scheeras

Scheeras are a family of small, hollow wind instruments used in the ceremonial music of the fictional Aurelian culture. Typically tubular and 6 to 20 centimeters long, they feature 1–6 finger holes and a simple mouthpiece or fipple. The instruments are valued for their bright, piercing tone and their suitability for quick, call-and-response melodies.

The name likely derives from an Aurelian word for breath and tone. In the world-building taxonomy, scheeras are placed among end-blown and lip-reed instruments, with regional variants favoring either a side-blown edge or a single reed.

Most scheeras are carved from wood, bone, or fired clay; some modern versions use resin. The bore may be cylindrical or conical. Pitch is controlled by hole placement and breath; some variants allow microtonal inflections.

Historically, scheeras appear in ritual processions, harvest rites, and narrative performances. They are often paired with vocal ensembles and percussion, serving signals for pacing and memory cues within performances.

In contemporary artefacts and fiction-inspired festivals, craftsmen produce decorative scheeras with intricate inlays. Researchers in the fictional domain study scheeras to illuminate ancient trade networks and social structures in the archipelago.