User:Captaincarrot/Stony Songmakers

The Stony Songmakers

Singing Stones: a common children's town in the Yneslean Archipelago.

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Written by Audin

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On the island nation of Yneslea (known as In’eslea to its bat-elf inhabitants) young children seem to share one interest that has lasted many generations - rocks.

To the average reader, curious about the lifestyles of the isolated islands, ‘rocks’ might just be the most mundane & unspecific interest anyone could have - yet it’s not so simple! Echmeri younglings take such an interest in singing stones, or “c’aalh’quil-ts’ethlhiicye” in their native tongue.

Singing stones are usually small - not weighing more than one pound - and are smoothed out to remove any sharp edges, until the end product becomes a small ovular or spherical stone. Then, very carefully, a small hole is bored through the core of the stone. Once the hole is present, the holder of the stone may blow air through it to ‘play’ it like an instrument producing a note.

It is not uncommon to hear a clamor of notes produced by a group of youths while one traverses the Echmeri cities! They gather and play their stones, producing simple songs others may dance or play games to. One such game involves a group of players circling a bunch of chairs or seats while one player plays music with their stone. While one child plays music, the others must circle the chairs. When the music stops, the others must rush to find a place to sit. If anyone cannot find a chair by the time the music ends, that player is out.

The singing stones do have some practical use, however. Thanks to their impressive ears, Echmer sailors keep a set of singing stones aboard a ship. Each note or tone given by the stones signals a different meaning. For example, a long, shrill note with very few stops warns nearby ships (as well as those onboard below-deck) that there is a storm on the horizon. Low notes may indicate that enemy ships have been spotted.

Because of their ease of use, ease of creation, and novelty, singing stones make for wonderful souvenirs for traveling scholars, sailors, and adventure seekers. May young Tamrielic owners of singing stones relish in the entertainment they provide as much as the youth of Yneslea.