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Episode 12 - Interregnum IV: Jorvum the Lutemaster
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Nothing interests a bard more than an earwig of a melody. When Jorvum the Lutemaster hears tell of a person with the single most catchy melody in all of Wildheart, the offer is too good to pass. Convenient that Nora happens to be right here in Stormspire on the same day Jorvum strides into the town...
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Transcript
Introduction to Wild Hearts
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In wild hearts
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land where legends grow Tidal surges rise and flow Golden treasures deep below Time to get moist, here we go
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The world moves in cycles.
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world moves in cycles And between them, stories wait.
Yorvam's Musical Ambition
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This is one that rises from the silence.
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Interregnum 7 Yorvam the Lootmaster
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Yorvam the Lute Master was a man who loved music. He penned furiously for hours. Ever since he was a child, he had a simple ambition.
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Perform the catchiest, most wonderful melody in the world. Fine, not so simple, but it seemed simple enough for Yorvam the Lute Master.
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His mother, ah ah Mrs. Lutemaster, was a lady of singular tastes, namely wine-infused surgewater. Or perhaps it was the other way around.
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Either way, it made Mummy loopy. But when he sung, her glassy eyes and sweaty pale complexion softened. Her lips formed a smile.
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Her eyes twinkled like the Aralys. This made Yorvam the Lootmaster more and more certain of his destiny. Yorvam
Performances Across Wildheart
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the Lootmaster loved to perform, even years after his mother's death.
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He loved the Dust Bowl Tavern in Crosswind, the Gilded Anchor in Stormspire, and anywhere in Tidewatch Keep that would have him. When people commented on his lack of northerly-southerly movement across Wildheart, he always said, "'I'm like the Tidal Surge. I've got a heading, and I don't deviate.' Oh, also, Jorven the Lootmaster hated when others assumed he was a thief.
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Because he wasn't. The stupid miscreants for Wildheart had no understanding of subtlety or wordplay. Not like the Bards of the West. Not like the schools of the Bards of the West.
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Not like the schools of the Bards of the West or the grand performance areas in the sanguine lands. No. No. Wildheart was a backwater of culture.
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He meant he was a master of the lute, the beautiful instrument of emotion. Not some awful slang for gold, but he appreciated the confusion. It made an aura of uncertainty which definitely helped his performance.
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Anyway, Yorvam the Lootmaster needed a song, a melody to be precise. He had heard tell of a person who knew a melody so catchy that it had been humming in her head for the past year almost non-stop.
00:03:26
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Yorvam the Lootmaster knew better than to believe in hyperbole. Hyperbole was, after all, his middle name, if it wasn't already Herbert. This Nora person was last seen humming in Stormspire.
Seeking Nora Westrin
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And that is where Yorvim the Loopmaster was this very moment. How convenient for him and for Nora. The scalars at the Sky String Arena gave him pause for thought.
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They always did. How did they keep their composure under such duress? How did they balance oh so well? One scaler, Bryn she was known as, had a deft touch to the ropes despite her muscular physique.
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Once Yorvam the Loopmaster had seen her rope snap underfoot and without so much as a second's pause, she had regained a composure on the rope below and continued. She must have been the better part of a cat.
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Anyway, that was his influence for his newest hit song at the Dust Bowl Tavern, Snap Snap Goes the Cat. There was no Bryn today, sadly, and as the warm rain began to pour, Yorvam the Loopmaster thought it best to make headway to the gilded anchor to locate Nora and her melodic masterpiece.
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She seemed placid enough, though her brown eyes betrayed a fear near to the surface. The warm firelight made Yorvim the Lootmaster instantly sleepy.
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Nora was sat nervously,
The Haunting Melody
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drink-rotating between her hands. She stood as he approached. "'Yorvim?' she said. "'The Lootmaster, yes,' he finished with a wet flourish. "'I thought you'd be older.' "'I thought you'd be singing.' Humming.
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Same difference. Silence. Nora took a sip of her drink. Yorvam the Loopmaster tilted an ear ever so slightly. So, Nora Westrin, the infamous hummer, care to indulge me with this melody you've been carrying around? I've heard whispers, you know, of the the tune that haunts the very air you breathe. yeah Surely you you've been humming it for a reason.
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Nora stiffened. The shift in her composure was subtle, but Yorvim the Loopmaster, ever observant, caught it. Her fingers tightened around her glass and the corner of her lip twitched. "'I don't know if it's anything you want to hear,' she murmured, her gaze flicking towards the shadows in the far corner of the tavern.
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Yorvim raised an eyebrow.' You know, I've heard a great many things in my time, but a melody so powerful it refuses to leave someone's lips.
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Now that piques my interest. I promise you, my ears are as sharp as my lute. Nora's face flushed with a shade of crimson that Jorven suspected had little to do with embarrassment.
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She took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling as if she was preparing for something. Fine. You want to hear it so badly?
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she asked, standing abruptly and moving toward a secluded corner of the tavern. Yorvam the Loopmaster followed, his curiosity leading the way. As they sat at a quiet table near the hearth, Nora finally looked at him, fully looked at him, her gaze unblinking.
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I didn't ask for this song, she said, her voice low. It's not mine. At least, it wasn't at first. Yorvan the loopmaster's brow furrowed, his fingers tapped lightly on the table.
00:07:03
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Not yours. A melody that comes to you unbidden. My dear Nora, that sounds like you've stumbled upon a very, very curious thing. Tell me, where did you first hear it?
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Nora's eyes shifted uneasily. She lowered her voice even further, as though the very walls themselves might have ears. It was in the woods, near the border with Crosswind.
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I was leaving a performance one night, and the musician, he was so enthralling. I spoke to him after, and he had these piercing green eyes and bright ginger air. He sung it to me in confidence.
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He seemed almost relieved when I hear it. Now I know why. Yorvam the loot master's pace quickened at her words. He had heard stories, whispers, but none like this.
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And the melody, he prompted. It was faint. Almost as if someone was playing it in the distance. But there was no one there.
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Just the forest.
The Melody's Dark Presence
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And the air. And the song. And you've been hearing it ever since. Yeah. The melody.
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It's like stuck. I am it without thinking. At first I thought was just a passing distraction, but it grows louder each day.
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Sometimes i'll wake up a minute. Other times it's in my sleep. It haunts my dreams, my thoughts. I can't escape it. Yorvam the Loopmaster leaned forward, the firelight glinting in his eyes as he weighed her words.
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But tell me, Nora, why do you call it a curse? A melody? A beautiful song? Really, what's so terrifying about that?
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Nora shook her head slowly. It's not the song that's frightening. It's what comes with it. I hear the sound, yes, but it's never alone.
00:09:16
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The longer I hum, the more present it becomes. And sometimes, just sometimes, when I get too close to it, I can almost hear someone one else singing along.
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It's like they're waiting for me to finish the song, but I can't.
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I can't.
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Yorvam the Lootmaster felt a chill snake its way up his spine. For a brief moment, the tavern around them seemed to fade into a haze.
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The laughter, the chatter, the clinking of glasses, it all seemed distant. Irrelevant. Nora stared at the table, her fingers absently tracing the rim of her glass. "'The more I hum,' The more I can feel it coming closer, she whispered.
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I don't know what it is, but I can feel its presence.
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Like it's right behind me.
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It's listening, Yorvim.
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The moment I stop, it grows angry.
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Yorvam the Loot Master's lips parted in surprise, his usually clever words faltering. "'What does it want, Nora? What happens if you do finish?' "'I'm afraid to know,' Nora said.
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Yorvam sat back. "'And you think it's tied to this blue-eyed chap?' he asked, though part of him already suspected the answer. "'No, but yes.
00:11:08
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Green. He had green eyes, but yes, it all started when he sung it to me,' she replied. "'The song didn't start till after I'd left, and now, no, how far I go, it follows me.' There was a long silence between them.
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In the corner of the tavern, a melody began, one that Yorvam the Lute Master knew so well. It seemed so easy, so simple,
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So beautiful. With a gentle hum, Yorvam the Lute Master sung along, the tune coming easily to his lips, soft at first, then growing louder.
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Nora's eyes shot up and widened. She leaned forward, her hand shaking as she gripped his wrist. "'What are you doing?
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I haven't even hummed it out loud. How do you know it?' She said, her voice frantic, Please stop, hominette! But Yorvam couldn't stop. The melody, the very same one that she had described, was now in his head, pouring from his lips.
00:12:18
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His fingers twitched, aching for the strings of his lute. But the song had already taken a life of its own. It felt wonderful, perfect, incredible. It felt better than his mother's face twinkling through the drunken haze. It felt better than...
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Just as quickly as it had begun, the hum stopped. Jovim sat still, his heart pounding in his chest, sweat pouring from his face. Nora stared at him, her wide eyes filled now with something that was, yes, part fear, but also part relief.
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You heard it, she whispered, a tremor in her voice. You heard it, didn't you?
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Yulvam nodded.
00:13:09
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I heard it. Oh, it was beautiful. His voice was thick. But you don't understand, she said quickly. The moment you heard it, we heard it together.
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It knows now. It knows. Someone else knows. and and that And that means... Her voice trailed off. And in that moment, the fire of the hearth dimmed.
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Yorvam the Loopmaster turned, his eyes narrowing, and as he did, through the smoke and the ash in the very corner of his eye, he swore he could see a dark figure standing in the doorway.
Explore More Wild Heart Stories
00:13:55
Speaker
Thank you for listening. As we continue to share the stories of Wild Heart, we'd love to hear your thoughts. If this tale has sparked your interest and you'd love to learn more about Yorvim, the Loot Master, or any of the other characters, do let us know.
00:14:09
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We've got a revamped site, fellowshipofthetabletop.co.uk, where you can read more lore, see more maps, and read a new blog from both Belum Dracronis and Wild Heart. Anywhere you do it, we'd love for you to reach out.
00:14:20
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Your input could help shape the stories we tell next. Until next time, farewell.
00:14:35
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Here we go.