Ah Never Knew his Name
--- performed Aspis Bardfest 5101

Llorrin stands up.
(Llorrin slowly walks to the front of the crowd.)
Llorrin sits down.
Llorrin slings a silver-clasped ash mandolin case engraved with teardrops along the lid off from over his shoulder.
Llorrin fiddles with his mandolin case before lifting the latch and flipping the cover open.
Llorrin removes a silvery carved haon mandolin from in his mandolin case.
Llorrin closes his mandolin case and fiddles with the latch for a moment.
Llorrin slings a silver-clasped ash mandolin case engraved with teardrops along the lid over his shoulder.
Llorrin carefully checks the strings of his mandolin, plucking them lightly and adjusting the tension until the sound is perfectly pitched.

Llorrin recites:

"Ah got the idea for this song
From something that happened to me on the Dhu'Gullywack
The gnomish airship"

Llorrin recites:

"We were exploring some tunnels on one of our stops
And come across a dead dwarf."

Llorrin begins playing a quiet song on his mandolin.

Llorrin recites:

"He had no grave...no stone...nothing to mark his passin' or what he had done.
Which Ah thought was sad indeed
So Ah decided then to write a song for him"

Llorrin recites:

"That song quickly changed in the writing
Ta mark the deeds o' all o' the unsung heroes o' tha lands."

Llorrin lazily bridges into another key, the melody of his song as gentle as a drowsy stream flowing through a quiet forest.
Llorrin hangs his head.
(Llorrin hangs his head so low his face is hidden from view and sings in a low, soft voice barely heard above soft tones of his mandolin.)

Llorrin sings:

"One Dwarf made a stand
And saved us all from harm
Took life with his hand
Constructs sound the alarm"

Llorrin slowly modulates through a series of chords, building a beautiful melody.

Llorrin sings:

"Mah eyes saw his work
And what deeds he had done
Death he did nae shirk
His task he did nae shun."

With a mournful spill of notes the descant falls back into the lower tones, winding about the main theme in a melancholy refrain.
(Llorrin slowly, almost regretfully, sings sofly.)

Llorrin sings:

"He never asked for fame

Ah never knew his name"

Executing a run of precise fingerwork, Llorrin increases the intensity of his song exponentially.
(Llorrin suddenly shifts into a higher, much more intense voice, never raising his head.)

Llorrin sings:

"So this is his monument
This song is his stone
Ah know what his life meant
Heroes o' flesh an' bone"

Llorrin makes a dramatic change in the song's dynamics, sweeping from soft to loud in a sharp crescendo then back into the middle ranges.

Llorrin sings:

"Their sacrifice was nae vain
Their light through dark shone
Saved so many from pain
Heroes o' flesh an' bone"

The tempo of Llorrin's song slows slightly, taking its time to convey a message of gentleness and rest.
(Llorrin again sings in a soft, low voice which is barely heard above the precice, slow fingering of his mandolin.)

Llorrin sings:

"One man made a stand
Hunted a fethidmorhe
Magic in the land
Hurt the creature no more."

With careful concentration, Llorrin draws out a series of notes, allowing them to layer into a sweet harmony.

Llorrin sings:

"He went down an' down
Into tha creatures lair
Knocked it to tha ground
Did what no one else dare."

Llorrin caresses the strings once, very gently, making his mandolin seem to sigh as the melody continues.

Llorrin sings:

"He never asked for fame

Can you remember his name?"

Llorrin makes a dramatic change in the song's dynamics, sweeping from soft to loud in a sharp crescendo then back into the middle ranges.
(Llorrin again sings out the chorus in a clear, high voice never raising his head from his mandolin.)

Llorrin sings:

"So this is his monument
This song is his stone
Ah know what his life meant
Heroes o' flesh an' bone"

Llorrin bridges his song into a new key, taking it to new heights of intensity.

Llorrin sings:

"Their sacrifice was nae vain
Their light through dark shone
Saved so many from pain
Heroes o' flesh an' bone."

The tempo of Llorrin's song slows slightly, taking its time to convey a message of gentleness and rest.
(Llorrin again sings soft and low, barely heard above his instrument.)

Llorrin sings:

"Invasion begun
We fight into the night
Waves after waves come
We drag or heal or fight."

With strong fingers, Llorrin increases the complexity of his chords, taking the song to new melodic heights.

Llorrin sings:

"Many fell that day
To save our blessed land
Back into the fray
We make our final stand"

Llorrin caresses the strings once, very gently, making his mandolin seem to sigh as the melody continues.
(Llorrin sings very slowly and low, his voice thick with emotion.)

Llorrin sings:

"We never asked for fame

Were too many to name"

Llorrin accentuates his song with emphatic strums, adding to the intensity.
(Llorrin sings the last chorus in clear, intense notes. His face still unseen.)

Llorrin sings:

"So this is our monument
This song is our stone
Ah know what our lives meant
Heroes o' flesh an' bone"

Llorrin bridges his song into a new key, taking it to new heights of intensity.

Llorrin sings:

"Our sacrifice was nae vain
Our light through dark shone
Kept so many from pain
Heroes o' flesh an' bone."

Llorrin sweeps the music upward in a swelling crescendo of vibrant harmony.
Llorrin gazes heavenward.
(Llorrin Suddenly looks up from his mandolin. There is a very intense look in his eye softened by the tears forming there. He almost crys out the the last verse in a high flurry of notes.)
Llorrin holds back his tears, his eyes glistening with pain.

Llorrin sings:

"As long as Heroes will hold on

Then hope is never really gone."

Llorrin sweeps the music upward in a swelling crescendo of vibrant harmony.

Llorrin sings:

"So this is our monument
This song is our stone
Ah know what our lives meant
Heroes o' flesh an' bone"

With a complex series of chords Llorrin bridges into a new key, taking the theme to a new level of exaltation.

Llorrin sings:

"Our sacrifice is nae vain
Our light through dark shone
Kept so many from pain
Heroes o' flesh an' bone."

Llorrin caresses the strings once, very gently, making his mandolin seem to sigh as the melody continues.
(Llorrin slowly drops his voice from the almost wild cry of tones.)

Llorrin sings:

"Heroes o' flesh an' bone."

Llorrin adds in a soft harmony, the muted strains complimenting the melody beautifully.
(Llorrin drops his voice to a whisper, but the intensity never leaves his eyes.)

Llorrin sings:

"The Heroes o' flesh an' bone."

Llorrin hangs his head.
Llorrin strums one final soft chord then allows his mandolin to fall silent.

The Last Drake
--- performed by Llore

Llore carefully checks the strings of his mandolin, plucking them lightly and adjusting the tension until the sound is perfectly pitched.
Llore recites:

"There is a theory..."

Llore recites:

"That Koar, the king of the gods
Is nae a god
But a drake."

Llore recites:

"If this were true
I wonder how lonely it must be
As the last of ye kind."

With a slow lead-in, Llore begins a gentle ballad on his mandolin.
Llore sings:

"He flys through the night
On golden wings
Through time
To his destination."

Llore sings:

"He sits on his throne
The throne of kings
All alone
In his resignation."

Llore continues his soft music, providing pleasant background for the goings-on around him.
Llore sings:

"Drake on a wing
He is dying to be.

Drake on the wind
He is dying to be."

Llore lazily bridges into another key, the melody of his song as gentle as a drowsy stream flowing through a quiet forest.
Llore sings:

"He cannae ride the winds
On golden wings
His curse
Is dedication."

Llore deliberately strums an unhurried theme, letting each chord hang in the air for a time before striking another.
Llore sings:

"He rules all the lands
The very last
His kind
Almost extinction."

With a decrease in tempo, Llore gives his soft melody the aspect of a soothing lullabye that makes forgetting the day's cares as easy as closing your eyes.
Llore sings:

"Drake on a wing
He is dying to be.

Drake on the wind
He is dying to be."

Llore lazily bridges into another key, the melody of his song as gentle as a drowsy stream flowing through a quiet forest.
Llore sings:

"He watches from his throne
Crown on brow
Through time
All his creation."

The tempo of Llore's song slows slightly, taking its time to convey a message of gentleness and rest.
Llore sings:

"He cannae leave his curse
This lonelyness
Last drake
Roar of frustration."

Llore adds in a soft harmony, the muted strains complimenting the melody beautifully.
Llore sings:

"Drake on a wing
He is dying to be.

Drake on the wind
He is dying to be."

Llore adds a soft harmony to his melody, doing little to cheer the somber quality of the ballad.
Llore sings:

"Save me from this wilderness
I want to be where I can be free."

Caressing the strings of his mandolin softly, Llore draws forth a caliginous countermelody that only adds to the dismal quality of the theme.
Llore sings:

"Take my from this lonliness
Others like me I wish to see."

The quiet strains of Llore's lugubrious melody evoke memories of cloudy autumn days and now-quiet battlegrounds.
Llore sings:

"My throne has become an emptiness
With my friends I wish to be."

Llore sings:

"His brow bears a heaviness
His flight on his wings is his fee."

Under Llore's nimble fingers the song takes on a solemn coloring, grey but somehow full of quiet energy.
Llore continues his soft music, providing pleasant background for the goings-on around him.
Llore sings:

"Drake on a wing
He is dying to be

Drake on the wind
He is dying to be."

Llore executes an upward run of precise fingering, leading the tones upward in an inspirational spiral of sound.
Llore sings:

"The last drake!
Watches the viel!"

Llore sings:

"The last drake!
Lonely he feels!"

With a decrease in tempo, Llore gives his soft melody the aspect of a soothing lullabye that makes forgetting the day's cares as easy as closing your eyes.
Llore sings:

"Drake on a wing
He is dying to be.

Drake on the wind
He will never be."

Llore strums one final soft chord then allows his mandolin to fall silent.

Gowain smiles.
Aalyiah applauds.
Gowain applauds.
Juliane applauds.
Stormyrain applauds.
Ylena applauds Llore.
(Mati snuffles as he lower lip begins to quiver.)
You sigh quietly.
Concerta applauds.
Tibors turns to Llore and cheers!
Llore bows.
Kypris applauds.
Juliane exclaims, "That was wonderful!"
Juliane applauds.
Aalyiah says, "aye"
Micheatrical applauds.
Ylena applauds Llore.
Aalyiah nods to Juliane.
Dennia bites her lip.
Llore says, "Thank ye."

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