Bards, through their flexibility of character, their agility of hand and mind, easy charm, and strength of will, have been proven to be the eminent artists of Elanthia.
Through a firm grounding in the lores that they have gathered through the centuries, bards have acquired a keen sense of the cultures and abilities from races and guilds spanning Elanthia. Whether passed on by dusty tomes, by teaching from another, in the form of easily-remembered song, or even in the form of gossip, bards have diligently preserved and passed on this knowledge, always being free to share what was needed with guilds other than their own. This has earned them respect as the loremastervs of Elanthia, and also given them strong ties with the many other guilds that they have come into contact with.
From their introduction into the Bardic Guild, new adventurers are taught methods to read and write, to study musical notation and memorize it so that it can later be recited at a moment's notice. If one wishes to experience new songs, new instruments, or new techniques for mastering the melodic arts, they are encouraged to travel, discover the peoples and cultures from other lands, and to taste the eclectic nature of music itself. So far-flung are the reaches of this guild that it is seldom that any bard lingers in any one place very long, should the taste for new knowledge and wisdom linger in their minds. Even those that do choose to reside in a single guildhall serve as receptacles for the information brought by their traveling kin, and in turn pass on this knowledge to others that arrive and greet them in the hall.
Just as they are trained to be adepts of the musical languages, so are they also trained to be scholars in spoken and written languages other than their own. This is not only because bards themselves are derived from so many different cultures, but because of the ease that information is conveyed when one relies upon their own skills rather than those of an interpreter (who is probably another bard, anyway). The guildleaders learned long ago that if they were to have any chance to acquire and teach the knowledge of the many lands to the peoples of them, that they were going to need to have mastery over whatever language was indigenous to the area. So, while they do not teach their students the languages themselves, they teach them a plethora of techniques by which the average bard can more easily facilitate the learning of tongues different from their own.
This adeptness with learning languages lends them ease of learning magical spells from scrolls and, perhaps, one day the ability to scribe their own shall filter through the ranks of the guild.
However, seldom is the bard that allows grass to grow beneath their feet, whether in a scholarly or literal sense, for it is also in the nature and training of a bard that they will apply the knowledge that they gain towards all other aspects of their lives. While a few bards exist who learn the knack to be proficient in many areas, this earning them the title 'jack of all trades', the majority of the guildmembers choose to excel in a few specific subjects of their own choice. Even those that choose the path as historians and librarians, perpetuating the life of their lore, do so by actively applying all of their knowledge to the task. This rather open-minded view allows any single bard to pursue the path in life that they wish, while giving them a strong foundation in their music and their lore.
| Thus do we find bards who excel in the art of weaponry, having applied their knowledge of combat techniques and cleverly-selected enchantes to enhance their prowess upon the battlefield. Bards who have chosen this path have often become swordmasters, standard bearers, and defenders during righteous cause. | ||
| We also find bards who excel in the mechanical application of their lore, choosing carefully selected herbs, woods, metals, or potions to excel in the creation and artistry of the luthier's craft. | ||
| Performers are common throughout the echelons of the bardic guild, for there will always be found those wanting to express their artistic inclinations through stage, song, and innovative performance. These are the most famous of the bards, those who crave the limelight, and upon occasion even manage to find themselves seats in royal courts. | ||
| Those who choose to travel, keeping in mind their knowledge of other races, may pick up a knack for linguistics and catching onto the customs of other lands. These are the bards who will often become couriers, accompany traders on their journeys, or even become ambassadors to other courts. Lines of communication are ones opened and maintained by bards, and it is only when that guild is attacked directly that those lines have a chance to fail. | ||
| And, as mentioned before, we also find those who have applied their sense of language and lore to the magical crafts, thus mastering magics normally beyond their control and learning new techniques for applying them. The magically inclined bard should find much use for magical scrolls, runes, and devices of all kind for it is by the use of these things that the most plentiful application of their lore can be found. |
Regardless of the life's path a bard chooses to take there remains in bards a common tie of a love of music in it's many forms, the ability to channel a unique blend of magic into their music, the will to preserve lore and apply it to one's life, and a steely strength of will to defend one's beliefs. Naturally charismatic natures also lend themselves well to the bardic life, and through techniques originally devised to aid in performances, they have learned to subtly change the manners of those around them. From lowering the prices of a merchant's wares, to charming a stern justiciar, to distracting others at a crucial moment, these techniques have formed a core of abilities that enhance all other aspects of their lives. Because of this, a bard who chooses to excel in any one area will naturally become an artist in that area, as flashy or subtle as they wish, so long as they retain the vision of the guild in their heart.
Upon occasion one will forget their ties to lore, music, and the guild, thus leaving the halls to seek another's door. In these instances, seldom does the wanderer find their way back, for the loss of a bard's vision is not easily regained. It is known instinctively in those that first cross the steps of a guildhouse, a feeling, a nudge, that there is something more than the mere sword and sorcery of other professions. Only when they are truly ready to become bards once again, will they return.
