[Winter Writing Contest]

[Tabarnac]

Tabarnac wants you So we're going to have a little fun, by which I mean that I will throw out an idea and you will entertain me. I sent this song to Colombina as a possible musical referent for Semhu (look it up), but I've decided that the Asturian bagpipes work better for Denval especially after I watched the video again and saw the terrain and, later on, the rank and file marching bagpipers. So what grabby Uncle Tabarnac wants from you is submissions (by PM) of ideas for a old Denvali legend involving a musician and Dira. After a week, I'll cobble together a more coherent mythos, which will be posted here, and then y'all can come up with variants upon it, which your characters can tell to other characters, and I will grant bonuses for your writing goodness, because grabby Uncle Tabarnac loves you best. You know who you are. So PM me your idea-kernels. Finished product will come in phase two. Here is your inspiration -- that is, your inspiration other than me and Denval: Also, don't forget this. It's the details that make Denval... better than everyone else. Especially that place full of soulless gingers with a fetish for volcanoes and bird poop. (Sorry, Cody.)

[Tabarnac]

So Nate came up with a storyline for us. There will be bonuses for people using this story. Syllke should tell it since he's a storyteller, and I'm sure there are others who aren't coming to the tip top of my head. He is getting paid back with a moderated thread. Grr, here comes trouble. So, I was up early in the morning and noticed your Winter Writing Contest in Denval. I decided to write up an idea for such as an idea struck me. Didn't bother coming up with a name for the Musician though. Dira’s Musical Harbinger - There was once a prodigy, who so gifted with Music many thought that Rhaus had a hand in his birth. From a young age, he showed and aptitude for playing any interest. His voice often brought inspiration to many and soothed agitated animals. Every musical instructor sought to teach them their own music, having a hand in the upbringing of this boy as he became a man. Every other musician sought to challenge his talent with their own, their duels becoming musical presentations that some bards still whisper of today. The drawback this boy, now a young man, having had all this attention throughout his life, of everyone telling him he was special, that his music would become legend, was that he became egotistical in the process of it all. And in the process of his popularity and self-infatuation, he made a single boast that would prove to be his undoing. He claimed that his music could stay Lady Death’s hand. That if he were present, and playing when Dira was coming to claim someone, she would become so enamored by his music, she would forget to claim her due. This boast, did not amuse the Mistress of Death at all. And for that claim, Dira punished the musician more harshly than most. Rather than take his life, Dira struck out at his talent, and cursed him with making his claim true. In a way. In her curse, Dira caused any music he sang, any instrument he played, to carry her Gnosis. But rather than allow him to see the death of others, her marked worked outwardly through his music, causing anyone to hear it to see their own death. Anyone who listened to the musician play would see how they would die, and would thusly be able to prevent that foretelling of their death, making the musician’s boast true. However, most who saw their own death, feared such. Feared such so much that most any place the musician went, he was banned from performing any music, upon penalty of death himself. Babies would cry, women would shriek in horror and men would react with violence. The animals that he would occasionally sooth would now flee at the sound of his music. So the musician now found himself alone in the world, his once highly sought talent, now considered a curse to many as his name became legend by one title labeled upon him: Dira’s Musical Harbinger

[Tabarnac]

We have a late entry, so I figure there can be some debate as to how the story actually goes. This is supposed to be fun, so if you have any questions or need help figuring out an idea to make this work for your character, I am here to help! This is an 'idea kernel'. There are a lot of behind-the-scenes things in the various aspects of the story that I can clarify with you, should it be required, but here is the general outline. It's a little long, but I hope you'll enjoy the story as much as I did while writing it~ ----------------------------------- Back in the dark days, before Alahea and Suvan was fully formed, horrifying creatures and monstrous abominations reign over Mizahar, feasting and decimating entire pockets of human civilizations too weak to defend themselves. Only those lucky enough to have gathered enough talents and people together in one place could withstand the assault of the terrifying unknown. It was said that there was a small band of exceedingly talented adventurers. One who wielded all kinds of weapons so effortlessly that some believed him to be an avatar of Wysar. One who seemed so knowledgeable and wise and who seemed to have mastered magic so thoroughly that if she listed the disciplines of magic she knew it could fill several tomes. One who was the queen of anatomy, of medicine, of healing, of science and some believed her capable of raising the dead. And finally the leader, general jack of all trades, his strength lying in his unnatural attractiveness and charisma, and his ability to translate that charisma into soul-rending melodies on his flute. They traveled the lands, destroying the unknown horrors that plagued humanity, and one day when they eradicated a hostile settlement the Goddess of Death came to them, a radiant smile on her pleased visage. "Unknowingly, thou hath fulfilled mine goals. I am not a ungrateful goddess, and shalt grant thine wishes as far as mine domain allows," The Queen of Souls proclaimed, for she had been watching this adventurers all along. There were a group of horrors that had the innate ability to steal the souls of the slain, for if others feast on flesh and blood they feast on the immense astral energies a soul could provide them when broken down with their inner body mechanisms. They had a hive mind, and one tribe is only fully killed if the last one is destroyed. Dira did not like that, for it put a cog in her mechanisms, and was the source of contention from her divine siblings. "Dira hath been lazing", "Dira doth not fulfill her jobs". And even Lhex may have dropped a hint to her to get the system moving again. And so with the last of its kind slain the soul-stealing monsters cease to exist, and the system was restored, and the adventurers, flush from victory sought to claim their spoils. The warrior. The king of weapons, of tools of destruction, sought to save all of humanity with his strength. And so taking inspiration from the demons they defeated he sought for a way for his weapons to steal the strengths of monstrous foes defeated, and so humanity can fight their inhumane oppressors better. And so his wish was granted. The wizard. The master of spells, of wondrous arcana, sought to save all of humanity with her arcane knowledge. And so taking inspiration from the demons they defeated she sought for a way to manipulate one's soul to ensure one's longevity, and so humanity can fight their inhumane oppressors better. And so her wish was granted. The scholar. The queen of knowledge, of scientific marvels, sought to save all of humanity with technological progress and universal empowerment. And so taking inspiration from the demons they defeated she sought for a way of communication the way they could, and so humanity can fight their inhumane oppressors better. And so her wish was granted. She was displeased at their wishes, but promises must be kept, and thus she asked the last one, "What wouldst thine wish be?" The bard. The leader, the persuader, sought to save all of humanity with hope. But refusing to take inspiration from the demons they defeated he sought for a way to imbue hope and soothe the souls of his fellow mortals. And She was pleased at his wisdom, for with hope in their hearts humanity is capable of miraculous feats outclassing any of the above three. And so she granted him with music that can bolster strength, that can raise hopes, that can mend the soul of depression and impurities, that can fortify the physical body and mind. And so in order to spread their gifts far and wide the adventurers disbanded, seeking the four corners of the world to teach and disseminate such that humanity can better protect themselves against the darkness that await in the vast unclaimed wilderness. But Rhysol was not happy at all. For when humanity mastered all of these gifts a utopia of order and happiness will emerge, and so He schemed carefully over the decades, planting the seeds of corruption into these idealistic men and women to twist their honor and pride. The warrior became bloodthirsty and tyrannical, believing that might transcends all and that the strong shall rule the weak. Extending his judgement from just monsters that threaten humanity to fellow humans who opposed his rule, he was killed in a tragic civil war. The wizard became mad with power, thirsting for even more power than her mortal body could handle, and in her quest for immortality she split her soul so many times until the bare fragments of each piece could no longer handle the strain of her megalomania and thus she was claimed. The scholar became reclusive, seeking more knowledge with her gift of communication instead of teaching it to the masses. She sought to connect her mind with everything, from sentient beings to inanimate objects. And when she tried to do so with the unfathomable sentience deep in the unknown depths of the void her mind was forever scarred and she became a living husk of her former self, all traces of her consciousness gone till her body wasted away from neglect. The bard resisted the corruption, and continued to play his music, of making uplifting rhetorical speeches, of persuading men towards progress instead of self-destruction. And so he erased the sins of unhealthy ambition and selfishness, always playing his ashwood flute and soothing the souls of his fellow man. And so Rhysol was not pleased, and He personally created a calamity just to distract Dira. And in that window of opportunity He tracked down where the bard lived and personally struck him down, quickly disappearing before Dira could prevent it from happening. And the bard was mournful, for he can no longer serve his fellow man, and he watched with sorrow as the corruption Rhysol planted grew and made vile the hearts of his friends and comrades. In the absence of his flute and music the corruption could not be banished, and so the bard despaired, refusing to go along with Dira until the sorrow in his ethereal heart can be eased. His flute was missing, and he cannot play, and so he sometimes roam the streets of the place of his doom, always finding, always seeking for the instrument he needs to finish his duty to humanity. Some say that his final resting place was what is now the beautiful city of Lhavit, while others contend that archaeological evidence show that it was somewhere between the natural city of the Jamoura and Morwen's domain. Some believe that it lay right smack in a city that had only been discovered relatively recently. Denval.

[Eridanus]

Edited with changes to make it more readable and to remove a vast amount of spelling and grammatical mistakes with the help of my proofreader Ezra Crenshaw. Thanks man!

*Some of the sentence structures may seem repetitive. This is because I am trying to create a fairy tail ish kind of effect, which often utilizes such techniques. I'm still new on this, so experienced writers who can tell what I'm trying to drive for and wish to offer guidance do drop me a PM. I'll be eternally grateful.

** The brackets are more like explanations, or perhaps they could belong to another fairy tail. It probably belongs to another story, but I included it here so that this one would make sense.

*** Of course, the story can be expanded on, but since the focus here is on Denval, I focused on the bard.

Uncle Tabby, if you want to neaten up the thread feel free to just replace your 2nd post with the contents from this one and delete this post

Back in the dark days, before Alahea and Suvan was fully formed, horrifying creatures and monstrous abominations reign over Mizahar, feasting and decimating entire tribes of human civilizations which lacked strength or divine favour. Only those fortunate to band together and pool their talents could withstand the assault of the terrifying unknown. It was said that there was a small band of exceedingly talented adventurers. The Warrior, who wielded all kinds of weapons effortlessly some believed him to be Wysar incarnate. The Sorceress, whose knowledge and wisdom as a master of magic some believed that if she listed the disciplines of magic she knew it could fill several tomes. The Scholar, whose understanding of anatomy, medicine, healing and science was believed to be capable of raising the dead. And finally the bard, general jack of all trades, his strength lying in his unnatural attractiveness and charisma, and his ability to translate that charisma into soul-rending melodies on his flute. They travelled the lands, destroying the unknown horrors that plagued. One day, after they had eradicated a hostile settlement the Goddess of Death came to them wearing a radiant smile upon her pleased visage. "Unknowingly, with great valour in thine hearts, thou hath fulfilled mine wishes. Bear witness, for I am not an ungrateful goddess, I shalt grant thee wishes as far as mine domain allows," The Queen of Souls proclaimed, for she had been watching these adventurers all along. (This group, freshly slain, had been the progenitors of a terrible ability to steal the souls of the fallen, for if others feast on flesh and blood they feast on the immense astral energies a soul could provide them. This power would revitalize them as their inner mechanisms decayed. With them they had a collective hive mind, their tribe cannot truly be slain if but one survives.) Dira did not like that, for it put a cog in her mechanisms, and was the source of contention from her divine siblings. "Dira hath been lazing", "Dira doth not fulfill her jobs". And even Lhex may have dropped a hint to her to get the machinations moving again. (With the last of its kind slain the soul-stealing monsters cease to exist, and the system was restored, and the adventurers, flush from victory sought to claim their spoils.) The warrior. The king of weapons, of tools of destruction, sought to save all of humanity with his strength. And so taking inspiration from the demons they defeated he sought for a way for his weapons to steal the strengths of monstrous foes, for humanity to fight their inhumane oppressors better. And so his wish was granted. The sorceress. The master of spells, of wondrous arcana, sought to save all of humanity with her magical knowledge. And so taking inspiration from the demons they defeated she sought for a way to manipulate one's soul to ensure one's longevity for humanity to fight their inhumane oppressors better. And so her wish was granted. The scholar. The queen of knowledge, of scientific marvels, sought to save all of humanity with technological progress and universal empowerment. And so taking inspiration from the demons they defeated she sought communication the way the demons do, for humanity to fight their inhumane oppressors better. And so her wish was granted. She was displeased at their wishes, but promises must be kept, and thus she asked the last one, “And what wish wouldst be thine?” The bard. The humble persuader, sought to save all of humanity with hope. But refusing to take inspiration from the demons they defeated he sought for a way to soothe the souls of his fellow mortals and imbue hope. And She was pleased at his humble wisdom, for with hope in their hearts humanity is capable of miraculous feats , far outclassing any of the above three. And so she granted him with music that can bolster strength, that can raise hopes, that can mend the soul of depression and impurities, that can fortify the physical body and mind. And so in order to spread their gifts far and wide the adventurers disbanded, seeking the four corners of the world to teach and disseminate such that humanity can better protect themselves against the darkness that await in the vast unclaimed wilderness. But Rhysol was not happy at all. For when humanity mastered all of these gifts, a utopia of order and happiness will most likely emerge, and so He schemed carefully over the decades, planting the seeds of corruption and greed into these idealistic men and women to twist their honour and pride. The warrior became bloodthirsty and tyrannical, believing that might transcends all and that the strong shall rule the weak. Extending his judgement from just monsters that threaten humanity to encompass fellow humans who opposed his rule, he was killed in a tragic civil war. The wizard became mad with power, thirsted for more than her mortal body could handle, and in her quest for immortality she split her soul so many times until the bare fragments of each piece could no longer handle the strain of her megalomania and thus she was claimed. The scholar became reclusive, seeking more knowledge with her gift of communication instead of teaching it to the masses. She sought to connect her mind with everything, from sentient beings to inanimate objects. And when she tried to do so with the unfathomable sentience deep in the unknown depths of the void , her mind was forever scarred and she became a living husk of her former self, all traces of her consciousness gone till her body wasted away from neglect. The bard resisted the corruption, and continued to play his music, of making uplifting rhetorical speeches, of persuading men towards progress instead of self-destruction. And so he erased the sins of unhealthy ambition and selfishness, always playing his ashwood flute and soothing the souls of his fellow man. But Rhysol was not pleased, and He personally created a calamity just to distract Dira. And in that window of opportunity He tracked down where the bard lived and struck him down, quickly disappearing before Dira could prevent it from happening. And in death the bard was mournful, for he can no longer serve his fellow man, and he watched with sorrow as the corruption Rhysol planted grew and made vile the hearts of his friends and comrades. In the absence of his flute and music the corruption could not be banished, and so the bard despaired, refusing to go along with Dira until the sorrow in his ethereal heart can be eased. His flute was missing, and he cannot play, and it is said sometimes he roams the streets in the place of his ruin, endlessly seeking for the instrument he needs to finish his duty to humanity. Some say that his final resting place was what is now the beautiful city of Lhavit, while others contend that archaeological evidence show that it was somewhere between the natural city of the Jamoura and Morwen's domain. Some believe it lay in the newly discovered city. Denval.