The
Songs of BardsThis scroll is dedicated to preserving the songs Bards have sung to the various unique items found in Elanthia. I have found these songs to be fascinating, full of lore, and a joy to hear. Gemstone III is a texted based game, and the major reason it is as great as it is, is because of the beautiful woven words that make an image.
There are many items in the game that have unique histories associated with them. Unfortunately these histories are always held within a close circle of the friends of the owner of the item. I hope, that with this page, we can collect some of those histories for all to enjoy.
If you have an item that has been sung to and has a history, please send it to me so I can inscribe it here. Please include the song, the name of the Bard, if the Bard wished credit, a show description of the item, anything special about the item (optional), and anything else you would like to include about the item. I will not post things like value, for sale, or such.
Click here to send your item history.
The Fier'dracus (Fiery Shard from Terror on Teras)
A white ora yataghan (A weapon owned by Monax)
The Item: Clintmire shows you a gold-hilted black golvern falchion with a shimmering blue crystal set into the pommel, which he is holding in his right hand. You also notice a small enchanter's mark.
The Song: Vasch says, "As you sing, a collage of images flashes through your mind. Slowly, the images seem to focus, and you can make out the details. You see a well-kept workshop where a wizened elvensmith is in conversation with a younger elf and pointing at the black golvern falchion in his hands."
"As you continue to sing, the images refocuses once more. You see a young elvensmith laboriously crafting the black glovern falchion from the raw materials laid out before him. As he works, he is chanting some archane verses that you cant make out"
"As you continue to sing, the images refocuses once more. The elvensmith is inscribing runes of power upon the flachion. Each rune glows brightly then fades into the blade"
"Your song continues to clarify and focus the images from the past. The ancient elvensmith raises the black golvern falchion and chants an arcane phrase. A flash of light consumes the falchion. An irridescent aura envelops the black falchion and is absorbed into it. The elvensmith seemingly looks up and gives you a wink and a smile as if he senses you presence."
The Item: The small pouch is a bedraggled piecework cobbled together from various and sundry scraps of leather. A few mismatched charms hang from its braided strap, and dangle around the edge of its top. Some depict woodland animals while others show a variety of small pots, rolling pins, peacocks, picks and persimmons.
The Song: Femereff says, "The pouch lays still in your hands, its drab exterior doing nothing to betray any unusual qualities."
Femereff says, "It's a boring little pouch. And as such pouches can sometimes do, it simply acts pouchish."
Femereff says, "this is the answers i got to my songs"
Femereff says, "What a waste of your superior talents."
Femereff exclaims, "How DARE it just sit there, like a fat toad of a useless pouch. That's tantamount to an insult, considering the exceptional timbre and inspired rhythm of such dulcet melody as that with which you labored to serenade that despicable, rude little slug of some idiot tailor's misconception! What nerve! What IMPUDENCE! Especially considering that this worthless piece of garbage can't even manage to hold more weight than that of a niggardly seed!"
Femereff says, "that scaered me"
Femereff says, "Oh well...such is the life of a poor, unappreciated bard. You do your darnedest to provide the beacon of art to this back-water of a town, and for what!? No one even understands what spectacular talents are being wasted on the ears and sensibilities of heathens."
Femereff says, "The little pouch gives you a brief glimpse of magical qualities. However, the sensation is gone almost as soon as it is felt, like a fragile flower that withers as it is plucked from the stem."
Femereff says, "it has magic"
Femereff says, "and that was all"
Femereff says, "it is for you to discover"
The Ability: Ain't a telling.
The Item: Aaislin shows you a golden lion head pendant, which she is wearing. You see nothing unusual.
The Song: Femereff says, "a story unfolds"
Femereff says, "As you sing, your vision clouds over and a scene unfolds for you. A pair of hands, weathered and wrinkled with age tirelessly polishing a perfect lion head."
Femereff says, "As you continue to sing, your field of view widens. An ancient man of elven features works on the lion head, chanting in a lilting language while polishing it. As he continues his chant the lion head begins to shine with an inner light, as if it were absorbing power."
Femereff says, "As you continue to sing, you see the elven magician place the lion head aside long enough to pick up a finely wrought chisel of adamantine. Carefully, he begins to carve a strange swirling symbol into it. as he completes the work the lion head flares with a brilliant light which fades to a faint glow."
Femereff says, "You sense that the pendant is of a time long past. The power contained within sings to you of ancient magic and hidden knowledge. The nature of the power hidden within is such that you are unable to learn the manner in which it will manifest itself. It would appear the only way to find out more would be to call forth the power within."
The Fier'dracus (Fiery Shard from Terror on Teras)
As you weave your melody, the fiery crimson shard's spire begins to pulse rapidly, flashing in a brilliant display of crimson color. You begin to match your song to the fiery flicker, and images begin to flash in your mind, each in synch to the pulsing of the fiery crimson shard in your hand. The tempo and volume of your song rise to a nearly hysterical pitch, then a loud *CRACKING* sound echoes in your mind, and you suddenly find yourself staring into what must be the very core of the world itself. Bubbling streams of magma spread out before you, twisting the air into a nauseating blur. Far off in the distance, the hazy form of a large crystal floats in mid-air, spinning slowly as tendrils of crimson energy burst from its surface to flow into the lava below, which roils and bubbles in response.
Without warning, a stream of crimson lava bursts up from beneath you, as if your eyes were not meant to gaze upon the scene they just witnessed.
Your vision is obscured, and you blink to find yourself once again in familiar surroundings.
Your song's magic wraps around the fiery crimson shard easily, but it seems to be trying to resist your attempts of unraveling the mystery around it. Regardless, your melody continues, matching the flickering luminescence of the shard.
Suddenly your vision is overwhelmed by a bright crimson glow. Just as it borders on the edge of blinding you, it begins to fade, revealing a scene which echoes with the indelible passage of time.
Great fires rage along the land, and the images flicker rapidly into different places and times. Only one thing remains constant - everything is set ablaze. Within the flames, what appear to be elementals writhe and dance within the crackling embrace of the raging infernos, their rasping voices screaming in vicious delight as they consume everything within sight.
The vision fades away, and a voice like hissing embers speaks in your mind, "I am the Fier'dracus, The Flame That Never Dies. Shattered I am for now, child of flesh, but dread the day when I am whole again, for you will burn for what you know."
With that, the voice fades away and you snap back into your surroundings.
You expertly weave the flows of mana around the fiery crimson shard, which begins to flicker in a familiar fashion. As your voice rises to a pitch where you think it might crack, you drop into a whispery melody like the soft hissing of dying embers.
Abruptly a scene unfolds before you of a great battlefield amongst the sea. Fires rage across an island of little more than igneous rock, and waves pound against the blackened wasteland. Creatures of the sea rise up from beneath the waves, and a living inferno of fire elementals and their kin wait for them. The sounds of war pound in your ears, and a cataclysmic battle between the elements rages before you. Suddenly your vision is dominated by the image of the Fier'dracus being tossed into the heart of a volcano by a large, lone lava golem. The hulking giant is soon nothing but a shell of rock as heavy rains pour down on it and extinguish its autonomous life.
The vision ends to the sound of waves crashing triumphantly upon the shore.
You begin to weave your song around the fiery crimson shard, the threads of essence connecting you to it glowing a bright crimson hue as your voice traverses through a range of melodic tones. Soon the hum of power from the fiery crimson shard fills your ears, and your surroundings begin to change as a vision takes over...
The Fier'dracus, whole again, slowly spins in front of you, and the scene pulls back to reveal a dark fiery-robed figure holding it high above its head. Wisps of crimson energy snake forth from the large gem to bathe the figure in power.
Abruptly, your surroundings change to that of a small mining colony upon a tropical island, the peak of a large volcano looming ominously in the distance. You stand amongst a crowd of people, each facing a watery figure that appears to be humanoid in shape. Though no sounds come from their mouths, it appears they're planning something.
You sing your final verse, and the fiery crimson shard surrenders its last memory, completely under the power of your melody.
Your vision shifts to that of an underground chamber filled with lava, the fiery scene dominated by the Fier'dracus, flickering as it hovers above a small ring of land within the middle of the lava. From a far embankment, a group of adventurers are gathered. Streams of magic burst from some of their hands, toward a wall of ice that collapses and forms a landbridge to the hovering gem. Soon after, a tiny wisp of flame rises up underneath the jewel, and appears to meld into it. The crystal pulses once and then goes dim. Immediately after, a large droplet of water flies through the air and completely covers the fiery relic's surface! Intense magical energies rage through the chamber as water and fire clash in a dramatic display, and without warning the Fier'dracus explodes into many fire-shrouded shards!
The vision ends, and the faintest impression of a deep rage rolls across
your mind, emanating from the fiery crimson shard's depths.
A white ora yataghan (A weapon owned by Monax)
Aureellia says, "You sense the aura of magic about the yataghan. It obviously has more than one use, and it is a weapon of great power."
Aureellia says, "The yataghan responds softly in long, peaceful descending tones. You learn that tapping or waving the yataghan can activate the magic woven within."
Aureellia says, "The yataghan's tones become
stronger and the world dissolves away. As your sight clears, you
appear to be kneeling before an altar. Before you stands an imposing grim-faced
man dressed in battle-worn black chainmail topped with a white surcoat. Slung
over his shoulder is a shield of the purest white metal you have ever seen.
The man turns to you and nods slowly as he reaches for something atop the altar.
He pulls the yataghan from the top of the altar and balances it carefully in
his hands. He gestures and utters an ancient phrase and the yataghan begins
to glow with an inner blue light. Drained from his effort he pauses a moment,
then he turns and hands the yataghan to you. As your hands reach out for the
yataghan the vision fades and slowly the world as you know it returns to solidity
around you.