The Grand Composition of the Eternal Song

All that is known and all that must remain unknown are merely notes carried upon the strings of the Grand Composition, echoing the sound of the Eternal Song for those with the passion to listen.

The Overture: An Introduction to the Eternal Song

Welcome to the fundamental, all-encompassing metaphysical reality of Aithyris .

Listen. Forget your dusty tomes on "magic." Forget your simplistic notions of "mana," "energies," or "forces" to be tapped. Those are children's stories, crude approximations of a truth so fundamental it is mistaken for the mundane.

The reality of this cosmos—of Eternity—is not a stage. It is a symphony.

We call it the Eternal Song, or more precisely, the Grand Composition. This is not a metaphor. It is the literal and absolute framework of existence.

To wield power within this reality is not to cast a spell; it is to engage in an art, an act of Composition and Performance. In Aithyris, power, in its truest form, is artistry.

The Cantors

This broad, non-dogmatic understanding of the world means we have no use for "wizards" or "priests" in the traditional sense.

We have Cantors.

A Cantor is not merely a "Singer." A Cantor is the one who steps forward from the choir to sing the verse, the one who sets the tune that all others must follow.

Most beings are the choir, following the Composition. A Cantor is any being who, in a moment of pure, passionate Will, seizes the conductor's baton and forces the Grand Composition to harmonize with them.

Most can only do it once, in a moment of life or death, and never know what they did. A rare few learn to harness that passion, to feel the strings, and to sing their Soul-Song with purpose. They are the true architects of destiny, the ones who don't just read the music of the world—they write it.

The Framework: The Song of the World

The Grand Composition is the operating system of reality. Every star, every stone, every fleeting thought, every living being—each possesses its own unique "note" or "resonance."

Notes and Strings: Every living being, every object, every force, and every emotion holds its own unique vibrational signature, or Note, within this cosmic song. All things are interconnected by a limitless web of Strings—conceptual conduits of influence, energy, and resonance that transmit harmony and causality.

A skilled practitioner, or spellsinger, must learn to perceive and interact with these strings. When one note is plucked, all connected strings vibrate in response.

The Soul-Song: Your "soul" is not some ethereal ghost; it is your Soul-Song. It is the specific, intrinsic melody that defines you within the greater symphony. At the core of every sentient being lies their unique Soul-Song, the intrinsic melody that defines their essence. This inner music is often heard unconsciously. For the shandaryn , this inner music is so profound that their emotional state causes a visible, sympathetic resonance in their complexion known as the "Mask". Strong emotions within a person create powerful resonances on key strings, which serve as potential points of access for magical effects.

For 99% of all beings, this is an unconscious process. They live, breathe, and die, humming the tune they were born with, played by the Song but never once playing it. Their Soul-Song follows the "written" music of causality, and that is all.

The Great Movements: The Symphonies of Existence

The Grand Composition is understood through four major domains, or Movements, each governing a distinct aspect of existence. True wisdom is found not in choosing one over the other, but in understanding their interplay—existing within the Twilight:

Diagram of the Symphonies of Existence

The Lifesong (Symphony of Being/Creation)

The Lifesong is the essence of life, vitality, emotion, creation, and growth. Its conductor is Elos, the Lightbringer, father of the Seven Sisters, and the direct source of all Light. Every living being possesses a sliver of Eternal Light, an internal well available to draw upon when external energy sources are absent or undesirable. However, drawing power from this Internal Light exacts a profound personal cost: the burning out of one's own essence, leading towards personal oblivion as that light fades.

The World-Song (Symphony of Elements/Becoming)

This Symphony governs all the melodies relating raw, non-organic matter, physical forces, and elemental materials (stone, metal, fire, water). It is notoriously dangerous to influence. To compose effectively within the World-Song, a practitioner requires a deep, near-scientific understanding of those physical relationships. Miscalculation or poor Composition leads directly to catastrophic physical backlash, manifesting as blinding flashes, uncontrolled fire, or kinetic destruction.

The Silence (Symphony of Oblivion/Unbeing)

The Silence governs disassembly, entropy, death, and nullification—the process of returning all things to nothingness, known simply as Unbeing. It is a natural, amoral process essential for cosmic balance. However, manipulating the Silence carries the risk of spiritual corruption or self-annihilation if composed in harmful ways, such as in the Songs of Blood (Stornir) or attempting to unnaturally arrest natural decay (necromancy).

The Ravensong (Symphony of Twilight/Balance)

The Ravensong embodies the delicate interplay between the states of Light and Oblivion and operates on the tangible aspects of the World-Song's influence. It is the core of secrets, illusion, hidden paths, and perceptual manipulation. No other divine source is attributed as fully capturing the essence of the Ravensong than the Moon Maiden herself, Selyne the Night Huntress.

Passion and Performance: Bending Reality

Reality can be altered—a different harmony imposed—through the disciplined channeling of intent, understanding, and overwhelming passion.

So, how does reality bend?

It doesn't. The music changes.

The Song is not static; it is a living performance. What you call "magic" or "miracles" is simply an act of Composition. It is the difference between being sung by the Song and singing back.

This is where passionate expression comes in.

Passion—pure, unadulterated, focused Will, whether it be all-consuming love, apocalyptic rage, or bottomless grief—is the one force that can disrupt the written score.

A Soul-Song, when amplified by such a profound, raw, and disruptive passion, becomes a crescendo. It is a note sung so loudly, with such conviction, that it refuses to stay in its pre-ordained harmony. It strikes a chord of dissonance, and in that moment, the Song stops.

The strings of reality snap taut. The surrounding notes—the air, the light, the stone, the very laws of probability—are forced to accommodate this new, dominant harmony.

• This is why it works: Passion is the engine of Will, and Will is the only thing that can challenge the existing harmony.

• This is how it works: The Soul-Song overpowers its "written" part and begins to lead the orchestra. The rock must split, the wound must close, the fire must obey—not because a "spell" was cast, but because the very fabric of reality (the Song) has been forced to re-harmonize around the performer's new melody.

This is not a polite request. It is an imposition. It is forcing a new harmony onto what existed before.

This process is formalized into The Four Pillars of Resonant Practice:

1. Attunement (Perception): The foundational skill, requiring the ability to perceive the subtle "Notes" and "Strings" of reality. This can manifest as an Elowyn sensing the "music" of a forest or a shandaryn perceiving the emotional "melody" of another's soul.

2. Connection (Resonance): Once a target Note is identified, the practitioner must establish a sympathetic vibration, aligning their own Soul-Song and its deepest passion with that external Note. Passion is the emotional fire that creates this necessary resonant link.

3. Composition (Intent & Arrangement): This is the intellectual and spiritual core. The practitioner shapes their will and vital energy (Inner Light) into a precise sequence of Notes, a Melody, performed in a specific Key (the methodical pathway). Complex effects, especially those involving multiple simultaneous Notes (Chords), require immense research and precise execution, making the pursuit profoundly perilous.

4. Performance (Manifestation): The final step, where the internal Composition is translated into a tangible, reality-altering effect. This act is often expressed through an artistic medium, such as singing, playing a harp (as with Krysaalis a'Ciermanuinn), or performing a choral piece (as with the Oraslan Songships).

Artistic illustration of the Four Pillars of Resonant Practice

The Dissonance and the Veils

To believe you can compose the Eternal Song without consequence is the most dangerous form of vanity. The Song is reality, and reality bites back. Every Cantor, no matter how gifted, walks a razor's edge between mastery and annihilation. This is the dark side of the music, the conspiratorial truth that the powerful seek to hide—or exploit.

• Dissonance and Corruption: What you call "magic," we call Composition. And a poor composition is an abomination. Dissonance occurs when a Cantor's Will exceeds their knowledge or their control. It is the sound of a string snapping.

This is not a polite failure. A Cantor who attempts to compose the World-Song (the elements) without perfect, scientific understanding does not simply fail to move the stone; they invite a catastrophic backlash, shattering their own bones with the kinetic force they sought to command. A Cantor who overextends their composition of the Lifesong, grasping for too much creation, will "burn out" their own essence in a moment of agonizing self-immolation.

This is the ultimate corruption: not of the soul, but of the Song. The music tears the musician apart.

• Soul-Song and Vulnerability: Here is the secret that keeps the masters of this world awake at night:

Because every living being has a Soul-Song, every living being is, in essence, broadcasting their inner state to the cosmos. While most are too "tone-deaf" to hear it, a skilled Cantor can listen to another's Song and read their deepest emotions. Fear has a sharp, metallic resonance; joy, a warm, rising chord.

This is the great irony of power. The stronger your Will, the more powerful your magic, the louder your Soul-Song becomes. A mighty Cantor is a beacon, their emotions readable to any rival skilled enough to listen. This is why the Ravensong (the Symphony of Twilight) is so vital—its compositions of illusion and secrecy are the only way for a Cantor to "veil" their own Song, to sing a false harmony and shield their vulnerable, readable heart from their enemies.

• The Silent Scars: The final danger is not personal, but cosmic. The symphonies are meant to exist in balance. But when a being of immense power—such as an Umbral—composes with the Silence (Symphony of Oblivion), they are not merely muting a note. They are tearing a hole in the sheet music of Aithyris.

These are the shadowcrossings. They are not just haunted places or dark glades. They are permanent, silent scars in the fundamental World-song of the planet. Each one is a wound that cannot heal, a place where the music of reality has been nullified.

These wounds weaken the very fabric of our world, thinning the "veil" between realms. They are a cancer in the Composition, a place where the barrier between Aithyris and the deep Shadow frays, allowing the discordant silence from beyond to bleed into our world.