Over in the Suggestions on Magic I said I had my own thoughts and opinions on the direction of the Bard Guild, so I guess I should put up or shut up, eh? Just some broad ideas on things I always wanted to see fleshed out in the Guild back when I had a Bard ... well I still have a Bard, so maybe that counts for something.

I think it's more enjoyable to flesh this out from the perspective of a Bard critic, as the Bard loyalists won't write things down and will repeat verbally ...

Also borrowing a writer's prompt from a previous post from Armifer.

Treatise on the Elements, Appendix: Bards

A report on behalf of the Gealeranendae College

[[Incorporating Armifer's post here: https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Post:Extraplanar_Life_-_on_2/6/2010_-_00:52:55]]

"Bards are widely regarded as excellent storytellers, but terrible cosmologists. There are expectations about what the distant planes are like, as widespread as they are erroneous, even among wizards that should strictly know better. Typically Bards take the blame for this misinformation, weaving fantasy tales of lakes of fire and infinite skies.

"If the planes were so hospitable as to merely be an unending drop, the Warrior Mages would've conquered them long ago.

"... [I]t is impossible to overstate the alien nature of the planes. The Elemental Plane of Fire is not a place where the land is on fire and the oceans are lava and the skies are very hot; it is fire in every symbolic and literal sense. The air is fire; gravity is fire; north is fire; the force that holds your atoms together is fire. It is deadly in its irrationality: anyone brave enough to venture across the planar void is likely to die of some bizarre cessation of their vital functions rather than being burnt.

"Of particular hindrance to budding planar travelers is a lack of spatial dimensions. There is, to the best of the Warrior Mages' knowledge, no actual space in five out of the six Elemental Planes, at least in any sense that a man from the Plane of Abiding understands the term. The elemental inhabitants of the planes appear to spawn from and return to a single no-space. Familiars are notoriously unable to put into words how this is experienced, but don't seem to regard it as exceptional. To extraplanar life, three dimensional space is merely one of many ways which you can order the universe.

"... [[As any Warrior Mage knows, t]he Elemental Plane of Electricity is an odd plane out. The aesthetically pleasing, "symmetrical" changes in magical operations that allow the Warrior Mage to access the other five planes do not work with Electricity. Relative to the adjustments required to "aim" an invocation to the other five planes, the Elemental Plane of Electricity is entirely outside the "circle" of the other elements. Compounding this mystery, Electricity is also the one plane where there is reason to believe that spatial dimensions exist."

It has been theorized that this Elemental Plane of Electricity is the first of a secondary circle of elemental planes awaiting further discovery. "The idea of discovering a new element has filled the dreams of Warrior Mages for thousands of years, since nothing short of the gods themselves could so assuredly immortalize the lucky scholar."

It has further been theorized by some, although certainly not by Warrior Mages of repute, that Bards, far from being the drunken heralds of falsehoods regarding other planes of existence, may have a unique perspective on these other Elemental Planes through their special connection with the Naga, the frustratingly unclassifiable race of beings drawn to their musical prowess. As beings of sound, not the physical elements, the Naga cannot be classified as elemental beings. Yet their behaviors and ability to manipulate Elemental Mana would indicate some relationship with the Elemental Planes, except for a total separation between the behaviors and attributes of familiars and these Naga. Bards have, unfortunately, demonstrated a total lack of interest in fully exploring the nature of their supernatural and percussive companions.

Some further clues may be provided on the reports of some Bards regarding their so-called "travels" to other planes of existence. I do not need to waste the reader's time with recounting the fanciful tales of Bards such as Aaron Albuam, who claimed to have not only have explored draconic society but in his "Journey to the Forbidden West" explored deep into the earth along into underground caverns full of castles inhabited by Naga and other "beautiful creatures" as he called them (of course, as with all tales of Albaum, it ends with him fleeing yet another harem of lovers). A consistent narrative in many "great" Bardic narratives is long journeys along forgotten roads to villages, towns, even bustling cities in the most unlikely of places inhabited by a host of beings they can scarcely describe.

In these travels the Bards always discuss a heightened degree of senses, bright colors that are brighter than those ever before seen, sweets more decadent than anything produced by bakers or confectioners in the known realms, and melodies that have driven Bards mad from the effort to recreate them after their return home. During their travels some Bards report a convergence of senses: magical experiences where fruits taste like a waltz, where sunsets look like sweetness, and a lively dancing jig brings up visions of many-colored tulips. Some have compared these tales to Fostra's Haven, but many a Cleric has objected to the chaotic, celebratory nature of the settlements in contrast to the structured last rest for the life-weary soul. Nay, the last tavern or pub at the end of existence is what these Bards are more likely to tell about.

Is it possible that these otherworldly accounts are in fact otherworldly, and not the romantic creations of troubadours on the look out for next coin to fuel their liquid habit? This scholar is skeptical, but will repeat for the reader's benefit the observation from some Bards that they experience similar other-worldly experiences of senses during their performances before large crowds [[link to new performance system]]. The great Elven Bard Mikel Grodno called this "groove" a shared experience of performer and audience that both heightened his sense of awareness while tearing down the barriers between each sense.

While most skills and talents of the Bard Guild seem little more than tricks of the trade of buskers, street performers, ventriloquists, and other acts of sleight of hand, one cannot deny the greatness of some Bards in the attraction they display to crowds. It is true that the most renown Bards display a sense of "Glamour" that separates them from others, but this is a fleeting specialness that fades quickly when the Bard retreats from the public. Many a great Bard will retire in the midst of what seems like eternal youth only to wither away without frequent performances.

The link, as theorized by some, is the Bard's ability to access the Elemental Planes, either those known to Warrior Mages or those unknown, through musical attributes and the favor of Naga beings present as their performances. Why would the Naga be drawn to these displays? One wonders if the Naga as snake-like beings is a true state of their existence, whatever it may be, or a mere reflection of the sinusoidal, wave-like appearance of sound in physical forms and the mortal mind's efforts to grasp that which may be beyond their understanding. Perhaps Naga would appear otherwise in other mediums where sound's behavior is distorted, should Bards ever display a desire to experiment. Could the Naga be from another Elemental Plane, or Planes, where more than just three dimensions exist but the senses of physical existence as well, perhaps the fanciful tales of Bards of otherworldly travels is merely their efforts to describe the indescribable as they briefly break through the barriers between planes?

Such an elaborate explanation warrants inclusion in the Appendix merely to inform the student as to the wide range of theories regarding Elemental Planes. Surely now the reader can see how absurd some theories may be. That perhaps Bards are able to experience, or even travel to through mental or sensual capacities, other Elemental Planes, known or unknown, because they buffer such experiences through music and other artistical abilities is a useless theory. No Bard in history has demonstrated the ability, let alone the desire, to establish rule over these other Planes in a way that would be profitable. Enjoyment, rather than practicality, corrupts the Bardic experience. As elemental mages they have contributed little to the study of magic, preferring either the pub, or the theater, or the history section of a library to any applied elemental theory.

Let this be a lesson to the young Warrior Mage regarding the principle duty of their studies. Pursuit of frivolous merriment does not warrant praise except in other Guilds. Should you question such a pathway, may you be junior enough in your advancement within our Guild that you still have time to reconsider before you corrupt us with your lackadaisical ways.

~~

And scene ...

Really to sum up its:

- The Naga are sound-based elemental beings that are seen as snake-like as reflections of sound waves, they adapt to how we expect to view them based on previous interacts. (I generally try to re-cast the Naga as Fae-like Elemental beings who are difficult to understand and comprehend because they are beings of sound. Open ended if they are just the same as familiars, but in a different form, or what.)
- The Naga like Bardic performances.
- Lots of people are drawn to performances and for Bards in particular, with their special relationship with the Naga, it brings them closer to an unknown Elemental Plane (or Planes) that may or may not be the same Planes already known, but experienced through sound, or different planes (open ended). Because the same great performances that draw a crowd draw the Naga.
- Exposure to these Planes gives off a sense of Glamour and otherness to the Bard, renaming the Mojo pool, in which the Bard just seems a little bit more "more." Little bit louder, little bit more charismatic, little bit more convincing, fueling the range of Bardic abilities.
- This fades with time without continued performance or other Bardic activities.
- There may be ways to travel these other Elemental Planes, or so other Bards appear to have claimed, but who knows? (open ended)

>>The Naga are not Elementals; this is stated in at least two sources I was able to find on Elanthipedia. They are extraplanar, and they could even be similar to elementals, but they are not elementals. Everything else you said above, I like; sound-based, snake-like, adapt to preconceived notions (after all, if they're creatures of sound, mortal minds might have trouble knowing what they are seeing, so they might tug at bits of half-formed memory to create a representation that we can comprehend).

Yeah, I was trying to balance the fact that Naga are NOT strict Elementals in the sense that they are not formed by the Elements (they are sound, and I think the GM posts are clear there), but given their interactions with Elemental Mana they are ... ??? What exactly? I feel like there should be some hints in the Lore that they are Elemental-based.

A Cleric says "Nope, that's not Holy."

An Empath or Ranger says "Nope, that's not Life."

A Moon Mage says "Nope, that's not Lunar."

A Warrior Mage says "Nope, that's not Elemental, not formed by the elements, obviously ... but hey wait how is it interacting with Elemental Mana!?! Stop that!"

This is similar to previous controversies formed by what is or isn't a "spirit" or other terms where you have IC vs. OCC concepts of what is going on. In the big picture, it's easier to say "Some sort of Elemental being since they manipulate Elemental Mana, rather than opening the door to the idea they are Lunar or other Mana based creatures that are committing sorcerous acts in order to manipulate Elemental Mana."

So it could go both ways. Call the Naga an elemental being, based on sound, or keep the door open that they are some other extraplanar being that manipulates Elemental Mana but may be based off of another form of Mana. Of course we'd known for sure if only the Bards were more interested in empirical science. Damn them for not being more studious!

I'm agnostic on if the Naga are or are not from a secret Elemental Plane (Elemental Plane of Sound?) I was just going with the Occam's Razor that no one is going to give the Bard Guild extraplanar beings that are somehow non-elemental. It's easier for the lore, in my mind, if they are constrained by being quasi-elemental beings.

>>Huh. I actually kinda like the term Glamour as a new name for Bardic Mojo. I want to see what Raesh thinks of it, though. He tends to hate what I love and love what I hate.

I've been a fan of "Glamour" because it's my best effort to describe the Bard's ability to be charming, convincing, impressive, etc., but I know it's got some issues with other games, despite the fact that I've picked it up more from the writings of modern advertising and political persuasion than the game in question. There could be SOMETHING like "Glamour" or maybe "Charm" to get at what's going on. No matter what you say about skills, there's something going on that makes the Bard a Rock and Roll GOD that brings the masses to them.

The idea is that a Bard can be playing the same song on the harpsichord as someone else but he or she is just doing it BETTER (not just technically better but a way that demonstrates pure greatness) and people are swooning.

And, AND! I think this has the advantage (I hope!) of appealing to people who like the music and performance focus of the Bard Guild as it currently is. It's not trying to introduce a new complex and confusing confound system in which Bards have to do new things in order to ensure their continued existence, it's just working out a way in which what drives a lot of Bards currently (performance) already attracts the attention of their confound.

>>Again, not elemental. Nope. Also, unless Warrior Mages get the ability to travel to/through the Elemental Planes, I don't see us getting the ability to travel to/through whatever vague, undefined realm the Naga come from. That sort of thing sort of seems more Moon-Mage-ey anyhow. They tend to deal with transdimensional portals, whereas elemental-mana users tend to just pull stuff from other planes to this one and use it as a means to an end.

I think it should be open ended and vague, super super vague. Bards are at least elemental mages of some level, which is where I was coming from. I wanted to keep the focus on vague questions on if Bards are able to "sense" these other elemental planes during their performances or not, with vague references to rare, elite Gulliver's Travels like Bards that may or may not have managed to stumble onto other planes. In the same what that I think in game lore talks about one single Bard meeting a Dragon, but I don't expect Bards to usually meet Dragons. And it's an open question if the Bards are just describing other elemental plane that are known, but in ways they can understand, or if they really are the secondary circle. Or tertiary!

So yeah, not proposing that Bards get any sort of travel ability, just some RP hooks of "other great Bards have traveled far and wide and sometimes their tales don't make sense, were they drunk and lying or extra-planar travelers?"

Maybe the great Bard Jules Verne traveled through the earth into the Elemental Plane of Earth, or managed to voyage his sea-ship deep into the Elemental Plane of Water. Just interested in having the stories out there that make you question where does one Bard's truthful wanderings end and where does their lies begin?

Inspiration and Presence also feel like they are getting at the sense of what I think Bards bring. I like Glamour because, like Charisma, it
is getting at the idea that the Bard is uniquely appealing to the public, to the crowd, to the audiance. Prescence captures this too. Inspiration is the other side of the coin, the internal Muse driving the Bard along. I think both are important. A Bard can have the idea for a song or play, the inner spark, but they also need the skills to wow the crowd when performing.

Navesi, the start of it was taken from Armifer in order to set the tone, build off of established in-game lore, but the rest of it is just me spitballing some ideas. I know there's hestiation in having Bards touch too much on other clearly defined roles of other guilds, like the special elemental summoning of Warrior Mages or the planar travel of Moon Mages. So I think the idea isn't that Bards "summon" the Naga from others planes, but more of a wild animal that at times skirts close to a settlement for some food and mild curiosity. And it's not that Bards are frequently traveling to other planes, but perhaps there are some stories, maybe, where they are at least in parts of Elanthia where the barriers between the planes is weak.

That was really neat.