COLLEGE OF THE HERALD
Based at the great lore-house of Herald's Holdfast,
northwest of Silverymoon, the College of the Herald is
dedicated to the preservation of ancient history and leg-
ends. The Heralds are charged with collecting and orga-
nizing bodies of lore, which they make available to all of
good and peaceful intent. Established by the Harper Ali-
ost Oskrunnar in 922 DR, the Heralds a r e allies of the
Harpers but remain ne utral in most conflicts, dedicated
to preserving knowledge above all else.
The College of the Herald is less concerned with mu-
sical performance (although it contains a considerable
library of songs) and more with history, heraldry, and
folklore, making it a key center of learning for bards of
the College of Lore, as described in the Bard College
class feature in the Player's Handbook.Musical Instruments
In addition to the common musical instruments listed in
chapter 5 , "Equipment," of the Player's Handbook, bards
in the Realms play the following instruments:
Birdpipes: Pan pipes or satyr pipes, also known as the
shalm, these are sacred to Lliira and popular with
wood elf and wild elf bards.
Glaur: Short, curved horns like a cornucopia. Played
with valves, glaur sound like trumpets, while
those without valves, known as gloon, have a more
mournful sound.
Hand Drum: A double-headed skin drum fitted with
handles along its s id e.
CHAPTER 4 I CLASSESLonghorn: A Faerilnian flute of sophisticated make,
found only in areas with skilled artisans, as in great
cities or elven enclaves.
Shawm: A double-reed instrument similar to an oboe or
a bassoon, popular with gnomes, who have developed
some bellows-powered versions.
Songhorn: A recorder, a simple type of flute, usually
carved from wood.
Tantan: A tambourine, a popular instrument with
halflings and humans south of the Dalelands.
Thelarr: Also known as a whistlecane, a simple and
easy-to-make wind instrument cut from a reed. They
are so simple, in fact, that skilled bards frequently
make and give them away to children-to the parents'
delight or regret.
Tocken: A hanging set of carved oval bells, usually
played with a pair of light wooden hammers (or open
handed). They are most common in underground
cultures, where the resonant tones can carry.
Wargong: A metal gong, traditionally made from a
shield, particularly the s hield of an enemy. Both
goblins and dwarves make and play wargongs, their
sound echoing through tunnels in the Underdark.
Yarting: A southern instrument from Arnn and
Calimshan that is a Faerilnian analog to the guitar.
Numerous variations have spread across the
continent.
Zulkoon: A complex pump organ that originated with
the zulkirs of Thay, who use it in the casting of
their spells. It is considered to have a dramatic, but
sinister, sound.T he Moonstars
Over a century ago, the Harpers endured a schism.
Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun was denounced by other
Harper leaders for empowering Fzoul Chembryl, then the
evil leader of the Zhentarim, with a powerful artifact. That
Khelben did so in order that Fzoul destroy a dangerous
lich mattered little. Khelben and Laeral Silverhand, his
wife, left the Harpers then, taking with them certain agents
and folding them into to a different organization, which
Khelben had been secretly working to create for some time
due to an old prophecy of the elves of Cormanthor. This
group was the Moonstars, called Tel'Teukiira in Elvish.
Although the Moonstars worked in concert at times with
the Harpers, they also worked at cross purposes, and the
Moonstars membership included many whom the Harpers
considered too evil, such as a vampire. The Moonstars
performed many good deeds, but their methods were
often more brutal and pragmatic than the Harpers'
lofty ideals allowed. When Khelben died, the Moonstars
seemed to collapse, and for many years the organization
was assumed defunct. Yet during the Sundering, Moonstar
sleeper agents reactivated the organization on a surpris-
ingly massive scale, with members active in Candlekeep,
Waterdeep, and Myth Drannor. The organization has
since gone underground again. Their relationship to the
present-day Harpers, Laeral Silverhand, and the current
Blackstaff ofWaterdeep, Vajra, remains unclear.