You Awaken in a green forest clearing to the sound of chirping birds. You're clutching your lute protectively to your chest, and run your fingers over the wood and strings to make sure it's unharmed. Without understanding why, you are relieved to find the lute is in pristine condition. As you get to your feet and look around, it dawns on you that you don't know where you are. As you mull that thought, you realize then that you don't know who you are. All you know is that this lute is yours, and with it, you can make the most beautiful and wondrous music. |
The instrument of souls
Today, it is a magical lute. In the past, it held other forms. In the hands of the famous Myrrhina, it was an elegant violin carved from dark wood. When it was possessed by the dwarven musician known only as the Fairlady, it became simple ocarina made of jade. One time, it was a crude drum made with human skin when Grask the Chanter travelled from goblin tribe to goblin tribe delighting them with songs of blood and war. Each one of them became a famous musician... and then mysteriously disappeared.
The origins of this magical instrument began countless centuries ago, when an eccentric and aspiring musician was willing to give up his own soul for ever-increasing fame. Ironically, the actual name of the musician has been lost. A bargain was struck between him and elements of chaos (for in those days they were not locked away by the gods as they are now and could travel more freely). But as with such bargains, there was a price to pay: the musician's soul.
The Instrument of Souls is drawn to people with at least some measure of musical talent, and will shape itself into a musical instrument of their desire. Over time, the user of the instrument grows in ability and skill, and with it their popularity also grows. The musician, meanwhile, has no desire to play any other instrument, and refuses to believe that their talent could be possibly be affected unnaturally. They will not willingly part with the Instrument of Souls. If they are forced to, they begin to suffer a wasting sickness until it is returned to them. But while in possession of the Instrument, the musician gains bonuses to performance and musical skills.
Of course, there is a price to be paid. The possessor of the Instrument of Souls grows more egotistical the longer they possess it, and they have a growing desire to share their talents which they believe outstrip all others. As this is happening, the Instrument is consuming the soul of whomever currently possesses it. As their skills reach a zenith, the entertainer will want to put on one grand performance known as the Coda. At it's conclusion, the entertainer disappears, never to be seen again—which only enhances the allure of their music for a time. The Instrument then finds itself in the hands of another promising performer.
For centuries, the Instrument has successfully sated itself on musical victim after victim, until the latest one.
The Soul of the instrument
The last person to possess the Instrument of Souls was the popular entertainer known as the Bard of Breyton, and they were fortunate enough to have a knowledgeable priest as a friend that saw the cursed effects. But like so many before, the Bard had no desire to give up the instrument, even if it was cursed. Despite this, the priest went forward with removing the curse from the Bard. After a long and arduous ritual, the Instrument of Soul's hold was lessened, and the curse removed. The Bard came to and the Instrument of Souls was no more.
Or so they thought.
With the curse removed, the captured souls of the Instrument were released. Many of them made their way to the afterlife, but not all. The original soul, the first musician to play the Instrument of Souls, remained in the mortal realm. The musician awoke alone with no memory, holding the no longer cursed Instrument. The musician only knows that it's very important. Meanwhile, there are other noncorporeal souls that did not find peace in the afterlife, and they also have remained in the mortal realm. They hunger for vengeance, and are seeking out the Instrument of Souls and the person responsible for it's creation.