Cantata
Synopsis
The story is set in Saleste, a vast empire with a long history of expansionism and colonization. Within the empire, technically citizens but not, are the Iredicci. The Iredicci can hear and feel the cordis, the harmonic pulse that connects all living things, and they connect to it through song. Iredicci have excellent hearing, but their defining feature is their voice—they have an echo to their voice, a resonance of two pitches at once.
A simple, nomadic people, the Iredicci were traditionally welcome in all corners of the Saleste Empire. But as steam technology progressed and the push for new resources grew, a prejudice developed against them. Over the years they stopped being welcome. Eventually, their travel was restricted, and the Iredicci were forced to live in settlement camps.
You are one of the Iredicci, born into such a camp. The elders sing songs of past travels and wonders you have never seen. Ever the optimists, the elders tell you to take heart. To be thankful you are among friends and family. That things can’t possibly get any worse.
Until they do.
Historians and politicians would call it The Proelium, a righteous battle against the traitorous Iredicci. What it really was, was the systematic genocide of your people. In one night, soldiers attacked every settlement camp across the empire. No one was spared—not the elders, not the children, not your mother.
It was mere whim that you snuck out of camp that evening, a mischievous escapade with a friend that ironically saved your life. You are taken in by your friend’s family and kept safe. But with survivors being hunted and killed, you must conceal your identity. So, you pretend to be deaf and mute.
Journey through the empire of Saleste and beyond. Grow from a child into an adult. Make friends, lovers, allies, and enemies. How will they react when your secret comes to light? Will you abandon your song in favor of machine? Join the rebel forces against the tyrant regis? Will you heal the wounds of the realm and restore balance? Or plunge it further into chaos?
Features
- Play as male, female or nonbinary—you’ll be able to choose your pronouns independent of your body type.
- Customize your character’s appearance and personality.
- Choose your attunement/proficiency with the cordis. This choice will heavily influence gameplay, affecting combat, weapon specialization, character interactions, and problem-solving situations. Choose wisely!
- Create 2 character names: your birth name and an alias. The Iredicci have culturally unique names, so your birth name will be limited to a preset selection. But you will go by an alias of your own choosing for most of the story.
- Develop your relationship with your adopted sibling. Are you friends or rivals?
- Romance! Or not. Romance 1 of 4 possible love interests, or choose the platonic route with the best of friends.
- Save a wild animal from a hunter’s trap and gain a steadfast companion. Because fur baby.
The MC
The game begins with you at age 7. When you are 12, your camp is slaughtered during The Proelium, and you are adopted into a friend’s family. With your voice and heightened hearing identifying you as Iredicci, you pretend to be deaf and mute in order to hide your heritage. The main game occurs 13 years after The Proelium, when you are 25.
Romance Options
Calliope Cato (she/her)
The inventor/artificer, Calliope can build and fix any machine. She is 2 years younger than you, petite, with gold eyes, rich brown skin and black hair in multiple braids. Her hair and clothes are adorned in rings, belts, and pins which double as tools. She carries a man’s cane sword with her everywhere, which she wields in a fight along with a hand crossbow. She’s curious, optimistic, excitable, and easily distracted by her many projects, but much of that is to keep her mind occupied. In quiet moments when she thinks no one is looking, you glimpse a profound sadness on her features.
Corinne Xenakis (she/her)
The leader of the rebels, Corinne works to overthrow the monarchy and aid the surviving Iredicci where possible. She is 6 years older than you. She is tall, with long, sandy brown hair usually worn in a messy bun or loosely braided bun, hazel eyes, and beige skin tanned by the sun. Quiet, serious and aloof, she feels a tremendous responsibility for those under her command. Corinne is a contradiction—she has the grace and manners of a noblewoman, yet fights with military precision that is uncommon for females of noble lineage. She is deadly when double wielding her flintlocks or axes. While not cold, she is not overly familiar or friendly with anyone, and very tight-lipped about her past. What does she guard so fiercely behind her armor?
Vicente Aloi (he/they)
The bastard prince, Vicente is calculating, ruthless and driven. They are the same age as you, and they, too, lost their mother the night of The Proelium, though under different circumstances. But while you were adopted into a loving family, he is the unwanted son of the regis, trained to be a lethal tool. He has long, midnight blue-black hair, icy blue eyes, and high defined cheekbones. The edges of a tattoo are barely visible on his neck above the collar of his doublet… wings, perhaps? It’s beautiful. He’s beautiful, though you’d never tell him for fear he’d take his rapier to your neck simply for looking. Will your plans align with his, or are you merely another pawn in his schemes?
Bayram Durmaz (he/him)
The son of the Aydem, the matriarchal leader of Tinebaille. Bayram is 4 years older than you. He has golden-honey skin, light brown eyes, and dark brown, tightly-curled hair that he usually wears back in a ponytail or half ponytail. He is tall and broad, muscular but not toned, with a rounded edge to his stomach and chest. A sprawling, colorful tattoo, the mosaic artwork of his people, covers the entirety of his back. He is boisterous, bold, and a shameless flirt. With his young sister bearing the weight of succession, he’s been free to explore the islands to his heart’s content, and is familiar with every bay, inlet, and harbor. He is equally skilled at wielding a spear, sailing a ship, and charming hearts.
About the Artist
The character illustrations are all commissioned works done by the extremely talented Isabela Zaneti, the same artist who did Viatica. I am so grateful to her for bringing my characters alive and I encourage you to check out her website!
Content Warning
This story is intended for mature audiences. Possibly triggering topics present in the story include blood, violence, death (including child death), trauma & PTSD, mature language, sexual content (optional), classism, sexism, bigotry, and the persecution of a fictional people. Be advised, you are also pretending to have a disability for at least half the story.
The music is intentionally loud in certain parts of the story. This is to mimic the noise and emotions that the MC is experiencing, as sound is an integral feature of your race. It may be uncomfortable for some readers, so please read with caution.
Disclaimers
“Cantata” is a low fantasy IF loosely based on the Italian Renaissance period, with a steampunk edge. While I took inspiration from real world cultures and languages - most notably Italian, Latin, Greek, and Turkish - the world is still my own and not intended to be historically accurate.
If you’re enjoying Cantata and interested in extra content, or would just like to support me, please visit my ko-fi at https://ko-fi.com/firandfireweed
Development log
- New Artwork by Isabela Zaneti18 days ago
- Cantata Chapter 2 is Live!24 days ago
- Cantata Update is Live!25 days ago
- Update News31 days ago
- Minor Update79 days ago
- New RO Artwork!81 days ago
- Cantata is Live!92 days ago
Comments
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Never. Never for the life of me did I ever think I would be playing through a fantasy game about music. And never did I think I would love it so much. I am most definitely not the first or last to say so, but please keep doing what you do best!
Thank you so much! You may not be the first but you completely made my day! ❤️ Thank you for reading!
THESE IF'S (idk if correct grammar atp) MAKE ME FEEL THINGSSSSSSS AAAHHHHH both Cantata and Viatica are such good games, im not even joking i have been replaying both for the past 6 hours because I'm procrastinating my work <3 ilysm keep up the good work, and i will always support what you do :3,
love from a random trans teen boy on the internet <3333
Aww, thank you so much for your kind words and your support! It makes me happy to hear you’ve been replaying both. And sending love right back atcha! ❤️
yippie <3
Do you have discord group to follow? I'm interested to join if there is one
Aww, thank you, but I do not. I’ve thought about it, but I honestly don’t have the time to manage one. 🥴
OHM Y GOD OHMYGOD CHAPTER TWO IS HERE I AM GONNA PLAY AND REPORT BACK WHEN DONE
I'VE RETURNED. FIR AND FIREWEED YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN?????? i love u and cantata so much its not even funny. i ATE chapter two up like a starved woman, ty for the scrump-dilly-yum-yum meal!!!!! i can't wait for more :3
ANGEL!! 🙌🏻 So good to see you back, my friend. Always a treat to see your name!
I’m so glad you liked it, thank you! Did you catch my April Fools drabbles? You may enjoy them. 😉
https://firfireweed.itch.io/viatica-april-fools-edition
I DID!!!! it is so amazing i love everything you make. icl i read the whole thing in 40 mins from how chronically addicted i am to your works
（；´д｀）ゞ
😘❤️
Truly this is one of the most well-written and captivating stories that I've come across. I adore the characters, the plot, everything! I am so excited for the final release and will be waiting eagerly.
Thank you for your kind words, and for following along!
I absolutely adored every moment reading. The setting really captured me and I thought about it the rest of the day. Then I went and read Viatica when I noticed you had other works. Thank you so much for writing.
You are most welcome! Thank you for reading!
ah yes- MY FAVOURITE CREATOR IS BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH ANOTHER BANGER OF A GAME!
Aww, thank you!
as a latin student the names make me so happy for no reason
Yay! Thank you for telling me! I love that you picked up on that. 😁
MY EMOTIONSSS
❤️
Hitting the End of Demo page is always brutal... ToT
This is so cool! Love the worldbuilding and the writing style. I'm excited about building my character, discovering new lore and learning more about the other characters in the story.
Thank you for this game :) Have a good day!!
Thank you, I’m excited to show you more!
EATING THIS SHIT UP!! It tastes like blueberry icecream mixed with vanilla
Also is there a possibility for a trans MC to be able to change their body to fit into their chosen gender? Haven't gotten too far but man do I want my transmasc character's beard to come in lmao
Thank you! At this time, no, I don’t have any plans to include that. To be fair, I didn’t even consider facial hair for non trans. 😅 I’ll have to think about that.
That's alright!! I'll be happy with just binder options for trans men!Also swear I played one of your games before, I'll have to check!
Oh! That’s a good idea, I can definitely include that! I appreciate you giving me these ideas, I do want to include as much as I am able. 🥰
Lol, yep! Viatica is mine. 😁
Tysm!! Love it when a game developer(?) talks to their players!!!
CREATOR OF VIATICA NO WAY!!! Got good game combos going on!!
I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THIS OMG PLEASE CONTINUE ON, FIR! I’m rooting on ya!!
Thank you for the support! 😁💪🏻
THIS IS SO GOODDDD NEVER STOP!!! ^^
Hahaha, thank you! 😁
Viva la resistance!! I hope this won't put me at odds with my Vicente. Lol. But me and my ferret desire to fight with fist and fire. (Literally, as that is my mc's element) 🤣
Viva la resistance! ✊
Being at odds with Vicente could play out fun, too. 😉
After the tussle, my MC will kindly heal Vicente's wounds and cook him something tasty. 🤣
FFFFUUUCCCKKK! I need more!!!!!! 10/10 stuff!
Thank you!
Just found this and omg it's so good! Super excited to see how it all unfolds, also BAYRAAAAM HELLOOOO SIRRRRRRR
Lol, glad you found it, thank you! And glad you like Bayram. 😏
This i a really cool game!
I would love it if i could name more characters, as i have named both myself and my ferret after shades of black, and wish i could do so to the others as well.
GRRRRAAHAHAHAHGGGGGG I NEED VICENTE SO BADDDDDDDDD YOU DONT UNDERSTANDDDD
😎😏
Completely hooked on this now, I was so upset when the demo ended!! I would kill and die for my adopted family. And also my little fox buddy. I named him Dirk. :p
You named him Dirk?! 🤣❤️😍
it’s SOO good. I love Eva and I so feel for her😭 Poor girl do not feel guilty!!🗣️ she’s a real one too
Eva’s my girl! I’m glad you’re enjoying it, Bat!
Mild spoilers, buuuut I chose to name my character Carmine, which is a name I often pick, and then one of the three soldiers apparently also had the name Carmine. Was that intentional? Was the name Carmine picked for one of the soldiers? Because if so, that is amazing.
Great minds think alike! We just happened to choose the same name. 😊
OMG I JUST FOUND MY LOST PHONE AGAIN TO SEE CANTATA CHAPTER TWO IS OUT OMG?? Choosing my animal friend is soo hard cause I feel like fox matches fire but ferrets are my favoriteee + I’m kicking my feet ans giggling with every interaction with Corinne
Welcome back, bat! Glad you’re enjoying it! 😊
Also forgot to add: my personal fav of the love interests so far is Vicente. The PARALLELS and also he is intriguing
love the game. Hopefully there will be save files soon. I use my phone mainly to play so the data never saves. Otherwise I love the game and all the aspects of it 🫶
Hi! There are save files and they seem to be working. Are you saving in the slots or exporting your saves? On a phone, press the hamburger in the circle, top right; you should see them there.
By far one of my favorite text adventure games :D Eva is by far my favorite character, but Callie is in a SUPER close second. Everyone is so easy to get attached to, and even the side characters seem like real people. I see several parallels between Iredicci and modern marginalized groups (particularly Native Americans), and I think the social commentary is handled really well :p Sooo excited for the next chapter!!
Thank you, I appreciate this so much! I did actually base much of this on the Native American people, as well as a few others. There’s no shortage in history, unfortunately. I’m glad you thought it was handled well, thank you!
Spoilers
Honestly one of my only complaints(the rest is just personal nitpicks that doesn't affect the story at all) is not having the option to be close to Evelyn but not call her sister. Like. My family(in the game) is dead. I'm not keen on replacing them.
Chapter two was so GOOD!! I’m so excited for the next chapter, I need to romance Bayram ASAP 😇🙏
Thank you! Bayram, unfortunately, doesn’t return till Chapter 4. 😭 But I promise when he does it’ll be worth it!
HAHA, I'm willing to wait for Bayram do not worry :p
Looovovvesssssss this bro. I was apprehensive at first I ain't gon lie BUT YOOOoooLo ya exceeded thy expection
Glad you liked it, thank you for reading!
This was so good hellooo?!?!?!?!?
Thank you!
That was amazing! I can't wait to read more <3
Thank you!
The update was fantastic! Can't wait for the next chapter!
Thank you so much!
I just found this demo, and this game is AMAZING. I'm a long-time lover of text-based games like this, but this was like next level. The story, the world-building, not to mention the music changing with each page, it's all so incredible. You can really see the hard work that went into this. I look forward to what's coming next.
Thank you so much!
Im really enjoying this so far! Excited to see more of the world and ROs, and also if my protag's fox buddy (she named him Tellus) dies i will be very very sad :(
Oh my goodness, you named your fox Tellus?! 🥹😭 Don’t worry, nothing is going to happen to fur baby!
Oh thank goodness, haha. And yeah, my MC (Lumen/Wil) wanted to make sure to always remember him :(
❤️❤️❤️
I loved this so much I went back and added some flavor text if you name your pet Tellus. ❤️
I made an impact :D thats so sweet!
Already loving it; I'm looking for personality customization, so i appreciate that u did a little more than Viatica, although it was great to have any at all! mind you I 💗 Viatica. I can just tell that you're evolving and I'm a fan 🤓, as always!
Thank you! Viatica was definitely more linear and more static in many ways. I am trying to be more conscious of player choices in this one so I’m glad I succeeded. I’ll keep striving to make progress in that regard, thank you! ❤️
hi.
so i played the demo and what can i say? i still like your writing style and also like the story and characters. i know i repeat myself, but i liked Viatica and also like Cantata.
i really liked the pet scene; the one where MC´s pet sleeps ontop of Jonah reminded me of the "dad dont want pet/family still gets it/dad & pet:..."-meme.
one question (and this one is not specific to this IF): in many other If´s there are a differnet between a braid-hairstyle and a braids-hairstyle, but whenever i google it, i get the same result for both: a similar one to Calliope´s hairstyle. so what exactly is the difference between those hairstyles. sorry for asking you this question, this one was always one who i had once i encountered it ingame, but never remembered to actually ask.
also im probably romance Corinne; to me she seem quite interesting and fits to my more vengeful MC.
anyways im excited for the next chapter and had fun reading chapter 2.
Hello, and thank you for reading both stories! Jonah is definitely that pet dad. 😂
As far as the braids, I can’t speak to other IFs but for mine it’s the difference between singular or plural: a single braid (like Shadowheart in BG3 if you’re familiar with that) or multiple braids, like Calliope.
Hope that helps clarify!
yes, thank you for your answer.
i cried, i hate you
but i love what you have here, truly beautiful.
😅
FINALLY CHAPTER 2!!! I was so disappointed on April fools but it was worth waiting
❤️
AAAAAAAAAAAAAA i been waiting for chapter 2 and you did not disappoint !! i loved finally getting to meet the characters <333 good luck w/ writing !!
Thank you!!
So happy for the update! But why would you make me choose between a ferret and a fox? T_T
Also, wanted to let you know, you can't scroll on the save screen on mobile. I can only see 5 of the save slots and I can't get to the bottom to export my save.
Hahaha, sorry the pet choice is hard! 😅
Hmm, debunking that mobile bug will be tricky. I’m using a template and I have to admit I only understand just the bare bones of Sugarcube. But I’ll try to fix that, thank you for bringing it to my attention!
I figured out the bug! I feel like Webmaster Yoda now. lol.
This will be fixed in the next update. Thanks again for bringing it to my attention!
Woo~! Congrats!
Wow!!wowie!!! omygod!!! where do i even begin?? this update was so.. siehsuheijimun!!! /vpos
i do have to admit, tellus was just like a whatever character when i first met him but with this update. the beads.. oh my soul aughheundhns.. tellus i love you come back to me💔 but its ok.. we have bayram and bayram makes everything right in the world >:3 i love bayram his design is amazing and he's so incredibly stupid (i swear i have a tendency to pick characters kind of like bayram as ro's no idea why) 🙏/pos all the ro's are gorgeous and i have no doubt that i'll do multiple playthroughs to romance them all ^_^ (calliope's def my next pick
the way that you portray grief is so incredibly poetic and amazing and i love it oh so much!!! :d not to get to comfortable or anything but i am cuban but i moved to america when i was very young and accustomed to the culture way to quickly, and i didn't get to experience enough of my heritage i feel. i of course didn't experience the same thing that mc did but it feels rather familiar, but i still feel way more disconnected from my culture than i would be. and i really love the way you encompassed that feeling <3 (ps. i'm also trans and the way that you portray that feeling of like "i don't understand why they hate us, we haven't done anything wrong" is so visceral(?) and i feel very familiar with i
anyways my mc! oh he is so silly and incredibly joyous (he is not joyous he's like a nervous dog) I LOVE YOU LUMEN (Loralei :3) EUSGSUS AND HIS SILLY LITTLE FERRET NAMED NIALL (Can u tell I picked ferret bc Ferret was the first one i romanced in Viatica >:) /hj)
This is very long so TLDR: I loved this update!! The way you portray emotions is amazing and your writing only gets better, I can't wait so see more of Cantata and maybe even more stories from you in the future :))
(I do apologize if any of this ramble was confusing or possibly even sounded offensive I'm just very bad at explaining 😔)
Thank you for this comment! It wasn’t offensive at all; on the contrary, it made me smile!
Thank you for sharing your own personal experience. I’m sorry to hear about your struggles with your own culture and identity. I’m glad my story resonated in such a way; to be that personal for someone is the greatest compliment I could receive. ❤️ I hope you take care of yourself and stay safe!