LORD OF THE REEDS: The Bellowship of the Reed
Three Reeds for the Uilleann-Drones where on the lap they lie,
Seven for a set complete in a piper myth,
Nine for Beginners doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark bandwidth
In the Land of Chiffipple where the homepages lie
One Reed to slothful enthrall, One Reed to compel them,
One Reed to ne’er play at all yet anyhow sell them.
In the land of Chiffipple where the homepages lie.
The Lord of the Reeds – which this thread introduces – is a chronicle of the great Flame War of the Reed, which occurred in the Third Hour of Early-Morning. At that time, the One Reed, the Master of all the Reeds of Synthetics had been held for many vain thoughts by the Snobbitts, but was eagerly sought by the Enemy who made it – the Dark Lord Forom. To its player, the One Reed gave mastery over every living piper who dreamed of an alternative to cane, but since it was devised of evil plastic, in the end it inevitably irritated anyone who attempted to use it. Out of the struggle to possess and control the One Reed, with all its ominous squeaks, there arose a war comparable in magnitude and in the issues involved to the great wars of our time. And in that war, the Third Hour of Early-Morning came to an end…
The Bellowship of the Reed begins the story of that great war with the discovery of the Yogurt-Container nature of the Reed, and the flight of Hillmo – unwilling heir to the One Reed – from his own shop, closely pursued by the Dark Lazy Beginners of the Enemy. It tells of the Great Tionol at which it was decided that the Reed must be destroyed. Hillmo is appointed Reedbearer, and he sets forth on a long and perilous journey, beset by terrible calluses and dangers – most assuredly not including the temptation to use the power of the Reed and so be corrupted by it – and he creates the Bellowship to spite the plastic-reeders and aid his quest of true craftsmanship. “I spend too much time making an incredibly fine, quality instrument to cram a plastic dixie cup into the reed-seat.” For the task is to return the Reed to Chiffipple, the country of the Enemy-of-Worthwhile-Pipering himself, and there to destroy it in the only way possible: by casting it back into the Festering Pit of Bad Ideas from which it came.
Behold the Bellowship of the Reed…
Courtesy of Mark "Hillmo" Hillmann
"HILLMO"
Coming Soon…
The Two Regulators:
Of the discordant alliance between Tenorgard and Barit-Tone.
Return of the Cane:
Of the inevitable triumph of tradition over novelty.
(Adapted from the introduction to the 50th anniversary edition of…well, you know)
No Copyright MMV No Rights Reserved Innocent Smith Productions
