Dev Diary #1: Instrumental Inspiration

The soundtrack for Court of Ashes remains one of the most pervasive features of the game and it does so for good reason, it’s wonderful. You may call me biased if you’re interested in such frivolous matters as being correct. But then, I’m developing a creative work; all things that in the game are those which I’m biased towards. It must first be stated that the soundtrack, in its entirety, was composed by Eric Britt of Orchestorm Productions. How exactly we came across Eric’s work is a mystery lost to the sands of time. What is remembered is his Minute Waltz, the first thing I found when I was shown his Twitter page by C.S. Cratel. As I remember, it was Haydn-inspired and possessed an ominous urgency which I still cannot adequately describe. After retaining Eric’s services and working through many variations of character, location, and overarching themes, it became evident that there was a magic within the track that lead us to hire him in the first place. In an exceedingly generous gesture, Eric offered up his Minute Waltz, which was re-envisioned into the Gilded Waltz and now serves as the theme for Court of Ashes. Give it a listen. Having captured the style, Eric set about learning more about each council member in the game, internalizing their character, and providing a voice for them accordingly. Bruno, the General of the Armies, whose honor is only outstripped by his pomp and self-image: listen To Brida, the Alchemist Royal, who eccentricities only compound as time goes on: listen Ever-distinct as well are Regina’s, Armis’, and Janpier’s themes whose personalities range from motherly to prissy and aloof respectively. These themes stand in contrast to one another and represent the unique vocation and nature of the cast in Court of Ashes. If this were not enough of a feat by which to laud Eric, the real magic presents when the characters come together. A cornerstone of the Court of Ashes experience resides in the council chamber. The player has to make choices that affect the outcome of a nation at war while attempting to prove their right to rule over what’s left. In doing so, not everyone agrees most of the time. As actions are taken which support one of the council member’s goals, so too will the player’s affinity with that member grow. As the player grows each bond within the council, so too is the council’s theme made whole. The council theme is offered below for consideration. Opening with motifs of Bruno’s Bound by Honor, the track segues into Regina’s chirping and Brida’s whimsical strings around 0:35 and those voice sing back and forth before joining together at the bridge around 1:30. Janpier comes in keeping it holy at 2:12, and Armis’ staccato trumpets complement at 2:36. Then, in what still amazes me, all of the voices sing together at 3:07. Absolute magic. As if it weren’t laudable enough to create a breadth of sounds which are as distinct as the persons they represent, there should be no shortage of accolades for joining those distinct voices into a homogenous sum greater than its parts. To proudly present my bias again, I love this soundtrack, and not just because it’s for my game. It’s a stellar series of works which describe the nature of their subjects in ways which words fail. Actually, that last part is presumptuous; words may exist which convey these ideas adequately. They are, however, beyond my command and I wrote the characters. As a final note, I’ve always been a fan of imagery through sound. Perhaps that’s why I was so drawn to Eric’s work. If you know of an image-provoking piece to share, I’m all too anxious to hear it. If not, there are plenty of other noteworthy tracks which are not mine to share at https://soundcloud.com/ericbrittmusic Respectfully yours, Chris Cratel, Cratel Studios