Voice Magic and Song

K. L. Miller • July 30, 2026

Share this article

Voice magic (what most laymen call bardic magic) first appears in the written records a mere twelve thousand years ago, which makes it a late and curious development. Some children who awaken to the use of vharin/aether around their tenth year possess so meager a reserve that they are deemed no threat and thus unsuitable for temple training. Those who still hunger to wield some form of power, in modern times, seek out the sole school in Ætaine that blends priestly and magely visualization with deliberate vocalization, allowing such weak-blooded practitioners to raise or cast down the hearts of others through song or speech. Their methods are closely guarded, but from what a companion has shared, the essence lies in how they picture vharin/aether and then shape it with tone, pitch, and resonance. Further study is warranted, though I have found myself unable to employ this technique at all. Perhaps it depends upon having only a narrow trickle of vharin to guide, rather than the large reservoir a mage or priest commands?

More From the Blog

Black outline icon of a document with three lines and a folded corner

News

Black line icon of a rolled scroll or blueprint with top and bottom bars

Magi's Research Notes

Generic user profile icon in black outline on a white background

Characters

Black outlined folded map icon on a white background

Locations

Black line icon of a stack of books with a feather quill

Excerpts

Recent Posts

By K. L. Miller August 12, 2026
Welcome to the official home of The Assassin Priestess.
By K. L. Miller July 30, 2026
I had worked a forge for seven hundred and thirty-two years when a nightmare entered my workshop.
By K. L. Miller July 30, 2026
20th day of Redfall, in the Second Little-Moon’s Turn, year 1021 ÆC (Ætaine Calendar)
By K. L. Miller July 30, 2026
The High District occupies a gentle rise overlooking the Shad’li crossing. At its center stands Valentien’s Fortress, originally built to defend the river and now serving as the royal palace of Valmark. Its commanding position and proximity to the crown have made the district the preferred home of the city’s nobility.
By K. L. Miller July 30, 2026
The Western District is the oldest surviving part of Valmark, founded nearly four centuries ago where the Shad’li River could once be crossed during the driest months of the year. Although the city’s merchants later relocated to the newer Market District, the Western District remains an important entry point and a center of local tradition.
By K. L. Miller July 30, 2026
The Embersteps District stands upon a low rise near Valmark’s southern wall. Once known simply as the slums, much of the district was destroyed by a devastating fire several decades ago. It was rebuilt in brick and stone, though its narrow streets still twist unpredictably between crowded homes, workshops, and small neighborhood markets.
Show More