The Soundtrack of The Moonstone (and excerpts)

This week as I was running and playing epic soundtracks to clear my head from all the crazy doings in The Moonstone, I got inspired. As the driving music ignited my imagination, I realized that many of the tracks seem to match my characters' personalities and life stories.

So here is something new: Introducing the six main characters of The Moonstone's cast--through the soundtracks that best exemplify their personalities and destinies.

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Katryl

Katryl was born with the wildness of the Dashanian Highlands in her veins. Dashani women are known for their hardiness, resourcefulness, and the Dashani ideal of emotionlessness. Despite the expectations placed on Katryl, she feels very deeply and endures loss that challenges her trained reserve, so throughout The Moonstone's adventures, her free nature is continually at odds with her upbringing. As one character describes her: "She conceals herself in darkness--yet bleeds fire." 

"Victory" (album Two Steps From Hell) by Thomas Bergersen exemplifies Katryl well. The driving beat acknowledges her skill as a bow-maid and her resilience to the dangers she faces, but the lead female voice and soaring melody hints that the free spirit inside her will not always be restrained...

Edric

Rory describes Edric as the opposite of Katryl: "He conceals himself in flame, yet bleeds darkness." Beneath his skill as a warrior and his quick temper, Edric is a man without a home, without a people, and without roots. Like Katryl, his parents were among the Septerumian exile, and the hardships he has endured have left him indifferent to suffering and joy alike--except when it comes to those he loves: his mother and his sister. Above all, Edric is driven by a single fear, a fear which he dares not even admit to himself.

I chose "Redemption" (album Chronicles) for Edric, because an accurate soundtrack of his life as chronicled in The Moonstone would be hideously depressing and cacophonous. "Redemption" shows something else: what Edric can become, if only he is willing to relinquish control and seek peace.

Trann

Trann has endured hardships just as great as those experienced by Edric and Katryl, but the effect on him has been opposite. He has only grown more grateful for the good times, more compassionate toward the suffering of others, and more generous with his resources. Although his intentions are good, at times his clumsiness and natural awkwardness give the wrong impression, but no one can doubt his heart. And there will come a time when the fate of a nation will depend upon him...

​For Trann, I chose "I am the Doctor" (Doctor Who Eleven theme) by Murray Gold because, like the Doctor, Trann is both quirky and heroic.

Fiasa

Fiasa is Edric's sister and Trann's wife. Fiasa is known best for her laughter, which can disarm tension instantly and recall joys forgotten. As Edric's sister, she helps to temper his wildness and remind him that, even in darkness, light still survives. As Trann's wife, she moderates his awkwardness and offers practicality when his overactive imagination spins off on flights of fancy. Fiasa is also like Katryl's older sister, drawing Katryl's fears and hopes into the open, reflecting Katryl's nature back to her so that Katryl can see herself truly.

"Wings" (album Liberation) by Marcus Warner puts Fiasa's exuberant and joyful personality into music perfectly.

Rory

Orax Fangror, also known as Rory, possesses all the sarcasm, wit, skill, and resilience of the Dwarvish people. A valuable resource when he is not driving Edric crazy, Rory is familiar not only with the dangers of Undercountry but also with the ancient legends of the Cursing--knowledge which proves useful as the old prophecies begin to come true.

I chose "Invigoration" by Mark Petrie because Rory's character is a motivational one, and the hammered bell sound seems to fit well with his Dwarvish nature.

Tascu

A quirk of fate (or--as you may discover--design) brings Tascu to the other companions. He is the youngest and the most different in every way. Most notably, he is a Troll and, though he shares short stature with Rory the Dwarf, Tascu shares nothing else with him. Quiet, reserved, and struggling to learn the language of the Overdwellers, Tascu becomes part of the adventure because of his deeply-rooted cultural sense of duty and honor. As Tascu acclimates to a life very different than the one he has led so far, it becomes clear that he is more than a boy--he just might be the key to keeping Katryl alive.

​Tascu's song is "The Battle Room" (Ender's Game soundtrack) by Steve Jablonsky, because the lone violin represents his solitude, yet, as the music continues, its part in the theme becomes increasingly important and powerful.

So there you have it--all six of the major characters of The Moonstone, revealed through song. Here's a fun challenge: What song--of these choices or of your own--resonates most with your own personality and why? ​Let me know in the comments below.