A collection of some of my favourite Empire tunes 

A Marcher, a Marcher! Empire LARP playlist

A song made hastily for Profound Decisions' Empire LRP festival - celebrating Taric Thornsbane's famous drink!

Woeful-looking but wonderful-tasting: the 'Bregasland Brew'! Fresh from the heart of the Marches.

LYRICS

Here's a drink there's one for everyone,
Here's a drink there's one for everyone,
Here's a drink there's one for everyone,
One Bregasland Brew.

Here's a drink there's one for everyone,
Here's a drink there's one for everyone,
Here's a drink there's one for everyone,
One Bregasland Brew.

Give me one more drink,
One more song, one more dance and then I'm through!
While the nobles pine for the Dawnish wine,
They long for the Bregasland Brew!

Give me one more drink,
One more song, one more dance and then I'm through!
While the nobles pine for the Dawnish wine,
They long for the Bregasland Brew,
Oh they long for the Bregasland Brew!

Here's a drink there's two for everyone,
Here's a drink there's two for everyone,
Here's a drink there's two for everyone,
Two Bregasland Brews.

Here's a drink there's two for everyone,
Here's a drink there's two for everyone,
Here's a drink there's two for everyone,
Two Bregasland Brews.

Give me one more drink,
One more song, one more dance and then I'm through!
While the nobles pine for the Dawnish wine,
They long for the Bregasland Brew!

Give me one more drink,
One more song, one more dance and then I'm through!
While the nobles pine for the Dawnish wine,
They long for the Bregasland Brew,
Oh they long for the Bregasland Brew!

Here's a drink there's three for everyone,
Here's a drink there's three for everyone,
Here's a drink there's three for everyone,
Three Bregasland Brews.

Here's a drink there's three for everyone,
Here's a drink there's three for everyone,
Here's a drink there's three for everyone,
Three Bregasland Brews.

Give me one more drink,
One more song, one more dance and then I'm through!
While the nobles pine for the Dawnish wine,
They long for the Bregasland Brew!

Give me one more drink,
One more song, one more dance and then I'm through!
While the nobles pine for the Dawnish wine,
They long for the Bregasland Brew,
Oh they long for the Bregasland Brew,
Oh they long for the Bregasland Brew!

WAHEY

Bregasland Brew

A song written for William Guildenstern: the soon to be folk hero and legend of the live action roleplaying system 'Empire'.

LYRICS

I'll entreat you to a tale about a name you might recall,
Of a man named William Guildenstern, a hero to us all.
Not one detail here is wasted, not one detail's overblown,
Let my voice become your chisel as we write this down in stone.

Well he started as a blacksmith when he marched away from Dawn,
Fought the minotaurs in Skarsind and with grace he slew them all.

Then he joined up the militia, seven years he served to tell,
Of when he nabbed the bloody butcher and all of Temeschwar as well!

Then assassins came to bleed him, all attempts they tried did fail,
He's a man who's duelled trogoni and has lived to tell the tale.

He's a senator, a skirmisher, all brains as well as brawn,
And got so much damn charisma that he's even liked in Dawn!

Woah, oh ho!
I sing of William Guildenstern!
Senator and skirmisher, a league unto his own.
Woah, oh ho!
I sing of William Guildenstern!
A just and true commander, he's a hero to us all!

Fought in Skarsind, unto Holberg, unto Mournwold, unto Karsk,
Even fought a Jotun war-prince and he beat him on his arse!

Battled monsters, battled dragons, battles far beyond belief,
Defeated ogres in a hurricane in nothing but his briefs!

Guildenstern is strong as stone and no assault can pierce his hide,
Caught a falling star within his chest, and still he didn't die!

Took a troll curse to his mind so that the Marcher-folk would thrive,
Like a blackened blade it ran him through, but Guildenstern survived!

Woah, oh ho!
I sing of William Guildenstern!
Senator and skirmisher, a league unto his own.
Woah, oh ho!
I sing of William Guildenstern!
A just and true commander, he's a hero to us all! X2

William Guildenstern!

I Sing Of William Guildenstern

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

Nobody fights like the Marchers do: fully armed and filthy.

LYRICS

I’m a fighting Marcher and a Marcher I’ll remain,
Crawling out the mud with but a billhook to my name,
Apple in my pocket just in case I meet the grave,
Fully armed and filthy as we march into the fray.

Oh!
Drag the field, sow the steel,
Take the Marcher way.
Drag the field, sow the steel,
Take the Marcher way.
Fully armed and filthy as we march into the fray
Oh!
Step in time, bills in line,
March into the fray!

I’m a fighting Marcher and a Marcher I’ll remain,
Grinding up the Jotun and Mathilde’s traitor knaves,
Blood will feed the barley and the barley’s what we crave,
Fully armed and filthy as we march into the fray.

Oh!
Drag the field, sow the steel,
Take the Marcher way.
Drag the field, sow the steel,
Take the Marcher way.
Fully armed and filthy as we march into the fray
Oh!
Step in time, bills in line,
March into the fray!
Oh!
Drag the field, sow the steel,
Take the Marcher way.
Drag the field, sow the steel,
Take the Marcher way.
Fully armed and filthy as we march into the fray
Oh!
Step in time, bills in line,
March into the fray!

I’m a fighting Marcher and a Marcher I’ll remain,
Fighting through our enemies and fighting through the pain,
We’ve got all to lose, but we’ve also got all to gain,
Fully armed and filthy as we march into the fray

Oh!
Drag the field, sow the steel,
Take the Marcher way.
Drag the field, sow the steel,
Take the Marcher way.
Drag the field, sow the steel,
Take the Marcher way, oh!
Drag the field sow the steel,
Take the Marcher way.

Oh!
Drag the field, sow the steel,
Take the Marcher way.
Drag the field, sow the steel,
Take the Marcher way.
Fully armed and filthy as we march into the fray
Oh!
Step in time, bills in line,
March into the fray! X2

I’m a fighting Marcher and a Marcher I’ll remain!

Drag The Field

Commission for Marcus Vine to commemorate a legend of the Empire LRP game setting: Tomothy Crowle and his fighting Hedgehogges - long may they fight the good fight.

LYRICS

My mother was a soldier,
My father was a drunk,
He told the old landlord to pour it faster.
Well it would be my luck,
That the two of them would fuck,
Now I’m a Marcher soldier and a bastard!

Singing aye, aye, aye,
Yeah we’ll fight until we die
And our enemies are gone forever more
(Forever more!)
Stacking bodies in the mud,
For the nation that we love,
We are the fighting Hedgehogges,
The bloody pricks of war!

My mother came to see me,
In the camp one day,
She’s served twenty years yeah she’s a sergeant.
My mate said she was hot,
I said you better not!
She’ll tie you up and use you for a target!

Singing aye, aye, aye,
Yeah we’ll fight until we die
And our enemies are gone forever more
(Forever more!)
Stacking bodies in the mud,
For the nation that we love,
We are the fighting Hedgehogges,
The bloody pricks of war!

The most beautiful shaft,
That I did ever see,
I dreamt that one day I’d get my hands on it.
I finally got my way,
I grasp it every day,
It’s the only one for me and it’s my billhook!

Singing aye, aye, aye,
Yeah we’ll fight until we die
And our enemies are gone forever more
(Forever more!)
Stacking bodies in the mud,
For the nation that we love,
We are the fighting Hedgehogges,
The bloody pricks of war! X2

Hedgehogge War Song

This is a song for the Profound Decisions' live-roleplay system Empire.

It was a recorded, engineered and mixed at home on my somewhat rudimentary studio equipment. 

Lyrics:

Verse 1
How can you pretend to know of violence,
Sitting, reading fairy tales of war?
Tell me what's the worst that you can fear! A papercut?
My Dawnish friend, our wounds are deeper still.

Chorus
Ai! Ai-ee-eh! Ai-ee-eh!
Ai! Ai-ee-eh! Ai-ee-eh!

Verse 2
The borders of The Empire are too fragile,
To let an enemy get half-a-chance.
Kill them where you can,
Use everything you have to hand.
Noble grace will send you to your grave.

Chorus

Verse 3 with bridge.
The Striding walks the trod to save our homeland.
The Steading guards the wood 'till they return.
You would blindly wander in alone?
You cannot see.
You cannot hear.
There in the deep...
The Vallorn lie....
They never sleep...
They're waiting...

Chorus (x2)

Verse 4
On the road, the paths we tread are endless.
The weariness will wear you to the bone.
The enemy will wait for you to stumble.
With vigilance, your only coat of steel.

Chorus (x2)



Caution For The Dawnish Youth

A very silly Malhann track first played at Empire E2 2023. Joined by Tarik (Andrew Ruddick) on the guitar and extra vocal flavour. To the bards of Empire : you rock. To the patrons of the bards of Empire: you rock more. 

Pay your f****ing bard

Chords:  G D/F# Em D C 
Verse: 
We all made mistakes, Glora Estafan said, We all lose our way 
Staring at the windows, she longs for her day, of going home
Hopefully tomorrow will come
The night can be dark but morning brings light  
I still have time to make it right 

Chorus:  
C D C D Em 
Change is on the horizon 
But tomorrow might not be 
Hopefully in days from now we’ll see 
I need to find my way home 
I wonder what the next step is 
Change is on the horizon 
Look up, your life can be bright 
Keep trying never give up
D7
You can overcome any challenge you want 

Verse 2:  
G D/F# Em D 
I need to find my way back home 
Do I go left or do I go right 
Do I hug what makes sense to the world 
Or do I sing deep within for what makes sense to me? 
I’m dancing do a brand new beat 
It’s going to take me home 





Bridge: 
Am, C 
Look up to the stars to find your way 
Don’t give up on hope, they call it eternity
For it is a precious hidden gem in this world 
Step up and get ready for the lift off 


Chorus:  
C D C D Em 
Change is on the horizon 
But tomorrow might not be 
Hope
fully in days from now we’ll see 
I need to find my way home 
I wonder what the next step is 
Change is on the horizon 
Look up, your life can be bright 
Keep trying never give up


We all make mistakes D 06-19-25

This is a song for the Profound Decisions' live-roleplay system Empire.

This was recorded at my home. I need to add bass drum and some more guitars, but I wanted to show the work in the progress.

Lyrics:

Wait, silent, and still.
Kneel, watching, ready for the kill.
Feel, the forest, beneath you.
Wait, we're holding, hidden from view.

It's time. There's a sign, from the left,
And we're moving.
Rise, from the ground, with no sound,
And we're making our way.
And we're picking up pace.
The touch, on your skin, of the leaves,
As they brush past your face
And we're picking up pace
Aware, the front lines, of both sides,
Have begun to engage,
But we're moving,
And we're sneaking,
And we're flanking.

The crunch, of a twig, on the floor,
It seems deafening.
The whip of the trees on our sides
But we've not been seen yet,
But we're picking up pace.
Catch, the first sight, on the right,
As their moving in place.
And we're picking up pace.
To stop, and disrupt, interrupt,
All their strategy and planning,
And we're moving,
And we're running,
And we're flanking.
Flanking.

Charge! We're running.
Whistling wind as the arrows are flying.
Charge! We're running.
Screaming out threats as the bloodlust is filling,
Our minds.
And we're picking up pace.
The fear, in their eyes, as their caught, by surprise, 
As we're running, 
And we're leaping
And we're bursting out the wood,
Spears colliding.

Duck, to the left, block the right.
Keep on moving.
Thrust, to the chest, and their lives,
You have taken away.
And they can't match our pace.
Weaving our way, through their lines,
Bringing death in our wake.
And we're picking up pace.
Sever, and break and dismember and take
Now we're leaving.
And we're running.
And we're breathing.
And returning to our wait...

...silent, and still.
Kneel, watching, ready for the kill.

Flank Attack From The Forest

This is a song for the Profound Decisions' live-roleplay system Empire.

It was a recorded, engineered and mixed at home on my somewhat rudimentary studio equipment.  I would like to add percussion to this at some point. Maybe redo the main vocal and add more guitar.

This is my first proper recording using Reaper - a Digital audio workstation software that I think I am going to stick with because it is awesome.

Lyrics:

Intro
Nigh-anighy-yighy-yah, Anighy-yighy-yay
Nigh-anighy-yighy-yah, Anighy-yighy-yay

Verse 1
Bold Hercynia,
Where the ancient pine grow,
On the mountain side,
In the dawning light.

Hear the water course,
through the deadly gorge,
See the long shadows,
Where we dare not go.

Cold Hercynia,
Where the rivers run fresh,
As the Northern breeze,
Stirs the mighty trees.

See the hunter stand,
Watching all the land.
Hear the silence fall,
When the Navarr call!

Half- Chorus
Nigh-anighy-yighy-yah, Anighy-yighy-yay,
Hear the cold Hercynian Cry.
Anighy-yighy-yah, Anighy-yighy-yay,
From the tallest treetops on high.

Verse 2
Brave Hercynia
Where the mountain lion lurks,
As the grizzly bear,
Sniffs the morning air.

See the badger stir,
'neath the fallen fir.
See the sly vixen,
In the foxes' den.

Old Hercynia,
Where the many herds roam.
On the valley side,
Where the hunter hides.

See the red deer sleep,
By the river deep,
See them run and flee,
When the Navarr scream.

Chorus
Nigh-anighy-yighy-yah, Anighy-yighy-yay,
Hear the cold Hercynian Cry.
Anighy-yighy-yah, Anighy-yighy-yay,
From the tallest treetops on high.

Anighy-yighy-yah, Anighy-yighy-yay,
Where the mountains reach to the sky.
Anighy-yighy-yah, Anighy-yighy-yay,
Hear the cold Hercynian Cry.

Bridge
Higher than the stars at night
Farther than the bird in flight.
Prouder than the bravest thorn.
Louder than the thunderstorm.

Higher than the curving sky,
Farther than the eagle flies.
Prouder than the raging boar.
Louder than the lion's roar.

Verse 3
So Hercynia,
When your rivers are dust.
And the woods we know
Are a faint echo

When the mountains grand,
have been ground to sand.
Though the world may die,
You'll still hear our cry!

Chorus x2

Hercynian Cry

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.

Nowhere I'd Rather Be (Loyalty)

A song about Idwyn Splitroot's Past Life Vision

Rise and Build

One of my newest tracks! 
This song is a lighthearted little number mostly about the importance of National Training. Or any kind of training really..

Hold Our Line Here!

"Wear your tattoos, your scars with pride; they're proof that you've come this far and survived."
Life as a Navarri is not always easy, dangerous moments can spiral quickly and leave us beaten and broken. But we are never ones to give up.

A song written for and dedicated to my bestest friend and the strongest person I know.

Hold Our Line Here!

Sparro Trifoot Oakenhart

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