Shop: Yolanda's Bardic Circle

Yolanda's is a clearing house for bards of various types. If a person or organization wants a proficient bard to perform at their function they come here and hire one. They are predominantly musicians and singers; other types of performers, such as jesters, acrobats, mummers and dancers, can be hired elsewhere. They have an excellent reputation of providing top-notch entertainment and the local high society look down on any bard not hired through this shop. While most of their business is local, they are willing to hire out in other towns and there are even times when they will form a traveling show for a season.

There is, however, a dark side to the Bardic Circle. Ten years ago, the husband of Yolanda was killed by a drunken patron and due to the killers political position nothing was done about it. This caused Yolanda to lose faith in government. She saw a blight upon society that needed to be corrected and at times excised. A year later the killer of her husband was found dead, having drunkenly fallen into a pool and drowned. Since then Yolanda and the Bardic Circle has continued their secret agenda of righting the wrongs that government can not or will not. The bards are welcome in all the influential homes of the city and they use this to ferret out the corruption of the city. From there they use magic, blackmail and other coercion, up to and including killing, to influence city policies for the betterment of the populace. Most of this "betterment" is violent revenge for wrongs committed by those above the law.

Yolanda Charr

To outward appearances Yolanda is very outgoing and personable. However, she has a hard inside that can peek out if something touches off her sense of "rightness". Also, despite looking like she is easy to get along with, she is judgmental and she is not afraid to make mention of other people's failings. While she made a name for herself as an excellent harpist, she finds she has little time now to actively play due to running of the business occupying most of her time. This has made her even more bitter.

Adventure Ideas

-A new bard has joined Yolanda's Bardic Circle, Alic Tre'valle. She is a young woman and plays a mean dulcimer. However, she is disturbed by a few of the off-hand things some of the other bards have said within her hearing. She fears there is more to the Bardic Circle than a simple business offering bardic services. She is willing to hire the characters to investigate Yolanda's Bardic Circle to make sure everything is above-board and nothing sinister is going on.
-One of the bards is having second thoughts on the "goodness" of the Bardic Circle's secret agenda. Nik Huck feels the Circle is too quick to use violence to right the wrongs and he is not pleased with some of the things he has been asked to do for the Circle. He has decided to ask the characters to shut down the Bardic Circle but as he goes to meet them, he is killed before he can tell them what he wanted them for, right at their feet. Yolanda had gotten wind of Nik's intentions and had given the order to have him killed before he could disrupt their good work. Will the characters investigate what this man wanted of them and avenge his death?

List of Medieval Musical Instruments

 

1)      Bagpipe

2)      Bladder Pipe

3)      Cornamuse

4)      Crumhorn

5)      Drum

6)      Dulcian

7)      Dulcimer

8)      Cymbal

9)      Fiddle

10)   Flute

11)   Gamba

12)   Gemshorn

13)   Harp

14)   Harpsichord

15)   Lute

16)   Organetto

17)   Recorder

18)   Sackbut

19)   Trumpet

20)   Viol