The first thing most people notice when they see a basitin is, not surprisingly, the large ears. Far from being just for decoration, a basitin's ears are supremely sensitive, not only able to discern quieter sounds than humans and even keidran can hear but also both higher and lower pitched ones. It is no wonder therefore that music is an extremely important part of basitin culture and the way this manifests itself with regards to the military is in the Corps of Music. Ostensibly a non-combat role, a member of the Corps' marching band must memorise more than a hundred songs spanning centuries of history and tradition, with old classics rubbing shoulder to shoulder with new and inspiring anthems. To be a composer and have your melody inducted into the Corps' musical lexicon is a great honour, even more so if it is played at some great event of state or in celebration of some great victory in battle.

An army on the move is not a subtle thing and even the most short-sighted of enemy scouts would be hard pressed to miss the regular, organised columns of the basitins on the march. The Corps embraces this lack of a need for discretion by striking up a tune almost as soon as the columns form up and usually not stopping until the hour is late and the troops retire to their tents for the night. Band members usually have one instrument they specialise in but the vast majority are capable of playing more then one in order to enable them to fill any gaps in the rota should a band member be unable to play for reasons of injury or death. The soaring refrains of the marching band greatly invigorate all who hear them and enable soldiers of the army to march longer and faster then one would expect, even from the famously indefatigable basitins, allowing the army to cover surprising amounts of distance every day. Many times has an enemy commander been caught out thinking his foe was a day's march away, only to look out of his tent flap that morning to find a glittering host already formed up for battle against him.

Music of the sort produced by instruments of wood, hide or brass is a major part of the Corps' role in the military, however it is not the only one. For above all other forms of music that are valued by the keenly sensitive basitins, none is prized more than that of the voice. Go to any family occasion, any public celebration and even any battlefield and it will not be long before voices are raised in song, with all those in attendance encouraged and sometimes even expected to join in and sing along. It is no surprise therefore that the great majority of those more than a hundred songs a member of the Corps of Music has to learn include a vocal component, be it large or small. In order to facilitate the singing of these songs, a significant minority of the Corps' members do not play any instrument at all and are instead a part of the choir, a group that includes both men to supply the bass and tenor as well as women to supply the alto and soprano voices needed for the numerous complex, interwoven parts that feature prominently in many of the best-loved songs. Just like in civilian gatherings, many of the common soldiers join in with these exhortations, with the choir forming a nucleus about which tens of thousands more voices join in a verbose ensemble that can shake the very ground upon which the army treads.

The Corps also has a small role to play during battles as well as on the march to them. While usually silent in order to allow the orders conveyed by the warhorns of the Royal Corps of Signals to be heard above the din of battle, small sections of the band, usually the drummers like the one pictured here, are tasked with embellishing certain orders, most commonly the call to advance. Once the call has been given, the drummers will strike up a beat for the soldiers to march in time to. This ensures that the front line moves as one with the same pace and so prevents certain units from pulling ahead or falling behind and so opening up gaps which could be exploited. While members of the band are not expected to go into combat, they are all trained in the use of and therefore carry the burrick, the short sword most commonly associated with the Shieldbearers and worn by most other units as well as a side arm. However, not every battle goes in the basitins' favour and so there inevitably comes a time when the Corps must down instruments and draw their blades to defend themselves. This is the darkest time for an army as it signifies that the battle is almost certainly lost and has thus been immortalised in the saying: "res ad musicus venit", which translates to "it comes down to the band", a signifier that the fighting will carry on to the bitter end.

Basitins are the creation of Tom Fischbach over at http://twokinds.keenspot.com/