Bardsong: the Myths of Tanicus Wikia

## Welcome to the Bardsong: the Myths of Tanicus Wikia

### What is Tanicus?

   The world of Tanicus is a *Dungeons & Dragons* campaign world born in the computer lab of Cumberland County College in Vineland, New Jersey sometime around the beginning of November 1991. Coming off the high of our Halloween "Ravenloft" one-shot, it became apparent that a new D&D campaign was going to happen. The group could not reach consensus on a game world, different players wanted different specific flavors for their favorite classes from their favorite worlds... and from that, the first concepts and maps of what would become the "Bardsong" world were born.
Originally called "Avalon" with three colleges of magic for good, neutral, and evil wizards, a mishmash of gods from published worlds (and a smattering of *Deities and* Demigods), a strict kingdom called Karynn ruled by paladins, and a collection of City-States to the north named after stops on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (some of which still bear those names) that was culturally similar to the Moonshaes of the Forgotten Realms, the world served its purpose: bringing a group of friends together around a table to roll dice, roleplay, and save an imaginary world.

When I moved away to attend a four-year college, all of those game notes and maps went with me. Being an introvert, a nerd, and insanely shy around new people at the time, I had difficulty finding a group of gamers at my new school, so I got my gaming fix by revisiting those notes, redesigning the maps, and fleshing out the world for my eventual return home. It was in the basement lounge of Founders Hall at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania that the name "Tanicus" first appeared, the colleges of wizardry became the Cabal of the Great Art, and Shar and Karynn became Seawyn and Kæryn. Patchwork stories of ruined cities and summaries of past adventures became a tapestry of history, and a world was born anew.

I eventually found a group of gamers at my new school and the first new adventures were played out in this new world. As we played, I made a few tweaks here and there, always using the story of current campaign to justify those changes in the continuity of the world. It became a tradition that every new campaign would somehow change the face of Tanicus forever... a tradition that still continues as D&D publishes new editions and players have new ideas of what they want from a game world. Since I love worldbuilding more than pretty much anything else about running games, I foresee the trend continuing well into the future.

The game world has long existed in the *Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, 2nd Edition* and *Dungeons and Dragons 3.5* framework. When adapting it to Wizards of the Coast's *Dungeons and Dragons, 5th Edition*, I sought to retain that flavor, so not all of the player options available in the core books are necessarily available in Tanicus.

Tanicus is a world of epic heroes and terrible villains, where vile plots span the continent and history is forever impacted by the deeds of its protectors. Players take the role of those special few destined to stand against the forces of darkness in quests to protect the world they live in, defend the helpless, and overcome the horrific schemes of evil adversaries that seek power for their own despicable purposes.

## Categories

> *Note: Parts of this wiki are under construction or revision as one story ends and a new story begins...*
>
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* Races
* Religion
	+ Evil - the Four Great Sins
* World and Regional Information
	+ The World of Tanicus
	+ Locations
	+ Languages
	+ Commerce
	+ Organizations
* History
* Characters
* Rules
	+ Classes
	+ Bardsong Grimoire

The World of Tanicus Map by Kate Moody, [1]

## Copyright Notice

Tanicus, Ceilar, and the rest of the *Bardsong* universe are part of a long-running *Dungeons and Dragons* game spanning four editions of the game. Game-related information on this wiki will only be given if it is altered or unique from that published by *Wizards of the Coast*. No copyrighted material is permitted for use on this Wikia, unless specifically permitted by *Wizards of the Coast*, such as the fair-use 'Fan Site' graphics they give out on their website.

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