Canonfire!

Tue Dec 01, 2020 9:41 pm Seeing what interest in a Greyhawk music album

Some of you know me as 3orcs on Discord and on World Anvil and Fantasy Grounds. I usually chat there. But I decided to see what interest there is in starting a Patron to create a Greyhawk song album.

I rewrote the Battle of Emridy meadows, found the melody and paid a professional guitar singer to create this song in his sound studio. He is willing to create more songs.

The idea behind the ballad or the Battle at Emridy Meadows is to have a bard sing it at a tavern where the players are gathering rumors. Instead of reading blocks of history at players, I found it much more interesting for the history to be sung to the players by a bard. Check it out and tell me what you think and the possibility of more songs. I can take any Greyhawk poem and have a song created out of it.

https://soundcloud.com/david-babbitt-546970822/battle-of-emridy-meadows

Wed Dec 02, 2020 2:58 pm Re: Seeing what interest in a Greyhawk music album

This sounds like a great idea! I will listen to the Battle Emridy Meadows when I get the chance.

Speaking of songs, there have been a number of them suggested in my own campaign. Most of them are just titles at the moment and draw inspiration from real life songs. Others are more original creations. They are a mix of both funny and serious but always a great way to relay information. The list so far includes the following along with the real life inspiration:

1. It’s a long way to Furyondy –It’s a long way to Tipperary (British army song)
2. Greyhawk, Greyhawk – New York, New York (Frank Sinatra)
3. I’m badly burned (aftermath of being hit by a fireball) – I’m like a bird (Nelly Furtado)
4. O Blinding Light (Church of Pholtus) – same rhythm as Amazing Grace
5. Steel Dressed Man – Sharped Dressed Man – ZZ Top (I saw this I think in a Dungeon or Dragon magazine ages ago)
6. The Ballad of Rua Morgaiste – actually self created for adventures in Blackmoor
7. In the ghetto – same inspiration as the Elvis version but directed at one my player’s half-orc characters from Hardby
8. Ball of Fire – (penchant for getting hit by enemy fireballs) – Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash
9. Dwarven Galardon – (Ira Hayes) - Johnny Cash
10. Dream On (doomed romance between 2 player characters – not real life) – Nazareth
11. Corbett’s Marineers (Barrett’s Privateers) - Stan Rogers
12. Witch of the Blackmoor Land (Witch of the Westmoreland) – Stan Rogers
13. Spellweaver – Dreamweaver – Gary Wright

I remember reading somewhere (maybe even on canonfire) the campaign idea of forming a group of bards who act as a rock band and tour the Flanaess. They are highly skilled and can play everything from a classical concert for Elves, to Pub songs for Dwarves, to the hardest heavy metal concert in Dorakaa itself in the heart of Iuz’s Empire. They use their cover as a rock band to get into adventures between sets as well as obtain new material to develop songs to. I am not actually sure how this would work, but it would certainly be original! Maybe they are agents of a government, like Gellor the Bard was for the County of Urnst in the Gord of Grehawk novels.

Cheers,

Chameleon

Thu Dec 03, 2020 11:35 am

"One night in Rookroost and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but their pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
And if you're lucky, then the god's a she
I can feel a demon sliding up to me...

Thu Dec 03, 2020 11:36 am

Sun Dec 06, 2020 5:04 pm Re: Seeing what interest in a Greyhawk music album

Mon Dec 07, 2020 8:54 am Re: Seeing what interest in a Greyhawk music album

Hi TregMallin,

Pleasure to meet you on the forum!

I chose "O Blinding Light" since that is actually the anthem of the Church of Pholtus, according to page 74 of the 1983 Greyhawk setting.

If you mean setting the actual hymn to the rhythm of "O Holy Night", that could work as well I am sure. I have copied below the words of the hymn set to the rhythm of Amazing Grace. The words reflect the Theocracy of the Pale and the Church of Pholtus as I imagine the Church Militant would be, not unlike the Church during the time of the Spanish Inquisition. They believe they are doing the work of a higher power, but are rather less than tolerant towards those they perceive as pagans or heretics, as the unfortunate history of Europe during the Protestant Reformation and subsequent wars of religion tragically demonstrated.

O BLINDING LIGHT!

O Blinding Light, that pierced the night
And saved me from despair
You are my strength, my sacred sight
The end of woes and cares

‘Twas light that taught my eyes to see
And light to my heart spoke
Tis Pholtus who ended misery
And scorched foul Aerdy’s yoke

Next Nyrond brought its pagan wrath
And evil occupation
But Blinding Light, the one true path
Our Emancipation

His light has blessed our land the Pale
Preserved us from all doom
Against our foes we have prevailed
And sent them to their tomb

When we grow cold from evil’s hold
And shiver from its ire
Regard our Lord who has us told
All pagans for the fire!

Cheers,

Chameleon

Wed Dec 09, 2020 1:15 pm

"O Blinding Light" is from a Firesign Theatre sketch. Gygax was purportedly a fan: https://doomsdaygames.proboards.com/thread/877/inside-temple-pholtus

Fri Dec 11, 2020 7:38 am

Sun Dec 20, 2020 1:55 am

Stylin LP38:

The lyrics to the Battle of Emridy Meadows ballad are great, as is the execution by the guitarist/singer.

That said, I would be concerned about the blatant copyright violation of Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which is where you "found" the melody.

It's a very well known song in folk music circles, and an original song, not just some traditional tune in the public domain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vST6hVRj2A.

Gordon Lightfoot is still alive and active, even if quite old now.

Wed Dec 30, 2020 11:14 am

Yes, that music is IP copyright protected. I just created it for myself in my D&D campaign. That is the reason why I do not allow it to be downloaded or shared with others. I just figured you all would find it interesting. If I were to do something like this again I would discuss an original melody with my artist.

Original lyics by Kylearanon

Wed Dec 30, 2020 1:48 pm

Cool.

Then yeah, if you're aiming to do your own music and melody, then that would be of interest... in the longer term for me, anyway. I've been out of work for a long time and have no D&D/Greyhawk games on the horizon, so it's unfortunately unlikely that I would be a contributor to the Patreon in the near future.

I hope you get lots of support, StylinLP38, your project is a great idea!

Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:40 am Re: Seeing what interest in a Greyhawk music album

Sat Feb 27, 2021 8:38 am

I am still looking for collaborators to create more of these songs. Its been over a month and I had two artists contact me from Facebook posts. But no one has offered greyhawk lore poems as of yet. My next song planned is the Golden Death Skull prophecy from Temple of Elemental Evil. That poem is already written in the module so I will be using those words.

Mon Mar 01, 2021 11:53 am

Currently I been thinking about Bards and "Legend Lore" type abilities.

I am currently working on producing my next song. The players approach a bard with the Golden Skull of Death from the TOEE> the Identify spell didnt tell them much. Since this is an Artifact they need higher power altar-planar knowledge. So the bard strums his lute and the prophecy comes to him.

Should be done in 2 weeks.

Fri Apr 02, 2021 2:03 pm

The Orb of Golden Death prophecy youtube video is up! This is the second song i have produced so far. As of yet, no ones stepped up to collaborate with me on future songs. I am still looking for others to help.

The Orb of Golden Death produced by 3orcs
https://youtu.be/zm06SIlVYQA