Director of Holberg's Melodious Cascade

Overview

The Director of Holberg’s Melodious Cascade is an Imperial title awarded to a citizen of the League. Construction of Holberg's Melodious Cascade was announced by Laughlan vi Temeschwar as Master of Rings during the Autumn Equinox 385YE.

The Cascade is part of Holmauer Park, which was cursed by the Hag Queen in Summer 383YE. The Cascade is an inventive adaptation of the previously blighted landscape to the advantage of Holberg, joining the Blood Red Orchard, the Pavilion on Looking Glass Lake and Kleist’s Winter Gardens as another point of eerily fascinating interest for visitors to the Park.

Responsibilities

The Director of the Melodious Cascade is expected to work in a manner best suited to their talents towards the betterment of Holmauer in particular and Holberg in general. If the Cascade were to be threatened in any way, it would be the responsibility of the Director to deal with those threats.

Powers

Bounty of Mana

The title holder gains custodianship of a sinecure. The Director receives an income of 9 mana crystals each season.

Appointment

The Director of Holberg’s Melodious Cascade is selected by unanimous decision of the League senators at the Winter Solstice. If a unanimous decision cannot be reached, the title may be appointed by the Imperial Senate instead.

The title can be held by any citizen of the League. The Director serves until the next scheduled election. They can be revoked by the General Assembly, the National Assembly of the League, and by the Assembly of the Nine.

The Melodious Cascade

The Melodious Cascade is situated at the edge of Kleists’ Winter Gardens in the Holmauer Great Park. Cunningly wrought in mithril, it has been constructed to resemble a cliff crag, over which a nearby stream has been diverted to create a picturesque waterfall. At the very top, the cascade has been permanently frozen by the magical flows directed into the structure. Further down, seemingly random thaws resonate with the cunning harmonics of the fountain’s design to produce a series of musical notes as each shard of ice breaks and falls to the pool below. Very occasionally, one of the shards is infused with mana.

It has been noted that the quality of the music changes with both the time of day and the seasons, no doubt as a result of the subtle changes in temperature and humidity interacting with the mithril structure. The variance is most noticeable at sunset, when the notes of the Melodious Cascade take on an eerie, almost ethereal, quality.

Prominently displayed at the base of the Cascade is a mithril-framed oak plaque:

“In recognition of those citizens who have contributed to the Cascade’s construction whether through coin or through expertise.”