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Wizard101 Theory: The Coven Conspiracy

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Hello, I’m Fable Finder! Join me as we ponder the depths of a conspiracy.  We’ll gaze into the shadows, exposing the hidden secrets. The secrets that ripple throughout the Spiral, leaving only questions in their wake.  I present to you, Wizard101 Theory: The Coven Conspiracy.

Our wizard is first sent to Grizzleheim at Level 20. Merle Ambrose wishes to establish an alliance with their King. When we arrive, we must prove our worth by helping Bjorn Ironclaws. He sends us to his friend, Hagen Shieldbreaker, who gives us many quests towards this end. We learn about a mysterious group, the Coven, who seek to unleash the Everwinter. Later on in Wintertusk, the Coven works to unleash the Everwinter by awakening Ymir. When you think about it, this effort doesn’t make sense. Why would the Coven want to unleash the Everwinter?

In the quest “A Wolf Among Bears”, Osric Grimbold tells us about Wulfric Foesbane. Wulfric is a wolf who has allied themselves with the bears. When we go to speak with Wulfric, this is what he tells us:

Notice how Wulfric remarked that it is foolish to trust a raven. This remark is important in revealing cultural distrust to the Ravens. This also suggests that Ravens have a history of trickery in this world. Why else would a lack of trust exist? Wulfric’s skepticism proves to be correct in the quest “All is Revealed”. Munin, a member of the Ravens, confesses the following when the Dust of Discovery is cast upon him:

Yet, in Wintertusk, it is none other than a raven, Grandmother Raven, who is helping us put a stop to the Coven. Could Grandmother Raven be the one who is behind the Coven? In the quest, “Fishes & Loaves”, Grandmother Raven directs us to Henrek Graincutter. Henrek’s role in the story is to help our wizard find Vestri’s Golden Seal. When we go to speak with Henrek, this is what he tells us:

This may not seem like much, but remember that all lines of dialogue in the game are important to the story. KingsIsle added that dialog for a reason: it is a hint. Why would Grandmother Raven be behind the Coven though? Even if she was, how would this explain why the Coven wanted to unleash the Everwinter? To answer these questions, we must examine the nature of Grandmother Raven’s powers. In the quest “A Potion for Bartleby”, Merle Ambrose explains the following:

This tells us that Grandmother Raven has the power to create objects that can show the past and future. If she has this power, why would she only give Bartleby this ability? We can assume that she gave herself this ability as well. Grandfather Spider, equal in power to Grandmother Raven, most likely did the same. But, how exactly do the past-viewing and future-revealing powers work?

The power to see into the past does not appear to have any constraints in the game. This is not the case for the power to reveal the future; it has its vagueness. Let’s assume for a moment that the power to reveal the future has no constraints whatsoever. Bartleby would foresee the fight between Raven and Spider that takes place in the Third Arc. Why didn’t he try to stop it? In the First Arc, Bartleby could stop Malistare Drake from awakening the Dragon Titan. Why didn’t he try to stop that, either?

If we assume the power to reveal the future has no constraints, there would be no story. Thus, logic dictates that the power to reveal the future has a constraint. First, the future is indeterminate. This power does not reveal one defined future, but only possible futures. Second, this power cannot see endlessly into the future. It must have some sort of time-frame. Thus, the farther into the future, the vaguer the outcome becomes. This would also explain why prophecies are as vague as they are.

So how is this relevant to Grandmother Raven and the Coven? Well, the first time we meet Grandmother Raven in person, in the quest “That’s So Raven”, we find her trapped in a cage.

When Grandmother Raven is finally freed in the quest “Root of the Loom”, she remarks about her time spent in the cage.

In the quest “Norn Time”, the Norns explain that only an outsider can free Grandmother Raven.

Grandmother Raven would not sit dormant through free will. Most people, when imprisoned, would search for ways to escape. So, what escape attempt did Grandmother Raven make?

Grandmother Raven used her future-revealing power to assess all her possible futures. Her best chance relied on an outsider to free her from imprisonment. She pondered about how to actualize this possible future. In the quest “That’s So Raven”, Grandmother Raven tells us this:

So, Grandmother Raven knew about us and our heroism. By creating a world crisis in Grizzleheim, she could attract an outsider to come and free her. With this in mind, Grandmother Raven created the Ravens of the Coven to act in her stead. She made the Ravens seek to unleash the Everwinter, as well as made them hate her to throw the trail off. I doubt the Coven is aware that they are being used by Grandmother Raven. When we defeated the Coven the first time, we did not end up freeing Grandmother Raven. So later on, she let loose the Coven on Wintertusk, so we would end up freeing her. Then, with her main goal achieved, she helped us put a stop to the threat she created.

There is one hole in this theory, and you may have noticed it. As I showed earlier in this post, when we meet Grandmother Raven in person for the first time, she is in a cage. Yet, she claims that the Coven trapped her in the cage. If this is true, it would contradict the theory. But this story is implausible. How could the Coven, a group of ordinary sorcerers, trap Grandmother Raven, who is a divine being, in a cage? It’s likely that Grandfather Spider, the Rat, or the Scorpion trapped Grandmother Raven. It’s more likely that she lied about who trapped her to make us doubt the possibility that she created the Coven. The Rat and the Scorpion are candidates because they are the offspring of deity. We’ve also learned, through the story, that lower-divine beings can challenge greater ones.

In conclusion, the Coven is a false flag operation perpetrated by Grandmother Raven. Her motivation for it was to free her from imprisonment. Now that is a scheme within a scheme, as Henrek Graincutter put it.

More Theories

Wizard101 Theory

Have you ever wondered if Sylvia Drake actually died of a cold? Why did the Coven want to unleash the Everwinter on Grizzleheim? Does being the Scion of Bartleby actually mean anything, or is it just a replay of the Chosen One trope?…

A Tale of Three Scions

In the middle of Empyrea, the game reveals that the main hero of our story is the Scion of Bartleby. What does this mean? On the surface, it appears that this is simply a replay of the Chosen One trope. This is true, but it’s not the entire story. When you critically examine all the facts that we have been given, we are left with more questions than answers….

The Absence of Being

The Third Arc is about a conflict between Grandmother Raven and Grandfather Spider. Both of them posed a threat to the Spiral during this time. They are finally reconciled at the end of Empyrea, and lock themselves in the Primordial Forest. After this, our Wizard returns to the Arcanum to bring everyone up to speed. When we arrive, we receive a cryptic prophecy from Sybil, the Tree of Knowledge in the Arcanum….

So there are my thoughts on the Conspiracy of the Cabal, and links to my other theories.  I hope you enjoyed our walk into the shadows.  Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are!

The Absence of Being

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Hello, I’m Fable Finder.

The Third Arc is about a conflict between Grandmother Raven and Grandfather Spider. Both of them posed a threat to the Spiral during this time. They are finally reconciled at the end of Empyrea, and lock themselves in the Primordial Forest. After this, our Wizard returns to the Arcanum to bring everyone up to speed. When we arrive, we receive a cryptic prophecy from Sybil, the Tree of Knowledge in the Arcanum.

[…]

This is an essential scene that must be understood when trying to predict what the Fourth Arc will be about. Since all lines of dialogue in the game have been choreographed, they were all put there for a reason. Thus, interpretations of this scene will be assessed based on how well they abide by the following rules:

Rule One
The threat we will face in the Fourth Arc relates to the “Nothing” Sybil spoke of, so understanding what that means is paramount.
 
Rule Two
Observe what Ione said in response to Sybil. This is a hint that the threat of the Fourth Arc will arise as a result of thwarting Raven and Spider.
 
Rule Three
Ione’s response was also a hint saying that the threat of the Fourth Arc will be much, much worse than the threat of the Third Arc.
 
Rule Four

Sam Johnson, KingsIsle’s Lead Creative Designer,  stated in an interview that he wanted the Fourth Arc to be “fundamentally different” from the other arcs in structure.

Apocalyptic Interpretation

This interpretation is the simplest and takes what Sybil said at face value. If the Spiral got destroyed, it would be replaced by “Nothing”. Thus, the “Nothing” Sybil warned us about is the aftermath of the Spiral’s destruction.
 

How well does this interpretation abide by the rules? While this interpretation could potentially fulfill Rule Two, it violates Rule Three. The threat of the Third Arc was the destruction of the Spiral, so facing the threat again would be nothing new. For the same reason, it also violates Rule Four.

False Security Interpretation

I came up with this interpretation. What if the “Nothing” Sybil warned us about is the appearance of nothing?  When the Fourth Arc begins, it will seem like there is nothing to be afraid of. We will have a false sense of security. However, there will be a traitor in the midst plotting something sinister, and we won’t find out until later.

How well does this interpretation abide by the rules? Well, this interpretation is yet to be complete.

First, how will the threat of the Fourth Arc arise as a result of thwarting Raven and Spider?  Raven and Spider were thwarted when they reconciled and locked themselves in the Primordial Forest. Therefore, the threat of the Fourth Arc will arise either as a result of Raven and Spider reconciling, as a result of Raven and Spider locking themselves in the Primordial Forest, or both.

We must remember that the Cabal is still in play. We have yet to enter the “Cabal Room” in the Arcanum. KingsIsle would not have put that there unless we were going to explore it. 

Second, while some members of the Cabal may have given up after the reconciliation of Raven and Spider, it’s entirely plausible that some of them would stay loyal to the cause. In fact, wouldn’t you think that the reconciliation of Raven and Spider would anger the Cabal, and make them even more determined to achieve their goal?

The first possibility is that as a result of Raven and Spider reconciling, the Cabal is angered and becomes more determined.  Whoever the traitor is, most likely an important character from Ravenwood or the Arcanum, they will be in league with the Cabal. Either they were in league all along, or the Cabal turns them to their side. The Cabal will use the traitor to try and achieve their ends. How well does this possibility abide by the rules? Well, it violates Rule Three and Rule Four.

The second possibility is that Bartleby is the traitor. Bartleby being the traitor doesn’t violate Rule Three since Bartleby wouldn’t be challenged by anyone of equal divinity like was the case with Raven and Spider, however, it does violate Rule Four. Plus, Bartleby has no motive to betray us.

Nihilism Interpretation

I’ve been thinking about philosophy a lot recently. One day I thought of an interpretation of Sybil’s prophecy that makes the most sense. Nihilism comes from the Latin word “nihil”, meaning “nothing”.

So what if the “Nothing” Sybil warned us about is referring to nihilism? Well, what even is nihilism?

“That there is no truth, that there is no absolute state of affairs—no thing-in-itself. This alone is nihilism, and of the most extreme kind.”

–Friedrich Nietzsche

Nihilism asserts that there is nothing beyond our direct experience: no truth, no God, no meaning, no morality, no consciousness, and so on. However, this interpretation is incomplete, and it needs something to build on top of it.

Neverending Story Interpretation

Sarai Willowbreeze proposed this interpretation.  The Neverending Story is both a book and a film, and it follows a mystical world which is under a threat from a dark force called the “Nothing” that is threatening to engulf it.  KingsIsle obviously likes to make references, so the Fourth Arc taking inspiration from The Neverending Story makes sense.

AwesomeTheSauce pointed out in a video that the Third Arc takes inspiration from the Earthsea Cycle book series. One comment on that video pointed out that Mirage takes inspiration from the book Dune. Lastly, it is evident that Empyrea takes inspiration from Star Trek.

This interpretation successfully builds onto the Nihilism Interpretation. In fact, the Nothing in The Neverending Story is a metaphor for nihilism. Here is a quote from the Wikipedia page of The Neverending Story:

We’re making progress, but this interpretation is also incomplete. We have yet to know how it fulfills Rule Two and Rule Three.

The Theory

Meaning is incredibly important. Meaning is what gives us a reason to live. Meaning is how we derive our happiness. This is why nihilism is so destructive. The nihilist has no reason to live, and no way to derive happiness. Doesn’t that sound like torture? If you were experiencing nihilism, would you not prefer destruction? Clearly, the threat of nihilism is worse than the threat of the Spiral being destroyed.

How can The Neverending Story Interpretation fulfill Rule Two?

To answer this, we must recall the events of Briskbreeze Tower.  The story began when Sergeant Muldoon asked for our help in finding Lieutenant Culpepper, who had gone missing.  Our search lead us to Kirby Longspear, who said that Culpepper was investigating the presence of Undead in Colossus Boulevard.  Kirby then told us that Culpepper went into Briskbreeze Tower after hearing there was Undead in there.  AwesomeTheSauce can take it from here.

All the threats we have faced so far have come from inside the Spiral. However, the Nothing, by necessity, must come from outside the Spiral. We don’t see any traces of it inside the Spiral anyway. AwesomeTheSauce mentioned in another video that he thinks Sybil’s prophecy and Orrick’s prophecy are connected, and I agree.

Furthermore, in the Briskbreeze Tower video, AwesomeTheSauce points out that the Arcanum is outside the Spiral and brings to our attention the black hole that we see from the Arcanum.

What else could this black hole be besides the Nothing from the Neverending Story?

So again, how can the Neverending Story Interpretation fulfill Rule Two?

Well, as I said earlier, the Cabal will undoubtedly be involved in the Fourth Arc. I suspect that as a result of Raven and Spider reconciling, the Cabal will be angered and become more determined to achieve their ends. Because of this, the Cabal will somehow be responsible for unleashing the Nothing onto the Spiral.

If this is the case, it would suggest that Orrick Nightglider is a member of the Cabal.  If Sybil’s prophecy and Orrick’s prophecy are connected, then Orrick has been planning to unleash the Nothing onto the Spiral for ages, either because he wants vengeance for something, or he is experiencing nihilism and wants the whole Spiral to suffer as he does. 

This means he probably would have infiltrated the Cabal in hopes of eventually influencing them to help him unleash the Nothing.  If this is the case, it’s possible that the bone key he drops in Briskbreeze Tower will be the key we use to unlock the Cabal Room in the Arcanum.

Additionally, there is a book called the Lathe of Heaven.  A side quest in Empyrea suggests that the Fourth Arc will also draw inspiration from this book.  The plot of the book is about someone who can dream things into reality, so it’s easy to see how this could be integrated with The Neverending Story.   

AwesomeTheSauce was the one who brought this to my attention in the following video:

In conclusion, my prediction is that the threat we will face in the Fourth Arc is the Nothing from The Neverending Story.  Orrick Nightglider will manipulate the Cabal into helping him unleash the Nothing upon the Spiral.  As a result of the Nothing being unleashed, the residents of the Spiral will slowly lose their sense of meaning, and this will torture them.

What do you think? Does my theory make sense to you? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments below.

Fable Finder

The Celestian Orchestra

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Celestia, world of the shining stars, the reflecting moon, the powerful sun -and crabs- we invite you to the recently discovered in-tact ruins of the Celestian Opera House. Archaeologists have inspected the theatre to be in safe enough condition for public entry. Our finest Marleybonian musicians have decided to hold a special performance of a collection of works held by the Archivist for hundreds of years to play for you tonight.

Main Theme

Celestia’s main theme is divided into two primary sections. These two sections highly contrast with one another, changing tonalities when going into the second section. This divide between an A and B section is called binary form. One common attribute binary form has is that the A and B section are equal in length (read: duration), as they are here.

We begin the piece off with two contrasting timbres of the low brass and flute. Instruments add in building the piece’s momentum, such as the harp, glockenspiel, and horns.

The texture becomes stable as the horns completely take over the melody and a back-beat ostinato, or repeating figure, in the strings and percussion is added.

At 00:51 seconds into the piece, the key changes into the minor mode, giving us a mysterious mood change in stark contrast to the adventurous mood in the primary section. The repetitive ascending lines in the strings give us tension, leading us upward into the mysteries. The descending eighth note line propels us forward into the next ascending row. At timestamp 1:12, the horns come in with a melody.

Each time the horns sustain a note before rhythmic trumpeting, the woodwinds play a quick descending line as counterpoint. At 1:20, the harp takes that idea and develops upon it. The harp is the main focus and the section lacks any punctuating rhythms, unlike the previous moment. Timestamp 1:25 brings back the punctuation as well as syncopates the rhythm for the thrilling tensity. Above this is the violin, borrowing from the themes of Marleybone. Using a theme to represent the people of Marleybone is a leitmotif. This makes the music coherent with the world, showing how the Marleybonians have brought their musical voice and how it effects the world of Celestia.

Mysterious Theme I

Like sea life swimming in and out of the corals in a reef, the orchestral texture solemnly and constantly shifts, phasing in and out. The high piano keys and harp accompany the echoing solo, like a sea creature seeing another silhouette off  in the distance.

The texture shifts at 00:26 seconds, coming in with the timpani strike. The texture solidifies to be more traditionally orchestral. The cellos play the melody with the celesta doubling. The horns play an ascending line in the space of the melody. When it repeats, the strings and trumpets take over this counterpoint. At 00:42 seconds, the horns come back in lower, playing the melody as the trumpets play the counterpoint. The trumpets then lead us into the next section with their soli.

The next section at 00:52 seconds brings in a colder texture with the piccolo, harp, and celesta. The piccolo, as the highest voice, is the most noticeable to our ears. This develops a motif in different harmonic contexts that form a melody. The harp and celesta play arpeggios along with the bassoons. The horns play to lead into the different chord changes.

The unstable harmony builds tension, leading to the climax at timestamp 1:08. The horns and choir sustain their tones, giving the orchestra a full, supported sound. The celesta doubles the melody of the horns, adding a mysterious timbre. The timpani pluck of the harp marks the end of the adventurous section and leads us back into the cloudy mystery of the harp and celesta. The celesta plays the piccolo’s melody from before, giving an eerie tone.

Mysterious Theme II

Check out Maleficent’s transcription of this piece on Musescore! 
We begin with a very light and airy texture, utilizing the smooth and cold sounds of the flutes, harp, and celesta. The flute and violin harmonize with each other as the murmuring harp supports the overlaying texture.

The flute section plays two variations on a harmonized five-note melody. At 0:12 seconds, the cello enters as the celesta continues its overlying waltz figure and the harp continues its arpeggio pattern. The slight texture change effects the mood, becoming more peaceful and melancholy than mysterious.

At 00:24 seconds, the cello’s descending figure in the melody leads to a brief stop in the harmony of the music as the suspended cymbal leads us into the next section. This technique is common in dance music, where a brief break after building tension makes us desire a resolution.

The celesta and piccolo double the melody as the violin takes over the harp’s function from before. The horns and strings sustain chords, implying the dorian mode (a specific kind of minor mode). We sway back and forth between two chords, the tonic and the major IV chord. Typically a minor iv chord, the raised scale degree in dorian gives us the unique and regal harmonic colour presented in this section.

In stark contrast, our next section has modulated to the major mode, giving it a brighter mood. The upbeat waltz pattern in the horns and strings mellows the tone. The light melody on the flute is uplifting and delicate. The music paints a picture of the fragile crumbling ruins of Celestia and the delicate breeze in the leaves of the Floating Lands.

The glissando in the celesta at 00:50 seconds leads us into the contrast of orchestration in the section. The melody is carried to the violin, still being supported by the underlying waltz figure in the horns and pizzicato strings. Timestamp 0:58 gives us a cadential point, or rest within the music. The low strings and brass come together to play a descending figure, which as the tonic gets lower in the orchestra, the more at rest we are with it and the closer to the end we seem to become. Like Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, the piece ends with a quick sixteenth note run in the celesta.

Calling back to the themes of Marleybone again, we are given a Mary Poppins-like texture with quick descending arpeggios in the celesta. The low strings and brass begin the melody as both sections high ends add in gradually, building the tension. Mysteriously, we end quietly with the celesta and violin in a cute and peaceful duet, calling back to the cello solo at the beginning. The flute ends the piece on the leading tone, which when harmonized with the pizzicato strings, implies the lydian mode, a mysterious and airy major mode.

Tribal Theme

The Tribal theme begins aggressively with a swift tam-tam (gong) strike and men’s choir. Hand drums accompany the singers primitive-sounding vocals in the intrada leading into the next section. Percussion of many colors adds vibrance to the flute’s main melodic line 00:11 seconds into the piece.

Timbres such as the marimba and xylophone are essential to the tropical sound of the piece. The bassoon takes over the flute’s melody in its mid-high register 00:21 seconds in. The xylo adds in, like a bandage to patch the transition.

At 00:34 seconds, the texture becomes more mysterious with a strong modal shift occurring at the same time. The flute takes over the melody, bringing a colder texture upfront in the ensemble. The harp has a glissando over a sustained chord in the vibraphone.

We come back into our happy texture at 00:38 seconds with harmonizing high strings and xylophone doubling a melodic line. As they fade out, the bass drum strikes, empowering the marimba’s ascending arpeggiated line.

Timestamp 00:43 brings us a hefty cadence point into the next climactic section. We see the return of the tribal voices in counterpoint of the strings and mallet percussion. In other words, the voices sing where the other melody’s voice is sustained on a note.

This thick orchestral texture relaxes into a flute solo at 00:56 seconds. This time, the melodic line is played in a lower register, bringing a sense of familiarity, but closure to the piece. Most pieces feel resolved in lower registers and more tense in the higher ones and this piece exemplifies that.

Finale Theme

The crash in the percussion initiates the orchestra. The woodwinds scramble together from motifs, or recognizable fragments in development. This continues as an ostinato as the low brass comes in with a simple melody. The high brass comes in at 00:19 seconds, continuing where the low brass left off. This melody introduces the main thematic material used in the piece, categorized by its short-long-short-long rhythm. This section ends with a bass drum hit as the ensemble plays a dramatic chord.

The suspended cymbal leads us into the next section at 00:32 as the rhythm changes into a triple meter. The woodwinds’ downbeat is emphasized more than the other two beats in each measure, giving the feeling of a waltz. The melody stated beforehand in the brass develops with this meter change. The short-long-short-long pattern shortens the longer note by a single beat so that the long note plays on each downbeat. As this occurs, the horns and trumpets have a call-and-response pattern with each other. As one group sustains a note in their melody, the other repeats it in the meantime. The melody is given to the flute, continuing the same rhythmic pattern

The melody climaxes at 00:52 seconds, as the timpani strikes. The high strings emphasize the downbeat of the melody the as the brass plays. All the while, the harp plays quick, descending arpeggiated runs while the flute rocks back and forth between notes.

In the transition section at 1:15, the flute and the harp duo together to create a mysterious ambiance before jumping right into the grand finale of the piece at timestamp 1:29. In the meantime, the mysterious mood distracts us from the fact that the rhythm is changing to duple meter, giving us four beats per measure. In this section, we see the full development from the short-long-short-long motif become short-long-short-up-down-up-down.

Thank you, Starlights, for joining me on this musical adventure through the music of Celestia.

Click here for more of our Music Guides

Disclaimer:

All transcriptions of the music are from the original/classic mode music scrolls. Not all of my transcriptions are 100% accurate, but they are close and the rhythm is properly notated.

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A Tale of Three Scions

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Hello, I’m Fable Finder. In the middle of Empyrea, the game reveals that the main hero of our story is the Scion of Bartleby. What does this mean? On the surface, it appears that this is simply a replay of the Chosen One trope. This is true, but it’s not the entire story. When you critically examine all the facts that we have been given, we are left with more questions than answers. Let’s start with what we know.

Main Hero’s Backstory

In the video “Making of Wizard101 ~ Part 4” published on KingsIsle’s channel in 2010, the person who was the Creative Director at the time, Jeffrey Todd Coleman said: “When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was climb under my bed or in the back of my closet and find a portal to a magical world. I think that’s pretty much what every kid wants, and it’s effectively what we’ve created.”

 

It’s clear that Coleman’s idea was implemented into the game. For example, during character creation, Merle Ambrose says the main hero is from a different realm. More recently, during the quest “Only Mostly Dead”, Zander says the main hero is from Earth.

We can infer from this, that the main hero started off as a normal kid on Earth. Merle Ambrose was obviously casting some sort of realm-searching spell to find someone of great potential. For some reason, Merle’s spell chose the main hero, and created a portal somewhere in their house. Then the events of the game began.

This leaves us with some questions. Why did Merle’s spell choose the main hero? Why didn’t the spell choose someone who was already a Wizard, and even better a powerful one? Why did Merle Ambrose even need to find a Wizard? There’s tons of experienced Wizards all around the Spiral, couldn’t Merle Ambrose have gathered some together and chased down Malistaire?

Scion of Bartleby Lore

Let’s see what Merle Ambrose has to say about the Scion of Bartleby.

If a test is required, that means nobody knows who the Scion of Bartleby is, not even Bartleby himself. So what determines who is the Scion of Bartleby? Bartleby couldn’t have chosen his Scion, because then he wouldn’t have needed a test. But, why would the Scion be some random kid from Earth? There is undoubtedly more to this story that we don’t know.

The Answer

What does Scion even mean, anyway? Let’s take a look at Merriam Webster.

We can tell from this definition that this word was chosen by KingsIsle with careful thought. After all, it’s plant terminology, and Bartleby is a tree, so this definition certainly applies here. And that sounds a lot like what Mellori is, doesn’t it? Mellori was born when Raven broke off her love for Spider. This would make Mellori a detached, living portion of Raven, or in other words, the Scion of Raven.

If you are a child of an entity, you were simply born of them. Scions, being a detached, living portion of an entity, are also born of that entity. So not only is the main hero the Scion of Bartleby, they are also the child of Bartleby. Mellori is the same way, but for Raven. This answers all the questions we had asked previously, but there is one more. Mellori is the Scion of Raven because she is Raven’s love for Spider. So what makes the main hero the Scion of Bartleby? This is where we enter the territory of speculation, but I would speculate that the main hero is Bartleby’s hope. When the titans broke up the First World, he probably lost hope. And Bartleby was pretty melancholy during the first and second arcs. He only started being more positive when he found out that the main hero is his Scion.

What about Zander saying the main hero is from Earth? About that, it seems odd to me that Spiral beings would be unable to enter the Astral plane, but for some reason Earthly beings, who are non-magical, would be able to. Zander clearly has special knowledge somehow, so he probably knows the main hero’s true origin story. I suspect the real reason that the main hero was able to enter the Astral plane is because they are the Scion of Bartleby, and Zander made up a fake reason because he wanted to keep the knowledge of the main hero’s true origin story from the rest of the scholars. However, we can tell from the tutorial that the main hero did start off in another realm. The main hero’s being could have simply manifested on Earth when they detached from Bartleby.

What about Spider, does he have a Scion? Let’s ask him.

Pay attention to the wording. Spider said Bat was his only dream. A dream is a happy thing, and Spider’s only dream ever created Bat. Based on this, it’s reasonable to assume that Bat is the Scion of Spider, specifically Spider’s happiness.

It is unlikely that Rat and Scorpion are Scions. When a Scion is created, the entity loses something. Raven lost her love for Spider when Mellori was created. Nothing about the personalities of Rat and Scorpion suggest that Spider lost anything from their creation. Rat and Scorpion are bitter and hateful, and so was Spider. Second, Rat and Scorpion were created in Spider’s nightmares, and Spider having nightmares was not a unique occurrence. Again I stress that Bat is unique because he was born of Spider’s only dream.

In conclusion, there are three Scions. The main hero is the child and Scion of Bartleby, Mellori is the child and Scion of Raven, and Bat is the child and Scion of Spider. This also explains how they were able to combine all their essences to create that overpowered Divine Paradox transformation that the main hero transformed into to defeat the Aethyr Titan. The Divine Paradox transformation is the unification of all three Scions.

What do you think? Is Bat really the Scion of Spider? What does determine who becomes the Scion of Bartleby? We want to hear your theories in the comments below!

Shoutout to Saffron Life for helping me synthesize this theory.

Fable Finder

Wizard101 Theory

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Hello, I’m Fable Finder. Have you ever wondered if Sylvia Drake actually died of a cold? Why did the Coven want to unleash the Everwinter on Grizzleheim? Does being the Scion of Bartleby actually mean anything, or is it just a replay of the Chosen One trope?

All stories each have their own unexplained mysteries. Something I have always enjoyed on YouTube is the theorizing genre, where people try to explain these mysteries with theories. Theories have been made for a vast array of movies, TV shows, and video games, but the theorizing genre has barely been touched in Wizard101. It’s time to change that.

I introduce to you Wizard101 Theory. The goal of this series is to come up with theories that explain the mysteries of Wizard101. It will maintain a reasonable standard of evidence, and where evidence lacks, logic will be used. There are already posts in the making on all the questions I brought up in the first paragraph. But first, I must explain a theory that builds the foundation of all the other theories to be made: Who created the Wizard101 universe?

We could reasonably assume, using Occam’s Razor (1), that Grandmother Raven created the Wizard101 universe. The problem is that Bartleby said it was another entity. In a Wizard City side quest called “Old Men”, Boris Tallstaff asks you to interview Gamma, Ambrose, and Bartleby. When you go to talk to Bartleby, the first thing he says is this:

Did you catch that? Bartleby mentioned an entity called “The Creator”, independent of both himself and Grandmother Raven. What if the Creator is Grandfather Spider, though? After all, he wasn’t mentioned in that sentence. There are a few problems with this, however. First, I don’t think KingsIsle had even created Grandfather Spider’s character yet. Second, Grandfather Spider clearly has equal power to Grandmother Raven, which wouldn’t be the case if he had created both her and Bartleby. Finally, Bartleby clearly states that both him and Grandmother Raven were created. Since Grandfather Spider didn’t create them, he must have been created too. So someone must have created them all.

That still leaves one question unanswered, however. How did the Creator come into existence? Well, an entity that exists outside of time and space would not need an explanation for their existence. After all, things can only begin within time and space. We can assume the Creator would be outside of time and space using Occam’s Razor (1). If the Creator was not outside of time and space, we would have an Infinite Regress problem (2). If things within time and space need an explanation for their existence, then Grandmother Raven, Grandfather Spider, and Bartleby need an explanation for their existence. All three of them clearly exist within time, based on how they act throughout the story. Combining that with the fact that Bartleby told us that a separate Creator exists, we can conclude it was this Creator that created the Wizard101 universe, as well as Grandmother Raven, Grandfather Spider, and Bartleby. 

So, there you have it. From this foundation we can begin to answer all the unexplained mysteries of Wizard101. The topic of the next installment will address what it means to be the Scion of Bartleby.

(1) Occam’s Razor is a problem-solving tool used in logic that says the explanation with the least assumptions is more likely to be true.

(2) An Infinite Regress is when someone tries to explain an event with another event that would also need a cause, then tries to explain that event the same way, and so on. For example, if you ask me where I got my robot, an Infinite Regress would be me saying that the robot was created by another robot, and that robot was created by a robot, and so on.

Guest Author Fable Finder

Flat Stat Jewels101

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The Misconception

Flat jewels are a misinterpreted stat for Wizard101. They have been since the beginning of the Spiral’s time. In fact, most players get rid of these jewels thinking they have no value. But it’s not true! I’ve used them since their introduction into the game. Many of my solo runs are successful because of these resist jewels.

How they work

Flat stat jewels come in two main categories: offensive and defensive. The offensive stats boost your damage while the defensive absorb incoming damage. These stats are static, meaning that pierce does not affect flat resistance. Likewise, flat damage is not hindered by resistance in its final value!
 

Being careful with calculations

Many online sources that mention flat stat jewels are incorrect. Here are the stats for my testing. Let’s use it as an example to see the calculations.
 

Example: (From my solo run of Grandfather Spider – lvl 120)

Mathematical functions for calculating stats

1.) For your attacks:
[(your spell X (1 + damage%) + flat damage] X buffs (1+/-Blades)

2.) For resisting incoming attacks:
[(incoming damage – flat resist) X (1 – resist%)]X buffs (1+/-Traps)

The concept of flat jewels is the same for flat damage and flat resistance!

Simplifying the math

Let’s assume you’re about to take an attack dealing 1000 base damage. Flat resist works like an absorb. In this example it will remove 50 damage points from every school and 158 from Shadow School, before regular resist takes damage.
 
So, what if the situation changed where the attack does 4000 damage?
 
The jewels would still absorb 50 damage points from every school and 158 from Shadow School attacks. Then our percent resistance would reduce the rest of the remaining damage.
 
For X damage, we will absorb 50 from every school and 158 from Shadow School.
 
 
Adding the flat jewels to our percent resistance:

Resistance for X incoming damage:
Storm: 71% + 50
Ice: 72% + 50 
Fire: 51% + 50
Myth: 29% + 50
Life: 29% + 50 
Death: 29% + 50
Shadow: 29% + 158

Using Brace (-20% to incoming attacks) stacks to the player’s resistance:

Storm: 71+ 20 = 96%+50
Ice: 72 + 20 = 92%+50
Fire: 51 + 20 = 76%+50
Myth: 29 + 20 = 49%+50
Life: 29 + 20 = 49%+50
Death: 29 + 20 = 49%+50
Shadow: 29 + 20 = 49%+158

Grandfather Spider’s Stats

Grandfather Spider has a universal 120% damage boost, 7% universal pierce, and 20% fire resistance. His attacks are not only of the school of storm, but also of the Shadow School. He also has Balance Mastery and uses 3 Balance spells.
 
His natural attacks deal 330 X 14 = 4620 base shadow damage if he has max power pips!
 
[(spell’s max damage X (1 + damage%) + total flat damage] X buffs
 
If buffs = 0
total flat damage = 0
 
[(4620 X ( 1 + 120%)] X buffs = (4620 X 2.2) = 10,164!
 
So , we should prepare for Storm and Shadow hits.
 
An average 6 pip natural Shadow attack of his would deal:
 
6 X 330 = 1980 X 2.2 = 4356 damage, and that number will double if he lands a critical!
 
The spell “Rusalka’s Wrath (Shadow)” without any blades or traps deals:
 
[(spell base damage X (1 + damage%) + total flat damage] X buffs= [1445 X (1 + 120%)] = 3179 damage!
 
Let’s compare possible damage taken with or without some of these  stats:
 
If I hadn’t put brace on myself, it would be:
My Shadow resist: 29 – 7 (pierce) = 22 (incoming damage – total flat resist) X (1-resist%) =  3179 X (1 – 22%) = 3179 X 0.78= 2480!
 
My Shadow resist: 49 – 7% (due to pierce) = 42% base resistance. Now continue with the rest of the equation:
(incoming damage – total flat resist) X (1 – resist%) = (3179 – 158) X (1 – 42%) = 3021 X 0,58  = 1752
 
If I wasn’t wearing gear equipped with jewels, the resulting damage would be:
(incoming damage – total flat resist) X (1 – resist%) = (3179 – 0) X (1 – 42%) = 3179 X 0.58 = 1844
 
The difference between 1844 damage and 1752 is due to the flat stat jewels!
 
The differences might seem minor, but if you combine jewels in different pieces of gear, you will notice that they make a big difference.
 

Flat damage jewels work the same way

Here’s a hypothetical example in this specific fight
My damage is 104

When I cast the spell Fire From Above on Grandfather Spider, he receives damage according to our 1st mathematical function: With a nice Backdraft = 210% 
[[(your spell X (1 + damage%) + total flat jewels damage] X buffs(blades)] = [[1400 X ( 1 + 104%)]  = (1400 X 2.04) = 2856
 
*Attention! Not include all the decimals results in two formulas, rounds down after each calculation.
The exception for that rule, is only in the pets damage or resistance! We need exactly the percent of the pets to calculated correctly!
 
My spell with traps deals to Grandfather Spider:
Flat resist=0
Buffs=210
Grandfather resist on fire (due to pierce) = 20-22= 0 
 
[(incoming damage – flat resist) X (1 – resist%)]X buffs(traps)=
(2856 X 1) Χ (1+210%= 2856 Χ (1+210%) =  Χ 3,1 = 8853   
 
But if I had two flat damage jewels (fire), let’s say 50 points worth: [[(your spell X (1 + damage%) + total flat  damage] X buffs] =  [1400 X (1 + 104%)+ 50] = [(1400 X 2.04) + 50] = 2856 + 50 = 2906
 
[(incoming damage – flat resist) X (1 – resist%)]X buffs(traps)=
(2906 X 1) Χ (1+210%)= 2906 Χ 3,1 = 9008   
 
Don’t forget that since Grandfather Spider has shields, the actual number would be less. This was just a quick example with math!
 
As you can see, flat stat jewels can help our fights in their own way.
 
I hope this makes you think twice before tossing those flat stat jewels away! I have shown my stats below for convenience. Thank you as always, and best of luck questing!
 
*You can see the stats which I used for the above calculations as well as my gear, in the following pictures.
Also, you can see the battle that I describe above from my solo video at Europeans servers when I was 120 lvl, one year before.
Have fun!
 

The Monquistan Choir

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Despite its location in an isolated corner of the Spiral, Monquista, rich in gold and culture, is one of its most prominent powers. The Skull Island colonies enrich their people considerably. In line with Valencia and Marleybone, their society is posh and structured in which there is a noble class, a (daily changing) monarchy, and the Church. These powers fight vigorously with one another for control.
 
Please note I title tracks with their Wizard101 music scroll title and not the title of the You Tube video.

Skyway Theme

You can receive this music scroll from fishing chests in the Myth House, Sultan’s Palace, and Polarian Shipwreck

The Monquista soundtrack is most notable for its vocal counterpoint and harmony. This is complemented by stringed instruments like the guitar.
We begin with the full choir harmonizing together. The cello accompanies in a soulful motion, keeping the tempo and balance in the ensemble. Three pulses per measure is established, giving us a Mediterranean essence. 
We are greeted by the guitar at 00:18 seconds, the brass then joins in a perfect cadence. A classic resolution drives us into the next section. More strings join, creating counterpoint in the melodic contours between the pizzicato strings, the cello, and the voices. 
The tension rises though the chord progression. The cello hits a higher top note in each measure, leading us up to the entrance of the flute at 00:36 seconds. The contrasting chords in this section remind me of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.
 
This continues until 0:52 seconds in when the high strings foreshadow other pieces to come. This connects the musical development and identity of Monquista. 

Royal Theme

You can receive this music scroll from fishing chests in the Myth House and Polarian Shipwreck

The piece begins with a regal texture, sharing likeness to Mozart’s Lacrimosa in melodic contour and structure. Beginning with the cello solo with the bass accompaniment, we feel the music in patterns of three, setting the tempo and mood for the entry of the choir.

At 0:26 seconds into the piece, the strings drop out, leaving the choir a capella. This leaves the music to sustain its somber, church-like tone until the string’s re-entry 0:38 seconds in, the cadential point, or moment the music’s tension seizes.

The flute begins 0:54 seconds into the piece, introducing the melody in a major modulation, or key change to a brighter key. We can hear the key change with the music’s relaxed tone instead of the somber and dramatic counterpart that came before.

Native Theme

You can receive this music scroll through fishing chests at the Death House, Nomad’s Camp, Polarian Shipwreck, Serpentine Escape, and the Winter Wind Tower.

The men of the choir sing in bass and baritone range, doubled by the guitar like the last track. This is the closest we’ve seen to monophony in the game’s soundtrack. In other words, each instrument plays in unison, without a simultaneous harmony. As the timpani strikes, the guitar drops out in favor of the strings section, thickening the orchestration. 
The horns crescendo into a new section. The strings take over, violins with the melody as the lower strings stabilize with long tones. The melody passes to the choir as the strings sustain beneath.
 
Like before, the orchestra crescendos into a new section. We receive a cadential point with a faint cry of the flute in the distance. The strings die down from sustaining chord progressions into lighter orchestration at timestamp 1:05. 
 
The guitar is accompanied by percussion in this new section. Every now and again we hear the flute’s cry once more. The melody passes from the choir to the strings, ending in a suspended chord, withholding a proper resolution.
 
We embark on the coda of the piece at timestamp 1:37. The beat is accented by the choir and tambourine. The strings interlude, leading us back to the beginning. 

Thank you, Starlights, for joining me on this musical adventure through the music of Monquista.

Click here for more of our Music Guides

Disclaimer

Please note: I transcribed the music from the original/classic mode music scrolls. Not all of my transcriptions are 100% accurate, but they are close and the rhythm is properly notated

The Valencian Philharmonic

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T

he home of the ruthless clockwork empire and our own Diego the Duelmaster. Valencia was once a land of pristine culture and beauty until the clockworks came onto the scene.
 
This is best shown through the music of Valencia. Elegant classical instruments such as the piano and strings identify the culture. Played in a tense style, they represent the threat of The Armada to our pirate.

Tense Theme

You may receive this music scroll from fishing in the Amber Estate, the Fire House, the Polarian Shipwreck, or The Acropolis

The intrada is unique and notable for its thin texture. Only the piano and high strings begin before the lower instruments join in, creating rhythmic contrast. We are next greeted with an arpeggio that has the same melodic contour as Skull Island’s Main Theme at 0:07 seconds.
 
Changing instrumentation and mood, the music develops alongside the story. This maintains the spirit of adventure. The music leads us to the idea of the strings and piano repeating one another in a game-like fashion.
 
In the next section at 0:25 seconds the beat is emphasised with bass and snare, like a military march. This is intentional and reminds us of Valencia’s dominant military power.
 
The next section at 0:50 seconds brings us back to Skull Island. The music paints the adventure of being a pirate in the lion’s den, with a choir sustaining chords behind it. The brass joins in as the piano continues, a feature of Valencian music we will continue to see later. The brass that welcomed us bursts forth accents where the melody does not play. This counterpoint presents throughout the music in classical Valencian style.
 
Combining the previous ideas, the piano joins the percussion in emphasizing the beat. The contrasting ideas of the Armada and the cultured Valencians are now one and the same. Valencia has been conquered.

Espionage Theme

The strings slyly play their chord progression leading us to a melody in the piano we hear in other tracks. This leads us back to the strings, and they keep trading off in this manner. Every time the pattern occurs, there is a slight variation in what they play. This keeps the music interesting in its development.

At timestamp 0:40, the piano and strings finally come together in harmony. They start a new chord progression together, leading into a new section. In a mournful style, the piano plays a new solo line as the strings quietly sustain in the background.

The piano repeats this line in an ostinato. More texture is added by other instruments of the ensemble. The pizzicato strings, clarinets, and string bass are most prevalent in the texture. They either contrast or harmonize with the melodic line.
 
The brass and strings unify together at timestamp 1:06. Bold and bright, this section contrasts with the moody sections before, like a beacon of hope.
 
The section at timestamp 1:16 is the realization of devastation. The atonal piano line seems to stop time itself before the clarinets come in. The line these reeds play is a common “Easter Egg” in many video games and movies. It is a reference to the Dies Irae, the clarinets are warning about tragedy and horror.
 
The line ends on a major chord, bitter-sweet. The next section is a morbid and joyous waltz, before leading back to the beginning.
 
 

Skyway Theme

You may receive this music scrolls from fishing in the Botanical Gardens, Fire House, Life House, Serpentine Escape

Throughout this piece the orchestra is light and exposed, like a mournful ballad.
 
Like a cog at work, the piano begins by hammering away at its lower end. This trades off to the higher register of the piano with an added delay effect. The English horn enters next with a sixteenth note run, playing twice before resolving to the next section.
 
Now the piano with its delay effect, takes over the melody of the piece, louder than before. After this hallucination-like solo at timestamp 0:42, the bass of the piano pairs up with the contrabass. The cellos play arpeggios and violins sustain chords over this more driving section. The bassoon and metal strikes enter, resolving the tension. 
Contrasting with the previous vigorous section, this section brings a breath of relief. This piece emotes anxiety, yet we see a melancholy side. The swelling strings and quiet murmuring of the machine that backs up the clarinet solo posses a relaxing ambiance.
 
Almost playful, the bassoon at 1:40 plays the theme we heard from the previous track. The mood changes here to balance the sad and mournful with hope as the adventure progresses.
 

Danger Theme

Silent but driving, the strings begin with an underlying ostinato. The other orchestration is layered throughout the first 0:38 seconds of the piece. We see this texture from the previous piece, but orchestrated to fit a new mood. The theme plays through the ensemble beginning with the bassoon, and carries to the horns.
 
This leads to a climax in the music as the strings, horns, and piano join in homophony. Playing similar melodies that harmonize into one.
The next section at 0:53 seconds leads back to a driving ostinato with strings and percussion. The horns have the melody in a short-short-short-long pattern that develops by changing chords. At 1:10, there is a chromatic mediant, a change to the chord not within the key we are in.
 
Timestamp 1:18 brings us a piano solo, ending the horns’ melody on a short note. A new motif emerges of even shorter notes that get passed to-and-fro from the piano and oboe. As the piece gets more wild, the low bassoon carries the motif, keeping stability. We hear the theme from previous pieces hinted at, reminding us of our pirate’s heroic nature.

Thank you, Starlights, for venturing through the music of Valencia with me. Have a wonderful night.

Click here for our selection of music guides

Disclaimer

Please note: I transcribed the music from the original/classic mode music scrolls. Not all of my transcriptions are 100% accurate, but they are close and the rhythm is properly notated

Skull Island’s Tavern Band

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Somewhere in the Spiral, there’s a refuge for young pirates, orphaned when young who have turned to a life of crime. Marked by skull-shaped mountain, there is danger and treasure lurking all throughout the island region. Whether it’s hoodoo, dueling, brawling, treason, or smuggling, pirates ally with Captain Avery for their own safety and a large cut in the treasure of Captain Gold.

Main Theme

The pace is set immediately with a waltz-like rhythm with the percussion and quacking trumpets. The mood gives us the feeling that something is off, there is a mystery at hand and we’re just the pirate to look into it. This vibe continues as it moves into a 12/8 section 00:12 seconds into the piece, which means there’s three notes per beat. We are given one of the main arpeggios used throughout the soundtrack of Skull Island.

The arpeggio sets up our next section 00:20 seconds in, as the brass features the melody. We also carry over crescendoing chords sustained in the horns from the previous section. The harp twinkles down as the melody passes onto the low reeds, giving a dark and damp feeling, reminiscent of the sewer-like passages within the Skull Mountain.

The climax of the piece comes in at 00:52 seconds. We are no longer in a mysterious minor key, but now an adventurous major key. The violins stir the excitement on their high strings as the oboe plays the melody. The low voices crescendo as the piano strikes along on the downbeat. The resolution drives us forward with a feeling of hope in our adventures as a pirate.

We move on to a clambering call and response from the ensemble before a joyous celebration, alluding to Celestia’s crab march with the castanets and xylophone. 

City Theme

The mood of this piece is serious. Unlike the spookiness, joy, and film-like nature of the other pieces, we begin with a fife- like military march with flutes and drums. After the strings play the main melody, we move into a major key at 00:39 seconds. The strings play rolling hills of arpeggios as other strings instruments accent the first note of each bar.

As the violins descend their quick sixteenth notes, the dynamic of the piece raises and adds in with more instruments. Percussion notably accents the first beat of each bar along with the strings section. After a cymbal roll, we begin a waltz with the brass. The low brass and plucked strings keep the time as the horns play the melody, eventually passing to the accordion.

We enter a new, flourishing section at 1:17 as the brass sustains the chords as the quick violins play speedy figures. The fife adds in to the violins to accent their melody. We end the phrase in a dissonant cluster that seems to be magically cleared by the flute’s ascending glissando.

Skyway Theme

The Skull Island Skyway Theme is a stark contrast to the other pieces. It is bright and joyous and begins with a fanfare, compared to the damp textures the other pieces convey. There is a certain kind of silliness to the piece, like a young child earning their sea legs.

The melody gets passed around from instrument to instrument, taking turns with the texture. Along with that, there is notable hemiola. A hemiola is a complex rhythmic figure where two groupings of three notes can be played as three groupings of two notes, which gives the piece syncopation. A famous hemiola is “America” from West Side Story.

Haunted Theme

The mood of the piece is established right away with the bass end of the piano, swaying back and forth between the notes. Notice how on the harp part, it develops the main arpeggio I pointed out earlier. Also take note of the how the horn pitch bends downward, also like the Main Theme.

This change of mood and instrumentation is what enhances a story. By developing the music along with the story, the music becomes more complex by giving itself a narrative to follow.

 Vaguely like Stravinsky’s The Firebird, we hear the piano and horns play an aggressive melody before the tension breaks with a hauntingly beautiful waltz. The music fits well with the original story of Lasko, Manny, Mo, and Jack who were Ratbeard’s poisoned crew mates, murdered by Ratbeard himself. Lasko wanted his crewmates to have their final wishes before being released to the afterlife and one of them wanted to return a locket to their lost love.

Jungle Theme

The very first bit we hear in the music is the brass pitch bending upward rather than downward, developing a motive we’ve heard in previous pieces. As the brass starts the chord progression, the harp comes in with the arpeggio motif at 00:09 seconds in. This pattern continues as the bassoon comes in with a new idea 00:36 seconds into the piece.

The musical content is layered into the texture while the harp plays a new idea as an ostinato or repetitive figure. The percussion bangs away on the drums, representing the idea of danger in the jungle. This leads to the eventual arrival of the horn taking away the melody. The low strings heavily approach a new ostinato, replacing the melody. The harp and voices add-in, trading off the strings for the brass to lead the orchestra back to the beginning.

Thank you, Starlights, for venturing through the music of Skull Island with me. Have a wonderful night.

Click here for our selection of Music Guides

Disclaimer

Please note: I transcribed the music from the original/classic mode music scrolls. Not all of my transcriptions are 100% accurate, but they are close and the rhythm is properly notated

The Dragon Titan Army Band

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Intended for Musician and Non-Musician Alike

"Things started turning darker. Kingsisle were talking about dark and epic Mordor Wagner 'Flight of The Valkyries' in The Ring Cycle. I am looking at concept art and the NPC characters had Russian military influence; All the architecture was darker - more foreboding."
- Nelson Everhart in "Musical Tour Of The Spiral 6: Dragonspyre"

“Main Theme”

Just as mentioned in Everhart’s video linked above, we begin our adventure in Dragonspyre with a world-stopping minor-Major seventh chord, which flourishes throughout the ensemble as the harp and woodwinds flutter downward, providing emotional dissonance. We typically associate the word “dissonant” with something that sounds bad, but in this piece, it provides an unsettling air. 

The ninth of the chord is added to the melody bringing even more color and lending an elegant dissonance to the third tone. The third tone of the chord gives the emotion, so this dissonance that rubs against it creates a feeling of tension and suspension.

The intrada stops 00:10 seconds into the piece, bringing us a chord progression that starts in a minor key, then becomes uplifting and progresses back to the same chord with a picardy third. A picardy third is when a minor chord changes the third tone to become a Major chord. This progression carries along, developing the arpeggiating figures and changing the chords before it reaches a climax into a new section at 00:30 seconds. The strings play the main melody as the brass plays a counterline beneath, eventually joining together into a dismal setting at 00:40 seconds. The trumpet enters, bringing a sliver of hope before it fades away into the darker minor chords and ends.

The next section frolics dastardly within the woodwinds and harp, quickly arpeggiating, presenting the feeling of sneaking and slyness. The strings caress the melody beneath this texture, giving support to the voices above and conveying a kind of dark magic brewing within.

Picking up into timestamp 1:26, we transition into the brass as the bridge takes us into the next section, with heavy Lydian chord dissonances in the bass. The music is ascending into this one epic moment. At timestamp 1:45 we are given the antithesis to the main Wizard101 theme, an operatic technique. The same descending arpeggios and textures are used as the brass plays the ascending melody in a minor key. This reflects the darkness of the world and the danger the Wizard is in.

“Theme 1”

Calling back to the previous piece, we begin with the hard percussion, horns, and masculine choir. Through borrowed chords (chords that are similar to the key, but not the same) and chromatic mediants (chords that have slight or no relation to the key), we get a dark and enchanting texture. Also calling back to the previous piece, we have these four-note motifs played in the horns that bring us through the chord progression. The texture thickens with the addition of the woodwinds, but it 

Concept art of the fire wizard from the original Wizard101 loading screen

harkens forth, like a great army coming from the distance, closer and closer.

This brings us into the next section at 00:50 seconds which uses a repetitive eighth note figure in the horns as the rest of the orchestra brings forward tutti stabs, transitioning us into action. The same texture is still present, but now the melody in the brass and the high strings add-in, playing the chord progression while the trumpets sing in the higher register.

Next, the strings section glissandos in unbreaking unison as the flutes play descending Danny Elfman triplets. In film-scoring or in this case, game-scoring, notes in pairs of threes that have the same note on the first and third beat are considered “Danny Elfman triplets”  because it is characteristic of his work in pieces such as his Batman Theme or Alice’s Theme. The triplets develop, changing notes along the chord progression, giving the piece sass.

As the texture from before returns, the arpeggio transforms from being a Danny Elfman triplet, to playing the entire arpeggio. The notes rock up and down, leading us to a flourish that counterpoints between the sections. The piece calms down and recapitulates the music before returning to the beginning. 

“Theme 2”

A military march kicks the piece off, setting the texture and pace with some aggressive snare and bass drums. The dark minor tonality in the low brass gives us the feeling that something powerful is coming, and it is nearby. The choir joins in as the pauses in this motif get closer and closer until an ostinato in the strings takes off with the chimes adding further texture.

The solo trumpet comes in like before, continuing the style of the piece. The low brass and choir responds to the trumpet’s call. This idea repeats, leading to the addition of the strings. At 00:50 seconds, we introduce new musical content. The higher voices of the ensemble play ascending arpeggios, developing the arpeggiating ideas from the other pieces and giving the impression the single idea has split into two. While this is happening, the arpeggio splits among the other instruments, trading between them when they play, creating a more complex texture. Then, we return to the original arpeggio in the woodwinds as the rest of the ensemble sustains onto the chords. This idea trades off between the other instruments in the ensembles, growing in volume. 

At timestamp 1:15, the woodwinds move onto a new idea. Great swooping arpeggios that feel like dragon wings fly over the melody that is being played by the strong brass. This texture is prominent in the next track as it comes to its climax as well. This presents the idea as something we can ground our emotions onto, so we will remember this section when it is recontextualized.

Then the ostinato kicks in as a power drive to the end. The brass plays familiar motifs from the previous melodies to latch on to our memories of the ever-dangerous Dragonspyre.

“Theme 3”

 In the beginning, the drums set the tone of the piece with a stately march, keeping tempo for the horn’s repetitive melody. The lower brass joins the bass drum, thickening and supporting the texture as the woodwinds play the eighth note motif that the horns played in the melody.

The motion stops as the bass instruments play introducing the   

orchestra which joins in with a similar motif. The idea develops through a different articulation by stabbing at the notes rather than playing them legato, or smoothly. Next, we are greeted by a familiar idea in the woodwinds, rocking back and forth between two notes before completing the rest of the arpeggio. This idea can be found in the other tracks and provides texture as the brass harmonizes. Finally, the choir joins in bringing the rest of the brass section, the strings, and additional percussive flourishes, such as crash cymbals.

The excitement halts as the orchestra becomes homophonic, playing in a similar fashion, but harmonizing together. Afterward, the trumpets lead us into a climactic section that develops the two-note repetition idea by playing the first two notes in the woodwinds only, while the strings and brass take the melody. A familiar idea, but now re-imagined in a flourishing major key before becoming tense and heroic to reflect our now deathly situation.

In the end, we come full circle to a military feeling before engaging in an anthem. Very patriotic in style, it presents the strength of Dragonspyre as a force to be reckoned with. This dissipates into the bras and chimes, leading us back to the beginning.

“Theme 4”

Once again, we are greeted by a familiar symphonic texture, giving Dragonspyre continuity in its musical identity. After establishing the mood, the piece drifts to become sad and wistful in the next section. The strings lull us as the harp gently caresses the arpeggios. The flutes join in, embellishing the texture.
The brass crescendos quickly as the rest of the orchestra comes in

referencing the homophonic texture from before. This leads us to a climactic point in which the repetitive arpeggio from before creates tension as the brass sustains the chords. The next section contrasts this texture with stabs. Ideas from the previous tracks peep throughout this piece, greeting us like an old friend for this finale.

At 00:51 seconds in, we hear a theme being carried from instrument to instrument. The theme goes deeper and deeper, much like our wizard coming closer and closer to Malistaire in the story. This theme is played in The Crown of Fire, during the time that our wizard is carried by the young Battle Drake to our final confrontation with Malistaire.  

In the final section, the orchestra splits beats with the ensemble, creating syncopation before joining together. This thrilling moment dies down as the choir begins to solemnly sing. The flute and strings join in, introducing a new melody at timestamp 01:24. We enter a new key. It’s a major key, bright and happy. The future is looking bright and we are uplifted. Although the story is not over yet! Magic and mystery shroud us, and we can never be too sure whether those enemies we have conquered in the past may come back to haunt us.

Thank you, Starlights, for venturing through the music of Dragonspyre with me. Have a wonderful night.

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Disclaimer

Please note: I transcribed the music from the original/classic mode music scrolls. Not all of my transcriptions are 100% accurate, but they are close and the rhythm is properly notated. The example in “Theme 1” comes from Nelson Everhart’s video, as linked.