War of the Dark Crystal: Song Weaving

Another world… Another time… In an Age of Song.

This chapter adds additional songs available for characters and provides new mechanics for combining multiple songs into a single effect.

As of this writing, Netflix has released Age of Resistance and presented a larger picture of Thra and the world and beings within. While the show and books by J.M. Lee do not have spell-casting characters, the world is magical. Mysticism as a power is rare, and only select few may possess the ability to tap into the Songs of Thra to cast spells. War of the Dark Crystal is presented as a non-canon, but not incompatible, role playing game.

More Songs of Thra

The rules for Mysticism and initial song write-ups can be found in Chapter 2 of War of the Dark Crystal. These four songs are less common amongst Gelflings, but still useful in enhancing life and in the war.

Water
While a rarer song, it’s still relatively popular amongst Drenchen, Sifa, and Dousan clans as their environments provide limited potable water. The Song of Water creates pure water from the air itself. Unlike many spells the Song of Water works exponentially by a factor of 5: a single Fate point expenditure produces 5 gallons of water, 2 Fate points produces 25 gallons of water, 3 = 125, etc. Spending 7 Fate points will produce a small (3 acre) rainstorm of about 1 inch of rain.
Enchantment Examples:

• Wanderer’s Waterskin – This enchantment can be applied to any standard waterskin or canteen. When enchanted it will allow the receptacle to refill itself with clean water for 5x the amount of Fate points spent on the enchantment.
• Fire Drencher – This single-use enchantment costs 4 Fate points. With a command word on the enchanted item it will immediately produce a 625 gallon deluge of water on a targeted spot. As the name implies, this enchantment was created to put out fires.

Stone
The Caves of Grot existed long before the Gelfling used them as their home but they were reshaped by the Grottans using the Song of Stone, shaping the caves as their home. With their homes created the song fell out of use. The Song of Stone can be used to move earth, sand, and stone. The larger the amount of terrain and the more precise the movement the more Fate points required. A single Fate point can move up to 5 pounds of earth 50 feet away, though in a general direction without specific target. A single Fate point will also allow The Song of Stone can be used to hurl a one pound rock at a pinpointed location or foe. The song only works on the natural, untouched terrain of Thra and will not work on any constructions, such as walls or doors.
Enchantment Examples:

• Shovel of Movement – with this tool, a user may easily dig through any terrain regardless of how hard or dense the material. The enchantment is triggered with a word and the enchantment lasts for a scene; the Shovel has as many uses as Fate points invested. Like the song itself, the Shovel can only dig through natural terrain and not constructions.
• Strong Sling – The Strong Sling allows much larger and heavier rocks to be used in a sling than a common leather. These larger stones add +2 to any damage roll when using the Shoot skill in an attack. The Strong Sling requires 6 Fate points to craft, but the effect is permanent.

Serenity
The Song of Serenity helps bring peace to the mind of the target, balancing out any agitation, fear, or even overwhelming rapture. While the Song of Healing can also heal mental stress tracks, it’s much easier with this rare song; healing 2 mental stress tracks per Fate point put into the spell. Greater expenditures of the song may also remove mental consequences, at the cost of 2 Fate points for mild, 4 points for moderate, and 8 points for severe. Unfortunately, the song has no effect on darkened creatures.
Enchantment Example:

• Scarf of Peace – Typically worn when venturing into new territory or to aid in meditation, this garment lasts as many scenes as Fate points used in the enchantment. It prevents the wearer from feeling any emotion too strongly; be it anger, fear, or joy.

Shadow
The Song of Shadows is new to the Songs of Thra; it was born out of a need to hide from the treacherous Skeksis and their creations. The Song of Shadow allows the mystic to hide themselves or others, granting +2 Stealth for each Fate point used in the song.
Enchantment Examples:

• Muffled Boots – With a single, whispered word these boots add +2 stealth to the wearer for a scene. The boots have as many charges as Fate points used in the enchantment.
• Cloak of Concealment – This shares the same properties as the Cloak of Concealment when enchanted with the Song of Light. When wearing this cloak, the bearer may whisper a command word to become almost completely invisible (their shadow will always be visible) for a scene. This powerful enchantment is more easily applied with Shadow than Light and requires only 2 Fate points for each charge.

Song Weaving

With the rules of Song Sharing, Gelflings gifted with mysticism and music may add to the effect of a single song (see Chapter 2). Sometimes, however, the desired effect requires two songs working in harmony, weaving their magic into a new effect.

To weave two songs, at least two spell-casters are required, each singing a different Song of Thra. Both casters must have the music skill and perform successfully for the songs to merge together. Because of the shared effects, double the amount of Fate points for each song are required cast the spell. Additional participants may add to the Fate points within the song weave, per the rules of Song Sharing.

Due to its nature, Song Weaving is only possible as direct casting and cannot be used in enchantment. Song Weaving is rare and can create new results, based on the desires of the performers. Though rare, it’s most typically used by a greater number of Gelfling for large effects. Some examples of song weaving include:

Water and Fire
Simple (low Fate point investment) uses of weaving the Songs of Water and Fire produce steaming hot water, which can be useful for bathing or making hot beverages. A large investment of Fate points (typically involving a number of Gelfling) can create a thunderstorm when weaving Water and Fire. These storms can be used to drive even darkened creatures from an area.

Water and Shadow
Water and Shadow can be used to create a concealing fog that stretches for long distances. This stretch of fog can be useful when trying to sneak a large number of Gelfling or supplies across an area, better hidden from the prying eyes of the Skeksis’ crystal bats.

Earth and Barrier
Earth and Barrier combined can shape the earth into a physical wall or fortress, much stronger and longer-lasting than either would be on their own. The proper weaving of the Songs of Earth and Barriers can create partitions that last ages.

Barrier and Shadow
Weaving the Songs of Barrier and Shadow produce an unusual effect; the woven songs undo barriers. Simple forms of the weaving may be used to unlock locks, while more powerful investments of Essence (that is, Fate points) may crumble walls or banish previous uses of the Song of Barrier.