The Lost Songs of Yesterday

Music is a cultural cornerstone in any civilization. It has the unexplainable power to move people, to inspire, and to immortalize elements of history. Long has it been a powerful aspect of existence, but the Seanachaisians brought this ability to a plateau all their own. So skilled were they that the songs they crafted could not only do the things we know of, but supersede the realms of the mundane and actively affect change in the world, both within the listener and by influencing the physical realm as well. These compositions and talents are a large part of the defining glory that was their former island Empire, and sadly, fear of this immaculate gift was what led to the fear and trepidation of Daimus III and allowed him to be manipulated into drawing down the Blight that nearly plunged the entire race into extinction. While the survivors were few and scattered, the kept what parts of their decimated culture close and continued their tradition of passing the skills on to their offspring, and in some cases, for fear of these ancient skills and methods being lost, teaching them to outsiders as well. This led to their methods spreading out among the varied other races of Cairne as well, though a great deal of the potency has been lost to the passage of time. Despite this, however, the music of the Seanachaisians remains still powerful, and to the individual that takes the time and effort to hone that craft, the influence and effect of these skills can achieve close, if not equal power to their original sources.
Within the dominion of the Musician is a number of tools and styles that they may choose from, each focusing a different skill and presentation, though variety, as any wise Musician may tell you, is indeed the spice of life. Coming from various walks of life, each Musician applies their talent and skill in a unique way, all of them driven to this path for personal and unique reasons that directly influences the inspired performances they give. Some examples of this are listed here.

• The Instrumentalist focuses on the technical skill of playing music. Their grasp of the technical application of chord and music theory is virtuosic, and without a word they are capable of drawing deep from the well of memory and emotion within a listener, strumming their hearts as though it were the very instrument they played upon. Their skill lies with their chosen tools, and these can be varied and diverse as the musicians themselves, branching out into even unorthodox instrumentation and styles.

• The Vocalist remains a unique and talented focus for a Musician. It is said in many cultures that they singing voice is an echo of the soul, and as such a talented vocalist is able to bypass the mundane barriers that separate people from one another and directly influence the spirit of the listener. Their words drip with honeyed meaning and drift through the memories of the people they sing for long after the song is done. A pure vocalist requires not only training and skill, but some degree of presence as well, though their voice alone is generally enough to demand the attention of an audience.

• The Performer is poetry in motion, their body becoming the tool by which they convey their message and emotion. Dance, acting, performance art...all of these are within the range of the performer, and through this very difficult and practiced art they can move and influence people in a very visual way. The performer pairs this skill with song and music to produce epic tales in a visual format and to vicariously project their message through several senses all at once. This can be a very powerful aspect of the Musician's trade, but also one of the most difficult to master.

• The Poet is unique among their peers, utilizing the spoken word, often paired with music, as a means to convey their message and ideas. This can be extremely powerful, as the presentation of the message tends to stay with the audience for a long time, and can be easily repeated by those that are touched by their words. The poet is a master wordcrafter, and uses their oratorical skills and talents with the creative flow of words to affect change and inspire audiences wherever they go.

Music has a simple but prevailing power all its own, even the mundane music crafted by those not initiated into the ways of old. It stays with the listener long after the song has ended, gestating in their hearts and minds and forging a bond between the crafter of that work and the one moved by it. In a mundane work, this remains a prevalent but fading thing, but within the technique and practiced skill of the Initiated Musician, this organic effect is heightened into what is known as an Ohrwurm. The Ohrwurm serves several functions within the abilities of the Initiated Musician's repertoire, not the least of which is that is forges a binding connection between them and their proposed subject. By using this connection, the Initiated Musician is able to filter in more and more effects and influence driven home by their performance. The exact nature of the Ohrwurm is an intangible one, something that breaches into the realm of the unexplained, though many have tried over the years. While under the effect of this strange force, the individual becomes not only more susceptible, but more pliable to the demands and wishes of the Musician themselves. As the Initiated Musician's skill grows, so does the area of influence they are able to utilize, the Ohrwurm effect growing on both power, range, and in the way it is dispersed among the audience, eventually leading to a performer with such a commanding presence that they are able to affect entire crowds of individuals at a time, and to sway them in particular directions and bend their will to that of the Musician. The realm of the Musician is not only that of influence however, as their abilities stretch into the realms of auditory manipulation itself, granting them the ability to project further, perform louder, to utilize harmonic frequencies to affect material objects within the world, and to keep several effects active at a time. These individuals move their sphere of influence through the world gaining more than just power and presence, but a strange gravity unto themselves, their charisma paired with the ability to directly impact the mental and emotional state of the individuals that behold their performances molding together into a formidable juggernaut of power. It was within this power that the original Bechtlarite Empire found opposition and fear, as mere handfuls of Seanachaisians were capable of turning entire settlements and towns against them with a single performance. It is rumored that the most accomplished of Musicians are able to use their influence to dominate the will of another so thoroughly that they can influence them to shrug off life itself with but a sound. Within the world these talented individuals work with subtlety and yet, remain in the forefront, openly working the tools of their trade and exacting their influence upon the world for better or for worse.

The domain of the musician is subtlety and manipulation, whether it be through a direct link with their target, inspiring them to achieve great things, or a darker hold through which they impact the world around them, bending it to their will through powerful influence and generation of faith and belief in the musician's purpose and ability. The following are some examples of the musician's far reaching power over the world. They begin simple, with the Musician nudging chance in their favor and grow in power, difficulty, and severity from there, ending with the Musician's ability to directly and physically influence the world around them through altering the very frequency of its physical form.

• Probability Manipulation has far more to do with the Musician's ability to influence the hearts and minds of those around them than actual luck. Through this, they may shape potentiality in their favor, or even in opposition of another by shaking loose confidence and determination with a performance of either music, words, or even motion. The effects of this are extremely subtle and yet, at the same time hold a power that cannot be denied, though those who have unwittingly fallen under the effects of it can seldom place a finger on the how or why they were affected so. This powerful ability is where the rumors of Seanachaisian blessings and curses both stem from, their aptitude to inspire greatness in those around them, to encourage competency and success, while at the same time, tales of their ability to tear down those that oppose them from the inside, shaking their courage and causing them to question their purpose remains a feared skill into modern day.

• Empathic Dominion can allow the Musician to maintain a lasting and powerful impact on a target simply by pushing the concept of what they desire them to feel by conceptualizing the emotion desired through their performance. This can be generated through a wide variety of means and can sway the hearts of their desired audience into action in a manner that is anything from from a subtle shift in mood, to an extreme despair, rage, or overwhelming admiration. This devious ability can influence single individuals or large crowds of people, and by doing so, cause them to believe that the emotional tide they are experiencing came from within them rather than as a result of the performance they are observing. These abilities are lingering ones that stay with the user for some time depending on the aptitude of the musician, and one of the tools by which many performers rise to fame.

• Altered Perceptions are the means by which the Musician changes how others see and remember the world around them. While this could hardly be called and illusion directly, the effects are similar on a great many levels. Under the gentle direction of the Musician's skill, the chosen target or targets will begin to experience the world as the Musician describes to them, rather then at the behest of their own senses. The effects are deeply personal and the fine details determined by the individual, but the outcome remains the same. The target or targets under the influence of the Musician's skills will only see and experience what the Musician has placed there for them, allowing a great deal of subterfuge, distraction, and even damage to be done without the target realizing until it is too late, if ever at all. While the effects of this ability can be benign and simple, they can also be used to cause psychosomatic injuries on an opponent strong enough that wounds will actually open up on their body at the direction of the Musician.

• Déanfar mo Thoil is the ability of the Musician to directly enforce their will over and individual or a situation. This influence is powerful and literally warps reality around them for a short time by creating an area of aligned focus aimed at their desired goals. This power is fed by and strengthened through those around the Musician at the time of the performance, building and shaping a larger area and a more powerful effect depending on the number of people under the sway of the Musician's power. With this they reach beyond the borders of reality and coax their own vision into being, literally speaking something into existence for as long as they are able to maintain control over the focus of their audience. This can be the people they travel with or an arena full of spectators, the only limitation is the Musician's ability to influence them.

• Cymatic Transmutations are direct changes to the physical world through the Musician's careful and precise ability to alter the fluctuations of vibration and frequency in the world around them. While this is one of the most directly powerful abilities of the musician, it is also one of the hardest to master and maintain as one must first fully understand the harmonic nature of the world they are affecting and the nature of what they want it to be. Nature abhors this means of manipulation and all things altered so will eventually rebalance themselves into their prime harmonic status or fall apart from being unable to, making this ability extremely dangerous. By utilizing this ability, the Musician may turn liquid into solid, create sonic barriers around them, and shatter the weapons of enemies. It is said that a powerful enough musician can stop the hearts of their audience with a single note this way, causing the organ to go still long enough to kill the listeners instantly with the nefarious and mythical, Black Note.