A Minstrel’s Musings on Jordensång
A Minstrel’s Musings on Jordensång
Minstrel’s Musings are excerpts pulled from the pages of journals penned by Lumis zi’Deloran throughout his travels. Everything contained herein was written as it was seen in the eyes of the wandering half-elf bard.
Throughout my years walking the lands of Asarus, I’ve taken delight in trying to mingle among and learn about the various peoples of the world in hopes that I can one day share my experiences with the rest of Vathis. As an accomplished bard myself, I take particular interest in others of my ilk, so that is where I will begin. The Mythrene college of Jordensång is reputed for its exemplary historians and bards, so I attempted to join them and learn the art myself. Jordensång is an art of bardic song that embodies more than music and the power it invokes. It came about before recorded history, as I’ve been told, and it seems to be not dissimilar to the magic that priests and other divine types employ. The dwarves who taught me their history say that their earliest ancestors discovered the art of Jordensång and utilized it as a way to communicate with the divine, with the natural world, and with each other. Jordensång begat language spoken and written, poems and song, and was used to pass down legends and history between different groups of the dwarven people until empires spanned all of Asarus. It also led to the dwarves furthering their learnings of other magics, and their civilizations advanced quickly. It became the backbone of their society, as their bards were seen as vessels of the gift granted by Naugrix and Astea. Even some of their great old Kings – Alvaem, Gromnul II, and Gromnul III – were Jordensångers, and their deeds, songs, and stories are etched into old ruins and uncovered relics.
Jordensångers are treated like nobility among the Mythrene, though they are viewed more like cultural leaders. Jordensång is one of the most respectable paths a dwarf can take in life, being the race’s main source of knowledge, wisdom, and entertainment.
A great number of bards you will meet in the world can be tricksters, actors, cads, or charlatans, but Jordensångers generally seem to be less concerned with the benefits of mastering the art of conversation. As a staple of their culture, you can find a Jordensång school or at least a meeting hall owned by the college within the average Mythrene city. Travelers, adventurers, and locals alike mingle in these places and share their stories and songs. It was in one of these halls that I first heard one of their inspiring legends told in all of its powerfully chanted glory. The instruments the Jordensångers craft and produce can be found across Asarus being sold for respectable sums, and if you are able to attend a Jordensång performance, I wholly recommend it. They are usually more of a story-telling affair than a display of musical prowess, and their displays of oration are worth every gold piece.
My attendance at their college was not very lengthy, but I learned significantly more than I expected. For one, their emphasis on history and practical skills was peculiar to me.
It felt like the kind of learning they would have undergone in olden times. There are a good number of students who attend the college of Jordensång merely for the intensive schooling, and do not go on to pursue the bardic arts in full. They do accept people of all races, but as a half-elf I certainly felt out of place. Dwarves composed the bulk of students, with amari being the second most common. The amari are well accepted among the mythrene, and their homeland of Sillirai actually has its own branch of Jordensång. The amari seem to have a knack for picking up the subtle aspects of Jordensång that, admittedly, escaped me. The dwarves naturally excel at the art, and I believe that is attributable to something innate in their blood, but who truly knows? The magic surrounding Jordensång was the most interesting thing of all to me. They concentrate more on using their voices and percussion to channel the magic than other bardic disciplines, and some of the effects of their Jordensång were things I’ve only seen wizards or priests produce. It makes me wonder if there really is a synergy with their faith that clerics use to cast their spells and such.
In the time since my little “experiment,” Jordensång has lost its main college in the Darkest War, and all who attended there are now crowding the capital of Mythrayne.
This has lead to a swift increase in attendance, along with the resurgence of zealous Naugrix worship. Methinks this is due to Naugrix’s kin, the fearsome dragons of old, returning to the world. As if the dragons returning was not enough, magic feels and appears to be stronger in recent years, and the Jordensångers have caught on to this change as well and are trying to push the boundaries of their magic. I, for one, am eager to see what they will achieve. Adventurers and plunderers should also keep this in mind when delving into ruins across the continent, for the college will pay dearly for old relics, songs, and scriptures.
I am growing tired of writing, and I have so many other subjects to get on to, so this will be all for today. I hope I opened the eyes of whoever reads this, and that they look on Jordensång with the same curiosity that I had.
