Diver Flutes

History

Diver Flutes are a type of wind instrument, encapsulating a large category of whistles, flutes, and pipes originally made to mimic the sound caused by dragons entering a steep dive at high speeds. Dragons, especially those with lots of ornamentation, spikes, or spines along their body which many of their kind have adapted to due to intraspecies conflict, rarely fly silently when at high speed, producing sharp whistles or 'screams' from air moving over their bodies. The flutes and whistles mimicking this sound became widespread across groups in conflict with the dragons from 3,000 to 8,500, however, may have been prevalent even earlier in history, though few examples of such artifacts have been found due to that most are made of soft woods, reed, or other plant fiber from this era and do not preserve well. Early examples of the flutes sometimes include other devices meant to mimic this sound, such as whistles created by tying small stones, often with specially carved holes, to lengths of rope or twine meant to be spun at high speed.
For much of history, these instruments were used as a deterrent against dragon attacks, especially while traveling. Similarly to eye spot patterns, many dragons have quite strong reactions to the sound, due to that most of their kind will attack one another with ambushes, and produce the noise just before they are within range to hit their target with a dive-bomb, and just hearing the sound alone in many cases can get even highly aggressive and determined drakes to break off an attack in attempt to defend themselves from or dodge a perceived blow. By mimicking the sound, humans and humanoids were able to defend themselves and even spook off many dragons themselves, a much more reliable method of defense when traveling, moving, or otherwise unable to shelter in areas secure from dragons. While their use as a deterrent and safety measure seemed to have come first, many groups also worked the instruments into their music, using them for a desired sound as many flutes are not made to only produce one note, and can be played to a specific tune with enough practice. Flutes that can be played without the need of a person actively using them also became quite common, often being installed on the tops of structures such as walls, roofs, or towers to deter attack and made use of the wind in order to create noise.
Modern implementations of the instruments have not changed much beyond their materials and how widespread their usage is. Most modern diver flutes are made from metal, ceramic, hardwood, or clays and are generally mass produced, made to last and be easily played as a musical instrument themselves, producing different tones and notes to melodies. Usage of the flutes for deterring dragon attack has also become exceedingly rare outside of nomadic groups or those within the territory of highly aggressive dragons, such as the far northern reaches of the world where food is extremely scarce. Instead, most use of the flutes today is steeped in cultural traditions surrounding them or for the sake of music and the desired sound they create- hunting whistles, hunting signals, a cultural shorthand for imminent danger, and desired sound are all extremely common reasons to use them.

Significance

Certain groups still make use of diver flutes in day to day life for their original purpose of deterring dragon attacks. Manly, they are used by nomadic groups such as the Pack of Ferventi, various Centari tribes, and Fairies for this purpose. Some regions do also still use them attached to structures to prevent damages, although their legal jurisdiction is often hotly debated, due to causing fear and distress in dragons in their proximity.
The sounds of these instruments have also seen large amounts of use in the film industry, particularly in horror and shock and awe films as a cultural shorthand for feelings of dread, danger, and imminent threat.

Rarity

Uncommon

Raw materials & Components

wood, clay, metal, ceramic, or plant fiber