The Land of Dread Instruments

The Land of Dread is home to a variety of musical instruments.

## String Instruments

### **Basu String Instruments**

the Basu have a knack for String instruments of all sizes and shapes.Often made from old, unsold merchandise, these instruments have a wide variety of shapes and sizes, The sound depends heavily on the quality of the strings and the clearness of the sound box: more empty is better, but harder to do (with the glued together ones).

The most traditional way of making these, is by using a weapon that has killed people, absorbing their spirits as it were. Especially weapons with which bards ended their own lives are thought to be appropriate, as they tended to be very happy and content in life.It is not uncommon for bards to take their own life with their instruments, when they feel their time has passed.

#### Basu Harpsickle

Notable musicians:

Like most Basu instruments, the Harpsickle is built out of old weaponry, in this case by melting a sword up to the point where it can be easily bent into a curve. After cooling down, the tip is covered with a sound box, onto which strings are attached.

Most Harpsickles are blunt, as during the crafting process, little attention is paid to the hardness and toughness of the metal, and few bards enjoy sharpening their instruments on a daily basis. A few smiths take the extra effort to keep the blade combat worthy: in this case, it'll be a makeshift weapon. After all, any bards prefer a broken instrument over death.

#### Basu Tinfer's Blade

Notable musicians: Navarchus Zepto

Believed to be one of the earlier kinds of instrumentalized weapons, the Tinfer is a sound box with a blade attached as a neck to hold the strings. Depending on the design, the sword is inserted in the box or flattened and riveted to the surface of the box. The box itself is either carved from a solid trunk of wood, or put together from planks, tar, cross bars, natural resin and covered in animal skin.

The name is derived from the blade's legendary origins: Supposedly, long ago there lived a kindhearted bandit named Tinfer, who stole large amounts of stuff for the thrill, giving nearly everything back to whomever asked politely without threatening to kill him. One day he was too careless, and quickly surrounded by Esemseran border scouts. He knew he would be handed over to some rich landlord, or brought to an Esem prison mine. He couldn't say which one was worse, and with nowhere to go, stabbed himself in the chest. His last words were, depending on the account, "Remember the good times!" or "Take my spirit, and embody it!", and up to this day it remains unsure whether he was talking to his blade, or to his friends, hiding in nearby bushes.

At night, they stole it back from the scouts and fashioned it into an instrument. Any song played on it would be embodied by Tinfer's carefree, happy spirit.

#### Basu Tinfer's Bass

Notable musicians:

The size of small furniture, the Tinfer's Bass is only played in larger groups, it's thumbing bass tones setting the beat and rhythm for the other bards. As shown in the picture, some have an additional sconce for a torch of some kind, as these instruments are usually placed in the center of the group, casting their guiding light and actual light on everyone equally.