Storytelling
Contents
Overview
Storytelling is the oral skill and tradition of sharing a story with another person but it is not limited to oral telling alone, stories can be told with the written word as well though it is not as common.
Stories have many purposes in Idalos. They give people an avenue to entertain each other, to pass along information, to share warnings and morals, and to feel more connected with the mortal experience by reminding the listener that they are not alone.
Storytelling varies from city to city, and from culture to culture. Each culture has its own stories that speak to its values, beliefs, morals, and important symbols. In Rharne, for example, there are common stories told over and over again about Ilaren, about Faldrun, and about the achievements of the Lightning Knights and the Thunder Priestesses. City “legends” are typically those who can drink a lot or who are impressive fighters and, because of this, their stories have been passed along (often with some new exaggeration or twist) through time. Because of the high-value Rharnians place on tavern entertainment and social gatherings, bard or storyteller can usually be found entertaining a small crowd in any tavern within the city.
There is also a long tradition of storytelling on Scalvoris. There are legends told of Immortals' Tongue, the island that plays host to Immortal shrines and strange lights. Storytellers are welcomed in inns and taverns and are often given a spare bed if they need it. Scalvoris also has a holiday, the 24th of Ymiden, which specifically celebrates the Immortal Cassion and his Stories domain.
Storytelling does not just vary for city and people but from language to language and form to form. For example, a bard may sing a story but a harp player may speak it, using the harp as an a companion for setting the tone. There is also the consideration of Operatic storytelling or musical storytelling, both where a story is being told and acted out via singing versus being sung about like in a bards songs.
Stories can also vary from language to language, the more verbose a language the harder it can be to translate for someone who does not speak it or when a word does not translate, leading to a rumor effect that makes so many great stories and legends have such variation. Those languages that use more physical aspects or sign language can also make it harder to explain to the audience if they do not know or understand the language. Or it can make it harder to tell if the teller does not convey the meanings properly, and any storyteller must keep this in mind when performing.
Storytelling is a very valuable skill for bards, entertainers, teachers, politicians, and parents. It is used both in the public domain – for example, in taverns and at public gatherings – and in the private domain – for example, within a group of friends or between a mother and her child.
Storytelling can also be a great complementary skill for Acting, Leadership, Persuasion, Rhetoric, Singing, Teaching, Deception and Writing.
The Art of Storytelling:
- Structure (simple structure - beginning, middle, end - vs. more complex)
- Setting - Where the story takes place.
- Plot - Elements that shape the story as a whole, determining where it goes.
- Characters - Determining the individuals involved in the story. From the Antagonist, Protagonists, and supporting characters.
- Theme - The overall feel of a story, and generally what ideas the teller is trying to convey.
Ways to Tell Stories:
- Long Form - Novel-length written books, or episodic stories that go on for longer than a single story-telling session.
- Fable - A fantastical story that departs from the ordinary rules of the world, and attempts to convey or enforce a useful truth or value.
- Folk Tale - A story passed down from one teller to the other, often varying in details and changing through many iterations of transmission.
- Short Story - A short story, that takes a single session to convey.
- Epic - A long narrative, meant to elevate the deeds of a legendary or well-known hero or person.
- Poem - A composition in verse. Sometimes including story elements, but not always.
- Song - A composition meant to be accompanied by musical performance, whether singing or with instruments. Often but not always including story elements.
The Elements of Telling a Story:
- Vocal Variety - Including changes of tone, and character voices.
- Imagery - Improving one's stories with vivid descriptions of actions, scenery, objects, and characters.
- Rhythm - The general flow of a story can make it much more palatable to an audience, depending on their disposition. Children may become impatient with an over-long and complex story, while more sophisticated audiences might require a story with deeper meaning, or else story elements executed with a particular intention toward the audience, whether it be to amuse, titillate, excite, or sadden.
- Drama - Emotional appeal of a story, and the ability to convey it's weight.
- Appeal to the Audience - Knowing your audience, and what they're likely to enjoy.
Retention of Stories and Accuracy:
Some forms of storytelling call for wild embellishment and improvisation, while others call for a traditional and unmoving format. In either case, the Storyteller must have an impeccable memory, and naturally will find their retention of stories improving as they gain more and more skill at the art of telling stories. They will find ways of introducing Mnemonic devices to their stories, to help not only them but their audience remember the story better.
The skill levels detailed below will show more clearly how much of a repertoire a Storyteller can expect to maintain.
Skill Ranks
Novice (0-25)
The Novice Storyteller is someone who is new to the craft. They are just beginning to learn the structure of good storytelling, and often have a hard time weaving together a coherent tale from beginning to end. They tend to include too few details or too many, which results in failing to capture the listener’s attention, and their stories are often convoluted. This can be a frustrating level because the Novice is often all too aware of what a good story sounds like; they just have a difficult time replicating it. They will have a few favorite standby stories that they can remember and call upon at need, but for the most part are lacking a large library of tales to draw from.
Competent (26-75)
The Competent Storyteller is someone who has a basic understanding of the craft and is beginning to add onto their foundation. Their tales become more coherent, able to know work on variations of the tales structure. Here storytellers have found their niche for storytelling they can begin to focusing more on the elements of telling a good story as opposed to just telling the story itself. But they will still struggle potentially with combining all the elements of a good story, such as pacing, characterization, mood, etc. Where they will begin to shine in some areas they will lack in others making for a sometimes uneven story. A competent storyteller will have a good collection of stories at this point, and be able to improvise and alter existing stories in their repertoire, to keep them fresh for newer or repeat audiences. They begin to realize that a story told can take various branching paths, and thus cater such improvisations to the audience in question.
Expert (76-150)
The Expert Storyteller is nearly a master in their craft. They understand storytelling as a whole and now it is time to weave all the pieces of a good story into a magnificent one. These storytellers will focus on honing their craft to perfection, changing the style, or adding more skills to the story such as acting, singing, etc and while this helps pushes their storytelling skills farther it can make for an overwrought story at times when making up stories off the cuff. However, they are entirely capable of holding an audience's attention through tried and tested tales. Once they begin to gain more footing their stories and all their extras parts begin to blend together beautifully. By now, the Expert will have a large collection of stories, mostly gained from places they've visited. Or if they're a lifelong local, they can expect to know all the greatest stories of their nation/city of origin. They can improvise and change the stories at will, and nobody will be the wiser to their alterations. Skill and ability in other social skills such as deception, seduction, and rhetoric can help bolster the efficacy of their storytelling.
Master (151-250)
The Master Storyteller makes the story come alive and has developed their own unique and recognizable techniques to tell stories. Those who have had the privilege and the pleasure of listening to a Master tell a story often claim that they could see the images come to life before them. The Master pulls his or her listeners into the tale so completely that the listener often fails to recognize that time is passing because they are entirely present. They could keep an audience or listener enthralled for as long as necessary, as long as their own performance stamina holds up. The Master Storyteller can call up emotions with just a few simple words and can elicit in his or her listener's laughter, fear, tears, and anger with little more than a poignant image or truthful dialogue. By now, a storyteller's library of knowledge of the tales of lands is only bounded by their experience. They will have flawless absorption of stories told by others, and be able to embellish and improve upon the entertainment value of even the driest of tales. There's really no limit to the amount of branching paths their stories can take, and they are able to adapt to any audience, to make it that much more entertaining.
Credit: Rumour, Korva, and Woe.