Taliesins
Formerly among the most favored sons and daughters of Corellia is the Taliesin bloodline. Prominent since shortly after the Sith Wars, the Taliesin family is a bloodline of Jedi whose roots run deep in the Corellian system. Members of the line have traditionally been able to trace their line back at least fifty generations back from themselves – indeed, they are expected to be able to do so. The Taliesin line epitomized the Corellian dedication to family.
Jedi of the Taliesin line also have a strong sense of justice, however, their beliefs do not always fall squarely into the bounds of the Jedi Code as set down by the Council at Coruscant. In this way, they also epitomize the free-spirited and stubborn nature of Corellians. They were still, however, the primary law enforcers of the Corellian Sector, the roving rangers of justice, along with other bloodlines, such as the Bridgers and later, the Rendars. With the addition of the Halcyon line, the four families create the Quartet – the four powerful Jedi families that dominated the culture and tradition of Corellian Jedi.
A major weakness of the Taliesin line is in healing – many Jedi of the line are unable to heal others at all, fewer are unable heal even themselves. Those who do possess the ability to heal find it more draining than a Jedi of another line would. Jedi of the Taliesin line, however, make up for this by being possessed of abilities that enable them to not be hit. The line has an uncanny knack for precognition, for seeing what will happen only split seconds before it happens. This ability has enabled many a Taliesin Jedi to disarm an opponent before they have the ability to injure or kill someone else.
An additional trait among the Taliesins is a sense of selflessness – their strong sense of justice is mirrored in their strong beliefs of what should be. They are not afraid to make the final sacrifice if they feel it is the only way. In the end, this was the undoing of the Taliesin line, when the last remaining son of the line, Ulic Taliesin, died in combat near the end of the Clone Wars. With this death and the death of Neeja Halcyon, the Quartet collapsed, leaving the two remaining prominent families, the Bridgers and the Rendars, with the aid of the Corellian Security Force, the only defenders of the Corellian system.
Prior to the death of the line, the Taliesins had long been a powerful family among the Jedi of the galaxy, not just of the Corellian Sector. While their often unconventional ideas caused them to lock horns with many of the conservative members of the Jedi Council, they were still a well-respected part of the Jedi Order. Often, the Taliesins would volunteer for some of the most dangerous missions available, simply to prevent other Jedi from walking into dangerous situations. A prime example of this is the case of Andrew Taliesin, who was lost during one such mission. Taliesin, a young Jedi Knight well on his way to becoming a Jedi Master, volunteered to take on a vital mission assigned by then-head of the Jedi Council, Jedi Master Colin Rendar of Coruscant. No one knows the true nature of the assignment Andrew Taliesin undertook, only that it was completed. After the completion of this mission, he was never heard from again. It is almost certain that he died returning to Coruscant, although the exact details of this event are unknown.
The Taliesins, like the other families of the Quartet, did not often marry within the Quartet, usually taking their spouses from outside the four families. It was a hallmark of every one of these families, however, that they married for love and no other reason. None were deeply involved in politics, nor did any have a reason to be. Sometimes, however, marriages within the Quartet did happen, and when they did, they were causes for celebration as they always strengthened the lines.
