Bards

Elsewhere in the world a Bard may be a simple entertainer or someone capable of producing magical effects through the use of their magic. However, within the Ruby District of Vallaki the term implies much more.
Bards are something of a curiosity born from the game of intrigue and lies within the circles of Vallakian nobility. A bard is a mercenary actor of The Game; used as an agent to further the ambitions of their employer. They sing and dance, they seduce and steal, they spy and the murder. Their job is to exploit their access to powerful nobility to glean secrets for their employers, who are typically nameless even to the bard. Members of the court know of this and know that every bard may spell disaster for them, yet despite this they welcome such entertainers with open doors and generous smilers; the thrill of outwitting a spy is a notion the aristocracy can hardly resist. 
Being a bard can be intoxicating. Your slightest request is immediately seen to. Your services are expensive and yet actively sought, and those who cannot afford them beg only to not have your displeasure turn their way. One day, however, you will awaken. You will realize the smiles are false, and behind them lies revenge. At the first moment of weakness, your brother and sister bards will be unleashed upon you like a pack of hounds, and you will realize they are not your brothers and sisters at all. For all your fancy intrigue, you have spent your life creating nothing of worth. You have been swallowed by the web of your own deceits, and the Game of which you believed yourself master? It moves on without you, uncaring.