29th of Vhalar 722
Kalif was a little annoyed. Lotema was making herself scarce of late when he was at home, and Weep was even less available for whatever reason. He could have sworn they both seemed to be up to something, and he would have it out of them eventually. Fortunately for them, however, he had pressing matters to attend in the coming evening, and so his time at home had been dedicated to setting up the concert he'd hold for the garrison of Morq's Aerie at his own house.
He'd discovered, after a while, that several of his squadmates were fairly adept at singing, and could even hold a tune. None of them were anywhere near as excellent a voice as Kal's, of course, but he thought they'd prove an appropriate accompaniment to his own performance. It was just as well, as the Empire had this cultural quirk where they preferred performers to play music in groups. Kal understood why, so he thought, it was because of the Empire's general emphasis on group cohesion. It was a concept that ruled from the highest station in the Military, down to the family level. Everything was a group activity. Even marriage and family were a clan affair, where relationships were more open than a brawl in Yaralon.
So he enlisted his Corporal, Jiann, and one of their newer recruits, Hamza Narvine. These two were the best voices in his squad. While their voices weren't anything to get excited about, they'd provide a good accompaniment to his own singing.
He'd prepared the music score himself, gifted as he was by isolation from Lotema and Weep, he took full advantage of the undivided focus to pour into his work on the songs. He wanted to incorporate Delroth into the narrative that the songs wove, in an epic verse relating to a figure known throughout the surrounding valley. Arithzma, the First Born. He'd heard a mix of stories since then, of his association with Karem, before his eventualy fall into despair and loneliness, that prompted his tragic suicide dive over a cliff.
He decided he wanted to focus more on the ameliorating aspects of his character, his life before his downfall, and possible connections to Karem, as she was fairly popular through the Empire.
Kal wrote the song with that in mind, and then got to writing the music, using his knowledge of rhythm and the drums to supplement the work. Rhythm was an important part of it, given that the song would go on for sometime, in an epic verse.
His squadmates had rested in his castle for the trials leading up to the concert, and invitations had gone out across the valley. Kal would be paying for the victuals for the party, good food would be offered to all who attended, and he expected quite a good turnout, given the collection of villages that filled the valley. With this in mind, and the promise of the night before him, he took his parchment with the music and song on it, and copied them for the musicians that would be joining their band for the evening. Then once the ink dried, he brought them down to set up on the lecterns for the amphitheater that was set up in the northern wing of his castle. There, a great view of the lake, Arithzma's Tears was splayed out for all to see, as the amphitheater was partly outdoors, with partitions that could be taken down to improve the view even further.
Kal took to the stage on his wings, and joined his two squadmates and their hired troubadors, who would be playing instruments to accompany their singing. The avriel mortalborn handed out those pamphlets with the music on them to his performers, and once he was ready, took to the center stage.
"Greetings, Imperial Citizens! You are all welcome to my home on this blessed day of rest, gifted to us by our Immortal Empress. I wanted to open the evening with a small address to you all personally, and a heartfelt appreciation I feel for your attendance to our concert." He swept his arms under his body in a deep bow, as his brilliant wings splayed out above him. Then he righted himself straight, and spoke more to them, "The songs we have to share will celebrate the heritage of this valley, of the gift of civilization granted it by the Empress. A place nevertheless, that is also important to Delroth, as a migratory stop of for innumerable bird species." This part of his speech got some caged whispers among the audience. But he paid them no heed, "I dedicate this song to Delroth, and his grief for the hero that was lost to these shores many centuries ago. Arithzma, the Silvered Wing."
Kal struck up the band, and prompted them to begin their playing. It began in a haunting pull of bows against violas and cellos, and then joined by flutes and horns in a mournful refrain. Finally, Kalortah's
harp
began plucking its own strings prompting the song to begin.And began it did, with ululating choral refrains by Jiann and Hamza, who being of Vorkelian extraction, of the Hotlands tribes themselves, had been taught to sing in that manner of choral utterances without words. It was a fine showing by the both of them, even as Kalortah had yet to join their singing. The words were his to sing, and he waited a good bit before joining in the musical performance.
"The Silvered Wing, inured to the torments of Plague and Fury,
Flew from cursed earth, across Aeva's Peak.
He found no rest or recovery from his deep wounding,
Save from the mercy of Karem's speech."
He continued in a choral verse, which conveyed all that Karem taught Arithzma (fictional accounts of course, as far as Kal knew), but were well repeated by the people of the Vale, who held the Avriel who'd thrown the yoke of savagery off for civilized and nobler ways in high esteem.
The music continued unabated, taking cues from the lyrics that Kal and his squadmates sang.
