Most bards know the story, but few dare speak it.
Infamously fabled, especially among the traveling performers of the land, is the trio of the Whispering Three. Renown for their hatred of bards, each of these three adventurers are told to have been dreadfully wronged by a traveling minstrel, each swearing enmity against all member of the trade. Some say that all three were victims of the same bard, others of a single traveling troop, but no matter the case their grievance and hatred for bards forged their alliance and gave them cause to travel the lands and rid the world of singers and seducers alike.
Lord Victor, Harbinger of Whispers was said to have been a warlord who’s size and might eclipsed other soldiers on the battlefield. When his great helmet peaked over the lines of shields and men both sides would fall silent with dread. His greatest defeat was said to be at the hands of a bard, who terrorized his army’s camp as they slept with haunting music that drove his men mad with fear. When day broke those who had not deserted were drained from the restless night. As quick as the sun’s light rose the enemy army rode in and attacked Victor’s men, and disorganized they scattered and drove them off. Victor since swore to personally cleave any musician and their instruments he crossed, and banned any form of music from his warcamps, and all his soldiers are trained to communicate through signals and whispers.
Fenairie Bonepicker was a druid of an elven wood, known for her close friendships with the fey creatures that enchanted the forest. Once a wandering bard came into her domain, and lurking he found a dryad singing and was taken by her song. He proceeded to stalk the dryad and tried to enchant her with his own songs, asking for her hand in marriage and to leave the forest and be his forever, but she refused him. The dryad sang that she was bound to the forest, to the willow of her mother and could not leave it, even if she became enthralled with the nagging musician. The musician in his cunning devised a new plan to claim his bride, he brought an axe to fell the willow, and then captured and bound the dryad and lead her from the forest. But now withered and weak as her mother’s tree was dead, the dryad soon could walk no more. On the edge of the forest her body crumple, and disgusted by her as the fey creature’s beauty faded, the bard abandoned her still bound and sick. Fenairie found the dryad dead in the morning, and learned of the Bard’s misdeeds. She swore to kill any non-fey musician, and banned mortal songs from her woods forever. It is said the bone belt she wears is made from the knucklebones of the musician’s whose fingers she steals.
Garvus Bloodhorn is a cleric of the mining god Vargunthrond, and was tasked with sounding the horns in the deep mines to signal and guide the deep miners home. Once the deep miners stumbled upon a dungeon, and within found a tomb of great riches. Garvus, hoping to learn more about the tomb’s inhabitant, called upon a lore master bard to research the tomb. The Lore Master helped guide the dwarves to navigate the tomb and claim the treasure, avoiding the curses and traps set by the tomb’s ancient masters. However, when time came for the dwarves to return, the lore master betrayed them and sought to claim the treasure for himself. When Garvus lifted his horn to signal for aid in the mines, he found his horn cursed by the bard, so that whenever he would touch the horn to his lips his mouth filled with sores, and rather sound the horn flowed with his own blood. His allies were slaughtered and Garvus was sealed in the emptied tomb. When he was rescued the bard was gone with all the treasure, and Garvus was exiled from his clan. He still carries the horn with him, some say he uses it on the bards he captures, forcing them to drown in their own blood as he clogs the horn to their mouths.
