Bard
The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes, subtly woven into their spells and powers.
The greatest strength of bards is their sheer versatility. Many bards prefer to stick to the sidelines in combat, using their magic to inspire their allies and hinder their foes from a distance. But bards are capable of defending themselves in melee if necessary, using their magic to bolster their swords and armor. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. They have a wide-ranging knowledge of many subjects and a natural aptitude that lets them do almost anything well. Bards become masters of the talents they set their minds to perfecting, from musical performance to esoteric knowledge.
Career
Qualifications
True bards are not common in the world. Not every minstrel singing in a tavern or jester cavorting in a royal court is a bard. Discovering the magic hidden in music requires hard study and some measure of natural talent that most troubadours and jongleurs lack. It can be hard to spot the difference between these performers and true bards, though. A bard’s life is spent wandering across the land gathering lore, telling stories, and living on the gratitude of audiences, much like any other entertainer. But a depth of knowledge, a level of musical skill, and a touch of magic set bards apart from their fellows.
Career Progression
Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel—to find new tales to tell, new skills to learn, and new discoveries beyond the horizon—makes an adventuring career a natural calling. Every adventure is an opportunity to learn, practice a variety of skills, enter long-forgotten tombs, discover lost works of magic, decipher old tomes, travel to strange places, or encounter exotic creatures. Bards love to accompany heroes to witness their deeds firsthand. A bard who can tell an awe-inspiring story from personal experience earns renown among other bards. Indeed, after telling so many stories about heroes accomplishing mighty deeds, many bards take these themes to heart and assume heroic roles themselves.
Payment & Reimbursement
There is always a place for entertainers in the sometimes bleak world of Midrial.
Other Benefits
Bards, due to their charismatic nature, often become well known across the land in which they travel.
Perception
Purpose
Bards serve as entertainers, but also can play major roles in combat. Combining that with a silver tongue makes for a powerful ally to any party.
Social Status
Bards are often in the middle of the class system, serving nobles and royalty in higher status than their own.
Demographics
Racial Breakdown:
25% Halfling
25% Half Elf
20% Elf
10% Tiefling
10% Gnome
10% Other
History
Excerpt from "A Bard’s History", a book about the history of Bards in Merriby-
The first Bard in recorded Merribian history was Alexi Sandfoot. He was a halfling man who, by 298 A.C., was a folk legend in the forested towns of the Brilia Wood. He would carry his trusted song book and pan flute wherever he roamed. Alexi, noticing the growth of Idenmount, decided to put his learnings to use. It was in 363 that he first established the Rulroth Institute. He began teaching the various ways of the bard. Those with little interest in bardic knowledge and magics could come to learn the arts. Alexi personally taught classes on songwriting, poetry, and the art of seduction. In 388, Alexi retired, leaving behind a handful of well-trained bards to succeed him and carry on his legacy.
In 542, when rivalling magic academy Zefworth was established, some bardic students began to take classes under Withem Zefworth, the proud elven headmaster. To counter this, sitting Rulroth headmaster Lorne Simil added the bardic teachings of swords and glamour. Students began flocking back to Rulroth in great numbers.
Alexi’s great, great, grandson, Ronni, was the first to spread the teachings of the bard to Rosavel, the new capital of the Empire (as declared in 805). It was in 808 that the Rulroth Court of Lore and the Rulroth Court of Alchemy were opened in Rosavel’s newest district. The bardic teachings became quite popular throughout the Empire in the years that followed.
Upon the assassination of Dwilkas Rohrellian in 828, war was declared on Halis, a rivaling empire over the mountains to the southwest. In the conflict that followed, many of Rulroth’s finest bards were sent into battle. Among them was Samollyn Dorden, a graduate from the Court of Lore in Rosavel. He quickly rose through the ranks for his ability to assist allies in battle.
After the war ended, a famed trio of bards hailing from the Drorith Inlets became infamous for stealing Empire secrets and sharing them with Halis. Calling themselves the Crimson Troubadours, all three were able to escape empirical grasp. It is said that they are still in hiding.
The bardic tradition still continues today.
Operations
Tools
Bards are rarely seperate from their signature instrument
The Lute, a common bardic tool
Bardic Colleges:
College of Creation- Bards believe the cosmos is a work of art - the creation of the first dragons and gods. That creative work included harmonies that continue to resound through existence today, a power known as the Song of Creation. The bards of the College of Creation draw on that primeval song through dance, music, and poetry, and their teachers share this lesson: "Before the sun and the moon, there was the Song, and its music awoke the first dawn. Its melodies so delighted the stones and trees that some of them gained a voice of their own. And now they sing too. Learn the Song, students, and you too can teach the mountains to sing and dance."
Dwarves and gnomes often encourage their bards to become students of the Song of Creation. And among dragonborn, the Song of Creation is revered, for legends portray Bahamut and Tiamat-the greatest of dragons -as two of the song's first singers.
College of Eloquence- Adherents of the College of Eloquence master the art of oratory. Persuasion is regarded as a high art, and a well-reasoned, well-spoken argument often proves more powerful than objective truth. These bards wield a blend of logic and theatrical wordplay, winning over skeptics and detractors with logical arguments, and plucking at heartstrings to appeal to the emotions of entire audiences.
College of Glamour- The College of Glamour is the home of bards who mastered their craft in the vibrant realm of the Feywild or under the tutelage of someone who dwelled there. Tutored by satyrs, eladrin, and other fey, these bards learn to use their magic to delight and captivate others.
The bards of this college are regarded with a mixture of awe and fear. Their performances are the stuff of legend. These bards are so eloquent that a speech or song that one of them performs can cause captors to release the bard unharmed and can lull a furious dragon into complacency. The same magic that allows them to quell beasts can also bend minds. Villainous bards of this college can leech off a community for weeks, abusing their magic to turn their hosts into thralls. Heroic bards of this college instead use this power to gladden the downtrodden and undermine oppressors.
College of Lore- Bards of the College of Lore know something about most things, collecting bits of knowledge from sources as diverse as scholarly tomes and peasant tales. Whether singing folk ballads in taverns or elaborate compositions in royal courts, these bards use their gifts to hold audiences spellbound. When the applause dies down, the audience members might find themselves questioning everything they held to be true, from their faith in the priesthood of the local temple to their loyalty to the king.
College of Spirits- Bards of the College of Spirits seek tales with inherent power-be they legends, histories, or fictions-and bring their subjects to life. Using occult trappings, these bards conjure spiritual embodiments of powerful forces to change the world once more. Such spirits are capricious, though, and what a bard summons isn't always entirely under their control.
College of Swords- Bards of the College of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing and juggling, and mock combats. Though they use their weapons to entertain, they are also highly trained and skilled warriors in their own right.
College of Valor- Bards of the College of Valor are daring skalds whose tales keep alive the memory of the great heroes of the past, and thereby inspire a new generation of heroes. These bards gather in mead halls or around great bonfires to sing the deeds of the mighty, both past and present. They travel the land to witness great events firsthand and to ensure that the memory of those events doesn't pass from the world. With their songs, they inspire others to reach the same heights of accomplishment as the heroes of old.
College of Whispers- Most folk are happy to welcome a bard into their midst. Bards of the College of Whispers use this to their advantage. They appear to be like any other bard, sharing news, singing songs, and telling tales to the audiences they gather. In truth, the College of Whispers teaches its students that they are wolves among sheep. These bards use their knowledge and magic to uncover secrets and turn them against others through extortion and threats.
Type
Entertainment
Demand
High
Famous in the Field
Related Locations
Used By