Song of Beginnings

Overview

The Song of Beginnings is an ancient song related to the world's creation through sound and music. It represents a collaboration between multiple ancient civilizations, particularly dwarves and elves, and may hold the key to countering The Entropy Shepherd's influence. The song is referenced across multiple sources and has become a central element in the Fellowship's quest.

Discovery in Session 3

Multiple Converging Sources: During Session 3, information about the Song of Beginnings came from three independent sources, suggesting its importance:

Deep in Dwarven Lore: Randello specifically identified the Song of Beginnings as being "deep in dwarven lore," indicating it's preserved in dwarven historical records.

Ancient Creation Belief

World Created by Sound: Multiple ancient civilizations believed the world was created "with a tune, with a certain sound," not through spoken word or physical craft.

Musical Cosmology: The Song of Beginnings represents this creation-through-music philosophy, suggesting that the fundamental structure of reality is sonic in nature.

Harmony and Frequency: The song likely operates on principles similar to Master Carillon's Sacred Frequency - precise harmonic resonance that affects reality itself.

Dwarven-Elven Collaboration

Joint Creation: The Dwarves and The Elves worked together on sound, music, and instruments, creating the foundation for the Song of Beginnings.

Collaboration Site: The mountain that became The Dust Bowl was the location where this cross-cultural collaboration took place.

Shared Knowledge: Both races contributed their unique understanding - dwarven craftsmanship and sonic engineering combined with elven musical and magical traditions.

Ancient Alliance: This collaboration indicates that before The Entropy Shepherd's influence, the races had stronger bonds and worked together on cosmic-scale projects.

The Dust Bowl Connection

Destroyed Collaboration Site: Master Carillon's research and documents led him to believe The Dust Bowl - the mountain that disappeared overnight - was the site where dwarves and elves worked together.

Targeted Destruction: The Entropy Shepherd specifically destroyed this location, suggesting the Song of Beginnings or its creation site posed a threat to the Shepherd's plans.

Lost Knowledge: The destruction of the collaboration site may have eliminated crucial understanding about how the Song of Beginnings was originally created or performed.

Master Carillon's Research

Document Analysis: Master Carillon has been studying documents from Khaz-Dorahn that reference ancient civilizations' beliefs about sound-based creation.

Connecting the Dots: During the journey in Session 3, Carillon became increasingly excited as he connected the Song of Beginnings to his bell research and the Unwritten Song.

Nerding Out: Carillon's enthusiasm for discovering these connections suggests the Song of Beginnings may be related to or compatible with his own incomplete Unwritten Song.

The Bird's Perspective

Song Sparrow's Knowledge: A song sparrow confirmed knowledge of the Song of Beginnings, stating "I know songs, I'm a song sparrow, of course I should be part of this conversation."

Natural Connection: Birds' relationship to songs and music makes them potential sources of information about the Song of Beginnings.

First Bird Connection: The song sparrow directed the Fellowship to seek The First Bird, a bird deity who might have deeper knowledge about the Song of Beginnings.

Current Understanding

Incomplete Knowledge: While the Fellowship knows the Song of Beginnings exists and is important, the actual content, performance method, or precise purpose remains unknown.

Quest Direction: Multiple sources converging on the Song of Beginnings suggests it's "the answer" to the The Entropy Shepherd threat.

Research Ongoing: Master Carillon continues analyzing documents and making connections between the Song of Beginnings, bells, and ancient sonic magic.

Relationship to Other Elements

Unwritten Song: Master Carillon's Unwritten Song may be related to or derived from the Song of Beginnings.

Seven Great Bells: The bells' defensive properties might have been based on principles from the Song of Beginnings.

Sacred Frequency: The precise harmonic resonance Carillon used for the bells could be an application of Song of Beginnings principles.

The Eternal Hearths: Dwarven forges at locations like Khaz-Dorahn might have been involved in creating instruments or components related to the Song.

Strategic Importance

Counter to Entropy: The Song of Beginnings represents creation and beginning, directly opposing The Entropy Shepherd's entropy and ending.

Cross-Cultural Power: Requires collaboration between races, suggesting unity is key to defeating the Shepherd.

Shepherd's Fear: The fact that the Shepherd destroyed the collaboration site indicates the Song poses a genuine threat.

Campaign Significance

The Song of Beginnings serves as a MacGuffin and potential ultimate weapon against The Entropy Shepherd. Its discovery requires the Fellowship to:

The multiple independent sources pointing toward the Song suggests it's not just another defense but the key to understanding how to reverse or counter the Shepherd's entropic influence on reality itself.

Mysteries Remaining