History will never know exactly why Princess Cordelia left Tartosa
Some hidden dialogues in-game …
Why is Tartosa famous for its pastries? Well, its where the tart was invented! Lady Matilda Tartosa loved fruit, you see, and one of her suitors created the dessert to impress her- going so far as to name it after her. Demand for the confectionary went up when the pirates started arriving to trade their stolen llamas. At that point, there was what is now known as ‘The Great Tart Crisis.” Due to a lack of supply, other pastries had to be made to satisfy the needs of supply and demand. Lucky for me, I can also grab a macaron anytime I like, too.
- Did you know that if you visit the beach at night you might see the ocean glow? Some say that’s what attracted Princess Cordelia to Tartosa back in the day.
- History will never know exactly why Princess Cordelia left Tartosa. We know she was one of the first Sims to explore the arctic waters in her submersible, the Eppsilon, and that was after she had already left. But why? Perhaps she, like the locals, was afraid it was only a matter of time before the dreaded sloths swam to our shores. Or perhaps she was an adventurer at heart, unable to settle in one spot for long. Maybe it was the death of her beloved Rodrigo that pushed her away? We’ll never know for sure, but I certainly love thinking about it.
- I asked about the Lover’s Tree when I arrived here. Most believe that long ago, a local shipwright carved the likeness of Princess Cordelia and Rodrigo De Pablo into the figurehead of a ship. When the ship sank, those who remembered their love carried it to the top of the hill by Hideaway Falls as a reminder. A year passed, and it magically began to sprout leaves and branches: a sign that their love lived on even though Rodrigo had passed. But I think, as romantic as that is, sometimes a tree is just a tree. Dominique is utterly fascinated by it all the same, though.
- I bet you’ve heard all about the Thebe Estate and pirate gold and all that. One thing I wanted to mention, though, is that Arnessa Thebe may seem like a really difficult-to-approach woman, she’s actually a real doll once you talk to her. She just doesn’t like being made to feel like she’s being mined for details about her unique family.
La Coppia Serena
- Lady Matilda Tartosa is perhaps the area’s most famous noble. We don’t have lords or ladies here anymore, of course. She was the youngest of three children and the last to inherit her title. Her eldest sister, Gianna, loved maps and left to chart the world, never returning. Her brother, Luca, was next in line and something of an astronomer. He would spend his nights looking up into the sky through a telescope he invented himself. It’s said one night he simply disappeared. Nobody knows what happened to him. They both left Matilda here on her own, and she proved to be a very fruitful steward of the area. Most notably she increased trade and gave the area its first real staple: desserts.
- Lady Matilda Tartosa was the last of the nobles in Tartosa. She never married, nor had a lover—despite having a dazzling array of suitors. Nobody knows why. What we do know is that she lived out her days here, a diligent steward of her position and privilege, eventually dying of old age. In her last days, she saw the land given back to the people who have run it together ever since.
People are always asking me why its assumed that Arnessa Thebe is related to Princess Cordelia, since its well-known that Princess Cordelia left. Well, after a bit of digging, I discovered some evidence at City Hall stating that twenty years after she left, a gentleman by the name of Rodrigo Thebe returned. He claimed that his father had died here and his mother was the late Princess. With his vast fortune, Rodrigo had Thebe Estate built. Supposedly, there are some ancestors still around today.
Rodrigo De Pablo was Princess Cordelia’s third pirate boyfriend – yes, third! – and perhaps the greatest love of her life. It’s said he was rather clumsy, and there’s a lot of historical speculation around how he actually died. Some say his peg leg caught on fire aboard the Eppsilon, the Princess’ ship. Others say he had an affair with Lady Tartosa and Princess Cordelia hired a witch to trap him inside a glass bottle she cast out to sea. I’ve also heard he choked on a tart, which seems the least ridiculous to me. Either way, history knows that when Princess Cordelia departed Tartosa, her beloved Rodrigo was not with her.
There’s some evidence suggesting that Princess Cordelia and Lady Matilda Tartosa were very close during her stay here. It’s unlikely they were lovers, given the Princess’ feelings for Rodrigo. Still, the princess and Lady Tartosa spent a lot of time together at the beach, sailing the coast and devouring tarts. There’s also evidence suggesting their relationship ended on rocky terms, but nobody knows for certain why. Some think Lady Tartosa had an affair with Rodrigo. Others believe she stiffed Princess Cordelia on a fruit tart, which was a serious offense back in those days. Frankly, it’s a serious offense these days as well, given the quality of the tarts here.
