The Sound Garden
Danger: Hazardous
Night has fallen in Felarya, the stars above you shining brightly through openings between branches of the Giant Tree. You are the last of your adventuring party, which has been picked off by a hungry blonde naga-you have survived only by a miracle. Wandering through jungle since the early morning, when you managed to screw up the courage to crawl out of the knothole that gave you safety through the previous night. The whole day, you have walked along the branches, climbing up every vine, struggling to find a safe way down-without luck. You are exhausted, completely disoriented; deep within the tree's branches, you have no idea which way is up or down, branches twisting in all directions. That's not even the worst part.
You can hear music in the distance, with a soft glow changing colors in the distance-now you're lost, and crazy. Except, as you approach, your sanity is clearly intact. Predators, from nagas to harpies to fairies and even a few dridders, are gathered in front of this amphitheater-like hole. You can't tell whether it is inside the trunk or a branch. Growing around various places in the depression are various plants, each of them glowing a certain color as they make a sound. It's like a whole orchestra; every instrument, from horns to drums to flutes to strings are duplicated by these plants. A concerto you never heard is playing. And none of this is the weird part.
Standing in the center, where one would think a conductor would stand in an orchestra, is an elderly human. He is dressed in the tattered remains of a full-piece suit. Waving an enchanted conductors baton, he directs the plants before him to the tune of his latest piece. His audience is spellbound by the arresting performance; you are too. As he reaches the finale, the climax of the concert, he waves his baton furiously to the heart-pounding end. Upon the final, moving note, the concert ceases; the man collapses in exhaustion. You do not know this, but he has been leading his flora orchestra for three hours without intermission. The audience-you included-are not ungrateful; applause and cheers fill the air. Even you cannot help but shout encore-drawing the attention of the audience; and they look hungry. They were so engaged by the performance, that they didn't notice you until now. You cry out the conductor as you are tossed about by the audience, each claiming you for a post-concert snack.
The old man is out cold on the floor. A few kindly fairies in the audience, rather than joining the audience in the terrifying game over your fate, go over to help the old man up and lead him somewhere more quiet. One of them kisses him on the cheek, congratulating him on a fine performance.
The blond naga, the one with the human on her shoulder, recognizes you. You were the one who got away; not this time though.
Such is usually what occurs, should you stumble across the Sound Garden. Predators come from miles around every year to attend "The Maestro"'s latest concert. Nobody who has gotten away safely knows who the old man is, where he came from, or how he is able to conduct the musical plants. All that is known? That he's obviously a talented enough person that he is kept around, hence his title...
Subject: The Sound Garden (Subzone of the Giant Tree) 
Sat Nov 27, 2010 5:53 pm
