If there’s one thing that indie publishing company and Actual Play powerhouse Avantris Entertainment, also known as Legends of Avantris, knows how to do, it’s set the scene. Just one glance at any of its creations or one second spent listening to one of its campaigns, and that much is clear. And it turns out we’re not the only people who think so. Legends of Avantris’ recent Kickstarter for their incredible The Crooked Moon Folk Horror tabletop campaign was funded in ONE minute. And in total, 21,793 backers pledged $4,020,234 to bring the gorgeously creepy 5e masterpiece to life.
There’s a lot we could praise about The Crooked Moon, from its iconic Halloween-themed races to its folklore-inspired monsters, but our favorite thing about this campaign is that it comes with its own soundtrack. Yes, if you pre-order Legends of Avantris’ The Crooked Moon campaign, you also get a thematically perfect soundtrack from The Blasting Company. And today, it’s our pleasure to exclusively reveal the lyric music video for the third single from The Crooked Moon, “Dead Trees.”
You can check out this haunting tune and its perfectly illustrated music video below. This song tells the story of Gorthos, the Beast of Blight. (And a character that I literally love on sight.)
Legends of Avantris’ The Crooked Moon Single “Dead Trees” Tells the Tale of Gorthos, the Beast of Blight
Okay, but is any story more tragic or moving than a tale of beauty in decay? We can’t wait to get to know Gorthos better when The Crooked Moon finally releases, but just by “Dead Trees” and the illustrations that Legends of Avantris shares in the lyric music video, we can tell there’s a lot of depth and pain there. And we must know more. “Judge me not for what I’ve become,” the haunting lyrics of “Dead Trees” implore, “Roses once blood-bloomed/Wither in ashen heaps.” Be still our beating hearts! I’m about to set Gorthos on the shelf next to the rest of my favorite anti-heroes.
Offering just a little bit more insight about The Crooked Moon‘s Gorthos, the Blighted One, Legends of Avantris shares that this character is a sinister archfey embodying corruption and decay. Gorthos manifests as a towering, skeletal stag, her form an eerie fusion of plant matter, rotting flora, and animal remnants, which you can take a look at below.
Gorthos’ rasping voice echoes like wind through dead leaves, and her antlers twist like gnarled wicker. Deep within the Hartsblight Forest, a devout cult of druidic worshippers tends to her will, spreading her blight across the land. If these eerie but captivating descriptions of Gorthos combined with the resonating haunting quality of her song don’t paint the picture of the full folk horror experience that The Crooked Man will bring to your next Dungeons & Dragons adventure, we don’t know what will.
Mikey Gilder, CCO of Avantris Entertainment, shares:
The story of Gorthos in The Crooked Moon is one that is so beautifully tragic that we knew we had to get her song right on the album. It was a very difficult and long process going back and forth and exploring different musical avenues to find the right vibe and spirit to capture the character and her narrative. But although Dead Trees had a rocky start, I am so thrilled where we landed and it’s one of my favorite tracks on the album.
Legends of Avantris and The Blasting Company Teamed Up for This Single and a Whole The Crooked Moon Soundtrack
The winding and mesmerizing notes of “Dead Trees” really transport you into a realm of fantastical horror. And it’s no coincidence the song makes use of some complex and rare instruments. In fact, the song calls for Uilleann Pipes (the national bagpipe of Ireland), the Hurdy Gurdy (hand-turned crank spring instrument), and Nyckelharpa (a “keyed” fiddle). These are all incredibly difficult instruments to find on their own, and finding someone talented enough to play them is even harder. But when they come together, they really create that transportive sound that takes you out of our world and into a magical realm.
In fact, some magic and fate came into play to achieve this song from The Crooked Moon‘s soundtrack. The Blasting Company’s Josh Ross Kaufman and Justin Rubenstein share that on a vacation in Ireland, Kaufman just happened to be passing by a cozy pub, when he heard exactly the sound he’d been looking for. Inside the pub, Siobhan Hogan was playing the Uilleann pipes. And though she’d never recorded music for anything like “Dead Trees,” she agreed to come on board and add her talents to The Crooked Moon‘s track. You can hear Uilleann pipes, a notoriously difficult instrument to play, adding intensity and depth in the final third of the song. Truly, the spirits of the folklore word conspired to make this tune a reality.
Where Can You Listen to “Dead Trees” and Other Songs From The Crooked Moon‘s Soundtrack?
“Dead Trees” is now available to stream on all platforms. It was written by Josh Ross Kaufman & Justin Rubenstein of The Blasting Company. As mentioned, it is the third single released from The Crooked Moon soundtrack. Make sure to check out the other two songs because they are total bops. You can also pre-order the full soundtrack for $15, right here.
Full Song Credits for “Dead Trees”
- Written by: Josh Ross Kaufman & Justin Rubenstein
- Produced by: The Blasting Company
- Mixed by: The Blasting Company
- Mastered by: Tom Rogers at Atomix Media
- Performers:
- Ekaterina Shelehova – Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
- Eliana Athayde – Double Bass
- Cory Beers – Tapan
- Siobhán Hogan – Uilleann Pipes
- Kim Nguyen – Harp
- Justin Rubenstein – Cello, Nyckelharpa, Classical Guitar, Whistle
- J.R. Kaufman – Hurdy Gurdy, Classical Guitar, Whistle, Backing Vocals
Pre-Order The Crooked Moon Today and Make Your Next Dungeons & Dragons 5e Campaign Folk Horror-riffic
Of course, all this atmosphere exists because there’s a campaign to run and an incredibly eerie journey to embark on, full of folklore, mythology, monsters, Halloween excitement, and SO much aesthetic excellence. To make sure you have your ticket to all the excitement, make sure to pre-order The Crooked Moon, Folk Horror in 5E by Legends of Avantris today.