Magical Music Myths

This book has been written in 613 by Jenah Havebois, and collects tales of 3 bards they met.

Leofyr and Jue : A myth of Beauty

The first story opens on the mystery of Jue Wells, related as the most suberb of face. A sun elf shining like the star, she radiated of confidence on stage either by singing or playing violin, always dancing like a flame. Such a beauty should have turned heads in the streets, yet for decades no one has seen her out of her representation. Who was shen where did she come from ? This, was the mystery of Jue Wells.
The Narrator presents themselves as a fellow bard desiring to play with her, following her footsteps but unable to approach her in time before she vanished in the crowd once more. They tried to stay as close to the stage as they could, even ready to use their own magic on her. But oh so elusive, the moment the curtains closed, it was like she has never been there.  On the road, he met another fellow fan of Jue who offered to follow her steps together. A little half elf boy, a shy creature named Leofyr. The boy was clearly more human than elven, if his manners were soft he had nothing of the elven grace. He barely showed his face, hidden under dirty bangs of hair. During the travel, he barely spoke, and tended to hide behind the Narrator when people approached them. When they arrived to their next destination, the Narrator basked in Jue's gracious dance, but when he turned around, Leofyr was nowhere to be seen. He wondered how shy was the boy... Alas, no results again. He found back Leofyr in the crowd and this time, offered themselves to join him on the road. Noting the half-elf's surprise, they still walk together and the Narrator started playing their luth.  Leofyr joined in singing, a singing described as soft as comforting, like sun carressing their cheek after rain. They ask Leofyr why he doesn't sing in public. Leofyr awkwardly answered he "wasn't what people were looking for in an artist". The Narrator complimented him again on how genuine his voice was, and he should try next town. Just before they arrive, Leofyr told to the Narrator he knew where Jue would be before her show and he could lead them to her, on the condition he stayed blindfolded from now on.
Leofyr becomes the Narrator as he guides the other to her hideout. He tells about his birth as a bastard in a high elven house. Shamed by his family he was locked away for most of his childhood, with the order to not be seen by anyone. Leofyr had two sister he describes as 'Pretty as moondrops'. But they were also very cruel to him, calling him ugly names and stating not even his mother was able to look at him. He eventually ran away and hid in the forest. There, alone and starving, he sang to himself a lullaby he heard his mother sing to his sisters. That is when Dryad heard his soft, high voice, and saved him to teach him how to sing, magic, and dance. But he still couldn't stand the reflection of his own face. After his training, he joined back the city and met Jue as well as an adventuring party.  He states that Jue never looked at him or the party once, only doing her routine. But the party saw him, and gave him a chance. They were the first humanoid to welcome him, and from behind stages he helped them with the magic taught by the Driads. Once, the barbarian of the party got deeply injured. And despite his terror of being noticed, Leofyr ran from behind to face the threat. He remembers the warmth of bravery 'shining through him' and managed to buy enough time for the others to finish it off. As a thanks, the barbarian gathered materials and offered him a darkwood violin. And now the band had to fall apart he was 'alone with Jue again.' That is the moment Leofyr took off the blindfold, shining as his image faded under the pretty face of Jue.
Returning to the original Narrator's point of view, Leofyr explained how Jue has first been nothing but make up and effects, to give himself confidence. But after that fateful day where he stopped hiding, Jue was now shining through like a natural illusion everytime he grabbed this violin or needed to be brave. "People love to stare at beautiful faces, but my friends taught me that beauty shines from within." The tale closes with the Narrator playing by Jue's side, and noticing that now he knew the truth, he could see Leofyr and Jue still shared the same eyes, the same smile, the same warmth. They wondered how they hasn't noticed it right away before concluding, maybe he needed to close their eyes to see it truly.

Zesed the Soulless : A myth of Emotion.

This tale starts by asking the reader what does a bard has to give up to create perfection, the what even is perfect art. Something pricey, something useful ?
The Narrator presents a human feared by many by his mere presence. Zesed, titled the Soulless by his peers, looked more dead than alive. His voice was cold as ice, empty. His grey eyes, pale skin and long dirt-white hair gave him the apparence of an Undead. Zesed didn't live much his shed outside of town. Many wondered if he was really dead, maybe just a spirit staying around ? The answers arrived in a cold winter night. A pack of lycanthropes was threatening the city. That pack embracing their wild curse usually circled through the forests but as preys were starting to hide to sleep, they were not against attacking cities to get their food. This little town had no guard ready for magical threats. This was when Zesed arrived in the town's hall and proposed to deal with the werepeople, on condition people gave him 'their metallic trash, broken stones and leftovers of wood.' Confused by such an odd demand, they still accepted figuring it was a pretty cheap price. Upon recieving the junks from the city, Zesed began his strange work. Part of it, he buried around the city. What was left, he brought it to his shed. When the lycanthropes came back, Zesed presented himself alone, with nothing but his ragged clothes and a lyre. He warned the creatures to not bother this town. "I finished my work, and i have nothing to lose anymore. I can not care less for your death or mine in this ordeal, but i appreciated this town, and i will keep it safe." The lycanthropes laughed, how can one single, what a zombie, expect to win ?  This was when Zesed started to play his lyre, a discordant and chilling tune, breaking the werebeast's sensitive ears. The ennemies started their attack, when from the ground arms and claws sprouted, grabbing their legs and holding tight. All the trashes Zesed buried around came to life in grotesque, mismatched golems which attacked the beasts. When they tried to circle around, Zesed moved as well and woke up more of those metal and stone oddities to keep holding the fight. This last for a day, and for a day Zesed played around the city's walls. Finally the few werebeasts still alive fled, and the people acclaimed Zesed as their savior. But before they could offer him a more decent payment than trash, Zesed fainted, and drew his last breath with the first smile he has ever been seen with. When the villagers went to his shed, they found a surprise shaking them all. All the trash that he kept in here has been turned into a statue. They could see the materials broken ugly and torned, but the overall result was more heart-breaking than anything : the form of a tall human male, with soft features, a smile gentle and soft, details of some old age, sitting with arms slightly open toward the villagers. He was so lifelike in every detail, despite the material, they thought he could get up at any time. And in place of its heart, a mechanical box. When played, Zesed's golems awoke again and started cleaning the streets, helping others.
Zesed was indeed a revenant, with no soul to call his own anymore. He devoted his un-life to recreate the emotions he saw in others, to remember what it was like to feel. With the little people left him, he made life anew through his statue and golems. The tale close wondering if Zesed had no emotions, how come he cared so much for this city ?

Mardrias : A myth of Laughter

This tale takes place in another kingdom of moutains, led by a king born in his castle high upon the highest mountain, protected in its highest tower. One day the kingdom got under attacks of giants desiring to rule over those mountains. The coward king was far too afraid to go down the tower with the risk of giants, leaving his people at the mountains base even more in danger. One person did care, his personnal Fool, the tiefling Mardrias. Mardrias was no fighter, but he had a plan, and a lot of jokes.
Everyday, Mardrias would stay in the king's hall, look down the balcony and laughed at the giants. The tiefling has bells on his horns, and those bells carried his laughter far and wide for the giants to hear. The king got fairly upset at this provocation and ordered him to stop multiple times, but Mardrias kept laughing "My King, how can i stop, they look so small and puny from here. They really think they can win being like this ?" And so after a week of this, the king ordered Mardrias out of the castle, saying he won't find them as funny once face to face.
Mardrias left the castle and went down to the next big city. There he joined the crowds and looked up to the giants. He started laughing and laughing even harder than up in the castle, and his echoing bells brought his laughter through all the city, the giant's ears, and even up to the castle. The city's mayor, absolutely panicked, begged him to stop laughing at those creatures. Mardrias kept going "How can you not laugh ?  From here we don't see the giants' legs. It looks like a big jello flesh bouncing around !" Some people around snickered unable to unsee this stupid image. A giant heard the laughs and grabbed Mardrias. He asked a reason to not make him an example by crushing him in his hand right here and there. Mardrias tilted head and using the echo of his bells answered "Maybe if i could go down the lowest village, i would see your true size...And maybe this would scare me." 
The giant found that fair and released the tiefling, letting him fall at his feet. By some devil tricks of his knowledhe, Mardrias managed to land in the village with nothing more than a broken ankle. Unable to stay up, he sat on the ground and looked up to the giant. He started hollering in laughter, so hard he rolled on the ground. And the bells once more echoed this higher and louder than ever, the laugh of Mardrias carried through the village and lowlands. The peasants got out of their farms to plead him to stay silent. Mardrias pointed up "Those giant are so swoled up on pride, they don't see how ridiculous they are ! Look ! From here we can see their family jewels under their loincloth. How can someone be so stupid to not hide that ?" People started to look up and could indeed see the giants genitalias, and they started to laugh. The bells shook harder with the joined laughter of the peasants, to a point it reached all ears in the kingdom, and even back up to the castle.
The king looked down, curious to see how Mardrias could still laugh. He saw the upper city laughing as well, and the peasants down the mountain all the same. So, even down there, no one was afraid of those giants ? Maybe his fool was right, they really weren't that impressive. Finding back bravery, the king gathered his armies and went down to fight the envahissor. The fear washed away in the citizen's hearts, they joined the fight and all together pushed away the giants. Once the fight over, Mardrias joined back the castle chuckling. "Didn't i tell you my king ? They don't look that impressive."

The book concludes with the Narrator visiting a village where a statue made music, with tiny mechanical golems around. They sat against the statue, and heard from far far away an echo of a laughter. They reminisce the tales of the three bards, implying they met all of them.

Type

Manuscript, Historical