Bardic Lore

The Magic of Art

She wandered the streets all night, taking in the sight of the midnight sky. The smells and sounds of the city were familiar and though many were unpleasant, filled her with a strange nostalgia for each moment that came and went. She caught herself wanting to journey back to the bakery with that honey butter she enjoyed not hours before. It was a longing for better times that had no business being there.
She stopped for a moment, felt a tug of sorts to a nearby alleyway, and followed it. She walked along the cobblestone streets to find a woman sitting in the alleyway with her daughter.
She couldn't have been older than 12, but she clung to a stuffed bear like her life depended on it. Serenity took an easy step and overheard the mother's words.
"Come now, it's only a toy, darling. Put it back, you're much too old for such things".
the girl sobbed and the mother's frustrations cause the bard to speak.
"May I try?"
the mother looked angry at first but recognized serenity in an instant. "The Ivyhollow Legacy, Serenity herself slumming it down here?" She said in shock, "of course, of course, give it a go I've been trying for ages."
the mother stepped off and went into the nearby house as Serenity knelt down beside the crying girl. She was upset, but there was a strange power in this bear, and she felt it as she attuned herself to its arcane power...

by Matthew Stewart

Many regard bards as users of the arcane, but bards will be quick to correct any misconceptions around that fact. The powers used by the bards are magical in nature, but only to a certain degree. Their powers come from a concept, a philosophy of their organization: Bardic Lore.
Bardic Lore is the term bards use to define the magical potential in their art. All forms of art fall under the category, from painting and writing to dancing and storytelling. Some spells come from specific colleges that offer to teach it and studied the art of that college after becoming an alumnus of the university.

A bard taps into their arcane talent by utilizing their creativity, the collective cultural identity of the world as well as their own and this power is often enhanced by an audience, including the bard themselves. They learn basic arcane principles of tapping and channeling neutral energy within themselves and pour it using their chosen mediums. Bards tend to be very fond of alchemy and enchantment as well as these genres of magic anyone can perform. Though it's hard to perfect.

Darset's triad

Darset's triad is a form of categorizing artistic elements and their arcane qualities as it relates to Bardic Lore. Darset categorized Bardic Lore into three spheres: linguistic, visual, and harmonic. These three spheres are studied in depth by all bards in the freeholds and Estoya, though many prefer or focus on a single sphere.

Linguistic Lore

Linguistic lore is the study of Bardic lore in language. Darset believed that language was the fundamental basis for the magic behind bardic lore. One must be able to ascribe meaning to something to understand it and feel it. That meaning is the fundamental element of Bardic Lore and how it works. While the principle applies to all magic, it is in bardic lore that the combination of symbolic and intended meaning actively causes the arcane effect. For a bard, simply reciting a phrase from a book held in high esteem by the bard can yield an effect. On rare occasions, what is specifically said means nothing, the emotion behind it is what causes the effect, though this is for exceptionally emotionally aware bards. Those whose emotions are less severe or heavily controlled by the bard usually cannot rely on the emotion and have specific phrases they rely on. Linguistic bards focus on the art of language. Writers, poets, actors, con artists, singers, and even diplomats and public speakers are seen often among bards, but also dancers and prostitutes as body language is also a potential for linguistic lore.

Visual Lore

Darset was a painter himself, preferring watercolor to other mediums. He found that when one would express themselves in words, visual art often filled the void. Symbolic meaning can often be expressed through sight. Every religion has a series of symbols, royal houses have sigils, and even nations have symbols. Visual artists such as painters and dancers use their art to achieve their effect. These effects are usually ritualistic in nature, though some abilities are more immediate such as the use of Eidolons and summoning. Visual bards tend to focus on the aesthetic of their environment more than any other kind of bard. They are most known for their elaborate displays of arcane power. It should be said that each poet laureate of Estoya has been a visual bard. These bards tend to be masters of illusion, enchantment, and conjuration. They breathe life into their ethereal constructs and while often times these brilliant displays are harmless, one should never assume so at first glance. A bard’s illusion can easily cause harm if the bard wills it so.

Harmonic Lore

Harmonic bards use music and melody to project their lore. They play their instruments with extraordinary skill and the effect project from the resonating waves. Musicians are the most common harmonic bard, but there are other melodies in the world that most never hear. Many harmonic bards seek to reveal the melodic way the world around them works. They set a beat, maybe with a drum or simply by tapping their side. Some just count each beat out loud, other can be perfectly silent and when attune themselves to the beat of the earth the world around them seems to fall in line with their tune. Bards focused on the harmonic lore are rare. Many bards are musically inclined, but it takes a special ear to experience the art of existence itself and an equally special talent to use it.

What it is...

Bardic lore represents the collective knowledge of the bard in question. Myths, legends, songs, poems, etc. all have an inherent power a bard can attune to. The more a bard knows the more powerful they are. They gather stories and command attention as no one else can. This charisma is part of their power and artistic talent blended with their art form and varied bag of tricks are all part of what makes a bard, a bard.

The real secret of Bardic Lore, however, is their affinity for Attunement.

Mages have been made jealous of the attunement capabilities of bards. Their romantic notions and connection to art make it easy. Bards are normally very empathetic and this assists in the attunement process. Their empathy can even tap into the very fabric of an entire culture. Synchronize is the usual form of attunement that bards use.

A bard can tap into anything from their environment to a small object, allowing them to pull magical energy and channel it with their art. They can pull information from it as well without needing language, many murders have been solved from a careless criminal due to leaving behind a calling card. A student who cannot properly grasp this aspect of bardic lore is never admitted into the university, as the many jobs bards often do are too dangerous without the skill.

What it is not...

A better way of looking at bardic lore is to see how it differs from other prominent magical systems. Mages study magic focusing on the mind and efficient calculation, druids connect with magic and strive to achieve a sense of balance, usually giving as much as they take and never seeking the power within themselves. The miracles used by members of the clergy are driven by faith.

A Bard feels magic and can actually attune themselves to it. They feel a pulse in the world that echoes the thoughts of all things living or dead or that which has no life at all.
Bards feel the magic around something so deeply that they can tap into it and do extraordinary things without locking themselves away in a tower with massive texts or praying to a God for power. A bards outlook on life varies from one to another, but the college a bard is a member of often reflects their personalities and what they care about most.

by natoyan-pyo

by Vasylina Holodilina

The Triad And The University

The triad does not classify types of bards, rather it exists as a reference point. A three-part spectrum that all bards appear on. A bard who is focused on one is not beholden to it, nor are they restrained by it. The triad is a way of discussing different ways in which bardic lore exists. As such, the university is divided into three schools named after the trial, and every college is divided into them.

A Worldwide Profession

Other cultures use different elements and names for bards and the powers they have, but bards are found all over the world. The principles of applying magic to art are not specific to Estoya. In Dis ,for example, bards are often found telling epic tales of battles fought long ago. In Lartasia, the bards often reinvent instruments just to discover new sounds and painters make a living off of their paintings. These painting often appear to move.

Type

Metaphysical, Arcane