Bard

The Bard

Weapon Specializations Level 5: granted Sword Level 20: granted Staff Mastery (Staff Skill 80) Level 20: granted Sword Mastery (Sword Skill 80) Level 20: granted Unarmed Mastery (Unarmed Skill 80)

Other Skills Level 10: granted Bardsong

Keeper of Lore

Base Classes
Mage, Rogue

Available Races
Aelfborn, Elves, Humans, Irekei, Nephilim

Available Disciplines
Animator, Archer, Black Mask, Blade Master, Blade Weaver, Blood Prophet, Bounty Hunter, Commander, Conjurer, Enchanter, Huntsman, Prospector, Rat Catcher, Rune Caster, Traveller, Undead Hunter, Werewolf, Wyrmslayer

Primary Attributes
Health Bonus: 51
Mana Bonus: 16
Stamina Bonus: 0

Their Lore
Around hearth and table Bards work their wonders, spinning tapestries of poetry and music, and keeping the memories of ancient days alive. Their ancient craft was born among the skalds of the Northmen, but now Bards can be found among all the peoples of the World. Every Bard must be a master of tale-telling and music, and must hone their memory to supreme heights: the great sagas and chronicles span thousands of rhymes, and can take three days to hear in full. A master Bard knows several great sagas, and can sing them through from end to end without missing a single word. They need no books or notes to keep the sagas: the weave of rhyme and kenning is their only guide, memory their only tool.

But there is far more to a Bard's life than singing and playing. Bards must record the events of the present as dutifully as they remember the past, and therefore every Bard is a vagabond, a chronicler in search of a new epic. Bards are welcomed everywhere, for a good song and a moment free from care have become precious things in this troubled Age. Bards also carry news and tidings from distant places, which the folk of remote towns crave more than ale. Through the work of Bards deeds seen become sagas told throughout the World. So the works of the strong and the honorable are known and revered, and glory is heaped on the names of the brave.

A Bard's knowledge of the redes and sagas has other benefits as well. Bards know how every hero triumphed or failed, and remember every trick and secret employed by giants, sorcerers, witches, and heroes. There is a power in words, names, and songs, and Bards know much that is hidden. The ways of beasts are theirs to know, and the name and history of any magical treasure is theirs to impart, provided that it figures in one of the ancient tales. Bards can also sing songs of magic and enchantment if the need arises. More than one fool has mocked a Bard's harping only to find himself snared in a powerful spell from which he could not escape. The songs of a gifted Bard can kindle fury in the hearts of Warriors, goading them on to glory and death. Their songs remember what was, preserve what is, and ensure that the memory of both shall be forever.

Read more Bard Lore