On the decks of the merchant vessels, workers sing songs without lute or mandolin. The work songs of the Saibhrean sailors still are something to behold, even though they are primarily functional and not enjoyed in an entertainment setting on the isles themselves. The songs are sung in a "call and response" format, where one strong voice, typically the crew foreman, sings the "call" portion. The rest of the crew responds with their voices in unison forming the chorus. The chanting's rhythmic nature allows the crew to work in synchronized fashion. Here is but one of the many work songs (sea shanties) of the sailors of the Saibhrean Isles.
Tag: worldbuilding
History of the Saibhrean Isles – Part II
The Daoine Farraige people were now home, and there they would remain undisturbed for several centuries, free to expand and distinguish themselves into different geographical clans. The autonomy of the Daoine Farraige people would eventually be challenged as the Torians came to annex the rogue states, but before that ever happened the Daoine Farraige would create their own system of government seperate from Torian rule.
History of the Saibhrean Isles – Part I
There are no kings in the Saibhrean Isles, an archipelago of islands situated off the Northwest coast of Caelon. The islands, ancestral home of the ancient Daoine Farraige peoples, are today ruled by powerful merchant lords who owe no fealty to any other governing body. The islands are neither a part of the Torian North nor are they aligned with the Warathi Empire. The trade barons of the Saibhrean Isles instead prefer to stay neutral in all conflict of the mainland, gathering riches from trade with both powers. Though the various Houses of the Isles are often lumped in with one another as a singular people by mainlanders, and direct conflict is rare between them, the peoples of the Isles are more disjointed and separate than any other political states on Caelon. However, this was not always the case.
“Tides of Warfare” – Song by the Sea Bard
Recovered Texts of Lost Civilizations – Part 2 – Ancient Swords
Among the other mysteries that have been alluded to within the recovered texts of the ancients, diagrams of fantastic weaponry have been discovered in many settlements. Swords, especially, have been used in artwork of all kinds that were left behind when the world's people were lost in the Fall. But for as prevalent as the depictions of the swords have been, very few swords of that era remain. The few swords that have survived over the millennia are typically treated as heirlooms, locked away within royal vaults, not to be used in actual combat due to fears of value being lost, even if the swords have demonstrated remarkable longevity. The secret of how these swords were originally made remains lost, but some believe the answer lies within the mountain city of Vestilla, where ancient mines long sealed off from the outside world were used to extract precious metals that may have been used in the original production of the swords.