Tango Macabre

The Tango Macabre is probably one of the most dangerous pieces of music ever invented; the product of a morbid collaboration between an Quimbada hedge magician and a deranged cultist of ecstasy. Exactly when and where it was composed is uncertain, its origin seems to shift so much in time and location when researched that many scholars think it was deliberately hidden by someone or something.

According to the most common story, the cultist sought out the Brasilian hedge magician to get in touch with one of his lost lovers. The magician promised a meeting, but demanded that in exchange the cultist would compose a dance to unite the dead and living. Under the magicians tutelage, the ecstatic created the Tango Macabre inspired by some of the more unsavory aspects of Quimbada. Finally, the magician began to dance it with the decaying corpse of the dead lover as partner while the cultist played. The lifeless body stirred, and the dead and living began a sensous tango. Overcome with jealousy, the cultist shot the magician and began to dance with his beloved as the intruments continued to play by themselves. The cultist and his love danced away from this world, never to be seen again.

Regardless of how true the story is, it correctly describes the use of the tango: by dancing with a corpse to the music, the dead can at least temporarily be returned to (un)life. As soon as the dance ends, the body will again become a corpse. And due to the unholy cooperation between a mage and a hedge magician, this dance can be performed even by mortals who know the music and correct steps.

Originally the tango appear to have been spread among the darker mages of south america in handwritten copies, many of which were erroneous and nonfunctional. The local Celestial Chorus learned about it, and together with the Order of Hermes (and some say the Order of Leopold) they tracked them down and destroyed them as blasphemies. But hermetic mages have a hard time destroying anything written, and a few copies made their way to the libraries in Rio, Cordoba and Alexandria. Since then, other versions have appeared, possibly based on stolen material or carelessness on the part of the hermetics.

What few owners of the tango have realized, is that it has other powers than raising the dead. If two living humans dance the tango, they can dance into the lands of the dead - their bodies suddenly fall down apparently dead, while their spirits continue their dance in the shadowlands. To return, they have to retrace their steps and dance back into their bodies, which return from their apparent lifelessness. It is not possible to return without a partner, although the partner does not have to be the same as one entered with...

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