Temenos, the Cleric/Hikari, the Warrior

Track 1-9: Temenos, the Cleric

Temenos is an inquisitor for the Order of the Sacred Flame in Flamechurch who is gradually drawn into a sinister plot behind the scenes in the Order. Notwithstanding his status as a cleric, he tends to view things with a skeptical eye; on the other hand, he is partnered with the unfailingly sincere and trusting Crick, and I like the “buddy adventure” aspect of their story as they work together to resolve difficulties.

The music representing Temenos had to express his elusive, aloof nature as well as the air of mystery around him. His story also features mysteries solved through in-game mechanics, and I wanted to honor that too.

To start with, I used the sound of the harpsichord and tremolo on the marimba to create an aloof, detached feel. Meanwhile, extensive use of modulation adds mystery to the progression, expressing Temenos’s elusiveness.

But why should extensive use of modulation make music sound mysterious and elusive?

In the popular music I normally listen to (excluding more abstract contemporary classical pieces and so on), each song is basically bound to one key. The harmonic progression is within that key, and the melody uses scales connected to the key.

However, the music can also borrow harmonies from other keys, modulate as described above, or even transition to another key completely. Combining these techniques keeps the music from getting boring.

In other words, the world of a given key imparts a sense of security. When an element from outside the key intrudes, it creates tension and emotional movement. Composers make judicious use of this to control emotions.

Temenos’s theme starts with an Em chord (E–G–B) that is immediately followed by a C7 chord (C–E–G–B♭). Because the chords share some things in common (the notes E and G), the relationship doesn’t feel like an abrupt change of key. But the note B♭ is not found in the key of E minor, so there is a sense of the ground shifting under our feet as we stray from the original key.

Sprinkling these shifting, elusive harmonies throughout the theme’s harmonic progression is a way of expressing Temenos’s character.

Track 1-10: Hikari, the Warrior

Hikari hails from the Kingdom of Ku, a nation that has entered a slow decline, its golden age firmly in the past. He worries for his homeland and feels a powerful sense of duty, conducting himself in a dignified manner befitting a member of the royal family. However, he also has a kind, caring side, and the common folk of Ku are never far from his thoughts.

The Kingdom of Ku is fictional, but in terms of imagery it has a strongly Asian feel to it, right? So, for Hikari’s theme and other pieces for this region, I used many elements to emphasize that Asian sensibility, including Chinese instruments like the erhu and xiao (an end-blown flute), pentatonic scales, and quartal harmonies.

The xiao, an end-blown Chinese flute

The erhu is played by Yingzi Li and the xiao by Sun Xiaomeng.

Olberic, the warrior of OT1, had some similar elements in his backstory, but for Hikari’s theme, I worked to express the feelings that were unique to him—such as his relationship to his currently declining homeland and his brother—along with the powerful emotions he hides within his elegant frame.

Translation: Matt Treyvaud