Bard

Making Connections

Wherever you find good times and merriment in Vrashyn, you will almost certainly find a Bard at the center of it. Generally a highly mobile calling, Bards can be found everywhere from the smallest villages of The Outlands to the regal courts of the Elvish Kingdoms. In much the same way that a honeybee accidentally spreads pollen in its search for nectar, a skilled Bard spreads historical information and novel culture. The nectar, in this case, comes in the form of stories heard along the road, which Bards spin into songs of romance, heroism, comedy, and tragedy. There's only so much money to be made singing songs, however, which is why many Bards in Vrashyn utilize their long travels to double as messengers for those willing to pay. Others attach themselves to adventuring parties, banking on their charm to secure a place among people with whom they tend to share little in common. Though they are usually the life of the party, one would be mistaken to discount the importance of Bards.

Bardic Origins

Bards are ubiquitous in Vrashyn, but the role they play in society can vary somewhat with locale. In their quest to gather varied and interesting stories or deliver messages for clients, an individual Bard will usually travel through all of the below areas. As a result, rather than being defined by only one of the tendencies below, they usually embody some combination of them.

Urban Locales

Bards who frequent large cities are most likely to make their living off of music. They may perform as street musicians by day and/or tavern singers by night. The luckiest and most skilled among them may rise to be court musicians, though access to this path is determined more by class than ability in most cases.

Rural Locales

Members of this profession are also found commonly in the smaller settlements between major cities and on the roads that lie between them. The more time a Bard spends on the road, the more likely they are to double as a messenger, petty thief, or have some other form of alternative income.

The Wilderness

This is the one place in Vrashyn where Bards would be considered rare. Most people who live in the more inhospitable regions either don't have time to practice music or can't bring a fragile instrument around in their travels. The Bards you do find here are likely either adventurers or established members of communities who, unlike most Bards, rarely travel.

Alternate Paths

The Player's Handbook describes a number of colleges to which Bards can belong, and all of these exist on Vrashyn. However, these should not be allowed to limit the scope of what a Bard can be. For example, while Bards traditionally focus on music, this is not always the case. Anybody who's vocation comes through performing art--dancers, actors, jugglers, and fools included--can also be considered a Bard. Also, as previously mentioned, a Bard's traveling lifestyle makes them an ideal message carrier, so many Bards join the Messenger's Guild to supplement their income.

The Messenger's Guild

Because most bards spend the majority of their time traveling from place to place performing a job with low-income security, it is common for them to take up second jobs. The most common of these is working for the Messenger's Guild, carrying letters and small packages across kingdoms and even continents.

The Bard College

Viewed with scorn by some and nostalgic longing by others, the town of Cithera hosts a literal bard college where aspiring troubadours can hone their craft to a razor edge. The college is funded by the Messenger's Guild as a way to encourage more bards to enter their service.