Scenario:The Doss! End of the Line Farewell Tour - Chapter 1: Heavens on Fire - Episode 1

The Doss! End of the Line Farewell Tour - Chapter 1: Heavens on Fire - Episode 1

Aoidos's manager brings news that Aoidos has been invited to perform at Auguste Festival. The musician is confident he can write a new song in time, but he falls into a slump from the pressure of playing at such a monumental event.

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Aoidos: Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. It all started with a fateful letter.

Aoidos: My manager is trying to get a hold of me?

Rackam: Yep. Says he needs to see you ASAP.

Rackam hands him a high-priority message sent via the Knickknack Shack.

Aoidos: Hm... A letter with the word "urgent" and nothing else. That doesn't sound like something he'd do.

Manager: Hey, Aoidos. It's been a while since you left to form a band and find that sound you're looking for. How's that going by the way?

Aoidos: Things are looking up, as you can see. So what did you call me here for? Surely not to ask me how I'm doing.

Manager: Right you are. I've been holding on to this letter for you.

Aoidos: Hm...

Aoidos breaks the seal on the envelope with some trepidation, unsure of how important it could really be.

Aoidos: Do my eyes deceive me? An official invitation to perform at Auguste Festival?

Manager: Congratulations. Your dream event is calling. And even though only your name's on it, the invite extends to any band members you want to bring.

Manager: So. You gonna take the gig?

Aoidos: You bet I am. There's no way I'm missing this.

Manager: Heh. Figured as much, but it's my job to ask.

Vyrn: Er, is there even a reason to have second thoughts? It's basically another concert, isn't it?

Manager: It's not just any concert. The performance reviews from this festival will make or break a musician's career.

Aoidos: Good reviews buy you fame. Bad ones seal your fate. A band lives or dies by the will of the audience.

Vyrn: Gee, when you guys put it that way, are you sure performin' at this thing is a good idea?

Aoidos: The festival shouts my name. It's saying, "I need you, Aoidos." So I will oblige.

Aoidos: After I pen my newest hit song, the Doss will be forever cemented in festival lore! Long live the Doss!

Aoidos: The Doss is doomed...

Manager: That's a pretty grim assessment for writer's block. It's not like you at all.

Aoidos: Nrgh! My point exactly! I don't know what's wrong with me!

Aoidos: It's like I can't feel the pathos in any of the notes I jot down! The sound I want won't come to me! Where did all my talent go!

Rackam: Hey, get a grip, will you? The festival isn't that far off, and we really need to buckle down and practice in the time we have left.

Vyrn: Are you too hyped up because of how huge this festival is, Aoidos?

Aoidos: Hyped up? Hyped up, you say? No, no, the gods are pulling a trick on me!

Aoidos: Curse their jealousy—they've locked up my talent and thrown away the key! Ah, why was I blessed with this sin?

Baal: All that noise is blocking you from hearing the melody floating in your head.

Baal: There's a saying among mortal musicians: "They can boo me all they want, but if I play it my way, I'll have no regrets."

Baal: Now concentrate, Aoidos.

Aoidos: You're right. I'm going outside for some fresh air first. I'll get back to composing in a bit.

The frustrated musician exits the room with his hands on his head.

Manager: That's one heck of a slump.

Vyrn: Hard to imagine someone with so much rocker energy takin' it that hard.

Rackam: Is that what you call an artist's temperament?

Rackam and the others think back to when they first met Aoidos.

Rackam: I mean, we got recruited into his band before we could even get a word in.

Baal: He's always had a confident strut about him, yet composing this new song is filling him with doubt. What's changed?

Manager: I think Dandelios nailed it on the head about him being too excited.

Manager: Aoidos has been trying to play at Auguste Festival for as long as I can remember.

Baal: So the type of venue itself is affecting his personality?

Rackam: I get where he's comin' from though. We're talkin' huge crowds at this thing. 'Course he'd be jittery.

Aoidos's Voice: What am I supposed to do!

Aoidos's Voice: Aaaaah!

Woman's Voice: Eeek!

Rackam: Which makes him act out like that.

Baal: Interesting. Then I'm curious to see what kind of music rises from his discord.

Vyrn: Speakin' of makin' music, why can't we save time and play songs we already know?

Manager: Auguste Festival is the premier live event that only invites the skydom's top bands.

Manager: Playing songs the crowd wants to hear used to be good enough.

Manager: But when you hit them with the unexpected, that really gets them on your side. Pretty soon every band was debuting new tunes in order to grab the number one spot.

Vyrn: I guess that's why he's been lookin' forward to this event for a whole year.

Manager: Nah, much longer than that. Basically ever since he heard about the festival. I know he wants to leave nothing on the table, but...

Festival management has set up lodging for all performers at an upscale inn. With the concert looming on the calendar, the bands prep for their performances.

Gran is the Main Character

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Lyria: Hey, guys! (Captain) and I whipped up some snacks for you!

Lyria: Huh? Where's Aoidos?

Djeeta is the Main Character

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Lyria: Hey, guys! (Captain) and I whipped up some snacks for you!

Lyria: Huh? Where's Aoidos?

Rackam: He's having trouble comin' up with a hot new jam, so he's outside somewhere tryin' to walk it off.

Lyria: Oh no... I wonder what's holding him back?

Baal: He's probably having trouble narrowing down a theme and figuring out who his target audience is.

Baal: His fans won't be the only ones in attendance.

Baal: He could put on his usual act to perfection, but that doesn't mean new listeners will be won over.

Baal: Therein lies his dilemma. A song with broad appeal takes time to write.

Vyrn: Even for him? I see him hummin' and strummin' on his guitar all the time. That's enough for him to crank out a tune in a few days, tops.

Manager: It helps to have some knowledge of music theory when writing music. He probably had some training before he lost his memory.

Manager: As long as he has a solid vision, it simply becomes a matter of putting all the pieces together.

Lyria: I see...

Lyria: Um, what do you mean by putting the pieces together?

Baal: Arranging chords and melodies in such a way that sounds pleasing to the ear.

Baal: Allow me to demonstrate. Lyria, can you hum a measure for me? Anything will do.

Lyria: Huh? R-right now? Okay...

Lyria: Hm-hmm, hmm-hm-hm...
Like that?

Baal: Vermillios, bassline please.

Rackam: What? Yeah, sure...

Rackam: How's that?

Baal: Perfect. Just put those notes on paper and turn them into chords—

Aoidos: Vermillios. What in the world was that?

Rackam: Er, nothing really! Just a little ditty to go with Lyria's humming.

Aoidos: What!

Lyria: Ahaha... Your face is kinda scary right now, Aoidos...

Aoidos: Can I hear it?

Lyria: Huh?

Aoidos: Please, can I hear what you were humming?

Lyria: O-okay...

Lyria: Hm-hmm, hmm-hm-hm...

Aoidos: Where did you hear that song?

Lyria: I'm not sure. It popped into my head one day.

Aoidos: I can feel the pathos. I'm getting a premonition—no! The blossoming of conviction! That melody has the it factor!

Aoidos: Manager! Get this girl an outfit! In the meantime I've got a song to write!

Manager: Oh! The one you'll debut at the festival?

Aoidos: No, not yet. First I want to prove whether the gods have truly caged my talent.

Aoidos: I'm showcasing this song in a mini gig with Snowdos as the vocalist. Take care of the preparations, Manager.

Rackam: Uh... Can somebody tell me what just happened?

Manager: Seems that ab-lib of yours pulled him out of his funk. He's going to turn it into an arrangement for a street performance.

Lyria: Um... When he said Snowdos is the vocalist...

Manager: I'm almost certain he means you, Lyria.

Lyria: Huh?

Lyria: No way!