. Discuss it. Hold power accountable.

And if you’re struggling or afraid, know this:

YOU MATTER!

And there are still people who believe in your right to live, love, speak, and thrive.

Further Reading

UN DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

July 13, 2025
Living with Psychotic Depression: Personal Stories and Insights
Abstract artwork depicting swirling colors and intricate patterns, representing the complexity of mental health.

Understanding Psychotic Depression

There are many types of mental illness some considered minor others major. But personally seen the devastating effects of mental illness.

For years I was told I had BPD with associated psychosis, agoraphobia, anxiety. But then the psychiatrist diagnosed me with a condition called Psychotic Depression.

Psychotic depression is not a term many people hear until it touches their life. For some, it’s a diagnosis; for others, a hidden truth they never had words for.

It is a severe form of major depressive disorder (MDD). That includes psychosis a break from reality through hallucinations or delusions.

What Is Psychotic Depression?

Psychotic depression blends the hopelessness of clinical depression with the unreality of psychosis. The result is a state where:
- Delusions (false beliefs) often focus on guilt, punishment, illness, or worthlessness.
- Hallucinations (often auditory or visual) align with negative internal narratives.
- The person lose touch with reality, unable to distinguish fact from fear.
It can be terrifying, isolating, and life-threatening.

Core Symptoms:
- Deep, prolonged sadness
- Loss of interest in life
- Fatigue or inability to move
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Psychotic symptoms:
- Hearing voices
- Believing you’ve committed unforgivable sins
- Feeling watched or judged by unseen forces
These aren’t “dramatic” feelings they are real experiences for those living through psychotic depression.

What Causes It?

Psychotic depression is often triggered by a combination of:
- Genetics (family history of mood or psychotic disorders)
- Trauma or extreme stress
- Chronic illness or disability
- Imbalance in brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, cortisol
It’s not your fault. And it’s more common than most think.

Treatment Options

Psychotic depression is serious but it is treatable.
- Medication: Usually a combination of antidepressants and antipsychotics
- Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): Effective in severe or treatment-resistant cases
- Therapy: Often after stabilization, to handle trauma and build tools for recovery
- Support systems: Family, friends, and community matter
If you or someone you love is experiencing this, seek professional help right away.

A Personal Note:

“I believed I’d infected the world just by being alive. A voice in my mind confirmed it, over and over. I couldn’t tell what was real only that I was dangerous. I wanted to disappear.”

You are not alone. You are not broken beyond repair.

StormborneLore is a space where fire still burns even in the dark.

If you are in the UK:
- Call Samaritans on 116 123 (24/7)
- Text SHOUT to 8528 (crisis text line)
If you are in the USA:
- Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
July 13, 2025
USA Food Assistance Options for Those in Need
In the world of StormborneLore, no soul goes hungry not under the watch of the wolves, the dragons, or the High Warlord of Caernath. In the real world, hunger still haunts far too many. This post is for my readers in the USA those who need food help right now. You are seen. You are worthy. And you are not alone.

🥝 1. National Aid Programs
- SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)Apply for grocery support if your household is low income. SNAP helps millions of Americans.🔗 https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap
- WIC (Women, Infants, and Children Program)Support for pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five. Provides healthy foods, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support.🔗 https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic
🏡 2. Food Banks and Pantries
- Feeding AmericaThe largest hunger-relief organization in the U.S. Use their locator to find food banks near you.🔗 https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank
- AmpleHarvest.orgConnects people in need with local growers donating fresh produce.🔗 https://ampleharvest.org
🧵 3. Mutual Aid & Community Fridges
- Mutual Aid GroupsLocal groups offer food, clothes, and essentials. Find one near you:🔗 https://www.mutualaidhub.org/
- Community Fridges (Freedges)Public fridges in cities across the US. Free to take or leave food.🔗 https://freedge.org/
🌟 4. Support for Veterans, Elders & Disabled
- DAV (Disabled American Veterans)Helps with food, transport, and healthcare access.🔗 https://www.dav.org
- NCOA (National Council on Aging)Check eligibility for benefits, including food and utility assistance.🔗 https://www.ncoa.org
✨ Final Words

In StormborneLore, the fire never dies at Emberhelm’s gate. If you’re struggling, remember this:

You are not forgotten.

Please share this guide. Someone you know may need it more than you realise.
July 12, 2025
Training Day at Ignis

A tale from the halls of Emberhelm

The morning mist clung to the valley like a second skin. Emberhelm’s courtyard steamed with breath and sweat, the scent of stone, ash, and boiled roots heavy in the air. Around the inner circle, newly chosen warriors waited nervous, eager, some barely out of boyhood. Others bore scars older than Taranis himself.

At the centre stood the High Warlord of Caernath. His cloak cast aside, sleeves rolled, storm-grey eyes fixed on the line before him.

“No blades today,” he said. “Not until your hands know what weight feels like.”

He tossed a staff to the first in line. Then another. And another. Each warrior caught their weapon or fumbled it those who dropped theirs were told, simply, “Again.” And made to run.

On the other side of the training ground, beneath the shadow of the stone wolf banner, Boldolph paced in silence.

His pack half-men, half-beasts, with eyes like old moons watched him without blinking. He spoke low, but his voice carried like thunder over ice.

“You are not pets. Not soldiers. You are guardians.”
A pause.
“You see a child in harm’s way, you do not wait for orders. You act. That is the law of the wolf.”

One of the younger wolves whimpered. Boldolph turned sharply.
“Fear is not failure. Freezing is. Move even if it hurts.”

Across the field, Taranis raised his voice again.

“This is Ignis. This is fire. You’re not here to impress me. You’re here to withstand the storm, and stand through it.”

He glanced at Boldolph.

“Or do you want to spar with his lot instead?”

A low growl rippled from the wolf-warriors.

The chosen laughed nervously until Boldolph nodded. One of his warriors, a massive figure with a half-healed burn across his chest. stepped ahead, gripping a staff as thick as a child’s leg.

Taranis smiled. “Right then. Let’s see who learned to dance.”

The wolf-warrior advanced, silent but for the low crunch of earth beneath padded feet. His height matched any war-chief. His eyes amber, slit like a blade of dusk fixed on the line of young recruits now stepping back.

Taranis caught Boldolph’s eye.

The old wolf-man crossed his arms, his growl half amusement, half challenge.

“Too much for them?” Taranis asked.

“They need to know pain has teeth. And that not all enemies snarl first.”

The recruits shifted nervously. One tried to step ahead, but Taranis raised a hand.

“No,” he said. “Not yet.”

Then, slowly, he removed the silver cuff from his wrist. The one shaped like twisted flame and dropped it into the dust.

The courtyard hushed.

Boldolph straightened, his expression unreadable.

“You mean to fight me?” he said, stepping ahead, voice low.

Taranis rolled his shoulder and took a training staff from the rack.
“Not to wound,” he replied. “To remind.”

Boldolph took his own heavier, gnarled like a branch torn from an ancient tree.

They circled.

The recruits, wolf-men, and even dragons above watched in stillness.

Then Boldolph struck fast, low, aiming to knock out Taranis’s legs. But the warlord leapt, twisting mid-air, landing in a crouch with a grin. He swept his staff up, tapping Boldolph’s ribs before stepping back.

“Sloppy,” he said. “You’re slower in your old age.”

Boldolph snarled, but it wasn’t anger. It was the old dance.
The rhythm of claw and command.

He lunged again this time a full force blow. Their staffs cracked like thunder as they met. Sparks flew from the impact. Recruits flinched. One dragon above rumbled softly, folding its wings to watch closer.

They moved like storm and shadow:

Taranis fluid, forged in battlefields and flame.

Boldolph grounded, brutal, unshakable like the old hills.

Neither aimed to kill.
But neither held back.

A final clash and both stopped, locked staff to staff, breathing heavy, eyes locked.

“You’ve grown,” Boldolph said, finally. “Not just in size.”

“And you’ve not changed,” Taranis replied, sweat on his brow. “Still the rock I lean on.”

He broke the hold, stepped back, and offered a hand.

Boldolph took it without hesitation. The courtyard erupted in cheers both from humans and wolves alike.

Taranis turned to the watching recruits.
“This,” he said, gesturing between them, “is how you lead. Not with fear. But with fire, with honour, and with those who would bite your enemies long before they betray your trust.”

Boldolph gave a rare smile.

“And don’t forget,” he growled to the recruits, “the wolves are watching.”

Further Reading

The Prophecies and Tales of Taranis Unfolded

July 12, 2025
Did Bronze Age People Know About Ley Lines?

Spoiler: Not by name but they felt the land’s power.

They didn’t call them ley lines.
They didn’t mark them with ink.
But the builders of cairns and stone paths walked in tune with something deep a rhythm etched in earth and sky.

Across prehistoric Britain, ancient people aligned their lives and deaths with natural forces that modern names can only echo.

🧭 What Are Ley Lines?
Today, ley lines are understood as invisible paths said to connect places of ancient or spiritual importance a kind of unseen network crossing the landscape.

The idea gained attention in the 1920s when Alfred Watkins, a British thinker and historian, observed that many old sites from standing stones and burial mounds to chapels and crossroads seemed to fall into long, straight lines on the map.

Though his view was practical at first, later generations embraced the mystical side. The idea of earth energy flowing beneath our feet became a key part of modern folklore, spiritual healing, and even fiction.

🔥 Did Bronze Age People Believe in Them?
They had no word for “ley lines.”
But they knew how to read the land.

Stone Circles & Sunlines
Sites like Stonehenge were built with exact alignments to solstices, star paths, and natural landmarks. These weren’t accidents they were maps carved in stone.

Sacred Roads
Ceremonial trackways like the raised Avenue near Stonehenge weren’t for trade. They were used in rituals, processions, or seasonal gatherings.

High Cairns & Burial Sites
Ancient barrows were often placed on ridges visible for miles, suggesting a belief in sightlines and spiritual pathways.

Mystic Memory
Many later myths from Celtic and Welsh traditions speak of dragon roads, fairy paths, and spirit lines echoes of older beliefs in a world shaped by invisible forces.

🌌 In StormborneLore…

House Ignis draws from the fire-veins beneath the Malvern Hills

House Umbra guards the shadows where old stones hum

House Tempestas rides the storm-lines through the Marches

House Terra roots into the deep stones of the north

House Lumen awakens where sun and soul meet

And in the centre Emberhelm, where all lines converge, and prophecy stirs the stones.

🐉 So… Did They Know?
Not in words.
But in ritual, in rhythm, and in the way their bones followed the wind, the ancient people of Britain lived by the lines long before we gave them a name.

And perhaps, deep under our modern roads and ruins…
the lines are still there, waiting.

A colorful illustration encouraging readers to engage with StormborneLore’s content, featuring a sunny sky and grassy background.

July 11, 2025
Emberhelm: A Night of Brotherhood and Secrets

By the fire at Emberhelm, the night before the ley lines awakened

We drank not for glory,
but for breath.
For blood that still ran,
and brothers not yet turned to ash.

No crown weighed our heads that night.
No blade hung between us.
Only silence,
and the crackle of wood older than war.

Lore sat still
eyes on the shadow that never left his side.
Drax, hands calloused,
held the storm like a sleeping child.
Draven, scar-bound, leaned on root and stone.
Rayne, half-light, watched the stars as if to ask
if they would wait for him to rise.

And I,
I ….
who had been all things and nothing
looked at them not as soldiers,
but as home.

We did not speak of battles.
We did not weep for lost years.
We passed the bread.
We tore the fish.
We shared warmth not made of fire.

And before the parting,
we carved no words.
For there are some truths
that can’t be spoken
without breaking.

Thank you for reading

Futher Reading

The Prophecies and Tales of Taranis Unfolded

The Chronicles of Drax

Chronicles of Draven

Join the Adventure in Tales of Rayne’s Universe

Ancient Magic and Myth of the Stormborne

July 11, 2025
The Houses of Caernath Part 7

The Fifth Flame

The stone circle of Emberhelm stood silent under the pale light of morning., five cairnstones glowing faintly in their ancient places. The air shimmered with a stillness that only came before something eternal was spoken.

Taranis Stormborne, cloaked in black and silver. stepped ahead to the first cairn the one carved with roots and mountains, circled in white ochre. He turned to face the gathered warriors, wolves, and wanderers.

“Before the dragons flew,” he said, “before the wolves howled, there were five lines of fire. We knew only three. But today, we remember them all.”

He turned to Draven, who stepped ahead slowly, still favouring his side.

“Brother you bled for us. You survived what none should have. You guarded the line even when no one knew it was there.”

Taranis drew a shard of stone from the cairn itself. Then handed it to Draven, and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

“By the weight of the earth and the strength of the mountain, I name you Lord of Terra.”

A cheer rose from the crowd, led by the wolves, then echoed by the dragons above. Draven bowed not to Taranis, but to the people.

Taranis turned then, slowly, toward the fifth cairn the one none had touched in generations. It bore a sunmark, and a spiral, and a cut across its base. where an old flame once split the stone.

Beside it stood Rayne, straight-backed now, though his eyes still bore the shadow of the collar. And beside him stood Tirena, a woman of stone and flame, silent and radiant. With one hand resting lightly on the hilt of her sun-marked blade.

Taranis paused before speaking not as a warlord, but as a brother.

“Rayne. We lost you once. You were chained, beaten, turned into a whisper. But you came back. And with you came fire not born of wrath, but of forgiveness.”

“Yet even flame must have form. And no one guards the flame better than the one who sees in silence.”

He turned to Tirena.

“Knight of Lumen, daughter of the dawn do you stand beside him of your own will?”

Tirena gave a single nod, her voice soft and fierce.

“I do. Not for crown. For cause.”

Taranis placed his hand on Rayne’s shoulder, and raised his other toward the sun.

“Then by the fire that remembers and the light that does not burn. I name you Rayne of Lumen, Lord of the Fifth House.”

The crowd was still for a heartbeat.

Then a pulse rolled through the cairns. A faint hum, like the deep breath of the land itself, stirred the hair of every person there.

The ley lines had awakened.

Five fires, once lost, now stood again.

Taranis looked out across the gathered faces his brothers. His people, the wolves, the dragons, the flame keepers and shadow walkers who had followed him through storm and silence.

His voice dropped low, just above a whisper, but the wind carried it to every ear.

“I know I wasn’t there for you. I’ll always regret that. Father exiled me… and maybe I would’ve run anyway. But that exile taught me many things.”

He looked to each brother in turn Lore, cloaked in dusk and silence. Drax, ever the storm, hands calloused from war. Draven, grounded like stone. And Rayne, flame rekindled beside the steel gaze of Tirena.

Taranis smiled, but it was not the smile of a warlord. It was that of a boy who had once been cast out. Now stood at the heart of everything he loved.

Just then, Draven stepped ahead again, his voice steady.

“Brother… you were exiled at eight,” he said. “We not protect you then. But we can stand with you now.”

Taranis’s gaze faltered for the briefest moment not from shame, but from the sudden weight of grace.

“And I will never walk alone again,” he answered, his voice thick with feeling.

Around them, the wind stirred the banners of each House. The cairns pulsed faintly, glowing at their roots. Overhead, the wings of dragons cast long shadows across the circle. And for the first time in generations, all five ley lines were whole.

Thank you for reading

© StormborneLore. Written by Emma for StormborneLore. Not for reproduction. All rights reserved.

💬 If this spoke to you, please like, share, and subscribe to support our mythic journey.

Further Reading

The Prophecies and Tales of Taranis Unfolded

The Chronicles of Drax

Join the Adventure in Tales of Rayne’s Universe

Ancient Magic and Myth of the Stormborne

July 11, 2025
Good Afternoon, God eftermiddag, Prynhawn Da, Buenas tardes, Guten Tag, Добрый день (Author note)

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read yesterday’s Authors Note.

just a warning : This is NOT EDITED in anyway so there will be spelling mistakes and grammar issues., structure issues.

Why am I doing this?

The reason I’m saying hello in English. German, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Welsh (I do apologise if I’ve spelt or wrote anything wrong)

The reason for it is those are the top countries in my stats for viewing my site.

THANK YOU

Thank you and USA youre number one. Thank you, and last night’s authors note had more likes than any other piece.

AI and Me

Well I’ve tried AI and still think even with all the errors. My writings probably better, than ai even though I use it to Polish my work it feels wrong.

Less human! Less capable of putting in what it takes to make the reader feel. SO after talking to my child who is a one of the biggest book nerds I’ve know. Someone who states don’t use AI they steal from other writers.

They are right but my stories are mine and double checked even triple checked not just through grammarly. But I also paste anything that I’m suspicious of direct into search engines manually check. If something worth doing it’s worth doing right !

The Plan Today

What’s on the plan today is easy 4 pieces.

This authors note

1 story – Three houses of Caernath part 7

1 poem – based on the eternal lords

1 article

1 recipe. Inspired by the bronze age

Where is my world based?

Someone asked me where are my stories / world based?

Worcestershire.

The House of Flame – Ignis.

Infact Emberhelm is based on the Malvern Hills and surrounding areas. Where I walked every weekend as a child and teen. An area stepped in history and folklore from Roman Britain to today.

Shropshire, Welsh marches and Staffordshire

The houses of Lore and Drax

Tempestas (house of storm) and Umbria (the house of shadow)

While Drax guards the marches with his armies of tempestas. Lore works his charms throughout his lands of Umbra. Taranis sits in the main house of Ignis. Soon to be joined by two others.

Again I spent hours walking not just around my village. But Cannock chase and Tettenhall woods, Walsall woods, cannock woods. I listened to historians, folklorists, read books on mythology, folklore, hauntings of the areas.

Other areas

I’ve walked Glastonbury Tor. (The hard way even ended up crawling at the top. But worth it and I proved to myself I can achieve the impossible. )

I’ve walked the long mynd (shropshire)where a village is said to have disappeared. The walks beautiful but not for those with mobility issues.

I’ve visited Wales (let’s face the truth at one point most of England was welsh). so when I include Welsh it more of a nod to ancestral heritage. My favourite place in Wales is Pembrokeshire.

Everywhere I go I’m learning not just the history but any folklore people are willing to share.

Growing up in Staffordshire gave me an opening to learn the Lore. Of not just my village but cannock chase and many other areas.

I was told “never put rough articles on your blog”. but when you don’t have funds for an editor for your articles where do you go?

Many indie writers told me once Grammarly but that’s ai isnt it? If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

I’m learning and slowly starting to use my own raw writing on this site.

Have a good day, and to those in war torn areas or going through tough times. blessing and positive thoughts go out to you.

Please try to stay safe.

© StormborneLore. Written by Emma for StormborneLore. Not for reproduction. All rights reserved.

If this spoke to you, please like, share, and subscribe to support our mythic journey.

I wrote this directly into wordpress so absolutely no editing.

July 11, 2025
100 Tales from the Halls of Emberhelm 🐉

100 posts. 19 days. 6 tales a day.

From the first howl on the wind to the firelit feasts of Caernath, StormborneLore now stands tall a living archive of myth, memory, and meaning.

In these past 19 days, you’ve journeyed through:

✨ Poems of Spirit and reflections from wolves, dragons, outcasts, and gods
🔥 Tales of Hardship and Hope, stories born in darkness, rising toward the light
🍖 Feasts of the Ancients, recipes inspired by the meals of warriors, crones, and storm-born kings.
⚖️ Truths of Our Time articles echoing modern struggles: disability, injustice, survival, and healing

Each post is more than just a page — it’s a voice from the halls of Emberhelm.

“When all the world forgets us, we will still sing around the fire.” Taranis Stormborne

To every reader who’s wandered these halls, thank you. To every warrior, wolf, and flamekeeper yet to come welcome home.

StormborneLore
Fiction forged in myth. Truth written in fire.

July 10, 2025