Bard Colleges of Breige
The Bard Colleges are the most notable aspect of Breige city-life, and yet there are many of them scattered throughout the city. Each has its own history and reputation, and various sorts of specializations. Performing arts are the most common, with music and acting leading the pack. Some do teach and patronize art, pushing further the fields of sculpture and painting. These schools are sought out by the wealthy across the human realms, and each graduate seeks to bring reputation and wealth to their school. Among these schools, some stand above the rest as the pinnacle of their particular field.
List of Colleges
The Passiflora Academy
One of the oldest bardic schools in Breige, the Passiflora is devoted to the theatre. Its actors are renowned, and some of the most well-known troupes have formed within its walls. The school itself is built near to the centre of the city, a tall wooden structure decorated with various theatrical accents. Fine woodwork greets visitors upon entering, impressing upon them the importance and wealth of the school. A stage and theatre are built into the rear of the school, hosting plays to earn income and train students. Its current headmaster is Martin Aulbert, a former master actor. He clings to the threads of his youth, and refuses to move over and let the new generation have their fame. Its students are recognized by purple and pink scarves they tuck into their waists and pockets, marking their allegiance even from a distance.
The Chaource
A somewhat mysterious school, it is nonetheless extremely influential within Breige. It specializes in art, especially sculpture and portraiture. While not particularly a performing art, it has been lumped in with the other bardic schools and its students are just as loyal as any of the others. The school gets its name from a massive stone slab present in the entrance hall, depicting a masterfully carved eye. Its artist is unknown, and it has become a mascot for the school. The school itself is partially built underground, connected to the crypts and catacombs beneath the city. Here, it houses the graves and likenesses of the Routots greatest artists, housed in a crypt of honour beneath the school. This attachment to the dead gives the school a somewhat grisly reputation, with rumours of strange admittance rituals and initiations abounding. Most students choose to get a tattoo of the great eye somewhere on them, typically on a forearm. The Chaource’s current headmaster is Margerie Beaumon, who is flamboyant despite the school’s reputation for severity.
Montpellier School
The Montpellier is one of the major schools for music in Breige. It specializes mostly in more rustic forms of music, with a focus on ballads and storytelling. The school is located not on any particular hill, instead named after a major early benefactor. It’s home is not particularly notable, though it is surrounded by taverns and inns. These gladly play host to the school’s itinerant performers, their music tailored to a drinking audience. As part of the school, its students must travel and learn in the world, collecting music from small towns across the continent. They call themselves Trouveres, and are a common sight in public houses around the Routot and even abroad. They wear patchwork clothing, and typically a cap with a feather in it. Currently touring and well-known trouveres are: Perotin, the great lutist from Cars; Gauthier Cardenal, violinist of Briesen; and Margerie Hamel, who uses a hurdy-gurdy with absolute grace. The school lacks any formal headmaster, instead functioning much more as a gathering place for like-minded individuals.
The Polyphony
Where the Montpellier is a loose affiliation of bards, the Polyphony is its exact opposite. A formal school if ever there was, it is much more organized and regimented than its rival across the city. Specializing in music as well, its ranks are notably filled mostly by noblemen. Tuition is expensive, yet promises a professional education. The students that come from the polyphony are inevitably the more serious and sober of Breige’s rabble of performers, and acquire excellent technique in exchange. It prides itself on its heritage and place in the world, and lords over any other musicians in the city. The uniforms required by its students are their distinguishing feature, as well as an extremely arrogant attitude about the world abroad. Its formal headmaster is Jacques de Tiffen, an influential nobleman of the King’s court. He has poured a tremendous amount of money into the school, both to curry favour with the king and to further his own prestige.