Re: Mirrorspace: Melodya (Planet) Part 2

On Melodya, farming came first, and arts second. Music was, of course, the
highest form of artistic expression. For centuries, while fruits vegetables
were the main economic export, poems and songs were the cultural goods
coming from that world, the latter as much sought after as the former.
Acutally songs were even more coveted after Mirror Prime rose to spherewide
dominance: while there were several tributary colonies that produced food
(both luxury food and regular fare), none came close to Melodya´s songs and
literature.

With the opening of Rummna to spelljamming, the influence of Mirror Prime
immediately began to change the planet. New settlements were founded to
cater to the needs of spelljammers, traditional villages expanded.
Shipbuilding handicraft came into vogue, and accordant to Rummna´s
attitude, was considered more art than craft. Beautiful ships were built at
a dozen of ports that continuously outgrew their city walls. They became
the centers of Rummna´s new culture: no longer “farming´s the way to live”,
now it was all “song and stars”. Spacefarers making planetfall rushed to
the taverns and festhalls like everywhere, but many were more interested in
songs that saucy wenches. After all, what did one do on Melodya if not
returning with a new song?

After a few years, the large cities held more songhalls than
festhalls. “The Clubs”, as they were called (even though the majority was
generally restricted to membership) staged musical and dancing events, and
many quisamae became famous overnight with one catchy tune that was spread
by the spelljammers throughout Mirrorspace and other spheres. Many a farm
lad (or lass) dreamt of “going to the jammers ports”, abandoning the daily
grind. Many did, a few succeeded.

It was not long after that the first Melodya- Songhall opened on Mirror
Prime. It was a success from the day of its opening, soon competitors
followed, intend on getting their slice of the cake. Unlike the other
vogues that came and went over the centuries, the Melodya- Songhalls were a
constant. A kind of “party-culture” developed, and while the styles of
music were as fast-moving as all other trends in Mirror Prime, the general
principle stayed the same: everybody strove to outdo the other dancers. The
highest objective was to move in perfect harmony with the music, “become
one with the beat” – a phrase that stuck and described what became the
nominal goal (7) of the dancers. Contest were held regularly, where the
best enjoyed short-lived fame, until the “next big thing” was discovered.

But no matter how hard they tried, the most prestigious Clubs were found on
Melodya itself. That lead to a new kind of spelljamming business: whole
shiploads of the spheres rich were ´jammed to Melodya, where they “toured
the Clubs that mattered”, as it was said. Eventually, some resourceful
businessmen began to found new villages: exclusive estates in the most
beautiful and solitary landscape they could find were built, complete with
all services the rich (and not-so-rich) could possibly want during their
pleasure-trips. Long distance from the next settlement was unimportant
because the “Club- Towns” were supplied by spelljamming ships that easily
bridged mountains and oceans normal caravans or ships would have taken in
months or years. It was somewhat more expensive, but who cared?

One Club- Town was founded by a Ileatril, a Quisama who ended his carreer
at it´s apex, famous across the sphere (and at least well- known in several
other spheres). Before he earned a living trough music, he was a one of the
deepdelvers: adventuring companies scouring the underdark for excitement
and treasure. After a particularly unsuccessful adventure, only he and one
mage- his future wife, returned. They settled down in one of the beautiful
spots they had discovered in the wilds at the foothills of a mountain
range, not far from a community of rockgnomes. Both invested most of their
savings in the endeavor that significantly changed Mirrors cultural
landscape: The founding of THE Club- Town.

Footnotes:

(7) Apart from boozing, meeting friends, flirting and generally having
a good time...