Extract from Elements of Magic: A Guide to Spellcrafting Essentials, by Elgath Zolicar
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Introduction:
Elemental Song is a fairly rare element, as far as such things may be considered, yet for those locales in which it may be found, it is deeply interwoven with the very fabric of society and magic itself. It is a profound element, between Divine and Karmic. It is the music of the spheres and the core values of civilizations, joyful and somber, glorifying and intimidating. Many cultures say that the soul is made of Song, and when they play their songs it is a claim that can be difficult to refute, despite the lack of similarities between Soul magic and Song magic.
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Contact:
Elemental Song is most closely tied to two things: Repetition and patterns. While it is indeed very similar to Elemental Language and Elemental Sound, Elemental Song holds nearly as many similarities with Elemental Significance due to this feature.
Any periodic pattern, particularly audible, is a contact for Elemental Song, but the more broadly-sweeping the pattern is repeated, the greater the Contact. The most effective Contact is a sound-based pattern with repetition within it, but then repeated by countless different people across many years. For instance, folk songs act as the single greatest channel of Elemental Song currently known, when utilized properly.
When utilized in a ritual, Elemental Song offers little in the way of power to the spell. However, it does offer an impressive degree of control over the output, capable of serving as modulator and direction with ease. It also acts as an excellent means of cooperative casting, as the Song is quite similar between (and is even strengthened by) multiple participants.
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Behavior:
As a Song is established, it becomes more prone to repetition. A catchy tune worms its way into that of the listeners, living within their mind forever and prone to spreading itself. It shares and binds together those who experienced it as one.
So too does Elemental Song. It is prone to leave lasting effects which are terribly difficult to remove, and may even spread themselves at times (though such a thing is exceptionally rare and only exhibits itself on the most masterful of Songs). It is self-reinforcing, however, as the wider it is spread the stronger it becomes and thus spreads more. In this way it is similar to the behavior of Fire, but it does not grow and consume, rather it serves to magnify itself, an echo that grows louder over time.
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Aspects:
Elemental Song is particularly prone to changing its Aspect, and is one of the simplest elements to control in such a manner. Simply changing the Song being sung is often enough to change the Aspect of the magic, and various Song aspects are frequently called “The Song Of” the appropriate aspect, such as the Song of Death or the Song of Eternity.
* Death: The mournful dirge of a funeral march, or the epic telling of the glorious life lived by the departed, Death-aspected Song forms a connection to the departed, granting them the means and ability to influence the world they left behind once again. It calls upon their strength or their weakness, sorrow or joy, to either inspire a legacy or even tempt souls back from the hereafter.
* Love: Love ballads are a classic use of Elemental Song, and serve as a powerful base for charms. However, the truthfully far more common use of this aspect is that of the witch to her child, lullabies and simple songs of protection, and when used in this way Love magic lingers exceptionally well, with enough use rendering the protections almost permanent.
* Eternal: An Eternal song never dies. Spells worked with elemental Song have a tendency to become lodged in the minds of those who hear them, never properly going away. These spells can also be worked to impact their surroundings, creating a persistent echo (audible or otherwise) of the spells worked within it, and in this way are utilized in memorials of all forms.
* Life: Life-aspected Song is one of energy and enthusiasm. It is well-suited to minor healing spells, simply encouraging the body to perform its best. They get the heart beating strong and regularly, even matching their beat, and refuse to allow the tempo to falter, be it within a tavern or spontaneous chant at a competition.
* Knowledge: Knowledge-aspected Song comes in two distinct forms, depending on if it is a Cast or Effect element. As a Cast, there is substantial knowledge which may imparted directly into a Song, and it can carry that knowledge within the melody it is cast into to all who hear it. Even non-mages utilize this effect often, with rhymes and mnemonics to remember obscure facts. As an Effect, Knowledge Songs are without peer in providing general feedback to an area, event, or individual. It does not provide any specifics, but the information it gives- in the shape of melodies- may provide startling amount of insight to practiced Song mages. For this reason, many mages utilize Song-based mana senses, often unintentionally.
* Light: Light-aspect Songs are particularly adept in picking out untruths, pointing out mistakes in the pattern and perfecting itself by pointing out the flaws which prevent its improvement. It is harsh and uncompromising, capable of directing the totality of a massive ritual into a single impurity or incorrect piece. However, once the Song is perfected it acts to magnify and enhance the entire ritual in Truth and Assurance.
* Memory: Memory-aspected Song bears several commonalities with Knowledge-aspected Song, but could be most accurately described as its compliment. While Knowledge Songs are about imparting knowledge directly into the melody they occupy, Memory songs are about retrieving the information of a Song. How long it has been in existence, its history and changes, and those who were tightly associated with it. It is similar to Death-aspect Song in that way, in that it serves as a channel from the past to the present, reinforcing certain traits which have previously been associated with a Song.
* Sacrifice: The Song of Sacrifice is a song of legacy, similar to Memory or Death. It cares about those who have given their lives to the Song. It provides courage to those seeking to emulate them, reassurance to those who have been protected, and when enacted serves to drastically strengthen the Song for the future.
* Destruction: The Song of Destruction and Song of Creation are quite entwined, each serving as half of a part of a much grander story, a much grander song, than most of Song’s Aspects tend to sing of. It is the story of civilizations and their successors, of a grand civilization brought low and reduced to rubble. It is the inexorable and constant decay of all that exists. It is the erosion which occurs to every wall, the rust upon every blade, magnified by its history and associations.
* Creation: The Song of Creation is the other half of the Song of Destruction. This aspect of Song sings of rebirth and rebuilding, restoring what was lost and surpassing even the old grandeur. It is a new blade being born from raw ore, it is grand stones being pulled into enormous walls, of something new being born once again, as the new generation follows in the footsteps of their predecessors in making something more.
* Malignant: Malignant Song is that which tears down, the songs of destruction and mockery which sting at the soul just as surely as the mind and body. It is the vicious mockery of an unflattering bar song, or the hated warcry of an ancient enemy. It is enmity magnified across a population, a naked blade at the throat of its target as it compares them to all that they are not.
* Benevolent: Benevolent Song is that which builds up, the songs which encourage and inspire, which drive those who hear it to be better and do more. It is life-giving and soothing, healing and lightening the spirits of those nearby. It is a soft hand of guidance, showing the target all that they could be.
* Void: Void-aspected Song is commonly said to be silence, or more poetically ‘the sound of silence,’ which is not entirely inaccurate, but it does have its own Song associated with it, albeit one which inflicts silence. It is most effective when utilized to dampen or remove an action. This could be in counterspelling another ritual, or cast in a mental spell to force another to stop moving, fighting, even living altogether.
* Stillness: Stillness-aspected Song, by contrast, is the momentary pause in a pattern or song, and in both magic and music is used to amplify that which comes next. Accordingly, when utilized in a spell, Stillness Song acts as an amplifier for a future working, though it can also act as an intermediary non-spell, to serve as a break within a larger spell, serving to sustain the ongoing threads of magic while requiring very little from the caster to maintain it.
* Weight: Weight-aspected Song is that which reminds the target of those who came before. It is the legacy which an inheritor must live up to, the ideals of a civilization resting upon the shoulders of its citizens. It may be reassuring or crippling, but is ever-present and a simple reminder of earlier Songs.
* Myriad: Myriad Song is the chorus sung by a hundred voices, communing in a grander harmony. This aspect in particular is exceptionally useful in binding together cooperative casting utilizing Elemental Song, summing the slightly disparate parts into a harmonious and cohesive whole.
* Binding: Songs are in many ways the essence which binds a culture together, and it is Binding-aspected Song mana which represents this connection. Be they the lullabies sung by every mother to their newborn, the folk songs recanting the adventures of great icons for the community, the marching chants known by every soldier as they march to war, or the shanties sung by sailors to keep in time during their duties. This magic promotes and draws upon purpose and unity within a group, akin to outright Friendship magic.
* Travel: Marching songs have been a part of travel, particularly in military manners, for generations. This cultural prevalence and inherent patterns make Travel-aspected Song quite potent, particularly at their specialty of warding against exhaustion, malnutrition, dehydration, and minor injuries from traveling.
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Association:
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Song is an exceptionally complex and deep affinity. While Sound and Language are the most typical Associations drawn for Song, it carries nearly as many ties to Significance and Fate, with substantial influence drawn from Friendship, Hatred, and other Karmic elements. Song has heavy binding properties, bringing together entities into a single culture. In that way, it ties deeply into Mind and even Soul elements, acting as a form of gestalt soul for an entire civilization. It is the memory of the world, and all who hear it understand as much instinctively.
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Locality:
Song does not always form a terribly deep impression on the Tapestry, but where it does manifest it is always intensely unique, highly reflective of the culture which utilizes it. The Tas’Kail utilize Song in their warchants, and specialize in unifying their own allies while casting their enemies into disarray. All of their Aspects are in this way very dual-natured and asymmetric in effect.
The Rilan utilize Song as a form of charm magic, originally for animals yet are fully capable of ensnaring even the sharpest minds within their beguiling Song. Myriad Song encourages the listener to join in for the chorus, Life-aspected Song promises abundant life should they submit themselves to the song, even Travel song encourages those who hear it to follow along the Mage, even to their own death.
Furthermore, Song mages must adapt to the culture they are within, for maximal effectiveness. When trying to work with Song magic, the most effective Song is one which is native to the region they are within, and attempting to bring in the Song, the culture of another locale, replacing their Song with your own, is far less potent than working with the existing Song. Song magic, in this way, is one of the most obvious Locality-affected elements that there is.