Beldwhig's Concert (Open to all)

[Norin Beldwhig]

Evening of the 2 Brightenings before the Zerdargian War

In the largest building in Zerdargia there bustled many customers this speciel evening. This establishment was well known and called "Omally's Tavern". The tavern was located halfway between Honey-breeze and Dead-end. It's cuisine and refreshment would satisfy any dwarf or hobbit and was reputated because of this. The prices there were average and the portions generous. Omally was busy behind the wood counter. He was a rotund dwarf with a white beard. He had an oversized cap that covered his head including his ears. Newcomers to the bar watched transfixed as Omally flawlessly slid a tall mug of ale the length of the bar to a waiting patron. The tavern was especially busy this evening for there was supposed to be a specific concert by a dwarf who had perfromed only brightenings earlier. Many had heard him sing and had now brought more people. The dwarf waitress, Faye, who had long golden hair, was kept extremely busy with the abundance of customers.

"Serale, be seated,"

she said

"The food here is excellent, and the ale cold or warm as you wish. If you need lodging, there is the Raven Inn across the Mainway. Near the inn there is a stable for your animal. Give me your drink requirements and I will return with a meny."

Faye smiled as she patiently waited for the orders.

Norin was dressed in his casual dwarf clothes. His brown kilt matched his leather boots and vest and only dwarfs would be able to point out the specific shade of brown that coloured his clothes. He was accompanied by another dwarf who carried a beautiful harp with golden strings. This was Rongar and both of them came into the tavern unnoticed and strode up to the counter to speak with Omally.

"Ahh. Lads, you're finally here. I was getting worried. These people don't seem to be able to hold their horses if ye know what I mean. Anything before the show?"

Norin and Rongar ordered an ale for before the show and one for during the show. Before they started, they needed a drink. They had been warming up most of the brightening and were looking forward to the concert in this wonderous tavern.

OOC: I hope it's alright that I presume that there are many people to see my concert, even though they might not like it. If no GM posts in this thread, I'll assume they liked it at a basic level, the level that my dwarf can sing.

[Veleraen]

Veleraen had been invited to the showing of Norin's concert the night before, only to prepare himself for a performance that would most likely astound him. The giant not only cared for Norin's singing and artistic talents, but as a friend, he felt honoured to be there that darkening.

Taking a few booming steps towards Omally's Tavern, the local, yet popular hangout for a lot of the dwarves and citizens of Zerdargia. Veleraen peeked his head in through the main window and waved to Norin, signalling his arrival and then sat down by the window, as he wasn't able to fit inside the building. It was much more comfortable to sit on the ground outside the tavern than it was to crawl on hands and knees to sit at a table through the tavern. It was quite awkward but it had to be done. "Norin! I have come, just a little restricted by the space in the tavern. I will listen from here. Get the waitress to send me an ale will you old friend?" Veleraen smiled and chuckled, anxiously awaiting the beginning of Norin's performance with his singing, wondering what songs he had woven with his voice.

The crowd was bloisterous and happy, and it seemed Norin had a fairly good crowd that evening for his act. Omally was busy as ever, pouring and serving drinks. When the cold brew of ale came towards Veleraen through the window, he gave the waitress the appropriate amount of coins and took a chug of the soothing brew, savouring it and saving it for the performance to come.

[Norin Beldwhig]

Norin finished his ale as Veleraen appeared in the window of the tavern. A large grin formed on the dwarf for he was more than happy to see his old friend. He greeted him and then spoke to the waitress:

"Serale my old friend. I hope you will enjoy yourself this darkening... Waitress! Another ale for me and my friend and send a third one out to the giant will you darling?" Norin wasn't paying too much attention to the amount of money he spent for he was getting paid anyway. He didn't mind if Omally reduced his pay because of the large amount the two dwarfs drank. He just wanted to have a good time.

Norin took his drink and made his way to the scene. Here Rongar followed and set himself up. Found a nice stool and sat himself comfortably taking out his beautiful dwaf harp. Norin hummed and was warming up one last time. He then took a view of the tavern to see if there were any more people he knew apart from the giant. He was hoping for more familiar faces but he didn't expect too much. He had only had a single gig a few brightenings earlier and had otherwise not sung professionally in the tavern before.

[Veleraen]

Veleraen smiled as he saw his friend Norin in the tavern, as he watched from outside, he could see the tavern was quite full in attendance for his concert. The giant waited for the waitress and when she finally came to the window, he graciously took the drink and took a chug, letting the ale soothe his soul.

Watching and waiting Veleraen saw Norin at the bar with his accompanyment with his harp, hoping to soon hear the songs that Norin had prepared. "I wonder if he wrote anything on what I had told him yesterday...I would be honoured if he did..." Veleraen smiled inwardly and took another sip of ale. It was kind of an odd sight, a giant outside the tavern looking through a small window. The blasted small spaces were always an annoyance for Veleraen. It always restricted his access to certain things, but it was a big advantage in combat, and he took the trade off quite well.

Seeing Norin prepare, the giant knew the concert was about to begin, waiting anxiously, Veleraen sat up, getting the best view he could and waited patiently. Brilliance didn't come in a second, and neither did a good song.

[Norin Beldwhig]

Norin's heart was pounding in his dwarf chest. This was almost as bad as a battle against some vile creatures. Norin raised his arms and yelled out to the crowd hoping that some would listen but wouldn't be offended if none did so. "Good evening everybody. Welcome to a good evening of song and music."

He had thought about going for the introduction but decided to grasp the attention of the crowd first and so he said something to Rongar who began playing something soft at first but quickly "accel" it so it became "maestoso". At "fine" of the song, Rongar drew it down to "addolorato" to give it a sorroful ending, at least in the accompaniment. The "cantabile" of the music was sung by the deep booming voice of Norin who had trained for months now, perfecting his voice.

"A song I shall now sing
From the Age of Darkening
In the Empire of Alleria
There were heroes adventuring

Gyarmon is the hero of this tale
And it is not as grim as the moon is pale
For with this tale comes his mighty Troll-Bane sword
With which it is impossible to fail

Galeron from Alleria Prime in the days of old
Journeyed out with Karteth and Gilead with gold
That brought them all three to the Charisma Pass
Where they met Gyarmon as north they strolled

The pass was closed but Gyarmon came to their aid
Only with the retrieval of a precious heirloom he got paid
Dolwood was their aim
But Daltina was where Gyarmon them laid

Over Khadrans he them brought
To find his heirloom which he sought
It was guarded by Trolls
And they could not be fought

They slipped into the cave at night
Through a hole in the roof out of sight
And beheld the Troll-Bane sword
All admired the blade of might

Fire leaping from the sword
And into the cave came the Troll hoard
Galeron and Gyarmon fought them off
Only Troll-Bane cut through the Troll lord

All strategically withdrew out of the cave and into the light
The cave was blocked with the help of nature’s height
For an avalanche was called for
Alas the trolls still came out without a fright

All fled but Gyarmon and the Troll-Bane blade
Hours passed as they all waited for the night to fade
Then came Gyarmon with broken ankle
And supported by a splint but Troll-Bane blade still his aid"

[Veleraen]

OOC: Sorry for the extremely late reply, I almost totally forgot about this.

IC:

The shout of Norin's voice drew Veleraen's attention at the window as he sipped the last of his ale that the waitress had brought him. The stout dwarf on stage with his counterpart were ready to play, and the giant was ready to listen. The giant culture had always placed a high value on the art of music, as it was an important aspect in his people's lives. It would probably be a while till he heard a song such as this sung in the halls of Zerdargia, as the calls of war were near to their beloved city.

Veleraen listened as the song flowed from the belly of Norin, the soothing tone of the notes and the deep voice of the dwarf gave it the right feeling that brightening. The giant got into the sway of the music as Norin sang it and closed his eyes, as he imagined the brightenings of old when his own father played the war drums in his village. It was a glorious feeling indeed, the pounding of the drum reverberating inside ones chest, the screams and shouts of the chant, and then here in the tavern, the gruff voice, but with such a slow and melodious song, it made the giant's heart warm with anticipation of home.

As soon as the song ended, the giant clapped his enormous hands, deafening many others in the tavern, sending wave after wave of loud slaps. "Play another Norin! I wish to hear more! More!" Veleraen shouted from the window, hoping the crowd would continue with their applause and want to hear more. The giant smiled at the small dwarf and then motioned for the waitress and ordered another ale for himself, wanting more ale for the performances ahead.

[Norin Beldwhig]

In the midst of the cheers and clapping, Norin was completely entranced. He was standing on stage with his eyes closing and his head nodded down. He was slowly praying, praying to not a god but quietly singing a very low prayer to nothing more than a fictional character made for nothing more than entertainment.

Fear is the sun. The light. Carried by the watchman in daily traverse. Great is the light of his torch, it conceals his presence. Fear is the moon. It's ghostly light. It's grey scarred surface, a spoiled gem. Bring me a jewel from the nightsky. One that twinkles in the wathcmans light as he walks behind the world and set it upon my tomb.

When he was done and the crowd had settled down to hear yet another song, Norin looked at Rongar. It was time to pick up the pace and give a kick to this party. A song that everybody knew, a song that everybody could sing along, a song that people would enjoy before all the other legends came in. Rongar was playing the harp in a violent and fast manner to get the crowd's hearts pumping and getting them into the mood of party. Norin sang but not louder than the crowd. He wanted their attention and he sang trying to gather the crowd so that THEY were part of the song and could relate to the songs.

Oh, the tale of which I will sing,
Has a very ancient beginning,
It was way back when in the mists of time,
When dwarves were bold and women were women.

Oh, Frathir was young and hearty,
And a bold young dwarf was he,
He only had one manly failing,
His face was as smooth as smooth can be.

Frathir, Frathir, the beardless dwarf,
How could he woo the lasses?
Frathir, Frathir, his life was sad,
He lost himself deep in glasses.

Now Frathir needed to solve this,
He must become more hairy,
He needed to grow a big bushy beard,
To make himself more scary.

He thought about his problem,
Of how to grow more hair,
To make the maidens notice him,
So he could put it there.

Frathir, Frathir, he had an itch,
One that he couldn't scratch,
Frathir, Frathir, needed a... maid,
But his face it needed a thatch!

Now Frathir thought he had a way,
To make his beard grow thicker,
He'd rub his chin with horse manure,
From a basket made of whicker.

Frathir bent to get the stuff,
But the ale did make him drunk,
He tipped himself into the pot,
And into the mire he sunk.

Frathir, Frathir, the poor dead dwarf,
Only wanted a maiden,
Frathir, Frathir, lost his life,
Drowning in a midden.

Norin was thinking while singing, letting the crowd sing along for a little while. What would be a suiting legend to tell? There were the stories of the Veldar, there were his own experiences during the summer, or there were even Veleraen's summer adventures.

[Veleraen]

Veleraen was enjoying himself and was now thinking that it was probably best that he had come to Norin's concert at Omally's, as it was a great source of entertainment for him and the other patrons. With any luck, Norin would become a star in Zerdargia, a Dwarf that could cheer up anyone and send them into a flurry of clapping and smiles as he sang.

The giant sat intently, waiting for the next song as Norin bowed his head in prayer. As soon as the Dwarf sang once more, the voice of Norin's soared and Veleraen in the spirit of things, started to clap his hands once more in rhythm to the beat of the song. In the midst of the song, Veleraen began to sing in his full toned, deep voice as he got into the song.

"Oh, Frathir was young and hearty,
And a bold young dwarf was he,
He only had one manly failing,
His face was as smooth as smooth can be.

Frathir, Frathir, the beardless dwarf,
How could he woo the lasses?
Frathir, Frathir, his life was sad,
He lost himself deep in glasses.

Now Frathir needed to solve this,
He must become more hairy,
He needed to grow a big bushy beard,
To make himself more scary. ..

The giant stopped mid way to hear the rest of the song and enjoy it for its worth.

[Norin Beldwhig]

Norin was happy and now for the next part, his own favourite part. He had three adventures to sing before he needed to recapture the audience. For now, he would let them drink and enjoy themselves with music in the background that told a tale of ancient deeds. Norin decided to start with an easy tale, a hero's tale, the tale of the Veldar Patrol that went through the Dolwoods.

Norin and Rongar put down the pace and quieted down, leaving the customers to their drinks and friends if they wanted but capturing the few who seemed enthralled by the tales of the dwarfs. The Veldar Patrol might have been a short song but it was good to calm down the audience so he could tell other types of tales. He thought that he would finish it all off by gripping the audience's attention once more and then finishing off with a blast.

Rongar played on his harp, playing a rapide yet melodious tune. It turned to a sad and slower tune and as Norin began to sing, the harp could almost not be heard. Norin started off with a sad voice. By the middle of the song, the music had become louder and more majestic and a the end, Norin's voice was booming to finish the song off with a climax. Finally, Rongar would play a few finishing notes when Norin had done with his story telling.

Fifty years ago,
A patrol was lost,
It went to Dolwood,
Where goblinoids fought.

Dead reptile bodies,
Filled the ground with blood,
They slew the leader,
The rest were wounded.

Goblins were winning,
So, the patrol fled,
They sneaked and escaped,
Victory brought joy.

Leader's body shown,
Headless through the woods,
The patrol was mad,
Next night, they slew all.

[Veleraen]

As soon as Norin started to sing of the Veldar patrol and their deeds that fateful brightening, it perked Veleraen's ears right up. The giant recognized the tale from his training with Sargeant Setik in his advanced training. It was a worthy tale of song, and Veleraen felt it was a good choice of Norin's to make it into a song. The dead deserved to be worshipped, especially those that gave their lives to make the countryside and cities safe.

Raising his mug in respect, Veleraen listened to the tune more solemnly than most, as he prayed for the dead. The giant knew most of the words to the tale already, and so the song wasn't that hard to figure out after it was sung around once or so.

As soon as the song came to an end, Veleraen raised his mug through the window and gave a loud cheer. "May the dead rest in peace! Long live the Veldar! Here here!" Veleraen, quite inspired by the song of Norin's ordered another mug of ale as he finished off his last one. It was starting to get a little chilly outside, but it was of no matter. The giant could take the cold better than anyone else out there. Faithfully, Veleraen awaited the next song with anticipation, hoping another interesting tale would be sung that darkening.

[Norin Beldwhig]

Norin was glad that his song inspired the few Veldars in the tavern. He hadn't thought that so many would appreciate such a confusing song. He had not liked it all that much. He kept on thinking that it needed some modifications. He would work on that with Rongar another time.

The darkening was passing and Norin sang, not to disturb but to entertain those who wanted to listen to him. Those who would prefer to chat were left to their conversation with little trouble for Norin did not force his music into the audience, at least not yet.

The next song was sung as yet another tale, a tale that could be listened to or ignored. The tune was a real dwarf tune, with a lot of bass from Norin's deep voice and little treble from Rongar's harp. Norin's voice was used as a drum, mimicking the well known sounds. The song was slow and majestic, telling of the ancient heritage of the dwarfs. He had yet another tale after this one, one that was dedicated to an old friend, but it had to wait, until after this song.

A long time ago in ages past,
There was a city that would not last,
It fell and disappeared under the soil,
And left no trace to spoil.

Time passed and dwarfs sought it again,
Two went south but found only pain,
They search'd their ancient home under the soil,
And left no trace to spoil.

The ancient home of dwarf culture,
The dwarfs sought it with all their fur,
They found nothing but the old dirty soil,
No trace were left to spoil.

[Veleraen]

Veleraen saw that Norin's last song did indeed inspire many Veldar who were in the tavern that darkening and that not only him was touched by the saddening tale. The crowd was very good that darkening, a great audience for the stout dwarf and his singing talents, and hopefully Norin would earn the respect and fame he deserved of the darkening's singing of tunes and tales of old.

The next song was somewhat somber, but deep, the way Veleraen liked it. It was much like the songs of his ancestors that he had heard within his village before he left home. Drums had been used to, and the giant thought that Norin did a good job mimicing the effects of drums with his voice. Veleraen raised his mug and hummed to the song in his own deep voice, and then drank a big swig at the end, finishing off yet another ale. If this trend was to continue, he'd run the tavern dry in a matter of candlemarks.

Applauding with his massive hands at the end of the song, Veleraen smiled and was glad he had come. The darkening was getting chilly though, and sitting outside was getting a little more uncomfortable by the candlemark. Winter wasn't always the best of seasons to stay outside a tavern and drink and eat. Thinking immediately of food, he called the waitress over once more and asked for a platter of venison and some taters. Giving her a fifty crown note for the meal and the tip, Veleraen nodded thankfully and awaited Norin's next song.

[Norin Beldwhig]

As Norin sang and Rongar played his harp, the booming hooming of the giant by the window could also be heard in the tavern over the noice of the crowd. Norin was happy, his second concert was going very well. He didn't notice that Veleraen was freezing but it didn't matter too much. It was near midnight and Norin had only two more songs to play before he was done with this gig.

Norin took a drink from his ale. Rongar too took a short break. Both of them whispered to each other about the next song. This song was a tricky one, one that Norin and Rongar had worked on a lot during the last darkening. They had not completely agreed on it, but they had decided to give it a try. They could always change it if it wasn't appropriate or if there was something wrong with it.

One thing the two dwarfs had agreed on was that the tune had to resemble music from the Second Imperial Period. The period from the reign of Queen Melody de Lylles until the collapse of the Second Empire. This style of music was classified as grand and glorious, with a greater emphasis placed upon maestosa (the courtly side of music) rather than rustica (the pastoral side of music). Rongar's harp could be heard playing a mediocre tune. As Rongar played, Norin introduced the song. "This song is dedicated to the summer adventures of an old friend. This is only the first part, the only part me and my parter here have had time to complete. I hope you enjoy it"

Finally, Norin came in. They sang most of the verses more than once and the story was unfinished. The song was clearly not completely done although they hadn't made any more of it so they couldn't sing more than they had.

"A friend left his town one bright brightening,
He went to Daltina to find someone,
He sought Nashkel Angor of Daltina,
Leader of the Keepers of the Summit,
Leader of the Keepers of the Suuu... mmit.

As he left he stumbled across Veldars,
They were fighting the dead who had risen,
The undead were pulling bones from the ground,
So Veleraen joined the fight with his friends,
So Veleraen joined the fight with hiii... s friends."

[Veleraen]

The giant had enjoyed the darkening so far, and as he drank more of his ale, Norin announced something that almost made Veleraen spurt ale out of his nose it surprised him so much. "Tales of my adventures?" Veleraen wiped his chin and upper lip of the bitter ale and licked his lips, taking the rest.

Awaiting anxiously to hear the song begin, Veleraen settled himself, as Rongar tuned his instrument and made sure it was proper. Once everything was set, Veleraen drank his ale once more and listened as Norin sang the tale of the giant's adventures. Surprised by the dedication of such a song was quite an honour, and Veleraen would have to find something to honour his friend back in his own way before they became separated once again.

The tune was quite glorious indeed, although Veleraen didn't recognize it's origins, as he was quite unfamiliar with the history of music, it was nonetheless entertaining. Norin sang of the beginning of his travels and his fight with the undead in the heartlands. It brought back very horrid memories of the beginning leg of his journey to Malice where he fought for his life to help his friend. In the end, it turned out to be a waste, but for his efforts to be honoured in song was an honour greater than being blessed by Aslan himself in his own culture. Being remembered in song fixed one's name in history for eternity, as long as it was sung. One could not ask for such a greater honour than that.

[Norin Beldwhig]

It was time to take back the audience. Time to get their attention and then finish off with a blast, if they wanted so. He held a little pause after his short song about Veleraen's adventures. It was only the beginning, only the first part, but he was sure that Rongar and him would finish it some brightening, make it glorious.

Norin saw Veleraen's face. He was sitting by the window and he seemed both proud and honoured to have his name in song. His adventures might get lost in time, but hopefully this song would make it last for centuries more than if there had been no song at all.

Norin thought back at how he had started his carrier. It had all started when he had heard the tale of Gyarmon and his Troll-bane Blade. He had decided to sing it, to honour it. Such a tale was worth telling, it was worth singing. Veleraen's adventures didn't seem to have the cling it needed. Norin would have to work on it to make it as memorable as Gyarmon's tale. Still, he was pleased to see the face of his friend by the window.

Rongar tuned his harp. It had to be stringed properly so that he could keep up with Norin's pace to attract the audience back into the singing mood. They decided to play something fast, something common and happy. Something they would enjoy.

Norin had studied some of the tales told in song and he had found an interesting one. It was an ancient song written by Talia Songbrooke and it should be known through the empire. The language, however, was something that few used to this brightening so it wasn't the words that were important, it was the music, and it was good enough to attract the attention of the crowd.

"Ab Initio ... Ad Aeternum Produxerit."
Verse 1: In the Beginning ... towards Eternity

It started with a dark booming that illustrated the absence of light and life. Then it went over to sound more like three different voices; A high-pitched, a low-pitched, and a normal pitched voice. The three voices slowly converged on each other and creating light and life. Slowly the music built up and then ended as if it was only the beginning of the tale. Then again, it was only the beginning of the end of the concert, nicely illustrated in this known and yet unknown song.

"One more," Norin thought to himself, "If they want it."

"Have you had enough? Are you tired? Or maybe you lads out there would like to grab your lassies one last time before the evening becomes dull and quiet." Norin yelled out to the crowd to check if he had inspired them the way he had hoped.