Musical History of Ephia's Well

[Whyleth]

[It is nothing more than a collection of papers for now, waiting for more additions and entires before it is bound. Currently it is pages of notes on history of notable music pieces and pages upon pages of sheet music arranged by Niranye for this book.]

Musical History of Ephia's Well
Niranye Auvreathil of the Balladeers

Pre-Ringfall - IY 7787

Orchestra of Sounds
Widely misunderstood as a whole, many variations of sheet music with this title exist as a way to slander the composer's art and have mainly been renamed. Depending on the piece, it is described as either an 'avant garde masterpiece' or the 'crazed minstrels magnum opus' being the more common found under this name. Many minstrels of the Old World who have composed such pieces were often seen as very skilled and indecisive, instead of wanting to show their mastery over one instrument, chose to find a way to adhere as many instruments as they could to their clothing and play them all at once, leaving the audience unable to focus and left off guard.

While their work still remains to this day, it is said many of these minstrels found in Ring 99 were thrown over the bridge and into the gutters for being a nuisance and an eyesore.

*This piece has been found and rearranged solely for piano, because of this it has lost a lot of its' shine for lack of accompanying instruments. Regardless of this, the piece still requires the aid of a trusty mage hand to play.

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An honorable mention, for the other vibe.

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Songs from the Resistance

A collection of songs written to inspire those on the front lines defending humanity from the sibilant empire that once spanned through the Old World. Most of the songs themselves have been lost to time and have been recomposed into a medley, a more refined and widely accepted history of the heroes who charged the ziggurats in the swamps and the slaves that rose against them.

It is more notably performed with the accompaniment of jaunty instruments such as lute, guitar and violin to inspire that one can easily clap or stomp along to.

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Last Lament of the Musician

Written by an unnamed gnome, Lament of the Last Musician speaks in a somber tone of the deepest regrets he had in his life. There are a multitude of theories written about this song; some say it was written about the gnome not approaching a woman he took fancy to, some say it was about invention from the Old World he did not create. However, the most common theory speaks of two gnomes deep in caverns of ice, not stopping his companion from standing on a very deliberate 'Red X' only to see them perish.

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Serenade of Roses

This was a cautionary tale, once, and it continues to be played throughout taverns to depict the tale of a lover scorned and the lover's vengeance. In this tale, three women discovered that they were all courting the same man - together, they used their wiles and beauty to wound him, until he was left as naught but a bare shell of himself. To sing this tune, it is said, greatly cheers up women-folks while causing great consternation to the men.

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Song of the Oak

Said to be first found in the tattered journal of an elven ringrunner longing for home. The lyrics tell of a sorrow-touched oak, hollow with loss and yet heavy with the scars of sacrifice that brought upon new growth. The song was eventually unearthed in the ruins of the Outer Rings, in a place men once called the Warrens, where the elf went in yearning seek but did not in yearning find.

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The Owl's Lullaby

While the composer of this song is unknown, it is rumored to be some of the earlier uncredited works done by Valentino before the Ringfall. In his sleepless nights; he found himself wandering in darkness only lit by the moon and the stars, much like an owl that hunts its prey silently under the cover of darkness.

With the silence night brought he was able to hear more carefully, more in tune in the world than he ever was before. The more time he spent living under a monochromatic sky the more he admired the beauty of it.

The song plays with almost a romantic longing for nightfall, creating a waltz in an ode to night.

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IY 7778 -  IY 7787

Sha'ir's Catchy Tune

One of the many verses written by the Sha'iri, nomadic poets and musicians. The song itself has been appropriated many names since before the Ringfall, but however the Sha'iri version is the most prominent in current time, speaking of trailing through sands, ash on a journey to a world full of life once more. It is speculated to be referring to Bel-Ishun, however it is uncertain. To help with traveling large expanses of land the tempo of the song mimics that of footsteps.

Like most songs of the Sha'iri, it is best performed with lute and flute.

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Sha'ir's Ballad of the Great Ash

One of the most famous ballads written by the Sha'iri, it depicts a time many refugees of the rings know well: the Ringfall and the onset of ash storms that followed it. It speaks of four adventurers and their lives before the Ringfall, and their eventual demise within the Ash, though not before enduring great hardship and tenaciously forging forward despite the odds. It is often taken as a grim but inspirational song that grants some measure of the adventurers' tenacity, though, hopefully without granting their same morbid fate.

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Hymn to the Well

Written shortly after the return of water to Ephia's Well around the time of Grandmaster Elizabetha's occupation, it is a song written in praise to the heroic deeds of the Cinquefoil Rose and the reverence of Mother B'aara for returning water, the tears she wept back to the land. It was originally performed by a choir of water bearers, giving praise to the lifeblood of the land and reaffirming one of the oldest oaths of peace and prosperity in the Disc; live and drink.

Newer versions since the Sultan's occupation omit Grandmaster Elizabetha's presence from the song entirely, focusing only on Ephia's Well and Mother B'aara.

The piece usually supports little in the way of instrumental backing, relying on the voice to carry its message.