Cutefinder/Song Magic in Golarion

When you say the words Song Magic, the first thing that may come to mind is the power of bardic performances and the spells they can weave while singing. However, while ubiquitous, it is only the surface of what the power of music is capable of manipulating. On distant planets, insight into the fabric of reality allowed technological advancements that could bestow powerful effects to even inexperienced singers, allowing for compositions that could evoke energetic forces, conjure and transmute swaths of land and even maintain life through an entrapped harmonic pattern, well beyond what stories a mere minstrel could spin.

This cosmic power remained largely isolated from external influence, however—beyond contact with rare interstellar vessels with colonies of people on their own, the secret of Song Magic and the principles to utilise it remained far from Golarion's reach. It was only through cosmic misfortune that one such vessel fell from space some ten thousand years ago, its debris hammering craters into the earth and scattering dust into the sky to create a thousand years of darkness.

While bound to a tiny peninsula of Sarusan where the bulk of the ship buried itself into the crust, it was this event that brought true Song Magic to Golarion.

Song Magic in the World

The Innsmouth Tower Emulator and the Fourth Tower of Artonelico

Ordinarily, the power of Song Magic comes from a server within central tower, receiving the emotions of the singer and broadcasting them back as symphonic power to manifest the effects. This tower usually likewise hosts an SH Server, a space that houses the minds of the reyvateils linked to it, called their soulspaces; these are in turn partitioned and governed by a β-6D Reyvateil, one who lacks their own body. The Innsmouth, the colony ship that crash-landed on Golarion, had a similar system built within it using their own technology, including a shadow copy of the SH Server from Sol Ciel, albeit with its own equivalent to the standard β-6D.

While operational to some small extent for the ten thousand years it laid beneath the earth, the Innsmouth's Tower Emulator cannot broadcast with sufficient strength to the surface. Portable signal boosters operating within the personal baubles passed down by the survivors bridge the connection through a system not yet studied, though the broadcast range from that point is on the order of meters. However, if it was unimpeded and given full power, the tower emulator would likely be capable of broadcasting all over Golarion.

Also due to the damage, the tower's main security functions were compromised and reset to factory defaults. While this did not affect the ability for reyvateils to manifest their powers, it did allow the recently reawoken Mule Teiwaz Artonelico, a pure-blooded β-type reyvateil from Ar Ciel, to claim the credentials of Administrator, upon which she informally renamed it to the Fourth Tower of Artonelico, a declaration made with no small hint of irony; before she joined the Innsmouth, she was locked in war with the administrator of the First Tower of Artonelico, the same tower that the Innsmouth designed its systems on.

Principles of Song Magic

Song Magic in the context of this article is a form of magic that is exclusive to reyvateils, crafted using their wishes and emotions and drawing upon them in turn when cast. It is divided into two classifications: Hymmnos Words and Hymmnos Extracts. Hymmnos Words are simpler spells where a reyvateil's emotions are amplified with symphonic power before being channelled back to her to use as she sees fit. These songs are likewise easier to craft, usually stimulated into doing so through intense peaks of emotion experienced by the reyvateil in question. They often take the nomenclature of EXEC_HYMME_<NAME>/.

Hymmnos Extracts are far more advanced songs that directly control the tower to perform a task or alter its state. This greater power comes with greater restrictions—not only are must they be deliberately crafted with more time and care, they draw greater amounts of power from the singer, and she must also have certain permissions granted to her Hymmne Code to successfully execute the song. Half-blooded reyvateils frequently do not have valid Hymmne Codes and as such are largely barred from using this music, save for certain techniques to grant a code upon them. Extracts as such drop the HYMME extension and simply execute as EXEC_<NAME>/. though a few have what is called a socket extension, denoting a special feature of the tower.

New Hymmnos Dialect: Shellan Ciel Note

As the Tower Emulator is built on different technology from that of Ar Ciel, the traditional Central Standard dialect of Hymmnos is not the only one that can run on it; in fact, Hymmnos Extracts written in the standard dialect have a low performance. Back when the Innsmouth sailed the stars, a prototypical alternative was created to better interface with the rest of the ship's systems along with a special type of reyvateil—the Innsmouth Proxy Dependents—that could use it, but aside from a few lines of Hymmnos it was written and executed through machine code. Only long after the Innsmouth fell did the descendants of these specialised reyvateils write a new lexicon for it, allowing them to create new song magic on their own while leveraging the grammar of old.

Song Magic written for the Innsmouth Proxy Dependents takes on a different nomenclature than the usual, with a structure of <prefix>//<TYPE>;<name>/n in binary form, possibly with further descriptors dependent on the singer and source. When sung through Shellan Ciel or hybridised with normal Song Magic, the type is registered as a socket or server extension, becoming EXEC_<TYPE>_<NAME>/. or EXEC_inc.<TYPE>[;name1]_<NAME2>/. respectively.

Of the Song Magic that the Innsmouth Proxy Dependents can perform, these are the common types:

• init//TONE: Typically a small, utilitarian song which can be powered largely through the singer.
• exec//HYMME: A standard Hymmnos Word. When sung through Shellan Ciel, the end result is no different from a standard reyvateil's song.
• open:*//HARMONY: A form of Hymmnos Extract, Harmony-type songs can incorporate multiple singers, whether to distribute processing loads for tower operations or to contribute extra power to another song.
• exec=//library.*//SYMPHONY: A special form of Hymmnos Extract, this song magic is used to interface with Innsmouth systems external to the tower, and can lead to a high strain on the singer and Tower Emulator if it is used to relay the effects of such through the symphonic power transmission.

One example of the new song magic is exec=//library.voices//SYMPHONY;ERJOe0-4=1=, a song crafted on the fly by Forth to shield Mule from the devastating effects of a Chronological Cascade event triggered by D Everywhere. The same song exists in Shellan Ciel form as EXEC_SYMPHONY_FORTUNA=WARD/. after Lyra's genes reawoke while one of Forth's temporary forks occupied the address of her soulspace, resulting in a brief synchronisation and privilege escalation. Due to the events of the cascade, the songs' effects were unable to be studied closely and had largely been forgotten after the event subsided.

Song Magic in Game

Reyvateils

Reyvateils are the living component of the Song Magic systems provided by the broadcasting tower, capable of transforming sounds into energy. Strictly speaking, reyvateils are an artificial lifeform created with ancient technology that had only begun to be recovered in the Third Age of Ar Ciel, to say nothing of its state in Golarion ten thousand years after that. While constructed, they are composed of organic matter, much like the proteins of the human body. In modern times, this variety of reyvateil is referred to as a pure-blooded type—as they are modeled after humans, they are capable of reproduction, and their genes have since passed down, resulting in the uncommon phenomenon of said genes activating and connecting to the tower, creating a half-blooded or "third generation" reyvateil.

All reyvateils share the common trait of being female because the Y chromosome that males possess suppresses the functionality of the genes, precluding them from activating and connecting to the tower. It's possible to override that suppression by modifying the genes to force themselves to manifest, but this in turn would create a faulty connection to the SH Server, with potentially lethal outcomes. The telltale way to identify a reyvateil is their tattoo-like install port; these can appear anywhere on a reyvateil's body, though are frequently covered up due to a trained person being able to read their emotions through it. Likewise, the composition of an install port helps to differentiate pure-blooded and half-blooded types, with the former being a symmetrical, methodically-structured design while the latter is a chaotic branching mess of lines.

By singing in Hymmnos, a reyvateil can draw huge amounts of power directly from the tower they are linked to. Since the tower itself takes care of the instrumentation and choruses for their music, their natural music talents and abilities have no bearing in how they sound when they sing. In other words, even the most tone-deaf reyvateil in the world will sing marvelously as long as she does it to invoke Song Magic.

Reyvateils are mechanically presented through a Bestiary listing for the pure-blooded types, and a prestige class for advancement.

Innsmouth Proxy Dependents (IPDs)

The Innsmouth Proxy Dependents are a modified form of reyvateil that operate on a native layer of the Innsmouth's systems, bypassing the relatively slow Tower emulation layer.

Innsmouth Proxy Dependents share the song magic and SH servers of their cousins, and can function in much the same way as them. However, one key difference is that they are not required to use the standard Hymmnos dialect as much, but rather favour binary instructions or an alternative dialect written specifically for them, Shellan Ciel Note. Additionally, they do not use the same authentication methods as traditional reyvateils—with only two known exceptions (Forth and Lyra) they do not have Hymmne Codes. Instead, they connect through the Innsmouth's own authentication server.

They also differ in that their design was specifically to control the Innsmouth's systems better, thus meaning they can more readily craft Hymmnos Extracts—or rather Harmonies and Symphonies—than their forebearers. Indeed, their feelings alone can trigger the creation of an Extract when it was ordinarily a very deliberate process. While this historically allowed them to craft more powerful songs on average, without the authentication server's availability they have only been able to channel symphonic power through a Hymmnos Word like any other reyvateil. Moreover, they alone are prone to an affliction called the IPD Disease.

Reyvateil descendents of IPDs will always be IPDs, as their Spectrum Genes are rewritten when they are born so as to connect through the Innsmouth itself than directly with the tower emulator.

Crafting Song Magic

A reyvateil's Song Magic is typically composed in the form of a Hymmnos Word formed from her feelings and experiences; while in times long past they had various ways to create a controlled environment for it, the knowledge is long gone. Thus, reyvateils can only rely on other ways to stimulate their emotions to the extent necessary to trigger crafting, which is much less reliable.

Rarer still are Hymmnos Extracts. These often come programmed into Hymmn crystals that are downloaded by the reyvateil through a special sequence of command words, and even then they must have the a Hymmne Code with sufficient privileges to execute them.

Song Magic is typically written for a particular dialect, denoted by its prefix and in some cases socket—if written to a Hymmn crystal, it cannot be downloaded to a differently-classified reyvateil. For example, EXEC_PAJA/. is an ancient extract written for the reyvateils of Sol Ciel, but Innsmouth Proxy Dependents are not fully compatible and would have to adapt it as a Harmony instead.

Mechanically, Song Magic most often takes the form of spells modified with Symphonic Infusion or Metamusic, Bardic Performances or even Masterpieces. Most Extracts are beyond the scope of combat or gameplay alone and within the GM's purview only.

Tattoolist Disease

Type disease, genetic; Save Fortitude DC15

Onset maturity, see text; Frequency 1/day or see text

Initial Effect Target gains reyvateil creature subtype, unconscious 1 week; Secondary Effect 1 Con drain and target is exhausted; Cure see text

Tattoolist Disease, a name taken from the erratic linework of a reyvateil's tattoo-like install port that manifests somewhere on her body after her coma, is not a traditional disease in most senses. It is not contagious but rather an unfortunate consequence of the genes of a pure-blooded reyvateil ancestor awakening in a naturally-born descendant, a rare event that leads to the prospective new half-blooded reyvateil connecting to the local tower. Other symptoms besides the install port are fever and lethargy as the energy of the tower surging through the reyvateil's body wears her down and burns her life force away, ending in a painful death.

Tattoolist Disease can also occur prematurely if the reyvateil is exposed to someone undergoing IPD Disease if she herself likewise descended from an Innsmouth Proxy Dependent. Young reyvateils only suffer from the effects of the disease once per week until adulthood.

The onset of Tattoolist Disease cannot be avoided through a Fortitude save. It likewise cannot be cured permanently by any means short of severing her connection to the tower by staying out of its range, disabling the tower or casting a Miracle or Wish spell to remove the reyvateil genes from her outright. Its symptoms are also incurable through normal means—rest does not cure the exhaustion and Restoration cannot provide any relief unless cast in conjunction with with Remove Disease, in which together they only forestall further effects for a week and provide similar benefits to a Tranquility crystal. Diquility crystals are what's necessary to properly extend a half-blooded reyvateil's lifespan, suppressing the disease and relieving its negative symptoms for a good three months, but even those lose effectiveness as the reyvateil reaches middle age, condemning her to a short lifespan.

IPD Disease

IPD Disease is a twofold effect suffered by Innsmouth Proxy Dependents, caused by the unique systems they have, mirroring their namesake to an uncanny extent.

The disease is said to manifest itself in two forms: Positive and Negative. The positive form is an attack of madness where the reyvateil loses conscious control of herself and begins attacking anything in her range of sight, potentially ending in her own death. While not known to the public, this is triggered by the Innsmouth's security systems spurning the reyvateil to act in defense of the ship and remove anything out of place, which has disastrous effects when not on the ship.

Meanwhile, the negative form manifests as a sudden fever and loss of consciousness, which can spread as the positive form to any reyvateils close to the infected one; while the negative form is merely the onset of Tattoolist Disease in an awakening IPD Reyvateil, it is linked to the IPD outbreaks as the awakening makes her subconsciously connect with the Innsmouth's authentication servers, which—for both lack of identity and the system being offline—can trigger an alert and cause the security systems to drive other reyvateils in the area into a frenzy.

For a long while, IPD Disease was a relatively rare phenomenon due to the dormant security systems within the Innsmouth. After the lockdown was lifted by Mule upon her awakening, incidents have skyrocketed, and while research and historical materials on the ship may point to a cure, they have not yet been discovered, so the only solution available is to isolate the IPDs from the rest of society.

Tranquility and Diquility

Tranquility: Tranquility is a life-extending agent for reyvateils in the form of a small blue crystal. Taken on its own, the effects of Tranquility are largely psychosomatic and do little to actually extend the reyvateil's lifespan. However, it is an effective remedy for short-term fatigue from singing too long. When administered through an install port, Tranquility reduces Exhaustion to Fatigue or cures Fatigue outright.

Only reyvateils can make use of this item. As an artifact of another civilisation, it can only be found in the ruins. However, given raw materials and a formula it can be created with a DC 20 Craft (Alchemy) check (cost pending).

Diquility: A life-extending agent for reyvateils in the form of a roughly fist-sized blue crystal. Taken once every three months, Diquility can stave off the effects of Tattoolist Disease in half-blooded reyvateils for that time, curing them of their Con drain and Exhaustion in the process. Like Tranqulity, Diquility is administered through a reyvateil's install port, but the process is extremely painful and usually requires an assistant to insert the crystal slowly. For this reason, though it recovers Fatigue and Exhaustion in the same manner as Tranquility, very few reyvateils are likely to use it for this purpose.

Only reyvateils can make use of this item, and it is only non-purebloods who have any need of it. As an artifact of another civilisation it can only be found in the ruins, and it is beyond the ability of an individual to manufacture much less with current technology. As such, most half-blooded reyvateils in the ruins have passed on or remain in cold sleep, and those on the surface resort to rather more creative but temporary measures.

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Ar Tonelico, Reyvateils, Song Magic, Hymmnos and related concepts © Gust Corporation and Banpresto, used for personal purposes only. Article based on various passages from the EXA-PICO wiki. All other material is based on content from and thus released under the Open Game License.