This was a nice immersive read; it's a poetic ethnography, painting a vivid picture of a culture that has fully embraced impermanence. The way the River and Mountain people are distinct yet united under 'the Flow' creates a nice thematic duality, and the idea that they build, create, and sing knowing they'll lose it all again is strangely comforting, like saying change isn't the end or something to fear. 

The music sections stood out to me, especially how each group's instruments are shaped by their environment (flutes from ibex horns, chordophones by the river), and how they come together through trade and shared song. I think this would've been the perfect opportunity to experiment with already existing instruments to really sell the focus on both the music of the wind and water! I loved the tracks musically; I just wish I could've heard your idea of how these instruments would sound (playing around with effects, sidechaining wind or water, maybe making the flute overblown). I wanted to hear how your chordophone would've sounded since it was the main star!

Overall, it feels like a world that's been carefully thought through, not just in terms of geography, but in how the people's beliefs, tools, and daily lives all echo the same core idea: that change is the only constant, and meaning comes from participating in it, not fighting it.

I've got some wildlife concept art I've done for the previous jam where the theme was Skylands, and I could honestly see them living in your world you've created!

Great job with your submission, you two!

Hey there! Here's my feedback for the music:

Lay of the Land - I really like the melody in the low strings that comes in ~1:30 or so, to me it feels very fantasy-esque like the protagonists are looking ahead to a grand adventure. The key change at about the halfway mark is also a nice change. My main feedback here is that the piano hits in the higher register, as well as the high strings at ~3:00, are quite sharp to my ears. Maybe consider lowering their note velocity or making some small EQ adjustments here.

The Great Migration - Nice use of the stereo mix here. All the instruments sit well together and have a nice clarity to them. I'm a fan of how chaotic the rhythm is in this track and how hard it is at times to find the downbeat.

Water Flows - There's a nice vibe here between the bells and wind chimes, but IMO it somewhat overwhelms the other melodic instruments. The flute (I think?) on the right side of the mix feels a little harsh at times to my ears. I think it could've also benefited from a little bit of quantizing as well to better feel in rhythm with the rest of the ensemble. 

Wind Blows - While I like the idea you had for this track, I'm not sure I ca hear how this relates to wind on a first impression. To my ears, this feels like it could be heard in a small village or at a religious gathering of some kind. Probably has something to do with the instrumentation here.

Also, a bit nitpicky, but I think I would've preferred a gradual decay in volume instead of a cutoff that was present for the last couple of tracks.

Aside from that, I enjoyed reading through the itch page along with the couple of pages that were provided. I personally liked reading the text about the fish species quite a lot. The artwork as a whole, and especially the choices in color, is also well executed.

Thanks for sharing what you've made, and keep up the good work :)