The Resonance of Being: Difference between revisions

<span class="DROPCAP">S</span>ince the beginning of history, there have been spellsingers, those with the ability to infuse magic into sound and music. Legends of spellsingers among the dragons far predate Ilsare's ascension, and at least three works have been attributed to T'oleflor spellsingers. Even before these first artists, poets, and musicians began to shape sound and touch the hearts of their audiences, though, there was the Heartsong, that intangible symphony of the emotions and energy of all living things.

It was the Heartsong, that collective song of experience inaudible to the ear but sometimes heard with the heart, that captivated an Ilsarian bard named Freda Buchhauser in 997 and led her to form the organization called the Resonance of Being. Freda, a vivacious gnomish musician, asked herself why so many spellsingers, bards, artists and lovers were drawn to the worship of Lady Muse after Ilsare's ascension to the heavens. The question launched Freda into an unprecedented series of experiments with emotional resonance--and the answers she found changed how people saw emotion, music, and spellsinging forever. She formed the Resonance of Being shortly after, in an attempt to share her knowledge on a wider scale. Although the organization began as a collaboration of her closest spellsinging friends, it grew over the years as they began to invite other Ilsarian bards to join the collective and expand their abilities.

Since it was founded in 997, the Resonance of Being has grown from a small group of spellsingers to a much larger collective of individuals. The organization currently boasts over a hundred members, led by Conductor Edgar Whenissy. Conductor Whenissy runs the organization with an efficient hand, despite his mild manners, and it is he who is responsible for expanding and furthering the Resonance of Being, interviewing many of the new members, and dealing fairly and sympathetically with those who misuse the Heartsong. While members may come to the Resonance from different backgrounds, races and with different levels of experience, they share one common goal: to learn more about the Heartsong, and to better understand its nature and how to modulate it to affect themselves and others.

After initiates have satisfied their interviewers, they are accepted into the Resonance of Being and granted access to the Resonance halls, the research rooms, and the advice and knowledge of those who have gone before them. They are often paired with a mentor, who can orient them in the organization and teach them its ways. The only thing that is explicitly forbidden is to use the Heartsong to do grave or lasting damage or emotional harm to another. This goes against both Ilsare's ways and the Resonance of Being's teachings, and would result in rehabilitation and guidance all the way to expulsion from the Resonance of Being, depending on the seriousness of the offense. The initiate's mentor will also teach him or her the two basic techniques used in modulating or manipulating the Heartsong, and help them choose one of the three paths within the Resonance of Being.

The Heartsong can be seen as the collected song of emotional experience, contributed to by all living things. Those who study and become part of the Resonance of Being can gain an ability to manipulate certain elements of this melody in others they encounter as well as in themselves, to influence the emotions of those around them. While this is a deep, complex and emotional undertaking, the basics of working with the Heartsong can be likened to interacting with waves in a small tub of water. Through one's actions, it is possible to make waves bigger or smaller; to amplify or dampen; to augment, or temper. By learning one or both of these opposite techniques, spellsingers are able, through careful listening and manipulation, to &quot;tune&quot; these waves as they might the strings of an instrument. This manipulation of the Heartsong is known as modulation.

On the other extreme of the spectrum is the Path of Temperance. The path actually takes its name from &quot;tempering&quot; an instrument, a particular method of tuning that makes modulation easier and improves the sound of certain complex instruments, especially when they play in harmony with others. While the Path of Temperance is the opposite of augmentation and does focus on decreasing emotional highs, either positive or negative, it is misleading to think of it as simply &quot;diminishing&quot; emotions. Rather, to be soothed by one versed in the Path of Temperance is akin to a very calming experience, the attempt to achieve true Silence, so that one may again begin to listen to the Heartsong, and the contributions of those around them, and take their place in things again. It is a very spiritual and emotional path, and the one that specializes in any deep Heartsong-related healing. The Path of Temperance is the place that a damaged mind, a wounded spirit, or a broken heart could be brought to be soothed, calmed and brought back to the center of itself, so that healing may begin. It is a path that contrasts with the emotional highs and lows that many associate with Ilsare, but it is a necessary and vital part of the Resonance, and of the Heartsong.

In contrast to the Transcendent Symphony, there are no true ranks in the Resonance of Being. Progression within the Resonance of Being and in the ability to manipulate the Heartsong is through learning, practice and experience, and is represented by a series of concentric spheres. These spheres reflect not only an expanding and deepening awareness, but also how one can never be isolated or separate from what one is doing when one is modulating the Heartsong. While the spheres are sometimes assumed to represent a ranking within the Resonance, they are actually more akin to a stage of progression in the individual than an arbitrary level of power within the organization. Instead of climbing up like a militaristic rank, the spheres expand outwards, representing the person's level of expertise. This also often correlates with their influence and reputation within the Resonance of Being, but may not necessarily be the case. The four spheres are as follows:

The Unliving, those creatures and beings that were once alive, have a lifetime of emotional experiences that it is impossible to erase. This is especially true of some of the more powerful Unliving, which tend to be evil and full of strong emotions such as hate, fury, rage, or contempt. However, even less powerful undead rarely come into existence in the absence of an intense emotion. As such, it is possible for a spellsinger to learn how to affect such creatures, due to the lingering presence of the effects of the Heartsong within them. Such spellsingers can tap into that which still resonates from years and years of being emotionally charged.