Bardic Inspiration

Bardic Inspiration: Sounds of the Coast


I’ve always loved the coast. That’s the main reason why we moved close to a beach. There’s serenity in watching the waves, and a sense of fun in large dunes and lighthouses. I’ve collected a fair share of instrumentals that remind me of the coast. Not only do I like to listen to them casually, but they are also great inspiration when writing scenes set on the beach, or for planning coastal TTRPG games. Enjoy!


Amber Ale from Divinity: Original Sin II

I love this melody. It makes me think of a busy harbor and ships swaying on the waves. I’ve never played the game, but Dorian first introduced me to this soundtrack from a playlist he designed for Ruuda Drybarrel. I have listened to it many times since!


Moonlight Serenade by Little Island Leap

This one just makes me so happy! What a great beat. I have several from this artist, but I listen to this one the most. Even if I have it playing while I’m trudging through daily work, I can’t help but smile and dance a bit at my desk.


Lurelin Village from Juke Remix

This is originally from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and subsequently Tears of the Kingdom. It was way back in 2017 that Dorian and I were playing Breath of the Wild and came across the coastal Lurelin Village. We realized how much we missed the beach. In two weeks, we were vacationing on the Gulf Coast (back before we moved up north). As such, this song will always hold a special place in my heart.


Ukelele Dance by Derek and Brandon Fiechter

This is another track where I have many from the same artists. I always enjoy listening to Ukelele Dance with its mix of calm and fun melodies. Dorian is also pretty good on the ukelele, so it makes me smile.


Bardic Inspiration

The Official Thread of Souls Soundtrack

It’s an exciting day! Our Thread of Souls soundtrack is officially completed and live. This is volume 1 of what hopefully is multiple albums all exploring Thread of Souls through music. Our friend and composer, Sean Gartner, has truly created beautiful and moving music.

Our Composer

Sean Gartner has been a part of Thread of Souls for a long time. He was one of our original players at the table when we started this TTRPG back in 2015. Even though he moved away in 2016 and wasn’t able to play anymore, we’ve always kept in touch. He has read the books multiple times, and was so inspired by these stories that he wanted to compose music for them. We had a chat through video call about our vision for a soundtrack for the books and for all things TOS, and was so happy he was on board! As you can tell from the songs, he is extremely talented! He’s also just a fantastic man all around, a loyal friend, and has a super kind heart. We cannot be happier to have him create this music.

What Songs Are There?

We have 14 tracks on this first album. If you have tuned into our Twitch livestream, you’ve heard Lively Tavern during our breaks! Jade has her own theme, we have Into The Gloomdwell from Path of the Spiders, The Utterer from the exciting battle in the same book, and much more!

Where To Find the Soundtrack

There are so many places you can listen to and/or download the songs! These are:

  • Spotify
  • Apple itunes
  • Amazon Music
  • 24-7
  • 7digital
  • adaptr
  • anghami
  • AWA
  • Ayoba
  • Boomplay
  • Hungama
  • iHeartRadio
  • iMusica
  • InProdicon
  • JOOX
  • KDigital
  • KKBox
  • kuack
  • Line Music
  • MediaNet
  • Napster
  • NetEase Cloud Music
  • pandora
  • Peloton
  • qobuz
  • resso
  • Saavn
  • Shazam
  • Slacker Radio
  • SoundExchange
  • TME
  • Tidal
  • TikTok
  • YouTube Music
Bardic Inspiration

Bardic Inspiration: The Sounds of An’Ock

Hello and welcome to the first official Bardic Inspiration for Thread of Souls! Thread of Souls is our ttrpg game turned fantasy book series and these are all the songs we use to help us tell our story. Journey along with us as we cover the best songs to use for your tabletop RPG. Whether the party is enjoying downtime at a tavern or exploring a dungeon.

The Sounds of An’Ock are typical songs you’d hear being played in the capital of the Korventine Empire. They range from musicians on the bustling streets or bards within the many taverns found behind the three walls of the city. To get a better feel for An’Ock, here’s an excerpt from book two of Thread of Souls: Ash & Thunder.

You can even use the songs for your own setting. These work well for major hub cities with plenty to see and do.

The noises and smells were overwhelming. Mixed conversations in a variety of languages assaulted Zok’s small and pointed Half-Elven ears. He heard a fiddle and flute playing boisterous music on a street corner.

The Fox and the Farmer is what was playing in the background when the party visited the Purring Kitten tavern. It’s a jolly tune you can play and loop during conversations or dances.

“The interior was cozy, with a fireplace spreading a warm glow and a large painting of a white kitten adorning one wall.”

Setting the scene is always important for introducing players to where they are. Imagine the camera sweeping over the city of An’Ock as this scene is described along with the track Horizons of Cyrodiil.

Shop owners called from their stalls, attempting to sell wares of hats, bags, toys, traveling gear, and everything in between. Farmers pushed carts full of potatoes and squash, grown from the wide ring of farmlands that sat between the outer walls of the city and the Great Divide river that surrounded An’Ock. There was a strong scent of garlic and ginger as a merchant carried large baskets of the spices. A priestess of Naydrin cried out prayers into the crowds, children begged for money from the alleyways, and nobles attempted to not rub shoulders with anyone as they hurried through the streets and towards the inner circles of the city where the wealthy and upper class lived. There, in the center of it all, Zok could see the castle. It was square in shape, with four large towers at each corner. Flags rippled out from its battlements, white towers on a gray field. The flag of the Greycastles.

Inevitably, there will come a time when the party finds themselves in trouble out in the streets. That’s when I turn to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Blood on The Cobblestone. An’Ock is home to two guilds called the Viper and Shadow Guild and sometimes things can get out of hand and guild members and guards don’t get along. Fights can happen at any time and this song is perfect for duking it out on the sidewalk.

The Witcher‘s Peaceful Moments is really great for traveling through the city. It was the backdrop as the characters explored the various districts such as the Proven Right, Divine Path, and Grand Bazaar.


You can buy all of our books on Amazon: Thread of Souls (3 book series) Paperback Edition (amazon.com)