Bard
State:	The Dokht Imperium
Counterpart:	Muse
Class:	Fighter
Health:	700
Energy:	750
Speed:	50
Strength:	30
Intellect:	54
Agility:	52
Cunning:	60
Stamina:	42
Will:	41
Silver cost:	120000
Gold cost:	49

Biography

The pragmatic Dokhts dislike music; they relate better to hammers chiming on the anvil and the deep bellow of the smithy furs. Even if a talented performer was born in the Imperium, he could not hope for glory: for whom would he perform?
A gifted violinist, the Bard learned a lot on her own, echoing the melodies of wind, steam, and iron. But finding no acceptance at home, the maiden left for Adornia. There, she realized how imperfect her performance was, and began taking lessons from local masters. One of her mentors – a hero who had chosen the path of the Rat Master – had lured the girl not only with his fantastic music, but with his darkly handsome appearance, as well.
It is said that over time, after perfecting her skills, the girl eclipsed the best violinists of the kingdom, and even the hero-piper was disgruntled by the fame that the Dokht had earned in his homeland. Finally, Queen Isabel herself heard word of her remarkable gift and fancied relishing the performance of this guest from the North.
At the concert, the girl played the leading part, while the Rat Master accompanied her on his flute. Yet something strange happened with the violinist: her hands wouldn't obey her; she played flat and out of tune and broke a string. The audience booed and the queen left the hall before the concert was even over. Then, in front of a thousand spectators, the girl struck her former admirer with a slap in the face, for she had realized that it was his ability to cast spells that had disrupted her performance.
The offended violinist left Adornia, and for a while, all trace of her was lost. When she had finally reappeared in the Dokht Imperium, it was, to the surprise of many, as a hero. She hadn't forgotten what she had learned in Adornia, and she established the first conservatory in the Imperium, which, besides regular musicians, would also train Bard-heroes. The hero yearns to take on the Adornians in battle and find out whose strings are stronger and whose hands are more skilled.

Talents

Icon	Talent	Type	Cost	Level	Mana Cost	Cooldown	Description
	Inspiration	Passive	0	0	0	0	The color of the notes around the Bard/Muse hints at which talent should be used. For using the selected talent, the Bard/Muse receives 10 and 1 Inspiration, which can be stacked up to 20 times.
	Battle Song	Active	300	0	130	8	Deals 83-734 damage over 4 sec. to the 3 closest enemies. Bonus: When used on Native Terrain, this talent affects 10 targets.
	Song of Silence	Passive	290	1	0	0	The Battle Song talent prevents its targets from using talents for 1 sec. Required Level 4 Upgrades the Battle Song talent
	Song of Triumph	Active	300	0	150	8	Upon activation, allied heroes nearby receive 3-28 to Strength or Intellect, whichever is greater (based on Cunning) for 7 sec.
	Slow Rhythm	Passive	290	1	0	0	Attacks from a hero under the Song of Triumph's effect reduce enemies' Speed by 30% for 3 seconds Required Level 4 Upgrades the Song of Triumph talent
	Song of Defense	Active	300	0	80	8	When activated, hero and surrounding allied heroes, for 3 seconds, receive a shield which is able to absorb 88-776 damage (based on Cunning) for the hero and 63-558 damage (based on Cunning) for allies. Bonus: When this talent is activated on Native Terrain, the Bard/Muse recovers 48-423 Health (based on Intellect).
	Energy of Sound	Passive	290	1	0	0	Once the Song of Defense talent expires, the Bard recovers 36-269 Energy (based on Cunning or Intellect, whichever is greater) for each salvaged shield, but not more than two. Required Level 4 Upgrades the Song of Defense talent
	Magic Melody	Active	540	2	370	120	For 7 seconds, summons to the selected location a violin, which creates a visibility zone around itself and inflicts 21-132 damage (based on Cunning and Inspiration) and 10-83 damage on nearby enemies every second. Required Level 8
	Magic Violin	Passive	560	3	0	0	The Magic Melody can be used at an increased distance and the conjured violin repeats songs performed by the Bard/Muse. Required Level 12 Upgrades the Magic Melody talent

Skins

Default Skin Free	Drummer Skin 99 Gold

Trivia

• Bard has the highest starting cunning of all heroes (60 cunning).
• Her Drummer skin resembles the Uniform of the Dutch 8th Militia Battalion.
• She shares a battalion skin theme with the Marksman.