Songs of the Realms
Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 1:11 am
(I wrote a lot of songs for my Exodus bard, Teana and have been performing some of them with Kori. Not sure if she'd know them all. Many are about FR events because I think history is cool!)
Phontyr's Unicorn
Few unions can endure an age,
Or paint a story so forlorn,
As Phontyr Wonderspell the mage
And friend, a glowing unicorn.
So many wonder reasons why,
This man and beast were closely tied-
Some thought a Goddess in disguise,
Throughout his life, stayed by his side.
But others swear a darker tale,
His love under a magic spell,
His tries to free her, doomed to fail,
Forever, her true form withheld.
Phontyr the mage is now long dead,
But still his lifelong friend rides on,
She passes by his old homestead,
In eerie silence, then she’s gone.
In truth whatever she may be,
The sorrow of a lonely heart,
Still traps her in a life so free,
And keeps her and her friend apart.
Immurk the Invincible
Avast and listen ye well to my tale,
A pirate leader six hundred years prior,
On the Sea of Fallen Stars he would sail,
First of his kind, fueled by greed and desire.
Chorus:
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,
To pirates and treasure and lowly sea scum
To sea-faring battles most fiercesome,
Heave ho, draw anchor and let’s be gone!
Immurk the Invincible, scourge of the sea,
Began his career with a most worthy prize,
By stealing the crown of Cormyr’s royalty,
From a Procampur ship to their great surprise.
The crime was so bold, war was nearly declared,
By the Cormyrian King believing deceit,
But Immurk’s next raids were all well prepared.
Within a few years he’d amassed quite a fleet.
Immurk’s behaviour was not well received,
The Inner Sea nations soon upped their defence,
But new measures hardly worked as conceived,
Stolen ships, saboutage increased their incense.
To bring him to justice they tried this nine times,
Each attempt he thwarted or could not be found,
Still free and blamed for thousands of crimes,
His notorious life at last ran aground.
While battling with Sembians, he died at the helm,
Of his ship- Sea-Scorpion on perilous seas,
Struggling to steer, wind threatening to overwhelm,
Once through the danger, he collapsed to his knees.
Directed to safety by his strength and skill,
But at his advanced age, his heart had burst,
By his hand, new culture forever instilled,
Of terror, and raids, of loot and bloodthirst.
Avast and listen ye well to my tale,
Immurk the Invincible, scourge of the sea,
First pirate of legend, who never once failed,
Now rests in the arms of Umberlee
Raising our tankards, we drink to thee!
Darkhold
Part I:
High upon a mountain tall,
A hidden fort behind grim walls,
The Zhentarim, they dwell within,
Raiding after the darkness falls.
But Darkhold’s evil legacy,
Is steeped in older history,
Many tales of lore, and bloody wars,
The battle for supremacy.
At first the home of Giant-Folk,
That humans and dwarves did provoke,
Halfling attacks, were driven back,
Their dreams of glory, lost in smoke.
But their great reign came to a close,
Two giant princes, bitter foes,
Their sire slain, for ultimate gain,
The kingdom crumbled beneath their blows.
All giants now, lay cold and dead,
The empty stronghold’s walls stained red.
But not for long, before Othlong,
Robber Lord claimed his new homestead.
A plunderer, one of many,
He quickly fell to treachery,
But Angarn’s blade, was soon betrayed
The Wolf Knight took his victory.
But Darkhold’s evil runs too deep,
A ruler it declines to keep,
A captive witch, the Wolf’s throat slit,
In bed, in death, the Wolf did sleep.
The castle’s cruelest ruler then,
Took command of the Wolf Knight’s men,
But her demise, came in disguise,
As wizards entering her den.
Brigand lives became ill-fated,
Thoughts by wizards kept sedated
Mind flayers revealed, destinies sealed,
Served ‘til death, zombies created.
Next in line came a great white wyrm,
But here I pause and will stand firm,
I guarantee, just wait and see,
There’s darker stories left to learn.
Part II:
High upon a mountain tall,
A hidden fort behind grim walls,
The Zhentarim, they dwell within,
Raiding after the darkness falls.
The white wyrm’s name remains unknown,
Darkhold became his self-styled throne,
A dwarf arrived, and soon deprived,
The dragon of his life and home.
This dwarf hero of great renown,
He disappeared underground,
To build a clan, in Lightless Lands,
Not seen again, nor body found.
Beholder and leucrotta roamed,
The castle’s empty halls as home,
Full circle turned, their corpses burned,
As brigands through the fortress combed.
But Brundar Tigerbane instead,
The Wildmen of the North he led,
Brigands they killed, he did rebuild,
Before in war he too was dead.
Two hundred years of petty lords,
In Sunset Vale they bred discord,
On passing trade, they tracked and preyed,
But weakened from internal swords.
The winter can be hard and cold,
Wolves and monsters starved and bold,
Their lethal claws, tore through the doors,
Drunk on men’s blood reclaimed their hold.
A new horror then came to power,
Lich-queen sorceress Varalla,
Her iron fist saw few resist,
At her feet her servants cowered.
Tales of new spells spread far and wide,
Drawing Zhentilar eager eyes,
With hired aid, they did invade,
Forcing through to the Lich inside.
While Manshoon and his magelings fought,
Varalla, Chembryl’s magic sought,
A special mace, smashed in her face,
And Darkhold’s change in reign it brought.
The hidden fort it now remains,
Spawn of vanquishers’ grim domain,
The Zhentarim, they dwell within,
Maintaining Darkhold’s evil ways.
Feint of Honour
Almost two thousand years have passed
Since dragons’ shadows daily cast
O’er Cormyr’s forests green and vast,
Ruled by a proud and ancient black.
Thauglorimorgorus, Black Doom,
Had fought off others to assume,
This ruling rank, but he presumed,
When elves arrived, he’d drive them back.
Such arrogance was soon proved wrong,
Despite their size the elves were strong,
And losses barely harmed their throng,
When dragons slew them, still came more.
Iliphar Nelnueve, elven lord,
Requested parley with Thauglor,
Armed with a staff and narrow sword,
He sought to end this needless war.
But Thauglor did not see this view,
To him, elves were invaders who,
Made claims for lands that were undue,
And forced the dragons to defend.
The elven lord proposed a plan,
An ancient rite ‘tween dragon clans,
The Feint of Honour for the land,
And end the quarrel there and then.
“Why should I agree?” the dragon said,
The elves brought out five dragon heads,
With gems to mark their elven dead,
Set in the skulls’ polished brows.
“More of us” the elf replied,
“And when a hundred elves have died,
A hundred more step up with pride,
Against the dragons make their vows”
“Can you say such for dragonkin?”
And Thauglor could not answer him,
On numbers dragons could not win,
He took the offered Feint instead.
A fight ‘til one side was subdued,
No magic nor breath would be used,
Simple rules can still be abused,
An end to conflict lay ahead.
When dragon leapt without a pause,
Elf quickly swung the cloak he wore,
It raked across the outstretched claws,
And sliced into the tender pads.
“You did not tell me that your cloak,
Contained a weapon” Thauglor croaked,
The elf lord smiled and softly spoke,
And stripped so he was armour clad.
"You did not say you would deny,
Me time to remove it" he replied,
His taunting smile and chilling eyes,
Provoked the dragon to attack.
In blows the elf could not compete
Thauglor was strong and he was weak
But when the battle's end seemed bleak,
He gathered strength to beat the black.
As Thauglor leaned down to inflict
The killing bite he didn't predict
That Illiphar would have him tricked
And drove his staff through open jaws.
The dragon thrashed and tried to free
The staff that caused him agony
Blind by the pain he could not see
He pushed it deeper with his claws.
Thauglor's great acid pouches swelled
The elf saw that he meant to melt
The staff and so he braced himself
For the power that would ignite.
The explosion was immense
Releasing stored up enchantments
Magic flames hot and intense
Burned Thauglor and ended the fight.
The dragon coughed smoke black and thick
"Give up?" Elf asked, leaned on a stick
"You weren't supposed to use magic"
The dragon said in weak retort.
“Nor breath was what we had agreed,
Inflicted magic was your deed,
Do you bear honour as do we?”
And Thauglor nodded his support.
Almost two thousand years have passed,
Since dragon’s shadows daily cast,
Their reign was one that would not last
And to the hands of elves it passed.
Bela the Gnome
Bela the Gnome was a curious kind,
A thinker and a baker,
He believed his pies took too much time,
And yearned for a pie maker.
But not the usual hands on sort,
Would meet his satisfaction
And so he tried to rouse support,
For a pie making contraption!
He took some wood and plenty of gears,
And shaped the basic pieces,
Infusing magic, blood sweat and tears,
And oil along the creases.
At first it seemed a rousing success,
Churning out pies galore,
Where it went wrong is anyone’s guess,
Having never seen such before.
The arms they flew and the cogs they whirled,
Pastry and fillings mixing,
Random selections, the machine it hurled,
Destruction throughout the kitchen.
Alas poor Bela his fate at the hands,
Of this fine Gnomish contraption,
His face ground to filling in savoury flans,
His organs to pies post-extraction.
Adventures with Fey
In the crisp cool air of a dawn
Whose fingers caressed my hair and skin
I found myself one wintry morn
Wandered to the realm of feykin
Where had I stepped that was amiss
To lead to me to this unusual place
Where I felt Nature’s gentle kiss
Her warning, tentative embrace
While fear held my body still
The curiosity stirring deep within
My mind, I longed to walk deeper until
Mysteries were revealed therein.
Curiosity may have killed the cat
But nothing ventured, is nothing gained,
Many burning questions arising from books that,
Can be with a sense of adventure explained.
And so I found my feet walking
Onwards, to a magnificent oak,
Whose green light, unearthly glowing,
Towards a group of fairyfolk.
I stayed silent behind tufts of fragrant flowers,
And watched their dance and laughter.
I could have watched them dance for hours,
And talked of it thereafter.
But one cannot spy on fairyfolk,
Without risking their ire,
Within minutes I smelled suspicious smoke,
And realized I was on fire.
I quickly patted out the flames,
And looked around for the culprit.
He sat nearby giggling from his games
And introduced himself as Piskit.
He seemed unafraid and eager to see
What might happen next as I
Pulled forth from my bag, quick as could be,
That most heinous fey indulgence, fresh blueberry pie.
The pixie squealed aloud with glee,
And called to his companions, by the tree,
“Quickly quickly come and see!
This tall legs has brought pie for me!”
And so the adventure comes to an end,
I stayed the day and might have longer,
Eating, dancing with my new friend
But the horizon and it’s secrets always draw me stronger.
If from this song you’d take a moral,
Follow your heart and take a chance,
There’s more to life than work and quarrel,
But you will never know without a closer glance.
Vampire
(this one is to the tune of Murmaider by Dethklok ;-D)
There are some people,
Who cast no shadow
Their pale skin shining and red eyes aglow
If you should see such,
You’d best be wary,
Nocturnal predators lethal and scary.
You’ll need your:
Garlic? Check
Mirror? Check
Sunlight? Check
River? Check
Silver? Check
Stake? Check
Axe? Check
Holy symbol? Check
Vampire
Blood drinker
Vampire
Predator
Vampire
Life stealer
Vampire
Death bringer
But beware
For if you do expose them,
They will seek vengeance on you
And they won’t rest
Until you’re consumed
Chorus
Vampire
Soul taker
Vampire
Dark walker
Vampire
Life drainer
Vampire
Night stalker
Hold up your garlic to keep them at bay
They cannot approach you defended this way
Blank in the mirror reflectionless void
Restraining them back and they’re getting annoyed!
Trick them to sunlight to make them confused
It will destroy them unless they’re too shrewd.
Submerged in a stream but slow to expire
Their strength is uncanny, your plan might backfire.
Silver or magic will burn through their skin
And hurt them far faster without and within
But to truly destroy them there is one sure way
A stake to the heart and dead they will stay.
Decapitate them with your axe
Or stake removal brings them back.
Now you know defensive facts
If you are faced with an attack.
You’ll need your:
Garlic? Check
Mirror? Check
Sunlight? Check
River? Check
Silver? Check
Stake? Check
Axe? Check
Holy symbol? Check
Vampire
Blood drinker
Vampire
Predator
Vampire
Life stealer
Vampire
Death bringer
There are some people,
Who cast no shadow
Their pale skin shining and red eyes aglow
While best to avoid them
And stay out of sight
You’re better prepared for a child of the night.
Vampire
Soul taker
Vampire
Dark walker
Vampire
Life drainer
Vampire
Night stalker
Phontyr's Unicorn
Few unions can endure an age,
Or paint a story so forlorn,
As Phontyr Wonderspell the mage
And friend, a glowing unicorn.
So many wonder reasons why,
This man and beast were closely tied-
Some thought a Goddess in disguise,
Throughout his life, stayed by his side.
But others swear a darker tale,
His love under a magic spell,
His tries to free her, doomed to fail,
Forever, her true form withheld.
Phontyr the mage is now long dead,
But still his lifelong friend rides on,
She passes by his old homestead,
In eerie silence, then she’s gone.
In truth whatever she may be,
The sorrow of a lonely heart,
Still traps her in a life so free,
And keeps her and her friend apart.
Immurk the Invincible
Avast and listen ye well to my tale,
A pirate leader six hundred years prior,
On the Sea of Fallen Stars he would sail,
First of his kind, fueled by greed and desire.
Chorus:
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,
To pirates and treasure and lowly sea scum
To sea-faring battles most fiercesome,
Heave ho, draw anchor and let’s be gone!
Immurk the Invincible, scourge of the sea,
Began his career with a most worthy prize,
By stealing the crown of Cormyr’s royalty,
From a Procampur ship to their great surprise.
The crime was so bold, war was nearly declared,
By the Cormyrian King believing deceit,
But Immurk’s next raids were all well prepared.
Within a few years he’d amassed quite a fleet.
Immurk’s behaviour was not well received,
The Inner Sea nations soon upped their defence,
But new measures hardly worked as conceived,
Stolen ships, saboutage increased their incense.
To bring him to justice they tried this nine times,
Each attempt he thwarted or could not be found,
Still free and blamed for thousands of crimes,
His notorious life at last ran aground.
While battling with Sembians, he died at the helm,
Of his ship- Sea-Scorpion on perilous seas,
Struggling to steer, wind threatening to overwhelm,
Once through the danger, he collapsed to his knees.
Directed to safety by his strength and skill,
But at his advanced age, his heart had burst,
By his hand, new culture forever instilled,
Of terror, and raids, of loot and bloodthirst.
Avast and listen ye well to my tale,
Immurk the Invincible, scourge of the sea,
First pirate of legend, who never once failed,
Now rests in the arms of Umberlee
Raising our tankards, we drink to thee!
Darkhold
Part I:
High upon a mountain tall,
A hidden fort behind grim walls,
The Zhentarim, they dwell within,
Raiding after the darkness falls.
But Darkhold’s evil legacy,
Is steeped in older history,
Many tales of lore, and bloody wars,
The battle for supremacy.
At first the home of Giant-Folk,
That humans and dwarves did provoke,
Halfling attacks, were driven back,
Their dreams of glory, lost in smoke.
But their great reign came to a close,
Two giant princes, bitter foes,
Their sire slain, for ultimate gain,
The kingdom crumbled beneath their blows.
All giants now, lay cold and dead,
The empty stronghold’s walls stained red.
But not for long, before Othlong,
Robber Lord claimed his new homestead.
A plunderer, one of many,
He quickly fell to treachery,
But Angarn’s blade, was soon betrayed
The Wolf Knight took his victory.
But Darkhold’s evil runs too deep,
A ruler it declines to keep,
A captive witch, the Wolf’s throat slit,
In bed, in death, the Wolf did sleep.
The castle’s cruelest ruler then,
Took command of the Wolf Knight’s men,
But her demise, came in disguise,
As wizards entering her den.
Brigand lives became ill-fated,
Thoughts by wizards kept sedated
Mind flayers revealed, destinies sealed,
Served ‘til death, zombies created.
Next in line came a great white wyrm,
But here I pause and will stand firm,
I guarantee, just wait and see,
There’s darker stories left to learn.
Part II:
High upon a mountain tall,
A hidden fort behind grim walls,
The Zhentarim, they dwell within,
Raiding after the darkness falls.
The white wyrm’s name remains unknown,
Darkhold became his self-styled throne,
A dwarf arrived, and soon deprived,
The dragon of his life and home.
This dwarf hero of great renown,
He disappeared underground,
To build a clan, in Lightless Lands,
Not seen again, nor body found.
Beholder and leucrotta roamed,
The castle’s empty halls as home,
Full circle turned, their corpses burned,
As brigands through the fortress combed.
But Brundar Tigerbane instead,
The Wildmen of the North he led,
Brigands they killed, he did rebuild,
Before in war he too was dead.
Two hundred years of petty lords,
In Sunset Vale they bred discord,
On passing trade, they tracked and preyed,
But weakened from internal swords.
The winter can be hard and cold,
Wolves and monsters starved and bold,
Their lethal claws, tore through the doors,
Drunk on men’s blood reclaimed their hold.
A new horror then came to power,
Lich-queen sorceress Varalla,
Her iron fist saw few resist,
At her feet her servants cowered.
Tales of new spells spread far and wide,
Drawing Zhentilar eager eyes,
With hired aid, they did invade,
Forcing through to the Lich inside.
While Manshoon and his magelings fought,
Varalla, Chembryl’s magic sought,
A special mace, smashed in her face,
And Darkhold’s change in reign it brought.
The hidden fort it now remains,
Spawn of vanquishers’ grim domain,
The Zhentarim, they dwell within,
Maintaining Darkhold’s evil ways.
Feint of Honour
Almost two thousand years have passed
Since dragons’ shadows daily cast
O’er Cormyr’s forests green and vast,
Ruled by a proud and ancient black.
Thauglorimorgorus, Black Doom,
Had fought off others to assume,
This ruling rank, but he presumed,
When elves arrived, he’d drive them back.
Such arrogance was soon proved wrong,
Despite their size the elves were strong,
And losses barely harmed their throng,
When dragons slew them, still came more.
Iliphar Nelnueve, elven lord,
Requested parley with Thauglor,
Armed with a staff and narrow sword,
He sought to end this needless war.
But Thauglor did not see this view,
To him, elves were invaders who,
Made claims for lands that were undue,
And forced the dragons to defend.
The elven lord proposed a plan,
An ancient rite ‘tween dragon clans,
The Feint of Honour for the land,
And end the quarrel there and then.
“Why should I agree?” the dragon said,
The elves brought out five dragon heads,
With gems to mark their elven dead,
Set in the skulls’ polished brows.
“More of us” the elf replied,
“And when a hundred elves have died,
A hundred more step up with pride,
Against the dragons make their vows”
“Can you say such for dragonkin?”
And Thauglor could not answer him,
On numbers dragons could not win,
He took the offered Feint instead.
A fight ‘til one side was subdued,
No magic nor breath would be used,
Simple rules can still be abused,
An end to conflict lay ahead.
When dragon leapt without a pause,
Elf quickly swung the cloak he wore,
It raked across the outstretched claws,
And sliced into the tender pads.
“You did not tell me that your cloak,
Contained a weapon” Thauglor croaked,
The elf lord smiled and softly spoke,
And stripped so he was armour clad.
"You did not say you would deny,
Me time to remove it" he replied,
His taunting smile and chilling eyes,
Provoked the dragon to attack.
In blows the elf could not compete
Thauglor was strong and he was weak
But when the battle's end seemed bleak,
He gathered strength to beat the black.
As Thauglor leaned down to inflict
The killing bite he didn't predict
That Illiphar would have him tricked
And drove his staff through open jaws.
The dragon thrashed and tried to free
The staff that caused him agony
Blind by the pain he could not see
He pushed it deeper with his claws.
Thauglor's great acid pouches swelled
The elf saw that he meant to melt
The staff and so he braced himself
For the power that would ignite.
The explosion was immense
Releasing stored up enchantments
Magic flames hot and intense
Burned Thauglor and ended the fight.
The dragon coughed smoke black and thick
"Give up?" Elf asked, leaned on a stick
"You weren't supposed to use magic"
The dragon said in weak retort.
“Nor breath was what we had agreed,
Inflicted magic was your deed,
Do you bear honour as do we?”
And Thauglor nodded his support.
Almost two thousand years have passed,
Since dragon’s shadows daily cast,
Their reign was one that would not last
And to the hands of elves it passed.
Bela the Gnome
Bela the Gnome was a curious kind,
A thinker and a baker,
He believed his pies took too much time,
And yearned for a pie maker.
But not the usual hands on sort,
Would meet his satisfaction
And so he tried to rouse support,
For a pie making contraption!
He took some wood and plenty of gears,
And shaped the basic pieces,
Infusing magic, blood sweat and tears,
And oil along the creases.
At first it seemed a rousing success,
Churning out pies galore,
Where it went wrong is anyone’s guess,
Having never seen such before.
The arms they flew and the cogs they whirled,
Pastry and fillings mixing,
Random selections, the machine it hurled,
Destruction throughout the kitchen.
Alas poor Bela his fate at the hands,
Of this fine Gnomish contraption,
His face ground to filling in savoury flans,
His organs to pies post-extraction.
Adventures with Fey
In the crisp cool air of a dawn
Whose fingers caressed my hair and skin
I found myself one wintry morn
Wandered to the realm of feykin
Where had I stepped that was amiss
To lead to me to this unusual place
Where I felt Nature’s gentle kiss
Her warning, tentative embrace
While fear held my body still
The curiosity stirring deep within
My mind, I longed to walk deeper until
Mysteries were revealed therein.
Curiosity may have killed the cat
But nothing ventured, is nothing gained,
Many burning questions arising from books that,
Can be with a sense of adventure explained.
And so I found my feet walking
Onwards, to a magnificent oak,
Whose green light, unearthly glowing,
Towards a group of fairyfolk.
I stayed silent behind tufts of fragrant flowers,
And watched their dance and laughter.
I could have watched them dance for hours,
And talked of it thereafter.
But one cannot spy on fairyfolk,
Without risking their ire,
Within minutes I smelled suspicious smoke,
And realized I was on fire.
I quickly patted out the flames,
And looked around for the culprit.
He sat nearby giggling from his games
And introduced himself as Piskit.
He seemed unafraid and eager to see
What might happen next as I
Pulled forth from my bag, quick as could be,
That most heinous fey indulgence, fresh blueberry pie.
The pixie squealed aloud with glee,
And called to his companions, by the tree,
“Quickly quickly come and see!
This tall legs has brought pie for me!”
And so the adventure comes to an end,
I stayed the day and might have longer,
Eating, dancing with my new friend
But the horizon and it’s secrets always draw me stronger.
If from this song you’d take a moral,
Follow your heart and take a chance,
There’s more to life than work and quarrel,
But you will never know without a closer glance.
Vampire
(this one is to the tune of Murmaider by Dethklok ;-D)
There are some people,
Who cast no shadow
Their pale skin shining and red eyes aglow
If you should see such,
You’d best be wary,
Nocturnal predators lethal and scary.
You’ll need your:
Garlic? Check
Mirror? Check
Sunlight? Check
River? Check
Silver? Check
Stake? Check
Axe? Check
Holy symbol? Check
Vampire
Blood drinker
Vampire
Predator
Vampire
Life stealer
Vampire
Death bringer
But beware
For if you do expose them,
They will seek vengeance on you
And they won’t rest
Until you’re consumed
Chorus
Vampire
Soul taker
Vampire
Dark walker
Vampire
Life drainer
Vampire
Night stalker
Hold up your garlic to keep them at bay
They cannot approach you defended this way
Blank in the mirror reflectionless void
Restraining them back and they’re getting annoyed!
Trick them to sunlight to make them confused
It will destroy them unless they’re too shrewd.
Submerged in a stream but slow to expire
Their strength is uncanny, your plan might backfire.
Silver or magic will burn through their skin
And hurt them far faster without and within
But to truly destroy them there is one sure way
A stake to the heart and dead they will stay.
Decapitate them with your axe
Or stake removal brings them back.
Now you know defensive facts
If you are faced with an attack.
You’ll need your:
Garlic? Check
Mirror? Check
Sunlight? Check
River? Check
Silver? Check
Stake? Check
Axe? Check
Holy symbol? Check
Vampire
Blood drinker
Vampire
Predator
Vampire
Life stealer
Vampire
Death bringer
There are some people,
Who cast no shadow
Their pale skin shining and red eyes aglow
While best to avoid them
And stay out of sight
You’re better prepared for a child of the night.
Vampire
Soul taker
Vampire
Dark walker
Vampire
Life drainer
Vampire
Night stalker
Anything done to help others incorporate more reality and entertainment ing game is a bonus. Thanks for this