Five items from Oracle of Ages that are artifacts of musical history.
Harp of Ages: This harp is the core item in Oracle of Ages. Link finds it in a secret basement in Nayru’s house after they are taken by wicked Veran. A ghostly echo of Nayru tells Link she left it there hoping that a brave hero would find it and use it to save Labrynna. As Nayru is the titular oracle of ages, her magic harp allows Link to travel through time by playing magical songs that push him forward, backward, or allow him to travel freely through time. No time travel is allowed in dungeons or in certain map areas to make sure the game can’t be broken by creative time jumps.
The ancient stories are full of tales of the wandering singer who was such a master of the lyre that their music could soothe any manner of being from people and animals to spirits and the very earth itself. Always seeking greater challenges to test their skills against, the wanderer pursued rumors of a passage leading into the lands of the restless dead. Returning from those lands, the wanderer was visibly changed. Gone was the eager boastful youth, replaced by a sorrowful and reluctant musician.
Tune of Echoes: The first tune for the harp is taught to Link by an apparition or memory of Nayru when Link finds the harp. Playing this song in an open time portal allows Link to travel to the opposite age. This is a somewhat limited power and ensures players are limited in their time travel abilities by level design.
Echoes in the Halls of the Silent, an experimental progressive rock album, was the first album to hide real magic incantations that could only be revealed by playing the record backward. The record was released anonymously by a small studio usually employed by up and owning artists who hadn’t yet been signed. Most of the copies were collected and destroyed when the reports of necromantic summoning began to circulate, but this made the album even more valuable to collectors interested in either musical history or arcane lore.
Tune of Currents: This tune causes time to rush forward, ushering Link to the current age wherever he plays in the past. A time portal is also left wherever Link came through from the past and remains until that time portal or any other time portals are used. As Link can move forward in time anywhere in the past, he might not be able to safely land in the present, if this is the case he bounces off the current age and is sent back to the past no worse for wear. Link gets this tune from Tokkey, a researcher specializing in music, time travel, and time travel using music. He has become stuck in his research and only Link playing the tune of echoes will help him with his next breakthrough.
Winds of Change by Starry Nyx was released with little fanfare during the beginning of a year marked by global political unrest. The sometimes somber, sometimes upbeat album is not overtly political, but it began to be played at protests around the world. By the end of that year, Winds of Change had become intrinsically linked to civil unrest and anti-war protests and helped to start an international conversation about what world peace could look like in the modern-day.
Tune of Ages: The ultimate tune to be played on the harp, this tune allows Link to travel between past and present wherever the song is played. This travel has the same safety limitations as the tune of currents. Nayru herself teaches Link this tune after he frees her from Veran’s possession.
Three Lone Witches became the first coven of real witches to have a double-platinum album with their debut album Ages. Through a pop music lens, the group explored topics like self-empowerment, platonic friendship, and the ennui of a supernaturally long lifespan. According to the coven, they have been hard at work on their long-awaited follow-up album, but fans can expect to be waiting for decades as the first album reportedly took 25 years to write.
Seed Satchel: This bag allows Link to store the mystical seeds he finds on trees and in pots and grass all over Labrynna. This satchel is given as a reward by the great Maku tree after Link saves her when she was a sapling in the past age. Equipping the seed satchel, Link can toss a seed directly on an object or an enemy. Starting with only 20 slots for each type of seed, Link can upgrade the bag’s capacity twice. Once in the normal course of the game by talking to Tingle and again in a linked game by passing a secret to Tingle from the Great Fairy of the Winter Woods in Holodrum.
This bag belonged to a child that was destined to be one of the greatest musicians in history. Unfortunately, their life was cut short when a white nationalist opened fire inside a library where the student studied music after school. The groundbreaking musical compositions found in the backpack revolutionized how music was taught. We can only imagine what the child could have accomplished if their life hadn’t been tragically cut short.
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That last item was heavy, but with all the instances of gun violence happening in the U.S. and around the world, I can’t just avoid the topic. Gun violence is a huge problem that needs to be addressed in meaningful ways. Don’t bury your head in the sand on this issue.
Please use my work personally however you see fit, but do not profit off my efforts without my consent.
Be excellent to each other.
-Ceph
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