Song Walker

Through music is how evil can be threatened.

One who sings alone lives a sad and short life.

— Orcish proverb

Listen to the mountains in An Gra. Do you hear the singing? If so, you have nothing to fear. The Song Walkers are at work.
They are beacons in the Darkest Hours. They are knowledge keepers and teachers. They guide the dead to their rest and welcome the living with each new dawn. They are warriors who battle the unseen. Healers of the soul-sick. From one voice they create many.
Song Walkers are vital members of the clan, carrying their oral history, performing ceremonial duties, immortalizing new lore, acting as literal navigational beacons, and most importantly: combating seasonal mental illnesses.
Though barred from direct leadership, Song Walkers are an important asset in the direction and guidance of the clan.

Career

Qualifications

If a child tends toward remaining awake after dark and sleeping through the morning, it is a promising sign that they may be a Song Walker in the making. Even without such an inclination, if one has a good memory and a good voice and a passion for the profession, your chances are good.
The saying goes that there is the seed of a Song Walker in every soul. But to pursue the path of a Song Walker, one should begin by learning as many of the traditional songs as one can. If an individual can demonstrate a skill for word and pitch memorization, they might be chosen for formal training.
Once chosen as an apprentice, the budding Song Walker should expect to dedicate decades to refining their craft and committing their clan's oral history to perfect memory. They will also choose and train in musical traditions such as throat singing, mountain singing (using mountain slopes to create echoes and similar uses of acoustics), and traditional instruments. There are also many different types of songs to learn, and one should also know when and how to apply them. Discernment is as important as the song itself.
Only when the apprentice has been thoroughly trained, tested, and tried through practical application of their skills at clan gatherings and in mountain singing can they be inducted as a fully fledged Song Walker.

Related Locations

• An Gra