Songs collated from many artists from, about, or related to the Empire setting

Empire Songs

Brass Coast

Music playlist

Empire LARP

larp empires

This song was originally written for a video game called Growing Up, that I was a writer on. With collaboration from Andrew Ruddick. It was recorded and produced for the game by an in-house performer. But this is the original, slightly more basic version of it. :)

The one fight I can't lose

A Wintermark funeral song, heard on The Pilgrim's Trail in Kallavesa. A filk of "The Old Churchyard" inspired by the Waterson:Carthy and Lady Maisery versions, with lyrics changed for Empire LRP's setting. Additional SFX from Janrou and ElBoss under Creative Commons 0. Photo by Roman Ivanina on Unsplash.

Field Recordings 5.31.2

The Old, Still Marsh

A song for Profound Decisions Empire festival event that celebrates one of the faction's newest generals: Amberlain P Black, the Fire of the Marches! Long may she lead!

LYRICS

I sing of a Marcher,
Hi Ho! Hi Ho!
Of a Marcher who walked out from Dawn.

With a sword primed for battle,
And flames in her hair,
She’s the fire of the Marches oh ho!

I sing of a soldier,
Hi ho! Hi ho!
One courageous and dangerous and strong.

Punched the teeth out and ogre,
And bashed twenty more!
She’s the fire of the Marches oh ho!

She’ll fight for the Marches,
She sings and she dances,
With hair made of summer realm flame.
If you don’t know her now,
Well I’ll tell you her name is:

Amberlain! Amberlain!
Amberlain Black!
Strength in my arm and the sword at my back.
Amberlain! Amberlain!
Amberlain Black!
She’s the fire of the Marches, oh ho!

I sing of the general,
Hi ho! Hi ho!
I sing of the general hi ho!

Who’ll fight back the Jotun,
And free Bregasland!
She’s the fire of the Marches, oh ho!

I sing of the general,
Hi ho! Hi ho!
Who gets victory clean from defeat.

She’s knocked out the Grendel,
Put slavers to sleep,
She’s the fire of the Marches, oh ho!

She’ll fight for the Marches,
She sings and she dances,
With hair made of summer realm flame.
If you don’t know her now,
Well I’ll tell you her name is:

Amberlain! Amberlain!
Amberlain Black!
Strength in my arm and the sword at my back.
Amberlain! Amberlain!
Amberlain Black!
She’s the fire of the Marches, oh ho!

She’ll free us from evil when all the while risking her neck.
She’s headstrong enough to keep Guildenstern firmly in check.
She’ll fight for the Marches,
She sings and she dances,
With hair made of summer realm flame.
If you don’t know her now,
Well I’ll tell you her name is:

Amberlain! Amberlain!
Amberlain Black!
Strength in my arm and the sword at my back.
Amberlain! Amberlain!
Amberlain Black!
She’s the fire of the Marches, oh ho!

The Fire Of The Marches

The Black Vigil patrols the dark roads of Bregasland, keeping the land safe from monsters and men alike - always keep your lantern lit!

LYRICS

Take a walk down to Bregasland,
Down to my home, that I do defend
Don't be hasty, go play it safe,
And seek the lamplight, that it will light your way.

And let the lantern light your way,
Let the lantern light your way,
Let the lantern light your way,
Let the lantern light your way.

Take a walk down to Bregasland,
The lines are drawn out; where do you stand?
With the Marchers on this chosen land?
Or with Mathilde and her Jotun friends?

Come the nightfall, come the fear,
Seek the lamplight, oh the Vigil's near.

And let the lantern light your way,
Let the lantern light your way,
Let the lantern light your way,
Let the lantern light your way.

Keep the light on, keep the light on,
To light your way, light your way yeah.
Keep the light on, keep the light on,
To light your way, light your way yeah.
Keep the light on, keep the light on,
To light your way, light your way yeah.

Take a walk down to Bregasland...

Lantern Light Your Way

A cover of the original song Bregasland Brew, this version sees Rhaego, an extravagant Freeborn, tackle the song in his own style - more dramatic, more exotic, and more romantic.

Commissioned for Stu Lennon who also provided a great vocal performance on this track.

The "Rhaegasland" Brew [Cover]

Wrote this one bloody ages ago, but it made its proper Anvil debut at E3 2023 during the Virtue's Roar performance. The recording lacks a certain something compared to the live performance (such as another 15 bards all playing along).

This is another one that started off as an idea for a filk that I couldn't actually make work, but i liked some of the lyrics i had and so I just rewrote the music around it. 

The sharp eyed/eared may hear the ghost of the original inspiration in the lyrics of the second verse, especially if they are of a musical theatre persuasion. ;) 

My thanks to Emma for providing the epic backing vocals for this one (and for the gift of the portable studio device it was recorded on).

I still suspect that the scream at the end is too much, but it continues to make me smile and so I'll continue doing it in the field whenever I have the voice to belt it out. 

FUN FACT: The final vocals for this were recorded in my car after I drove to the middle of a building site with my porta-studio as I was too self conscious to the shouty-screamy vocals at home where the entire neighbourhood would hear.

What We Came For

Brass Coast original composition. A cappella. Andalus/Moorish/Romani inspired.

Oranseri

Freeborn filk of Bear McCreary’s arrangement of “All Along The Watchtower” from the FANTASTIC series “Battlestar Galactica”.

All Along The Watchtowers

Freeborn filk of Lynrd Skynrd’s “Free Bird”.
Harp instrumental by Tiffany Envid.

Falcon on the Wing

No Pubs

We Will March to Victory

Freeborn people hear my cry
Call out to me in reply
Raise your swords and shields up high
We will win or we will die

[Chorus]
Freeborn people come with me
We will march to victory

Bring alive our history
Freedom out of misery
We will fight for liberty
Brass Coast march to victory

[Chorus]
Freeborn people come with me
We will march to victory

Bring your best into the fight
Orcish strength ‘gainst Freeborn might
From dawn of day to dead of night
We’ll fight again until first light

[Chorus]
Freeborn people come with me
We will march to victory
Freeborn people come with me
We will march to victory

----------------------
Tune is the medieval song 'Ecce Mundi Gaudium', words by Laura Hoskison

We Will March To Victory (version 1)

A Tomas Marchington filk of the Heather Alexander track 'Demonsbane'. Sadly I really struggle with this one; the two tunes kept on blurring together in my head and despite writing it all out I still struggled to make it work. If there's any places where the tune seems a little off it's not deliberate, it's my brain being a pain! Still, the words are really really good and I am sad I can't get it to go. I might consider a new tune...

Bane Of Lasambria

Recorded on my phone because my PC was being a dick. Very basic recordings which I hope to replace at some point soon. All lyrics and melodies are my own, but the chords, rhythm structure and rhythm for Rise Up was heavily inspired by 'Believer' by Imagine Dragons. It's not a direct filk, exactly, but I certainly can't claim it as completely original.  More songs will follow as I complete the songbook. 

From an RP perspective, there is a reasonable chance that you could have heard these performed as Tarik wanders the trods and performs in taverns to pay his way.

Wheel Keeps Turning (Prosperity)

Sing For The Mark (Pride)

Rise Up (Ambition)

Nowhere I'd Rather Be (Loyalty)

Ambient recordings from the larp Empire, by Profound Decisions

Empire 22

One Beat

Voice of Navarr

The Marcher Corsair

Filk of I See Fire for Empire LRP, done to karaoke backing off YT, vocals on Samsung phone voice recorder.

Bit of a test of my available equipment and programmes, less of a focus on perfect vocals. In future I may clean it up and find a simple guitar accompaniment more appropriate for Empire!

Lyrics:

Oh, please my darling return to me soon
Don’t leave me here all on my own
My heart grows heavy as it turns to stone
Slow as my footsteps as I wander on


If I must now be alone
To dance this Great dance without you
I will take no joy in sunshine and song
With my senses ever hoping to find you 
Through the empire I will travel far and wide
Hey

As my hope starts to fade 
I will rue the day I lost you
Raise a bitter toast to the labyrinth
Clinging to my memories 
Your arms around me
Until you were taken from my side 
Not even knowing if you died 


And now I cry, howling injustice
Now I cry, for victory’s cost
And now I cry, seeking the truth
Now I cry, lonely and lost 
And I wish that you’d come back to me





Oh and I know it’s true
That the wave that drowns me now
Is hardly something new
And will take more tomorrow
Though it sears through my bones, burning me hollow
I will live to see another dawn 
And the fire of loss will make me strong

And now I cry, howling injustice
Now I cry, for victory’s cost
And now I cry, seeking the truth
Now I cry, lonely and lost 
And I wish that you’d come back to me

And if it takes a lifetime
I will never lose hope
That you are out there somewhere
On your way home

Cause every moment since you didn’t
Reappear after we fought 
I made the choice to keep believing 
That we’d be together once more









And now I cry, howling injustice
Now I cry, for victory’s cost
And now I cry, seeking the truth
Now I cry, lonely and lost 
So now I cry, howling injustice
Now I cry, for victory’s cost
And now I cry, seeking the truth
Now I cry, lonely and lost 

And I wish that you’d come back to me

Now I Cry

New songs debuted at Empire LRP's E1 event, 2019

Where Do You Stand (Rage)

A song of Vigilance. As of the end of E1, it has not yet been performed at Anvil due to a loss of voice on Friday night.

Although my softest song, it is also possibly the most barbaric in terms of musical stylings as I still find writing to style hard.

I See You (vigilance)

Piano and vocals. Written and performed by Emma Vieceli. The initial chords for the verses were provided by Darrell Lockhart and I created the song from those.