Fisher the Bard

> *"Drink, o drink, to to marvelous sights, feast, make merry and tell of grand Tales! Seek all wonders both great and small, then sing and tell of all your stories, for life is too short to see of them all!* (Leslie the Bard, Vahr Reiter roadhouse)
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**Fisher the Bard**, often called **The Fish** is a legendary figure among the bards of Soi, travelling the

world in the years at the tale end and shortly after the events of the Great Immortal War. Many of her songs have spread far and wide among the denizens of Soi, some undergoing minor changes due to culture or in the case of the Tallet Empire some songs being banned completely.

Songs of the Fish, as they are called, often recount tales of exploring ancient ruins and forests, monster hunting, close encounters with Gods, and many regional folk tales of Soi.

* Many of Leslie's songs are banned in certain empires and kingdoms as they are often full of scorn for tyrants and encourage common folk to rebel or leave.
* The songs of the Fish are popular around Soi, but are considered anarchistic rhetoric by many.

## Noteable songs and stories

### **On the backs of giants**

A song about the **Mamutok people** in the southern regions of Soi. Leslie the Fish reported spent a year living with them in order to get the feel for their culture and lifestyle, eventually writing this song about their daily lives and civilizations. One of the longest songs, it weaves in simple to advanced mathematical lessons progressively as you get farther down the verses. It is often used to enhance rote memorization and education.

* It is a very common song for traveling caravans, often with the math lessons removed

### **My own master**

A very short song about the daily toils and struggles of various workers that work for larger companies often caused by their boss being difficult, their local lord or king coming in for taxes, or just day to day annoyances. The song ends with leaving without paying any taxes or dues, and setting off into the wide world to live free and without others telling them what to do.

* The official song is rather short, but the tune is simple enough so that personalized verses can be added very easily, and most towns have their own verses of the song.

### **Vengeful Steel**

Semi-historic song/tale of the **Greymarch**, after many of the Ashed city states were sacked during the immortal war, many of the Ashed mercenary companies abandoned their posts and marched back to their homelands, recklessly attacking Goran and Tallet forces all the way back, going as far as to sack any Goran or Tallet settlement they found along the way, taking heavy casualties but leaving non alive in their wake.

* The song is highly critical of the Ashed mercenary system, blaming their nation for sending away all their soldiers for profit while the world was at war

### **The Gods aren't crazy, they're just drunk**

A purely fictional song/tale of Leslie the Fish being invited to an **Undying council** meeting as entertainment and depicting the Immortals as drunken buffoons either completely neglectful of the world, too intoxicated to speak properly or shouting orders at each other

The song describes Gorr and the Faceless commanding the mortal servants in the room to fight each other, The princess telling everyone to get along, the Phoenix building a wall using the furniture around her, and the 14th randomly switching everyone's seats then claiming to have fixed the problem as the Eternal and Truest King have a drinking contest.

* This song is banned from the Tallet Empire, singing it is punishable by several lashes or a hefty fine

### **The Bard and the Beast**

A purely speculative song/tale about **The Bard of Inisfall** and **Gorr god of Fire** keeping a tragic romance going on for centuries even during the Great War, painting Gorr as trapped by the very nation that he made and almost being forced into the position of being God by his servants, and the Bard trying to free him from his position.

* The Song has been adapted into several plays shown in theaters around Soi

### **Boots of many colors**

Often shortened to "Boots of many" it is a semi-historic account about the **Woag** and **Family Hearth** exploration of different landmasses during the first age. The song tells the tale as both parties racing each other to plant their flag first, and often pulling various pranks on each other to slow down their progress such as tricking each other into going to already settled lands.

* The song is popular in the Woag isles however generally paints the "pranks" as less whimsical than the original lyrics

### **Ray of light**

A semi-historic song regarding the mythical **Knights of the Solar** that existed during the **Corpsebloom epidemic** near the end of the great war. The tale is a multi piece ballad that details their rescue of a refugee train that was beset by the afflicted, and how every refugee they saved that day in turn became a hero in their own right.

* This song is particularly popular in the Broken Kingdom

### **Army of chains**

A scathing song about Tallet Expansion, painting the entire Legion as either forced labor or deluded fanatics following the orders of a false and cruel god.

* The refrain is often a rallying cry and is very popular in Sumera