03-12-2022, 06:54 PM
Stories abound of Fitz the Bard, who has begun to make his way across the continent of Esshar. Though he has not yet ingratiated himself with every great faction in the land, rumors place him in Osrona, in Waystone, and in New Tannen; and a few even suggest he's strode within the Dreadwoods! And as this foreigner (who claims to be a humble bard from the Republic of Magnolia) makes his way through the realm, his songs begin to spread like wildfire. So, too, have Fitz' poems begun to circulate, becoming more widely known as time passes.
As of the year 1904 AC, three principal songs in particular have reached the ears of the public:
The Brave Little Mouse
Kanyzo the Gentle
The War of the Four Realms (Part 1)
While the Brave Little Mouse is merely a cute little song, and the War of the Four Realms is a fairly neutral beginning of a song (still in progress, though!) detailing the struggles of the great wars between Osrona, New Tannen, the Ebonblooded, and the Dreadwoods, there has been some controversy over the singing of Kanyzo the Gentle. For the song starts off seeming in support of the Osronan individuals in the story, but by the end paints a heroic image of a figure among the Dreadwood ranks, the eponymous Kanyzo the Gentle...
![[Image: Fitz_Forum_Portrait.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/435238522241417222/952276415162744932/Fitz_Forum_Portrait.png)
More than happy to play the song for any audience, the bard's song goes something like this...
A boy taken in battle, his captors fleet of foot,
Racing through the countryside to the woods of darkened root;
And in pursuit came warriors three to brave the land of shade,
Family of the captive lad, and a master of the blade.
Three against many, each titans in their own right,
Faced on all sides by the myriad creatures of the night,
The triad readied weapons bright with hatred in their eyes,
Swearing, 'Tonight will be one where someone dies.'
By their mother sworn rose the Legion of the Dreadwoods,
Bearing all the scorn of the realms beyond the shade;
For wicked things are born in the land of the Dreadwoods,
Or so it is that the old stories say.
Mystic arts and flashing steel sang through the gloom,
Yet still the trio fought with fury, their magics spelling doom;
But though the three were mighty, t'was against a tide they stood,
A throng of those who called home the blackened wood.
So stood the would-be heroes battered and bereft,
Of the child they'd meant to rescue, and their spirits all but cleft;
And then spake a rabbit black clad with a darkened mask:
‘Which of you four dies in this wood? Such a riddle I ask!'
By their mother sworn rose the Legion of the Dreadwoods,
Bearing all the scorn of the realms beyond the shade;
For wicked things are born in the land of the Dreadwoods,
Is it just as those grim old stories say?
On the faces of the trio was anger and despair,
But then a voice rose, one borne by a woman of golden hair;
She stepped from the ranks of the Legion in a warrior's guise,
Swearing, 'Tonight will be one where noone dies.'
The tension was thick,
The seconds did tick,
Silence was a candle burning to the wick.
The moment did pass,
And the brave, bold lass,
Was bowed to by the rabbit at long last.
Perhaps t'was with fury the fair girl had fought,
But true peace can never through bloodshed be bought;
And in her justice she earned honor among her band,
Girl no longer, but Centurion of Merciful Hand.
By their mother sworn rose the Legion of the Dreadwoods,
Rising past the scorn of the realms beyond the shade;
For justice can be born in the land of the Dreadwoods,
Heed not all which the old stories say.
Fitz Uberto Geraldus the Second claims that he does not support any one of the factions, but wishes to chronicle the deeds of people great and small from every one of the realms. And so, as he plies his trade, the bard makes it known that he wishes to be given permission to enter the lands of the Ebonblooded, that he might play for them as well; and moreover, that he seeks audiences with the rulers of what he calls the "Four Great Realms of Esshar," that he might begin recording the second part of his song, 'The War of the Four Realms.'
As of the year 1904 AC, three principal songs in particular have reached the ears of the public:
The Brave Little Mouse
Kanyzo the Gentle
The War of the Four Realms (Part 1)
While the Brave Little Mouse is merely a cute little song, and the War of the Four Realms is a fairly neutral beginning of a song (still in progress, though!) detailing the struggles of the great wars between Osrona, New Tannen, the Ebonblooded, and the Dreadwoods, there has been some controversy over the singing of Kanyzo the Gentle. For the song starts off seeming in support of the Osronan individuals in the story, but by the end paints a heroic image of a figure among the Dreadwood ranks, the eponymous Kanyzo the Gentle...
More than happy to play the song for any audience, the bard's song goes something like this...
Kanyzo the Gentle
A boy taken in battle, his captors fleet of foot,
Racing through the countryside to the woods of darkened root;
And in pursuit came warriors three to brave the land of shade,
Family of the captive lad, and a master of the blade.
Three against many, each titans in their own right,
Faced on all sides by the myriad creatures of the night,
The triad readied weapons bright with hatred in their eyes,
Swearing, 'Tonight will be one where someone dies.'
By their mother sworn rose the Legion of the Dreadwoods,
Bearing all the scorn of the realms beyond the shade;
For wicked things are born in the land of the Dreadwoods,
Or so it is that the old stories say.
Mystic arts and flashing steel sang through the gloom,
Yet still the trio fought with fury, their magics spelling doom;
But though the three were mighty, t'was against a tide they stood,
A throng of those who called home the blackened wood.
So stood the would-be heroes battered and bereft,
Of the child they'd meant to rescue, and their spirits all but cleft;
And then spake a rabbit black clad with a darkened mask:
‘Which of you four dies in this wood? Such a riddle I ask!'
By their mother sworn rose the Legion of the Dreadwoods,
Bearing all the scorn of the realms beyond the shade;
For wicked things are born in the land of the Dreadwoods,
Is it just as those grim old stories say?
On the faces of the trio was anger and despair,
But then a voice rose, one borne by a woman of golden hair;
She stepped from the ranks of the Legion in a warrior's guise,
Swearing, 'Tonight will be one where noone dies.'
The tension was thick,
The seconds did tick,
Silence was a candle burning to the wick.
The moment did pass,
And the brave, bold lass,
Was bowed to by the rabbit at long last.
Perhaps t'was with fury the fair girl had fought,
But true peace can never through bloodshed be bought;
And in her justice she earned honor among her band,
Girl no longer, but Centurion of Merciful Hand.
By their mother sworn rose the Legion of the Dreadwoods,
Rising past the scorn of the realms beyond the shade;
For justice can be born in the land of the Dreadwoods,
Heed not all which the old stories say.
Fitz Uberto Geraldus the Second claims that he does not support any one of the factions, but wishes to chronicle the deeds of people great and small from every one of the realms. And so, as he plies his trade, the bard makes it known that he wishes to be given permission to enter the lands of the Ebonblooded, that he might play for them as well; and moreover, that he seeks audiences with the rulers of what he calls the "Four Great Realms of Esshar," that he might begin recording the second part of his song, 'The War of the Four Realms.'