User talk:Karasu

From HollowWiki

The following is a proposal in progress for changes to the Bard's Guild, please do not consider anything here as finalized or admin-approved.


❣ About the Bard's Guild

Come one come all! Nestle your creative hearts in the welcoming arms of the Bard's Guild, where we will help you reach your full potential and broaden your preconceived notions on what a bard can actually do. Don't be fooled! Bards can be more than entertainment while you swish down some slosh at ye local Tavern. Contrary to popular belief, there is far more to being a bard than music or magical ability, and all are welcome at the Bard's Guild to find their inner talents.

This guild is not a place of climbing a ladder for superior rankings; we aim to foster creativity with teamwork to help all members reach their full potential. With such a wide variety of services, it is nigh impossible to quantify individual strengths or weaknesses. Instead, we offer different areas of expertise that fall under two main schools, with mastery in certain fields available based on experience in their chosen arts. That's not to say members are limited to one only title or school, as many of our members practice both the traditional and magical arts.

Those who would like to join the Bard's Guild may contact any member of the guild to express your interest in our services and have your character display their unique abilities.

We encourage all guild members to tag all bard-related role-plays and events with {{Guild|Bard's|RPs}} so others can read records of your achievements and crafts.

❣ Public Services

Is your character not a bard or a lone wolf type with no interest in doing cool guild things? Want to roleplay that character learning the basics of a skill without formally joining the guild?

Do you want to have something cute done for your one-on-one roleplay or big roleplay event and need some help?

Do you want to have a Guild collaboration for an adventure or in the creation/finding of an item?

The Bard's Guild can do all of this and more! Contact the current leader to make your idea come to life!

Tips are welcome, but not required.

❣ Rules of the Guild

♫ This guild welcomes all that wish to pursue the bardic arts, regardless of your character's race, class, alignment, or gender.
♫ There is no membership fees or character minimum age requirements for membership. All we ask is that if you wish to join, you must RP with the leader, deputy, or the guild as a whole during events or regular meetings before acceptance.
♫ By joining, you agree to abide by the rules, codes, and guidelines set forth by Hollow's administrative staff.
♫ When it comes to activity, we all understand how hectic adult life can be. A lack of activity within the guild, or the game in general, for a period of six months or more will result in removal from the guild's active roster unless the guild's leaders are spoken to. If you are removed, are in good standing still with the guild, and want to return, simply speak to the leaders and you will be reinstated.
♫ If for any reason you have chosen to leave the guild or are asked to leave, please return your guild items so that they may be passed forward to new members. If not complied, we reserve the right to ask administration to remove the items from your inventory.
♫ Just because an RP has been posted to the wiki does not give the public free reign to use the information within it if they were not involved in that RP. There are no circumstances where OOC information gained from an RP should be taken IC without the express permission and partnership with those involved. When in doubt, ask!
♫ Claiming guild-specific items or skills that your character has not yet unlocked, using abilities outside one’s race or class without administrative approval, antagonizing others directly, and generally causing drama or grief for other players whether they’re in the guild or not will NOT be tolerated. Repeated incidences will result in removal from the Guild.

❣ Notable Locations

  • Directions to the Avenue of the Guilds' Bard Guild Headquarters: Recall Vailkrin, 3W, 3N, 1W, 1D, 2W, 1S, 1E
    • The main gathering place of those who conduct regular business with the guilds, this location is generally where correspondences to members of the Bard's Guild are rerouted for delivery, and where meetings are often held due to it's easy public access.

  • Directions to the Bard's Training in Cenril: Recall Cenril, 1S, 1E, 5N, 1E, 1N, 1W, 2N
    • With the world as large as it is, it is important that bards have easy access to training materials and resources as needed. This office of the Bard's Guild often rents the Cenril Theatre, and maintains a sprawling repertoire of materials and spellbooks for aspiring bards on the go.

  • Directions to the Temple of Music in Kelay: Recall, 1S, 3W, 2N, 1D, 1S
    • Often the first place visited by Lithrydelian bards, this mysterious temple is maintained by Leos the Gifted, who is always available to impart the basics of bardic magic unto those who wish to learn. Many bards who are also particularly devout frequent this place due to the mythos that Daedria herself studied the bardic arts here when she walked amongst mortals, and because of its close proximity to other temples.

  • Directions to the DeVere College of Bardic Arts: Recall Schezerade, 3E, 2S, 1E, 1S, 1E, 2N
    • One of many homes to a bard, this prestigious collective specializes in both traditional and magical arts, and offers several classes for those who wish to learn certain arts. Learn more here!

❣ Notable Items

Experience-Based

Enchanted Lyre

  • A wondrous instrument given to all members of the Guild upon passing their auditions, this magical instrument can help one draw out their innate musical ability, or impart a feeling of calm on those whose passions lie within the other arts.

Perfect Pitch Pipe

  • This is a small circular item that is no bigger than one’s palm and can be used to send out a starting pitch for song. While not magical without bardic magic being imbued into it by it's owner, it does give a protective aura to the wearer.

Key to the Past - PROPOSED NEW ITEM

  • These powerful keys, of which there are only three, are to be held by the leader of the Bard's Guild until bestowed upon the Keeper of Bardic Artifacts. It provides access to a locked room in-game where custom items with significant roleplay-only power or history are kept, to be loaned to member of at least a Recognized mastery at their discretion.

Mastery of Bardic Charisma

  • Something you cannot see, but you hear once the owner garners your attention and enthralls you into deep conversation as this item makes the wearer bounds more interesting. This aura is handed down from one leader of the Bard's Guild to the next as there is only one way to command those with the most charisma; it’s to add more charisma.

Lore-Based

Some items of great bardic magical power are kept within the halls of the Bard's Guild for safekeeping, maintained by carefully selected members who have demonstrated extraordinary willpower in the face of their influence and a pure heart. These members are called the Keeper of Bardic Artifacts. Artifacts within possession in the Bard's Guild may be loaned out to members of Recognized masteries or higher as the Keeper sees fit.

Vakmatharas' Jar destroyed
Tremolo Heartstring-Tugging Harp

❣ Current Guild Roster

Alex
Alvina The Silver
August
Brennia
Kanna
Khitt(i)
Loravelle
Tiny Dancer
♫ Guild Leader: Vacant
♫ Guild Deputy: Vacant
♫ Keeper of Bardic Artifacts: Vacant

❣ Schools of Aptitudes and Mastery

The Bard's Guild offers paths of mastery based on experience in both the traditional and magical bardic arts to those who are interested.

Once entry has been gained, new members may enter into studies in one or both of the two schools of mastery. There are five tiers of mastery for each of the schools subclasses once someone has graduated from the auditions, listed below.

Only those who are truly dedicated to the bardic arts will be permitted to move from a Prominent rank to a Renowned rank once the requirements are met. For this, we ask that your character be a bard before they are any other class, whether it is by being a bard from the outset of the character creation, or a role-play focused transition to make the previous class a secondary focus or co-focus.

Each member can reach a Legendary level of mastery (mastery of an advanced skill) in no more than 2 subjects. Each additional mastery of an advanced art will require a significant amount of roleplay through arcs, to be discussed with the Guild Leader and Hollow Administration. Try to choose one area at a time to master, and try not to master every area of aptitude all at once.

  • Wallflower
    • A beginner in their chosen craft, the wallflowers generally rely on guidance from more experienced members to draw out their natural aptitudes. The process of having your character becoming comfortable with a specific art can be as simple or as complex as you'd like to write out. Generally, one moves up from being a wallflower once they have found enough confidence in their abilities to present the fruits of their labor to the other members of the Bard's Guild, or to an audience in general.
  • Recognized
    • Having become comfortable enough to work on their crafts without the supervision of others, recognized members become regular faces around Bard's Guild meetings. It is generally at this level of mastery that most feel able to handle a posted side-quest that relates to their field of study. This level of mastery is considered to be an intermediate level.
  • Prominent
    • Those who become prominent in their field live and breathe their chosen arts as though it were second-nature. They are now experienced enough to create impressive artifacts, publish life-changing written works, produce art so beautiful that one must prepare themselves mentally before viewing because they may never see anything that compares to it again, or seek out items of similar nature for the Guild to safekeep or make publicly available to those who wish to learn the bardic arts.
  • Renowned
    • Having submitted at least one artifact or tome to the Guild's repository, these experts in their crafts have entered into studying one of the advanced arts. By contributing to the Guild's repository, those who have who have attained a Renowned mastery will be able to read certain literature that has been magically warded to prevent outsiders from stealing or abusing this knowledge.
  • Legendary
    • A master of their craft, the legendaries are the be-all know-all resource in an area of aptitude, having mastered one of the advanced skills available at the Renowned level of mastery. A treasured Guild member as well, they will have contributed several artifacts or tomes to the Guild's repository. They are considered to be an expert in their field, and should lead other members seeking to hone their skills by example.

Auditionees

These provisional members are those who have expressed IC or OOC interest in joining the Bard's Guild, and are just pending a role-play to formally gain entry.

Quintessa
Valrae
Mesdoram
Tasmin
Shasu
Arysel (yes, the former headmistress!)

School of the Traditional Arts

The preferred path of those who do not have access to bardic magic, this School focuses on skills and abilities that require only the magic present in one's creative mind.

Charisma, General

A bard's natural charisma is often their most powerful weapon. Those who have mastered the art of charisma can use their power of persuasion to infiltrate almost anywhere and spill secrets. A lot of republic or royal courts commission the use of bards as advisors or negotiators to ensure those treaties, trade deals public speeches and ceremonies go smoothly.
Those who become Renowned in the field of nonmagical charisma are adept enough to enter study of one of two paths:
Path of the Charming
Those who become adept in the arts of charisma and use it to benefit the greater good. Those pursuing the Path of the Charming will learn carefully curated knowledge of how to spot signs of deception in even the most proficient of liars, from studying micro facial-expressions across the most commonly seen Lithrydelian and Rynvalian races, to learning how to gauge in real-time the reception of what even the most hardened poker faces are being told so that they may better play to the things the target enjoys hearing of. When faced with those who are just as adept in deception, a bard of this level can discern deceit and see through magical and non-magical disguises without using magic themselves. Many famous and infamous informants are rumored to have studied these records to make themselves the perfect spy. The only competition they face from detective means are those who choose the Deceiving path.
Path of the Deceiving
Those who become adept in the arts of charisma, and wish to use the power for themselves. Similar to the Path of the Charming, those pursuing this path will learn carefully curated knowledge of how to spot signs of deception in even the most proficient of liars, from studying micro facial-expressions across the most commonly seen Lithrydelian and Rynvalian races, to learning techniques designed to evade making those same mistakes. Bards of this aptitude can deceive as easily as they breathe, and can evade virtually all magical means of detection. Though it has never been confirmed, it is said that Edwinian Thorpe, the only human to survive Vailkrin's underground gambling ring, used these techniques to outbluff his captors. The only competition that the Deceiving face from detective means are those who choose the Charming path.
Wallflower
Recognized
Prominent
Renowned
Legendary
Khitti
Lanara
Tiber


Performing Arts

Thespians are the life of the party! They might practice several musical mediums, act in popular plays, express their art through dance, or put on marvelous musical performances. These guild members work closely with the guild leaders to come up with play ideas, concerts, and other performance opportunities.


Wallflower
Recognized
Prominent
Renowned
Legendary
Alvina
Kanna
Khitti
Lanara
Tiber

Written Arts

Bards in this area produce many forms of art, including writing books, finding and translating legendary lost tales, creating and directing screenplays, writing poetry, or even publishing moving periodicals for the masses. After all, knowledge is the right of the people! Spreading information can be a powerful tool in a good and a bad way, turning a simple city guard into a valiant knight in embellished stories or spreading lies about the innocent.

Path of the Loremaster
So much of Lithrydelian and Rynvalian lore has been lost due to time or disaster, leaving tales to be passed down by word of mouth if there is anyone left alive to speak it. Those who were witness to such events may also have conflicting accounts of the details regarding why a catastrophe came to pass. Loremasters travel to all corners of the world to seek out those who remember significant historical events and uncover the truth about those missives, or search for tomes written during those times that may not have a Common translation yet. In a way, they are true detectives in the way they conduct interviews and piece together remnants of bygone eras, making those in this field highly respected. In some kingdoms, loremasters were once brought on as a means of quelling the masses who knew not what the truth was.
Path of the Storyteller
When kingdoms rise, so do rebellions, coups, and general dissent amongst those who have little better to do than take their personal frustrations out on authority. Some would call a storyteller's work propaganda, while others would describe it as telling objective truths that have been polished in a way to leave no room for argument. Storytellers create fictives, such as books, screenplays, or periodicals. Whether the bard in question chooses to disclose how much embellishment has been woven into the tale is solely at their discretion. Their discretion, and, of course, the discretion of their client. Though storytellers can very well distinguish reality from fiction, their works can be powerful enough to change reality in the minds of the masses. In some kingdoms, storytellers were even brought in as a means of turning the public opinion towards the kingdom and against any opposition, even if some details may be dramaticized for the sake of the story.


Wallflower
Recognized
Prominent
Renowned
Legendary
Kanna
Khitti

Crafting Arts

Playing instruments or composing literary works are not the only methods of bardic self-expression; many bards choose to dedicate their craft in the production of material goods or works of art.

Wallflower
Recognized
Prominent
Renowned
Legendary
Kanna
Loravelle


School of the Magical Arts

Being able to channel bardic magic is the most well-known hallmarks of calling oneself a bard. Bardic magic is very similar in structure and flow to arcane magic, but it's very existence in one's body is not limited to one's race or other abilities. Similar to divine or chaotic magics, an outside influence is often the trigger that opens one's heart to the chance to channel the magic around them. According to some, this external event is preordained by Hind himself to bestow bardic magic upon mortals. Regardless of the origin, access to bardic magic alone does little without the proper guidance to channel it. This School aims to help those Bard's Guild members master the magic dwelling within their hearts so that it may be expressed and shared with the world.

Charisma, Magical

A bard's greatest weapon in life is their charisma. With enough training, oozing charisma enables the bard to persuade the lowly peasants that they can be the next king, or persuade the man with the rusted heart that there is still love in there to give. While not all bards utilize their innate bardic magic to enhance their charismatic tendencies, those that do find that they can put their abilities to a more powerful use.

Path of Suggestion
Path of Willpower

Bardic Experimentation

Those specializing in the experimental arts have the special task of testing theories and the bounds of the power of the bard. With enough dedication, experiments and studies we may uncover new ways in which to use bardic magics. Most frequently, these candidates can fuse their magic into topical balms and potions. It is up to those enthralled in the ways of the bard to discover the secrets and unlock mysteries. These bards are the scientists of the field and their attempts to expand on bardic abilities could be vital to the future.
- Alvina
- Khitti


Bardic Combat

Bards are usually considered to be pacifists, choosing to use their magical abilities from a distance if at all against those that wish to do them harm. This common perception leads to a massive underestimation of combat prowess that a fierce bard can use to their advantage. Whether used for offense, defense, or to aid the fighters around them, bardic magic is versatile enough to have several battlefield applications. Those who choose to wish to explore this field might be interested in coordinating spars with members of the Warrior's Guild or recruiting them for more combat-centric missions.
Those who become Renowned in the field of combat enhanced with bardic magic will be considered adept enough to enter study of one of two paths:
Path of the Banshee
Named after the creature even the most hardened dragons fear, the path of the banshee focuses on weaponizing one's bardic magic into sound-based attacks. From offense to self-defense, sonic magic is a powerful and extremely versatile tool in the hands of one who can channel it through song or instruments. Some examples of these applications are the usage of bardic-fueled sonic attacks to flay the skin off of enemies, or unleashing an amplified scream that can shatter rocks from the force of the vibrations. When channeled improperly, whether the spell is interrupted or a wrong note is played, the power of a sonic attack can backfire, inflicting the intended damage onto it's caster. As such, it is considered a dangerous art to train oneself in, and the knowledge required to cast it is near impossible to locate outside of the Bard's Guild's repertoire.
Path of the Skald
While most bards are learned scholars comfortable to live a life of the finer things and culture, those who pursue bardic combat and specialize in the path of the skald are considered to have the heart of the wilds. Those who become trained in the path of the skald learn to incite rage amongst their fellow peers, bringing out the feral hearts of even the most classically disciplined warriors. While popular opinion dictates that skalds are only found in more primitive cultures, many kingdoms regularly employ skalds for use on the battlefield to enhance the abilities of their soldiers, and independent fighters utilize these skills in tournaments to their advantage. Those who walk the path of the skald will have access to warded texts that teach one how to incite rage in their allies, or drive opponents to madness that make them unable to defend themselves from attacks.
Wallflower
Recognized
Prominent
Renowned
Legendary
Kanna
Alex

Bardic Support

❣ Advancing One's Aptitude

While advancing in areas of aptitude will never be a mandatory requirement for membership, the mastery is system is available for those who wish to give their characters milestones or roleplay ideas. Mastery does not need to rely on arc involvement or major RPs; there are several ways to progress one's mastery:

  • Quests and Tasks
    • For this, you can find quests for the guild here. Sometimes tasks involve locating powerful items mentioned of in old lore or music, or using charm to report all sides of a public scandal. You may assume these quests have been posted on the public Guild's Board, and are known to any members of the guild. Original quests by members will also be accepted so long as a bardic art is utilized during the course of it.
  • Sparring/Dueling
    • This may be achieved by either having a spar set within an RP or participating in one of the two dueling types: battle and timed. Battle requires a word count, while timed requires the number of minutes for each post (using timestamps via the in-game chat preferences). Both are determined and agreed upon by the duelists and do not require judges or stakes unless the participants wish it so. Duels that take place in a tournament that showcases the member’s abilities in bardic arts or bardic magic are also accepted.
  • Research and Development/Field Experience
    • Whether with a guildmate or trusted friend, research RPs pertaining to the bardic arts are accepted, as well as major involvement in arcs where the member’s abilities and knowledge are displayed or utilized in some way may also be submitted.
  • RPs That Are Not Accepted
    • Solo RPs will not be accepted, unless discussed with and given permission by the guild leader, the deputy leader (if there is no guild leader), or the highest ranking members.
    • Meet and greet RPs, while they may happen, will not accepted as RPs that count towards mastery towards an area of aptitude, unless the related bardic art is showcased or discussed at length.

You must submit RP to the wiki as proof of completion. If you are unable to do so, reach out to either the wikiguides, your fellow guild members, or someone else comfortable with uploading RPs to get it taken care of.

❣ Past / Missing Members

Alan, Artia, Bastion, Blanchette, Celandine, Coral, Dyzz, Eilyo, Graham, Larewen, Ocano, Odhranos, Pilar, Raphaline, Raziel, Tiphin, Vlontyrr, Will