Qisnau
A flute used by the nomadic orcs of Alraea to set the mood when the clan Qisaron is about to tell tales of the past around the campfire.
Mechanics & Inner Workings
The qisnau is a type of vessel flute where the body is a sphere that pinches at one end into the voicing. The players then blows into the flute to produce sound, using the force of their breath and covering the various holes with their fingers to modulate the sound produced.
Significance
Among the Alraen orcs, qisnau are heavily associated the act of oral storytelling around a campfire that forms a core aspect of their culture. The player of the qisnau will give a tune to accompany the storyteller, or Qisaron, trying to match the feeling the story is trying to evoke. This is an important part of the process because orcs have easily modulated emotions, being able to feel intensely, the music of the qisnau almost makes the orcs listening feel as if they are living through the story themselves, driving home whatever moral, practical, or entertainment value the Qisaron hoped to achieve.
Each orc clan has around ten qisnau, having one per band held by the band's Qisaron, with those not being used in the clanhold. They are also relatively easy to make by the proper person if one were to break.
Most qisnau are crafted out of glass made in the clanholds using sand and lime found in the caverns where the clanforges are built. However, some of the earliest qisnau, or those made without access to a clanhold, are carved out of the bones of desert monsters.
To make traditional qisnau, one needs an intensely hot fire, like found in a clanforge, and a long, narrow pipe to blow the glass. One also needs a small, metal rod to make the finger holes in the body of the flute.
Bone qisnau are made with careful attention using a small knife to carve away the bone.
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