[ WP ] Magic is discovered and it 's channeled with music . Modern nations dissolve and new countries rise in their place divided by the preferred music . In the frozen north lie the Metal kingdoms . Far to the south are the countries of Soul etc .

The second most memorable part of the journey was the trip itself – the terrifying experience of “ driving ”. Rolling down the endless predefined paths day after day was the most profoundly isolating thing I've ever experienced. Imagine playing an open note for hours on end – just one note, not even the same note over and over – until finally you feel your eyelids start to droop and you have to give up for the day. The constant need for concentration is exhausting, resulting in frequent headaches and short days. 
 
 
 At any time, the rickety machine – perversely called a “ Sonata ” - could have had a catastrophic mechanical failure. Unfortunately, a traversal harmonizer is much too big to fit in this vehicle. Should it fail, there would be no return, no matter what I tried to play. Nor could the Orchestra afford to send someone out after me, even if I could discern some way to repair the vehicle. Mapping the vast and mostly empty physical landscape was proving costly, perilous, and fruitless. So far we had managed to locate only a single small “ chipcipality ” that had been experimenting with decrepit electronic sound generating devices – not a promising start to our search for allies. 
 
 
 It was n't entirely a torment. It turns out that in the pre-crescendo days, music was mostly used as a form of entertainment. The vehicle actually had a sort of system that could replay music. It was a single recording, obviously impotent and unstructured, all the same notes played in the same way, every single time. I settled down to work on my Listening skills while driving. Some parts of the vehicle would interact with the road rhythmically, so by varying your speed, you could get a bit of a Cadence going. Between the endlessly looping songs, rudimentary Cadence, and the fumes from the fuel containers in the rear compartment, I found that I could easily slip into and out of a Fugue state. To this day, the quality of my Fugue state is extremely high and I can achieve it almost instantly, making higher-order songs easier to play and more effective. 
 
 
 It was during one of these trance states that I encountered the most memorable thing on my journey. I certainly would have missed her if not for the shocking redness of her hair. She had dived into the brush on the side of the road, leaving behind an odd sort of case and some bits of food. I stopped the vehicle and walked back to where I had seen her. When I got within earshot, I began humming a greeting. 
 
 
 Before I got the first note out, she hit me like a bass drop. The world went dark with the sorrow of her minor chords. I fell back to my home note and a basic two beat rhythm, just managing to keep focused. She rose from concealment and I saw that her hair was somehow on fire. No... it had *become* fire, and it shone in her eyes. 
 
 
 She kept rising until she was several inches off the ground. Somewhere in my head I was trying to compose a counterpoint, but her melody kept changing wildly. The thought occurred that this might be a new and truly alien Genre, exactly the sort of thing we had been searching for! I was reflecting that I would probably never survive to bring word to the Orchestra when I realized something else: she had no Instrument. She was singing this spell a capella. The utter impossibility of it smashed through the last of my concentration. The confusion and shock finally overwhelmed my poor, exhausted mind and I lost consciousness. 
 
 
 ~~~~~~~~~ 
 
 
 
 “ Is this your fiddle here, then? ” The rudeness of his question snapped me awake. 
 
 
 “ Yes, that's my *violin* you're holding. I do n't suppose you'll just give it back? ” This I delivered with the most cutting glare I could muster. 
 
 
 “ Sure look it. No need to go lookin' so cross, neither. Young Rosie's gotten the best of many a finer lad than you, and not always with her singin'! I can say that with a spot of pride, as she's my own kin. Star of the county, that lass is! Anyway... name's Shane McCann, ” He said, sticking out a hand for me to shake. I took it, then my violin case, which seemed to be intact. I suddenly remembered I that was supposed to be on a diplomatic mission. 
 
 
 “ Well, thank you Shane, and I apologize that we do n't have time to get to know each other better. I need to speak to your conductor as soon as possible. It's regarding the war. We have news, and... ” 
 
 
 He cut me off with a sour look. “ Ah, we'll have no part of your war, I think. Done enough o' that. Still, ca n't have you runnin' around scarin' folk, so let's get to the bottom of this, if that's what you're after. ” He left and closed the door behind him before I could say another word. I rushed over, but found it locked. 
 
 
 His nonchalance towards the war stunned me. A suspicion gripped me that maybe, somehow, the folk of this Genre had no idea what was going on in the world. It was worse than that. 
 
 
 I was eventually let out to wander the town, and told that we would deal with my matter in “ due time ”. I spent some time in a stupor, taking everything in. These people did n't use music for anything. They picked things up and moved them with their arms, no matter how heavy. And for things too big to carry, they lashed a large animal to the item and made it walk with the item attached! They cooked with fire, occasionally resulting in burned food. And they seemed to spend an awful lot of time hitting various things with simple metal tools. I never heard anything like the impossible Song that had been unleashed on me by Rosie. There was music, but the songs were simple and powerless, not unlike what I'd listened to on my journey. Without ever using real music, of course this community could never be reached by harmonic traversal. Since nobody bothered traveling in any other way these days, they were completely cut off from the world. 
 
 
 I did see Rosie though, from afar. I desperately wanted to talk to her about our encounter, in order to learn more about her technique. Also, she was extremely pretty. She always seemed to speed away before I could get to her. After one such occurrence, a man next to me spoke up. 
 
 
 “ Ah, good luck chasin' that one, boy! She's a fine colleen though, is n't she? ” 
 
 
 “ Um, I suppose, ” I hedged. “ I thought her name was Rosie, though? ” 
 
 
 “ Is too. Aye, a fine colleen, that Rosie! The finest! ” 
 
 
 Sforzando, it hit me. The strange accents, the unfamiliar words and bizarre word choices... these people *spoke another language. * This was too good to be true! I hunted down Shane and browbeat him into taking me to see the conductor, a man named McDermott with a shaggy salt and pepper beard. I managed to convince them to call together the town's composers to hear my story. 
 
 
 Standing before them, I spoke: 
 
 
 “ Ever since the crescendo, we have lived in a new world. With Music, we're able to provide for all of our material needs. That leaves only the pursuits of culture and art for us to work towards. The flourishing of art and beauty since the crescendo represents a new stage in the story of mankind. Year by year, we have improved and grown. 
 
 
 Anyone seeking adventure can follow his or her own heart's music through the harmonic traversal network, meeting the people of the world and sharing songs, stories, and culture. All it takes to reach another Genre is to find the similarities between it and your own. By playing in the right style, you can bridge the gap between two Genres and travel between them, anywhere that Music is being played. 
 
 
 People seek out their own natural Genre in which to live and play. When people of a Genre come together in harmony, we can sing better and more intricate songs, build taller and more beautiful buildings, and accomplish works that would make the greatest kings of antiquity weep in humility! ” 
 
 
 “ Oh, but you do drone on, boy! ” McDermott cut in. “ We're an old people, older than you think. We've seen this before. Eventually, the Genres mix and lose their power. The world returns to the way it was, and someone has to be there to put it all back together. Our Celtic folk music is ancient, and our ways older still, passed down by mouth since the beginning. No, Music is good for only one thing: war! We have no need to be involved in your politics, for it's not our place. Ours is to clean up the mess when you screw it up! We've finally found a green place to ride out the years. Leave us in peace. ”
