Bard

To your bravery, mercy and virtue I drink, oh mighty king, oh pale death of the barbarians, oh hero of our people, by the gods blessed, by enemies feared, by friends and allies respected. Let me sing about your deeds and about your glory, thousands were saved by your swords and many more died by it too.
Oh mighty king of golden cuirass and silver graves, of fast brown horse, and lord of a fearless dragon, to your deeds we look for inspiration in this fight of our nation for restoring our glory, our lands, our Empire.

— Ebraucus the Bard in his poem "Dragon King" ca. 626 AP

How boring would be a night at the tavern or a lord's banquet without the stories and songs of the bards?. They play such an important part in entertaining people in Yeia that most of them became very wealthy and acquire a semi-mythical status.

Origins

The profession of bard originated in the elven lands thousands of years ago, probably even before the Tournament of the Goddess Pyria and Zerah and the split of the continents. The first elven bards sung about the stories the gods had told them, of their battles, their parties, the creation of the elven race and about the lives of the first kings. It was said that the Sky father, the Sun god invented the harp and gave it to his granddaughter, Goydyn, the goddess of music and, according to myth, the first bard, when she was a little girl. She tought this new art to other elves who passed this knowledge from generation to generation.
When humans appeared and stablish contact with the elves, they also taught them the art of composing epic poems and playing the harp. Humans also invented new instruments such as the lute and the lyre, and together these three instruments became synonymous with the profession of bard. Humans developed new genres of storytelling like singing about the success of adventurers on their quests, lives of heroes, warriors, kings and queens, about love, tragedy..., that later on were also adopted by elven bards.

Types of bards

Court Bards

Court bards can be considered as the "elite", the best among the bards. These bards are, as their name implies, can go from court to court singing their songs or they can hired and paid by a lord or monarch to stay at his or her court performing for the nobility and illustrious guests. They have their own lodgings at the castle or palace and some become very wealthy and their songs and poems are recorded and written in books. For example, the Blatian and Seris Emperors as well as some elven monarchs conduct auditions and singing contests in order to find the best bard to hire.

Tavern Bards

Tavern bards are poorer than their court counterparts, although some of them have become very famous and even own their own taverns where many go to have a drink and hear them telling their stories. This type of bard often travels enormous distances, from one corner of their realms to the other, visiting town after town, and also sometimes travelling to other kingdoms to sing at their taverns, fairs and festivals. In the first case they are often paid by the owners of the tavern or collect money from the public. In the second case the bards might also be paid by collecting money from the public or by the local city council.
Needlessly to say that sometimes travelling through the roads and forests can be dangerous, one might be robbed, murder or lost, depending from where you decide to travel.

Most renowned bards

The most renowned bards across Yeia regarding fame and nationality are elves (In the past the elves from the Kingdom of the Green elves where the most famous, but after the 1st century AP Snow Elf bards became quite renown both in the elven world and in the Ikarian Empire and later on in its successor states).
Speaking about human bards, Blatian and seris are the most renown and sought after bards. As Blatian is the lingua franca of the northern continent of Teria many bards travel to taverns, castles and courts of the northern realms such as the Grand Duchy of Liwal, Dushilia or Witharfia. The same happens with the Seris in the neighbouring continent of Karia, whose poetry has been widely imitated through the land and the wide spread knowledge of the Seris language allows Seris Bards to sing their songs almost everywhere.

Most famous bards and their most famous works

• Ventidius of Adai (607- 669 AP): His most important work is an epic poem that recalls the Second Siege of Blati in 650 AP.


• Ebraucus the Bard (567- 711 AP): Half-elf bard who worked first at the Court of the Kingdom of Dubris and later at the Blatian Court under Emperor Claudius IV. His most famous work is an epic poem about Vedius Yvianregus, King of Dubris as well as the "Cycle of Magnus and Euphemius" that narrates the adventures of two fictional warriors from Dubris at the frontier with the barbarians


• Attalos "Peptatiryn" (Silver tongued): (590-830 AP): The famous bard from The drunk owl who composed many stories based on the adventures of the members of Banias's adventurers guild .


• Allieryn of Oremar (426- ): Famous bard from the Snow elf lands. He is famous for composing the famous epic poem "The 5000 horsemen from Bocentia", tremendously popular among the blatians, that tells the story of a regiment of Blatian horsemen from the Blatian city of Bocentia than went to fight the barbarians alongside their Snow Elf allies and their exploits, tragedies, tournaments and banquets.


• Arishi Kaaru (311-375 AP): seris female bard, who worked at the Imperial Seris Court as well as in the Nari kingdom of Gorhas. She wrote some of the most beautiful love poems in the seris language, as well as a famous "Ode to the Nari sailors".

Type

Entertainment

From Bocentia they sallied out, with swift horses accostumed to war, ready to face countless perils. From Bocentia they sallied out, armed with grey spears and white shields, with the stardards of the gods and the dragons. 
There wasn't any sorrow, but happiness, after all these months of preparation and feasting they were to face the hideous enemy of civilization. Fight alongside me, brother!- one said to another-  I'll look after you and so you'll do after me, for during these months of training and feasting I consider you my as brother, as if we both came out of the womb of the same mother!.

— Yleys Becent Llegawfyn (The 5000 horsemen from Bocentia), by Allieryn of Oremar (543 AP)