 February 23, 2011 - 8:04am | It is believed that bard/minstrel of yazirian society dates back to Stone Hunter Age. The first bards may have been a clan outcast who made his way in yazirian society by his musical tallent. During this age trespassing in a clan's territory could have dire consequences. However, a yazirian who announced their presence in a clan's territory by music and song would, often as not, be invited to entertain and recieve a share in the meat at a clan gathering. Yazirians with skill in song, poetry and music became an important institution performing important functions. While each clan had keepers of the clan wisdom, it was the travelling bards that kept alive racial wisdom. As they travelled and gathered poetry, stories and song form the width and bredth of their society passing it on orally they preserved a vast anthology of material that would have been lost long before the development of writing and printing. They also served emmissaries and diplomats, being able to pass the boundries of clan territories almost at will. Eventually as yazirian society matured and evolved into its Metal Hunting Age and beyond these bards and minstrels became so valued that a clan would adopt one, giving him a permanent home and treating him like a beloved clan elder. Usually this was a older, well travelled bard with great status. It may also have been that the older bards needed to settle down feeling the effects of old age. A clan could gain great status by landing a famous bard in this way. During these developments bards became the councilors, advisors and sages. During the Stone and Metal Hunting Ages clan wars would be more properly described as clan feuds. The ancient ballads suggest that it was a bard that brought about the first clan war. With rising populations and improvements in science clan war may have been inevitable but the female bard Callistra is universally credited with igniting the first true clan war. Callistra, an unjustly disinherited yazirian, becames a highly sought after bard even in her youth. Using both her femine wiles and a prodigious tallent to sing she discovered she could move and influence warriors and hunters with ease. She even discovered methods and techniques to bring out the battle rage laying dormant in the most placid of yazirian. For whatever reason, be it revenge, jealousy or something else, she stirred animosity for the clan of her youth amongst several neighboring clans. Eventually, at a clan gathering she whipped the hunters and warriors into a raging furry and ignited the first clan war. Other bards became involved and clans began to formally form alliances as distrust and suspicion spread. During this time several clans ceased to exist, including Callistra's. She became an outcast of outcasts; reviled universally but she still posessed the ability to begile and influence. She spent the rest of her life travelling and stirring up war. After her death she was veiwed as a demi-goddess of war, spite and revenge. Today she metaphor for viciousness, spite, envy and revenge. During the centuries of clan war the yazirian bard evloved into the warrior bard or mercenary minstral. Bards being travellers often had to rely on their own skill to eat and typically they were well skilled with a zamra or other weapon. Sometimes, in order to ingratiate themselves to a clan, they had to demonstrate their hunting skill. These bards came under pressure from clan leaders to be stir the battle fury in the clan's hunters and warriors. What emmerged from the clan wars was a bard that led in battle and could stir the battle fury of a clan's yazirians. Eventually, there evolved a class of mercenary minstrels, "sell song", who would be hired for specific campaigns and battles but with little connection or loyalty to the hiring clan. In some regions warrior bards morphed into priest and shaman with several religious sects emmerging as well. Unsurprisingly, in these religious sects Callistra was portrayed as a semi-demonic temptress. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 23, 2011 - 8:32am | Yazirain Musical instruments Typically, the instrument of the travelling bard is small and easily carried. Drums, flutes, and stringed instruments are common. Larger versions can be found but are typically reserved for clan gathering. The Dumra (drum) Dumra vary in size small to great 2 meter cylinders. The Great Dumra (2m diameter by 1m) are a staple for clan celebrations and saw military use toward the end of the Clan Wars. Travelling bards favored a bongo like dumra of 4 drums of decreasing size mounted in a cresant shape that matched the countor of the waist called the singer's dumra. A singer's dumra usually comes with an attached bandolier to allow the bard to climb and glide with it securely attached to his back. The Bollu (flutes) A popular bardic bollu is the sekbollu, literally 3 flute. The sek bollu is 3 flutes of decreasing size bound together with an ingenious mouth piece that allows the musician to redirect the air flow between the 3 flutes or into any combination of the 3 at the same time. This instrument is near impossible for any other race to master as it takes the long fingers of a yazirian with its extra knuckles to wrap around the intrument and properly play it. In the hands of a skill yazirian the sek bollus produce beautiful and even haunting melodies or rousing battle and hunting songs. The Shem Dumra (ukulele) Litterally, a stringed durma, the Shem dumra is a small stringed instrument that has been compared to the human ukulele was developed by yazirian bards to be carried strapped across the back. After contact with humanity some musicians began using the bow from violins to play the shem dumra. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 23, 2011 - 9:16am | The modern yazirian bard is a product of his past and most are skilled with the zamra racial weapon. They can play all instruments in the instrument category they are skilled in and if they encounter an instrument similar enough to their chosen instrument they can employ half their skill in an attempt to play it. (a bard skilled in the dumra encountering a human xylophone could use half his skill level to play it) Most sing and play an instrument. They typically follow the Bio-social PSA and psycho-social skill. But the Yazirian Bard has access to a new skill which is treated as In PSA reguardless of their actual PSA; Bardic Tradition (EXP skill cost is the same as the in PSA skill cost for Tech PSA under the AD rules) Bardic Tradition encompasses and encyclopedic knowledge of yazirian poetry, literature, and song; the ability to play musical instruments and sing; skill with the zamra, and comprehension of social dynamics. Subskils: Knowledge of Yazirian history. Since yazirian history is encapsulated in song, poetry and in latter times literature a yazirian bard has a chance to remember significant details and important pieces from any age upto and including the parts yazirians have played in the Frontier. (1/2 LOG + 10%/level) Musical instruments and singing: Yazirian bards are adept at playing musical instruments and singing and can use this subskill to enhance racial reaction or other skills. This skill can be used to prep other yazirians to enter battle rage by conciously singing songs of valor, honor and battle prior to combat and throughout the day and at the moment of combat giving a stirring shout echoing a line from a song previously sung. Other yazirians gain a +5%/level of bard bonus to their battle rage roll. A bard with psycho-social skill can use music and song as part of his attempt to hympnotize gaining +5%. Other social interactions that involve a skill or ability check can recieve this bonus as long as its appropriate to include music and song. A yazirian bard knows how to play a number of instruments determined by his level; level 1-2 is 1 instrument, level 3-4 is 2 instruments, and levels 5-6 is 3 instruments. After 6th level a bard by learn more instruments for 4 exp each. Zamra (racial Weapon skill): Yazirian bards all carry the traditional weapon, the zamra. Its a rooted in tradition and expected of them. (1/2 Dex + 10%/level). Comprehension: Same as the vrusk racial ability. A yazirian bard obsevering a social interaction between two or more individuals has a chance to understand what is going on between them. (1/2LOG + 10%/level) I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 23, 2011 - 9:14am | Typical Archtypes: The sage advisor-an educator, researcher, government official Mercenary Minstrel- a "sell song" and gifted warrior the Singing Missionary- following one of the priestly traditions and seeking to spread the word/song The Baudy Balladier- entertainer, lounge singer, etc I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 February 28, 2011 - 10:50pm | I would grant the Comprehension ability, but only among Yazirians. |
