March Around the Mountain

March Around the Mountain is an instrumental military song dating from the Shogunate Era, intended to set pace for units marching or on parade. Following the Great Contagion, it remained popular in the lands that would become Lord's Crossing Dominion. Though it lacks lyrics to make this clear, it is widely understood that the Mountain referred to is the Imperial Mountain, seat of the Shogunate government... whether its March is one of attack to take that position, or patrol to defend it, has been lost to history, with Shogunate Era accounts showing it employed in both scenarios at various times.

The song has been arranged in several ways, one a classical orchestral arrangement for a fixed stage along a parade route (though illustrations from the Shogunate show musicians accompanying the march by way of various Magitechnological platforms and armours). In this form, it was popular amongst the scions of House Tepet and House Kurosa. Another, for a simpler ensemble of flute, drum, and horn, is a more typical accompaniment to marching in the Age of Sorrows, where it commonly sees use amongst the Imperial Legions which recruit heavily from Lord's Crossing, as well as the military formations of Cherak and the Seventh Legion out of Lookshy.

Though not mentioned by name, the March fits all of the requirements for military music set out in the Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier, and is thus considered more acceptable than certain other marching tunes.