Fellowship of Entertainers
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The Fellowship of Entertainers, the Yeomanry equivalent of a bardic guild, plays a prominent role in Yeoman cultural affairs. Dressed in their colorful robes, members of the Fellowship provide pageantry and excitement for these attending the Four Festivals of the Arts (see below) during each change of season.
In the 370's, the Stanza system was founded by an elven fletcher from Trollsfoot. This system allowed for entertainers and bards to be ranked according to Stanzas, or levels of skill and influence. This gave a guild-like structure to the cayfairs (see below) without falling back on the methods and traditions of Keoland. This system, simplistic and difficult to manage, gave rise to a more coherent one, the Fellowship of Entertainers.
While the Fellowship keeps some elements of Stanza structure, the organization of the group is far less organized than it once was. In the recent past, a movement in the Fellowship tried to establish a rank structure based on the orchestral "Chairs" concept, it was narrowly defeated in an internal vote so heated it is still called "The Earnest Debate" and talked about like a pitched battle.
Currently, the group arrays itself loosely around the skill ranks (though this is not always the case, since specific rank numbers are a game concept) of its members. Thus, in any given Fellowship meeting, members with higher skill ranks are generally deferred to. Of course, these meetings also tend to polarize by artist medium as well.
Prerequisites
Characters must have the Yeomanry as their home region. Switching regions from the Yeomanry results in expulsion from the group and all the benefits that come with it.
Perspective members must have at least 6 ranks in either Perform or an art-related Craft skill (such as Painting, Sculpting, and the like).
Requirements
Members must spend 1 TU per year to attend a Festival of Arts event. The member may participate in more than one Festival, but any member who does not attend a Festival in a given game year has their membership suspended until they do so. (This TU cost is normally the cost of an interactive event that includes a Festival and is not an additional expenditure unless noted otherwise in the event.)
Members must pay an extra 2 TUs initially and 4 TUs per year thereafter to reflect time spent participating in other Fellowship activities.
Members must pay an initial 200gp fee to join the Fellowship. Because of the wide spread influence members of the Fellowship have in Yeomanry society, any Yeomanry Influence Cert can be spent permanently to pay 100gp of this cost. Two such certs eliminate the cost completely.
Members must pay a further 200gp sustaining membership fee per year after the first.
Members must maintain at least an Adventurer's Standard lifestyle in all Yeomanry scenarios.
Benefits
Members get +1 to Diplomacy and Perform checks in any Yeoman community of village size or larger.
Fellowship members that win a category event of the Festival of the Arts that emphasizes that category gain a set of Masterwork tools associated with their art and a trophy (as described in the Festival section).
Fellowship members with a skill rank of +8 or greater (Lvl5 min) and who have won a Festival gain a patron for a High level of lifestyle free of charge.
Fellowship members with a skill rank of +12 or greater (Lvl9 min) and who have won two Festivals gain a patron for a Luxury level of lifestyle free of charge.
Available
- Prestige Classes
- Thief Acrobat (S&S)
(note: membership in the Fellowship fulfills the Thief Acrobat's membership requirement). - Available Feats
- Alluring (S&S)
Charlatan (S&S)
Extra Music (S&S)
Jack of All Trades (S&S)
Lingering Song (S&S)
Multicultural (S&S)
Obscure Lore (S&S)
Trustworthy (S&S) - Available Spells
- Choir (S&S)
Fanfare (S&S)
Fine Tuning (S&S)
Fortissimo (S&S)
Harmonize (S&S)
Hymn of Praise (S&S)
Improvisation (S&S)
Joyful Noise (S&S)
Percussion (S&S) - Available Magic Items
- Chime of Opening
Flute of the Snake (S&S)
Harp of Charming
Harp of the Immortal Maestro (S&S)
Horn of Triumph (S&S)
Lute of the Wandering Minstrel (S&S)
Pipes of Haunting
Pipes of Sounding
The Festival of the Arts
There are many great traditions of the Yeomanry handed down from the native Flan, but one stands out that makes Yeoman culturally distinct from their neighbors: the cayfair. It is a competition, but the word translates roughly as a "chairing," with the winner being awarded a chair upon which he is ceremoniously crowned to great acclaim. The idea of the cayfair is very old, with some relation to the gatherings still practiced by the Hillmen in current times. The modern bardic institutions of the Yeomanry have adapted the concept to suit their own needs.
It began, like many Yeoman traditions, shortly after the Yeomanry withdrew from the Empire in 361 CY. In a gesture by the new landowners of the Yeomanry to celebrate their new-found freedom, cayfairs were organized and held in every population center that could support them.
At the time, only four places could do so; Loftwick, Longspear, North Reach, and the then much larger town of Burn. Thus, these first cayfairs became known as the "Four Festivals of the Arts." They ran annually in these four locations until, in 456 CY, the cayfair in Burn moved to Westburn because of its size and prominence in the area.
Numerous organizations, church and community leaders, and individuals had a hand in shaping the Festivals during their early years. A small group of clerics, followers of Lirr, brought some of their traditions into the mix, as did the high elven followers of Ye'Cind. These two groups helped pull together the disparate traditions of the nation, designing an elaborate and, in some cases, very formal ceremony.
The Four Festivals are not the only bardic tradition in the Yeomanry. Most towns and villages conduct an annual cayfair in one way or another (though called by different names); a simple competition without much fanfare. Winners of local events gain much acclaim and prestige among their fellows. Some, if their means allow, go on to join the Fellowship of Entertainers and compete on a national level, eventually reaching one of the Four Festivals of the Arts.
The Four Festivals are referred to as the Diamondice Festival, Wildflower Festival, Goldfields Festival, and Brightleaf Festival, held during Needfest, Growfest, Richfest, and Brewfest, respectively.
Each festival focuses on a distinct form or art. The Diamondice Festival involves physical forms movement, such as dance and acrobatic feats. The Blossoms Festival honors sculpting and painting. The Goldfields Festival entertains with music and drama. The Brightleaf Festival offers writers the chance to entertain with poetry and stories. The chief contests are still that of art, being separated into eight broad categories and accompanying trophies: the Cup (dance), Baton (acrobat), Pick (music), Mask (drama), Brush (painting), Chisel (sculpting), Pen (literature) and Chair (poetry). Each event occurs at every Festival, but the emphasis shifts between seasons.
It is a marvelous sight to see thousands of people gather together for the events and give accolades to the winning artists. The cayfairs provide a tremendous impetus to the fostering of the Yeomanry as a thriving culture. On the Four Festivals of the Arts common grounds, also called "The Meadow," one can meet old friends and catch up with the latest gossip from across the country and beyond.
In addition to the Four Festivals of the Arts, there is another important cayfair in the Yeomanry. In accordance with the current Council's more open policies towards other nations and cultures, a new cayfair has been adopted into the event circuit; the Flanaess Folk Festival. This event is open to competitors from all nations of the Flanaess. The site chosen for the new festival is along the banks of the River Javan, in a meadow under the ancient bridge of Longspear.
The first Flanaess Folk Festival took place in the summer of 590 CY, with 14 different nationalities represented. It has been held each year since, attracting many thousands of spectators and hundreds of competitors. The diverse performers and competitors fill the streets of Longspear with color and song for one full week each year.