Bard Backstory Generator: Craft, Road and One Famous Night

Press New backstory for a bard's training, craft, rival, best night and the keepsake they carry.

Bard Backstory Generator: Craft, Road and One Famous Night: 30 backstories

Learned the craft from a mother who rhymed the shopping list. Performs riddles that take a week to answer. Took to the road to find a singer for a tune written for two. Rival or patron: an act that is always booked for the bigger room. Still remembered for a song that the next valley swears is theirs. Keeps a handbill from the show that made them start.

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Learned the craftfrom a mother who rhymed the shopping list
Performsriddles that take a week to answer
Took to the roadto find a singer for a tune written for two
Rival or patronan act that is always booked for the bigger room
Remembered fora song that the next valley swears is theirs
Keepsa handbill from the show that made them start

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Learned the craft from a mother who rhymed the shopping list. Performs riddles that take a week to answer. Took to the road to find a singer for a tune written for two. Rival or patron: an act that is always booked for the bigger room. Still remembered for a song that the next valley swears is theirs. Keeps a handbill from the show that made them start.
Learned the craft from a mother who rhymed the shopping list. Performs pieces for a harp small enough to carry. Took to the road with a rival's best tune stuck in their head. Rival or patron: a dog that howls on the high notes. Still remembered for a line that judges now quote without knowing why. Keeps a whistle a listener carved during a slow song.
Learned the craft copying songbooks for a collector who never sang. Performs duets with whoever happens to be there. Took to the road because the landlord stopped taking songs as rent. Rival or patron: a notebook of verses too true to perform. Still remembered for out-singing a storm. Keeps a pebble from outside every hall they filled.
Learned the craft from an uncle who told one story for forty years. Performs news in rhyme, a day behind the news. Took to the road to return an instrument to someone's grandchild. Rival or patron: a piper who plays over them from the next field. Still remembered for a high note that cracked a window and ended a quarrel. Keeps the first reed they ever split.
Learned the craft during a winter indoors with one book of poems. Performs slow airs on a guitar with a patched top. Took to the road because a teacher's knees gave out and the route did not. Rival or patron: a songbird that upstages every outdoor show. Still remembered for a ballad that other bards refuse to follow. Keeps the first hat they ever passed round, now too small.
Learned the craft pumping the bellows for an organist. Performs riddles that take a week to answer. Took to the road after one request too many to stop humming. Rival or patron: a wagon wheel that squeaks in the wrong key. Still remembered for the night the whole inn went silent. Keeps the hush of one particular cellar, visited yearly.
Learned the craft from rain on different roofs. Performs lute songs about other people's troubles. Took to the road when a storm closed the road home and opened another. Rival or patron: a printer who sells their words without asking. Still remembered for a verse made on the spot for a shy apprentice. Keeps a cloak lined with pockets for props.
Learned the craft from a grandfather who drummed on every table. Performs fiddle reels at a speed that worries the fiddle. Took to the road because the coach left with their instrument on it. Rival or patron: the one town that did not laugh. Still remembered for forgetting the words and inventing better ones. Keeps a drumstick with somebody else's initials.
Learned the craft from a bell-maker who judged notes with a fingertip. Performs weather forecasts, sung, and usually wrong. Took to the road because a teacher's knees gave out and the route did not. Rival or patron: an instrument that goes out of tune when praised. Still remembered for a lullaby that sent a rowdy crowd home to bed. Keeps a spare string wound round the wrist.
Learned the craft from an old instrument that already knew the tunes. Performs lute songs about other people's troubles. Took to the road to outrun a nickname. Rival or patron: a retired general who only wants marches. Still remembered for playing through a thunderstorm without noticing. Keeps a thimble a seamstress swore was lucky.
Learned the craft by mishearing every song and keeping the mistakes. Performs shawm fanfares loud enough for a field. Took to the road because the coach left with their instrument on it. Rival or patron: a drum skin that hates the damp. Still remembered for an insult so neat its target had it framed. Keeps a prompt card for a line they always forget.
Learned the craft from a father who whistled while he mended nets. Performs puppet shows with two puppets and nine voices. Took to the road to learn a song from every town with a bridge. Rival or patron: their own first song, which everyone still prefers. Still remembered for a duet with a donkey that was not planned. Keeps a debt to a song they have not written yet.
Learned the craft from a ghost story they were too scared to stop telling. Performs the spoons, with total seriousness. Took to the road because the only other musician was better. Rival or patron: the shadow of a parent who was better known. Still remembered for a tune now whistled by people who never heard them. Keeps a rhyming dictionary with one page worn through.
Learned the craft from a father who whistled while he mended nets. Performs news in rhyme, a day behind the news. Took to the road because a child asked what was past the hill. Rival or patron: a rival act booked for the same night and stage. Still remembered for music that set the washing lines swaying in time. Keeps a pebble from outside every hall they filled.
Learned the craft from a troupe of players that left without them. Performs insult verse to order. Took to the road to trade stories for stories until they have them all. Rival or patron: a baby with perfect comic timing. Still remembered for a verse made on the spot for a shy apprentice. Keeps the bell from a jester's cap, origin unknown.
Learned the craft from a music box with one tune and a slipping gear. Performs one long tune that changes with each town. Took to the road chasing word of a hall with a perfect sound. Rival or patron: a songbird that upstages every outdoor show. Still remembered for a song that every dog in town joined. Keeps a stick of greasepaint worn to a stub.
Learned the craft from rain on different roofs. Performs duets with their own echo. Took to the road after a ballad named one name too many. Rival or patron: a memory that drops the third verse. Still remembered for a song for a couple married sixty years. Keeps a rhyming dictionary with one page worn through.
Learned the craft in a town choir, until the solo went elsewhere. Performs bird calls, eleven species so far. Took to the road after outgrowing every stage at home. Rival or patron: a widow who asks for the same dance each spring. Still remembered for a ballad that got a bridge repaired. Keeps a map with the good audiences circled.
Learned the craft from a music box with one tune and a slipping gear. Performs tunes on a comb and paper. Took to the road after a verse about the mayor went too well. Rival or patron: a wagon wheel that squeaks in the wrong key. Still remembered for a line that judges now quote without knowing why. Keeps a bow hair pressed in a book as a marker.
Learned the craft as the back legs of a pantomime horse. Performs duets with their own echo. Took to the road after being hired by mistake for a distant wedding. Rival or patron: a songbird that upstages every outdoor show. Still remembered for a ballad that got a bridge repaired. Keeps a handbill from the show that made them start.
Learned the craft from a troupe of players that left without them. Performs ghost stories with a candle under the chin. Took to the road because every town deserves one loud evening a year. Rival or patron: a piper who plays over them from the next field. Still remembered for forgetting the words and inventing better ones. Keeps a list of towns, each with one word beside it.
Learned the craft after a dream they have been writing down since. Performs stories that stop one line before the end. Took to the road chasing word of a hall with a perfect sound. Rival or patron: a stage name more famous than they are. Still remembered for a farewell song that made a whole dock miss the tide. Keeps a list of towns, each with one word beside it.
Learned the craft from shepherds calling across a valley. Performs insult verse to order. Took to the road when a storm closed the road home and opened another. Rival or patron: a voice that leaves for a week each winter. Still remembered for a show given from a rooftop during a flood. Keeps a pebble from outside every hall they filled.
Learned the craft by repeating everything a town crier said. Performs silences, timed and bowed for. Took to the road so a sister could keep the shop. Rival or patron: bad weather that follows the tour like a fan. Still remembered for an insult so neat its target had it framed. Keeps a broken string from every instrument they have owned.
Learned the craft during a winter indoors with one book of poems. Performs the spoons, with total seriousness. Took to the road to sing a friend's songs where the friend cannot go. Rival or patron: a notebook of verses too true to perform. Still remembered for singing a lost child back to the right door. Keeps a letter of introduction to a hall that burned down.
Learned the craft out of boredom on a long sheep watch. Performs wedding marches, always a little too fast. Took to the road with a rival's best tune stuck in their head. Rival or patron: a stage name more famous than they are. Still remembered for the song that ended a ten-year silence between brothers. Keeps a handkerchief somebody wept into and gave back.
Learned the craft from a dancing master who needed a drummer. Performs puppet shows with two puppets and nine voices. Took to the road when a patron wanted the same song forever. Rival or patron: a songbird that upstages every outdoor show. Still remembered for the tune that calmed a horse on a narrow bridge. Keeps a mouthpiece worn to the shape of their teeth.
Learned the craft in a household where supper was sung for. Performs old dances on a borrowed accordion. Took to the road to carry news between two villages that do not speak. Rival or patron: a promise never to play the old way again. Still remembered for the night their shadow kept better time than they did. Keeps a prompt card for a line they always forget.
Learned the craft by standing on a box at the family's market stall. Performs bedtime stories for rooms full of grown-ups. Took to the road to carry news between two villages that do not speak. Rival or patron: a mimic who performs their act more neatly. Still remembered for an audience of crows that stayed to the end. Keeps a false nose they have never needed.
Learned the craft at a music school they could not afford to finish. Performs a single very long joke. Took to the road because a map on the wall had always bothered them. Rival or patron: a countess who pays in advice. Still remembered for the evening the stage gave way one plank at a time. Keeps a jar of applause, or so they tell children.

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Learned the craft: all 60 trainings

In the family 12

by losing every bedtime argument in rhyme Arms folded, chin up: the pose of someone about to rhyme their way out.
by standing on a box at the family's market stall A voice trained to carry over haggling. Show the box, kept and battered.
by turning pages for an older sister at the keys One hand hovers near any open book, ready.

Show all 60 trainings (57 more)

In the family, continued

from a cousin who taught only the funny verses Grinning before the punchline. They have never learned to hide it.
from a father who whistled while he mended nets Fingers that still knot the air when a tune gets tricky.
from a grandfather who drummed on every table Fingertips flattened from knocking wood.
from a grandmother who sang at every wedding in town Same wide stance, same hand on the chest. Draw them side by side forty years apart.
from a mother who rhymed the shopping list A scrap of paper in the hatband: eggs, legs, pegs.
from a stepmother who had been on the stage once A bow far too grand for the room, learned in a kitchen.
from an aunt who tuned bells for a living A head tilted to one side, listening for the overtone.
from an uncle who told one story for forty years They can tell it in his voice, down to the cough before the ending.
in a household where supper was sung for A fork held like a tuning fork. They hum before they eat.

Schooled and apprenticed 12

as a prompter hidden under a stage Lips move along with anyone else's speech.
as apprentice to a puppet troupe One hand always slightly raised, as if a puppet were still on it.
as the back legs of a pantomime horse Bends at the waist a little too easily. Never minds not being seen.
at a music school they could not afford to finish Half a certificate. The torn edge is kept in the instrument case.
at a school for heralds, where volume counted A chest that fills like a sail before the first word.
behind the big drum in a parade band They still step off on the left foot when music starts.
carrying instruments for better players Strong shoulders and a habit of setting things down gently.
copying songbooks for a collector who never sang Ink on the fingers and a neat hand even in a hurry.
from a dancing master who needed a drummer Watches feet, not faces, to find the beat of a room.
in a town choir, until the solo went elsewhere Standing one step forward of a row that is no longer there.
pumping the bellows for an organist Forearms like a baker and a sense of rhythm from the lever.
under a master who allowed one note a week Enormous patience, and a first note that is perfect.

Self-taught 12

alone, from a songbook with half its pages gone Every tune they know has a gap they filled in themselves.
by ear, outside the window of a music lesson A crouch under a sill, chin on the knees, eyes shut.
by echo, shouting verses into a quarry A pause after every line, waiting for the reply.
by mishearing every song and keeping the mistakes A crowd singing one word while they cheerfully sing another.
by playing a fence with a stick until it sang A stick tucked in the belt beside the real instrument.
by repeating everything a town crier said Clear, slow and slightly too loud for indoors.
during a winter indoors with one book of poems The book is in a coat pocket, soft as cloth.
from birds, and it shows in the high notes Head thrown back, throat long, like a wren on a post.
from the rhythm of a mill wheel Everything they play turns over at the same steady pace.
on an instrument found in a flooded cellar The wood is warped. So is their idea of how it should sound.
out of boredom on a long sheep watch A crook in one hand, a whistle in the other, sheep unimpressed.
to win an argument with a sibling, then kept going A pointing finger mid-verse, aimed at nobody now.

On the road 12

at a horse fair, trading verses for meals A bowl in one hand and an audience of dealers leaning on a rail.
from a fiddler who knew a song for every road Two figures walking, one bow sawing the air to mark the miles.
from a one-person band who needed a rest Cymbals between the knees are harder than they look. Draw the bruise.
from a rival who taught them by mocking them One raised eyebrow, borrowed and never given back.
from a storyteller who paid them to carry her drum The drum strap has worn a pale line across one shoulder.
from a troupe of players that left without them A handful of costumes that do not match and a part in every play.
from a walker who sang to stay awake A steady stride and a tune that fits it exactly.
from sailors, one verse for every port Verses tied on a cord like knots, counted off with a thumb.
from shepherds calling across a valley Hands cupped to the mouth and a note thrown like a stone.
in the line for a river crossing that took a month A crowd on a bank with nothing to do but listen.
on a barge whose pilot hated silence Sitting on the cabin roof, feet swinging, the bank sliding by.
round the cooking fires of a wintering circus Firelight from below and a strongman keeping time on a pot.

Stranger teachers 12

after a dream they have been writing down since A notebook by the bed and a pencil on a string.
by accident, covering for an actor with hiccups Pushed on from the wings, one arm still reaching back.
by answering an owl, and being answered A dark branch, two round eyes and a very small listener below.
from a bell-maker who judged notes with a fingertip One finger laid against the instrument, feeling for the hum.
from a ghost story they were too scared to stop telling Wide eyes, quick words, a blanket worn as a cape.
from a kettle that whistled a better tune each morning A kettle on a hob and a figure leaning in with a hand behind one ear.
from a music box with one tune and a slipping gear They still play that tune with the same small stumble.
from a songbird that only knew one tune A cage with its door open and a bird that stayed anyway.
from a songbook in a language they cannot read Sung by shape and guesswork, with great feeling.
from an old instrument that already knew the tunes Holding it at arm's length with respect and a little suspicion.
from rain on different roofs Sitting under an eave with a row of pots set out to catch notes.
from the town clock, which taught them to count bars They glance up at any tower before starting.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Each entry is one teacher or one accident, so a second figure or a place can stand in the drawing beside the bard. The page's use of the word (a bard made up verse and sang or recited it for a patron) was checked on 2026-09-30 against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bard. The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

Performs: all 60 crafts

Strings and keys 12

drone songs over one held note On a hurdy-gurdy the drone strings hold that note. Show a still left hand.
duets with whoever happens to be there Two players, one confident, one handed an instrument a moment ago.
fiddle reels at a speed that worries the fiddle Blur the bow arm and keep the face perfectly calm.

Show all 60 crafts (57 more)

Strings and keys, continued

hurdy-gurdy tunes for dancing One hand cranks a wheel that rubs the strings. Draw that elbow mid-turn.
lullabies on anything with strings Playing a washing line. A baby in the scene is already asleep.
lute songs about other people's troubles A lute has a deep round back. It sits against the ribs like a held melon.
old dances on a borrowed accordion Straps let out to the last hole. It belongs to someone larger.
one long tune that changes with each town A notebook of the same melody written twenty slightly different ways.
pieces for a harp small enough to carry The harp rests on one knee. Fingers on both sides of the strings.
requests, unless it is the sad one A hand raised in the crowd and the bard already shaking their head.
slow airs on a guitar with a patched top Show the patch: a square of paler wood near the sound hole.
wedding marches, always a little too fast A couple hurrying down an aisle to keep up.

Wind and drums 12

a drum roll that takes a full minute to arrive The crowd leaning forward by degrees.
a horn call that carries a mile Seen from a mile off: a tiny figure and birds lifting from the trees.
bagpipe tunes, outdoors, by popular demand The audience stands well back. Draw the gap.
bird calls, eleven species so far Hands cupped at the mouth and a tree full of confused birds.
duets on two pipes, one in each corner of the mouth Eyes crossed slightly with the effort.
flute pieces copied from birds A bird on the end of the flute, checking the work.
frame drum rhythms for walking to A frame drum is wide and shallow. One hand holds it, the other plays.
marching beats on a drum bigger than they are Only the hat and the sticks show above the rim.
rhythms on whatever the kitchen has Pots hung by size from a pole across the shoulders.
shawm fanfares loud enough for a field A shawm is a double-reed pipe. Cheeks out, bell of the pipe raised high.
the spoons, with total seriousness Formal posture, formal bow, two soup spoons.
tin whistle jigs Elbows in, fingers flying, one foot off the ground.

Voice and verse 12

a single very long joke The audience at minute nine: half asleep, half on the edge of the bench.
epics, one chapter an evening The same listeners in the same seats, a night older each panel.
insult verse to order A contest of insults in verse is a flyting. One finger points, one hand takes the fee.
laments for small losses: a hat, a button Deep mourning pose, tiny object held up to the light.
news in rhyme, a day behind the news Standing on a barrel with yesterday's paper folded under one arm.
praise songs for whoever is paying The patron sits up straighter with each verse.
riddles that take a week to answer A crowd frowning at the sky while the bard packs up.
rounds that the whole room has to finish Conducting three tables at once with both arms and a nod.
tongue-twisters at rising speed Sweat on the brow and a metronome hand in the front row.
unaccompanied ballads A ballad is a story in verse. Draw empty hands and a mouth wide open.
verses made up from the crowd's shouts Three hands in the air and a bard pointing at the strangest one.
work songs for jobs they have never done Hauling an invisible rope with great conviction.

Stories and shows 12

a play they wrote at twelve and never fixed Wooden sword, paper crown, lines delivered with adult gravity.
bedtime stories for rooms full of grown-ups Tired carters in nightcaps, chins on fists.
fables in which the fox is clearly the mayor The mayor in the front row, not laughing.
ghost stories with a candle under the chin Underlit face, long nose shadow, children delighted.
histories of whichever town they are in, mostly true Pointing at a real building with total authority.
impressions of the last town for the next one Shoulders hunched as a well-known baker two valleys back.
mime, to the relief of the back rows Trapped in an invisible box, glancing out to check it is working.
one-person plays, changing hats for each part A stack of hats on the floor and one in mid-air.
puppet shows with two puppets and nine voices Head down inside the booth, mouth doing all the work.
recitations with far too many gestures Six arms' worth of motion lines on a two-armed figure.
shadow plays behind a bedsheet Light from behind, hands making a wolf, feet visible under the sheet.
stories that stop one line before the end Walking off as a whole crowd rises to its feet in protest.

Stranger acts 12

a song for each customer's name Leaning down to ask a child how it is spelled.
changes rung on a rack of mismatched bells A cowbell, a doorbell and a ship's bell on one frame.
duets with their own echo Facing a cliff, one hand raised for the echo's turn.
lists set to music: cargo, laws, a menu Singing from a chalkboard with real feeling.
music from water glasses filled to different heights Wet fingertips on a row of rims, tongue between the teeth.
the same song in a different mood each night A calendar of faces: cheerful Monday, furious Tuesday.
saw music with a bow and a bent blade The saw gripped between the knees, the blade curved like an S.
silences, timed and bowed for A deep bow to a room in which nothing has happened.
songs sung backward on request Reading from a sheet held up to a mirror.
tunes on a comb and paper The smallest instrument in the family, played with a soloist's pride.
weather forecasts, sung, and usually wrong Singing of sunshine with rain running off the hat.
whistled tunes in two notes at once Lips to one side. A dog in the scene has both ears up.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, September 2026. The instruments and forms that hints describe were checked on 2026-09-30 against their Wikipedia articles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy-gurdy (a string instrument sounded by a hand-cranked wheel that rubs the strings, with drone strings), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lute (a necked string instrument, plucked, with a deep round back), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawm (a conical double-reed woodwind), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frame_drum (a drum whose head is wider than the drum is deep), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballad (verse, often a story set to music) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flyting (a contest of insults, often in verse). The staging notes are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

Took to the road: all 60 reasons

Leaving home 12

after a review in verse from their own mother A letter with the corners pinned, read on a milestone.
after one request too many to stop humming A whole household with fingers in their ears at breakfast.
after outgrowing every stage at home A barn door with a chalked height mark far below their head.

Show all 60 reasons (57 more)

Leaving home, continued

because a map on the wall had always bothered them A finger tracing a road off the edge of the paper.
because standing still made the tunes go flat Playing while walking backward out of a doorway.
because the only other musician was better Two instrument cases at a crossroads. One is walking away.
the morning the family instrument became theirs A case too big for the back that carries it.
to find the second verse of a song they half know Humming the first verse at every stranger, hopefully.
to learn a song from every town with a bridge A notched stick, one notch for each bridge crossed.
to see whether the songs were true Standing in front of an ordinary hill that a ballad made enormous.
when the choir master suggested somewhere far away A gently pointing arm and a very long road.
when the town had heard all their songs twice A square of polite faces mouthing along a beat early.

Debts and trouble 12

after a ballad named one name too many A crossed-out line in the songbook, pressed hard.
after a prank with the town bell and a goat The goat is in the belfry. Nobody is sure how.
after a verse about the mayor went too well A crowd still singing it as they leave by the back lane.
after winning a contest they were only meant to judge Holding the trophy like something hot.
because a contest of verses ended in a draw Two bards walking off in opposite directions, each looking back.
because a rhyme was mistaken for a promise An eager family on a doorstep holding a ring cushion.
because the landlord stopped taking songs as rent A ledger with tunes listed in the payments column.
one step ahead of an unpaid instrument maker A bill tucked in the strings, unpaid and unread.
to outrun a nickname Hat low, collar up, and a child three towns on already shouting it.
to return an instrument to someone's grandchild Two cases on one back. Only one is ever opened.
when a patron wanted the same song forever A music stand with one sheet nailed to it.
with a rival's best tune stuck in their head Fingers playing it on a table against their will.

Chasing something 12

after a troupe whose wagon tracks they still follow Kneeling at a fork in the road, reading ruts.
chasing word of a hall with a perfect sound Running up a valley with the instrument bouncing on their back.
following a tune heard once through a wall An ear pressed to plaster and a pencil moving fast.
for one festival, years ago, and never turned back A faded festival ribbon still tied to the case.
in search of a crowd that does not clap politely Arms spread to a room that is stamping its feet.
looking for whoever taught them the first song A drawing of a face from memory, shown at every inn.
to collect the ends of old songs before they go Sitting beside the oldest person in each town with a notebook.
to find out who writes the songs nobody claims A songbook with the name line left blank on every page.
to hear how the sea sounds, and then kept walking Boots off at the tide line, instrument held clear of the spray.
to learn what people sing where nobody knows home A crowd teaching them a chorus with big, slow gestures.
to play in the one hall their teacher never reached A door seen from far down a street, lit from inside.
to trade stories for stories until they have them all A sack marked with other people's place names.

By accident 12

after a wrong turn at a crossroads with good acoustics Singing at a signpost with four blank arms.
after being hired by mistake for a distant wedding Reading the invitation again in the back of a cart, puzzled.
as a stand-in for one night that became a season A costume cut for somebody taller, hemmed with pins.
as the only passenger on a boat with no rudder Playing in the bow as the bank slides past at the river's choosing.
because the applause came from the next valley A hand shading the eyes toward a ridge.
because the coach left with their instrument on it Running after a coach with one arm out and a bow in the other hand.
by falling asleep in a players' wagon Waking under a pile of costumes with a town they do not know outside.
by following a parade past the edge of town The last houses behind and a drum still going ahead.
on a dare that nobody remembered to call off A scrap of paper with three signatures and a date long gone.
when a storm closed the road home and opened another A fallen tree one way and a rainbow the other.
when the river took the bridge and the crowd was across it Wading with the instrument held overhead.
when the stage they stood on turned out to be a cart Still mid-bow as the cart pulls away.

For someone else 12

because a child asked what was past the hill Looking back from the hilltop at a very small waving figure.
because a teacher's knees gave out and the route did not Walking an old circuit with someone else's stick.
because every town deserves one loud evening a year Arriving at dusk with every shutter on the street opening.
so a sister could keep the shop A shop sign glimpsed over the shoulder, getting smaller.
so that somebody would remember a town under a lake Singing at a shoreline to nothing but water.
to bring one song home to a grandmother A tune wrapped in a handkerchief, so to speak. Draw the careful hands.
to carry news between two villages that do not speak Standing on a boundary stone, facing one way and then the other.
to find a singer for a tune written for two Half a duet, played with the pauses left in.
to finish the circuit of a troupe that is now only them Setting out five stools before a show and sitting on one.
to pay for a brother's schooling out of a hat Coins counted into two piles, the larger pushed aside.
to play at every wedding of a very large family A list of cousins as long as an arm, half ticked.
to sing a friend's songs where the friend cannot go Two names on the songbook, theirs written second.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Each reason is a small one: a debt, a dare, a tune half heard. None is a tragedy, so any of them can sit beside any training or keepsake on the page. The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

Rival or patron: all 60 patrons and rivals

Patrons 12

a baker who names loaves after their songs A shop window of bread with name cards: the Lament, the Reel.
a child with one coin and firm tastes Arms folded in the front row, coin held up between two fingers.
a clockmaker who sets their tunes into music boxes A workbench of tiny combs and cylinders, one playing.

Show all 60 patrons and rivals (57 more)

Patrons, continued

a countess who pays in advice She leans from a carriage window mid-sentence. The purse stays shut.
a judge who hums along in court A gavel paused in the air and a clerk hiding a smile.
a merchant who buys every song and plays none A locked cabinet of sheet music with a glass front.
a retired general who only wants marches Boots tapping under a blanket, medals pinned to a dressing gown.
a ship's captain who wants a song for every port A chart with notes of music written beside the anchorages.
a society of twelve who agree on nothing but them A long table of people glaring at each other and clapping.
a town that keeps a room for them and never says why A bed made up, a window open, a card on the pillow.
a widow who asks for the same dance each spring She dances it alone with one arm held out.
an innkeeper who pays in soup and opinions A bowl pushed across a counter with one finger raised.

Rivals 12

a child prodigy, eight years old and merciless Standing on a chair to reach the same height, grinning.
a critic who follows the tour by coach A notebook, a pencil licked to a point, a seat by the aisle.
a former partner who kept the good songs Half a duo. The poster has been cut down the middle.
a mimic who performs their act more neatly Their own gestures, done back at them with the corners tidied.
a piper who plays over them from the next field Two crowds back to back and a low hedge between.
a poet who answers every verse with a better one A folded paper arriving by messenger before the applause ends.
a printer who sells their words without asking A stall of song sheets with no name at the bottom.
a singer two towns ahead who uses their name Arriving to find their own poster already up, already old.
a songbird that upstages every outdoor show On the highest branch, mid-solo, with the audience looking up.
a twin with the better voice Same face, same hat, a slightly bigger crowd.
an act that is always booked for the bigger room Two doors: one with a line outside, one with theirs.
an old teacher who still corrects them from the crowd One raised finger in the third row.

The crowd 12

a baby with perfect comic timing One shriek, placed exactly on the punchline.
a back row that only came in from the rain Dripping coats, steam rising, attention slowly caught.
a crowd that will not go home Dawn at the windows and somebody calling for one more.
a dog that howls on the high notes Nose up, eyes shut, more committed than the bard.
a front row that knows the words and says them early Mouths open half a beat ahead of the singer's.
a heckler who turns up in every town Same hat, same seat, same folded arms, different wallpaper.
a listener who weeps at the cheerful ones A handkerchief out during a jig.
a regular who requests songs that do not exist The bard inventing one on the spot, eyes on the ceiling.
a town that only claps for the encore Silent faces, then one enormous roar at the end.
a village that asks for the song they refuse to sing A banner with the title on it. They pretend not to read it.
an audience of one who sits through every show A single figure in an empty hall, coat on, smiling.
children who demand the puppet and nothing else Small fists drumming the edge of the stage.

Troubles of the trade 12

a drum skin that hates the damp Holding the drum to a fire and tapping it hopefully.
a guild that fines rhymes made without a permit An inspector with a clipboard at the edge of the crowd.
a memory that drops the third verse A hand frozen in the air where the third verse should start.
a publisher who wants everything shorter A page of verse with all but two lines struck out.
a rival act booked for the same night and stage Two acts setting up from opposite wings, not looking.
a stage manager who dims the lights early The bard finishing a song in the dark, still bowing.
a troupe leader who pays in next month's promises A purse opened to show a folded note.
a voice that leaves for a week each winter A scarf to the eyes and a slate hung round the neck for talking.
a wagon wheel that squeaks in the wrong key Tuning the instrument to the wheel, defeated.
an agent who has never once found the right town A signpost, a map and an apologetic shrug.
an instrument that goes out of tune when praised A compliment in the air and a string visibly slackening.
bad weather that follows the tour like a fan One small cloud above the wagon on an otherwise clear day.

Their own past 12

a mentor whose style they cannot shake A second pair of hands drawn faintly over their own.
a notebook of verses too true to perform Held shut with string. The string has been retied many times.
a perfect performance nobody saw An empty barn, a held last pose, dust in a shaft of light.
a promise never to play the old way again Left hand tied behind the back with a ribbon.
a reputation for a song they did not write Taking the bow anyway, eyes sliding sideways.
a stage name more famous than they are Standing unnoticed under a banner with the name on it.
a tune in their head that will not finish Six bars written out and a seventh rubbed thin.
the memory of a better singer in every hall Looking up at the rafters before starting.
the one town that did not laugh A pin stuck in a map, hard.
the shadow of a parent who was better known A poster in the background with the same surname in bigger type.
their own first song, which everyone still prefers Playing it for the thousandth time with a professional smile.
tomorrow night's audience, already expecting more A handbill promising something they have not invented yet.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, September 2026. A performer is shaped by who pays and who competes, so each entry is one such figure, or a crowd, or the bard's own past. Nobody here is cruel. The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

Remembered for: all 60 performances

The night it went wrong 12

a duet with a donkey that was not planned The donkey's head through the window, perfectly on the beat.
a high note that cracked a window and ended a quarrel Two people at a table looking at the same pane.
a solo to an empty room that was full by the end Three panels: one chair filled, then ten, then no floor to be seen.

Show all 60 performances (57 more)

The night it went wrong, continued

a song that got the landlord to forgive the bill A slate wiped clean with a sleeve and a sniff.
an encore that lasted until breakfast The cook arriving for work through a room of sleeping listeners.
the evening the stage gave way one plank at a time Standing on the last board, still playing.
falling off the stage in time with the music Mid-air, instrument held safely above the head.
forgetting the words and inventing better ones Eyes to the ceiling for one beat, then a grin.
the night the whole inn went silent Spoons stopped halfway to mouths. Draw the stillness, not the singer.
playing through a thunderstorm without noticing Hair on end, rain sideways, audience under the tables.
starting the wrong play and finishing it anyway Fellow actors frozen in costume for a different story.
the wedding where the wrong song was requested A bride mid-step, a groom mid-wince, the bard already committed.

The night it went right 12

a ballad that got a bridge repaired Carpenters at work while the bard watches from the bank, arms folded.
a farewell song that made a whole dock miss the tide Boats still tied up and sailors wiping their eyes on their caps.
a joke that crossed the country faster than they did Arriving in a new town to hear their own punchline.
a lullaby that sent a rowdy crowd home to bed A square emptying on tiptoe.
a verse the mayor had carved over a door A stone lintel with one line on it and a chisel still on the step.
getting two feuding families to share a chorus A line down the middle of a hall and one song crossing it.
holding one note until the sun came up A long horizontal line across the drawing, from night into day.
making a tax collector laugh A stern face cracking, pen dropped, ink spreading on the ledger.
out-singing a storm Mouth open against the wind, coat streaming, clouds giving up at the edges.
playing every part when the troupe missed the coach One figure, five hats, a great deal of running.
the song that ended a ten-year silence between brothers Two old men on one bench, not looking at each other, both humming.
teaching a whole market to sing in three parts Fish stalls on the low part, cloth sellers on the high.

The strange ones 12

a concert for one cow, at the farmer's request The cow chews. The farmer nods along from the gate.
a puppet show in which the puppet took the bow The puppet bows to the left. The bard, behind, looks surprised.
a show given from a rooftop during a flood Listeners in rowing boats, oars shipped.
a silence so long that somebody applauded it One pair of hands clapping in a frozen room.
a song that every dog in town joined Roofs, doorways and carts, each with a dog and an open mouth.
a song that the wind finished A sheet of music lifting off the stand, the bard letting it go.
a story told across a river by shouting Two banks, two crowds and hands cupped round every mouth.
a tune that set the tower bells humming Bells shown with small shake lines and nobody near the ropes.
an audience of crows that stayed to the end A fence rail of birds, heads tilted the same way.
music that set the washing lines swaying in time Shirts on three lines all leaning the same way.
the night their shadow kept better time than they did A shadow on the back wall with its foot tapping a beat ahead.
playing so quietly the whole square leaned in Every figure in the scene bent forward at the same angle.

Small kindnesses 12

a birthday song for a stranger who had told no one A startled face in a corner seat and a candle in a bread roll.
a goodnight sung to a whole street from one doorstep Shutters closing one by one down the row.
a march that got tired walkers over the last hill Seen from behind: a column of packs and one figure playing at the head.
a song for a couple married sixty years Two chairs pushed together and the dance done sitting down.
a tune taught to a sailor who took it overseas A ship leaving and a whistle carrying back across the water.
a verse made on the spot for a shy apprentice Ears going pink at the back of the room.
making a long queue enjoy being a queue A line of people swaying in step, nobody checking the front.
the one request they ever got exactly right An old listener with eyes shut and a hand over the heart.
playing all night under the window of someone unwell A lit window above and a figure on an upturned crate below.
singing a lost child back to the right door A small figure following a tune down a street of identical houses.
the tune that calmed a horse on a narrow bridge One hand on the bridle, the other still fingering the pipe.
turning an argument at a toll gate into a round Three red faces singing in turn while the gate swings open.

What it left behind 12

a ballad that other bards refuse to follow A stage standing empty while performers argue over who goes next.
a chorus that became a town's way of saying hello Two people passing in a street, each singing half a line.
a contest of verses that both sides still claim Two trophies on two mantelpieces in two towns.
a dance step invented by accident and never fixed A whole floor of dancers all stumbling on the same beat.
a line that judges now quote without knowing why A wigged figure mid-sentence, one finger raised.
a rhyme the children still skip rope to A rope at the top of its arc and feet off the ground.
a song that the next valley swears is theirs Two villages on two hills, arms folded at each other.
a tune now whistled by people who never heard them A baker, a carter and a clerk, each mid-whistle, each alone.
an insult so neat its target had it framed The frame hangs over a desk. The target points to it proudly.
the only show that ever sold out a barn Legs dangling from the hayloft, faces at every knothole.
the performance a painter put on a signboard An inn sign with the bard on it, slightly thinner than in life.
three verses that got a pie named after them A chalkboard menu with the title at the top.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Each entry is one evening that can be drawn as a single scene, with the crowd in it. The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

Keeps: all 60 keepsakes

Bits of instruments 12

a bow hair pressed in a book as a marker One long pale line across a page of verse.
a broken string from every instrument they have owned Coiled together in a tin, each tagged with a year.
a drumstick with somebody else's initials Tucked in a boot top, never used.

Show all 60 keepsakes (57 more)

Bits of instruments, continued

a fiddle bridge carved from a kitchen chair Paler than the rest of the instrument and a little too thick.
a mouthpiece worn to the shape of their teeth Nobody else could play it. Draw it close up, with the dents.
a pick cut from a coin The date still shows on one edge.
a spare string wound round the wrist Looks like a bracelet until a string snaps mid-song.
a tuning fork that hums near water Held out over a well with a doubtful look.
a tuning peg from a teacher's fiddle Worn on a cord. They turn it between finger and thumb before a show.
the bell from a jester's cap, origin unknown Sewn inside a cuff where it rings only when they bow.
the first reed they ever split Kept in a matchbox, shown to pupils as a warning.
rosin in a walnut shell Opened with a thumbnail. Amber dust on the fingers.

Paper 12

a contract with a clause about weather One paragraph underlined three times.
a handbill from the show that made them start Soft as cloth, the print almost gone.
a ledger of what each song has earned The saddest song has the longest column.
a letter of introduction to a hall that burned down The seal unbroken. The address is a field now.
a list of towns, each with one word beside it Good. Damp. Goats. Never again.
a map with the good audiences circled Circles cluster along one river and nowhere else.
a playbill with their name spelled wrong Pinned inside the instrument case lid.
a rhyming dictionary with one page worn through You can read the next page through the hole.
a songbook with other people's notes in the margins Five handwritings on one page, arguing.
every bad review, folded small A thick wallet that holds no money at all.
the first verse they ever wrote, shown to no one Folded to the size of a stamp.
the last page of a play nobody finished The speech stops mid-line and the ink trails off.

Given by listeners 12

a button from a patron's coat It matches nothing else they own.
a child's drawing of them with too many arms Proudly glued inside the case, corners curling.
a flower pressed flat by the weight of the songbook A brown outline on the page facing it.
a handkerchief somebody wept into and gave back Washed, pressed, and kept in the breast pocket.
a medal for a contest they came second in Polished more than a first prize would be.
a pebble from outside every hall they filled A pouch that is, honestly, not very heavy.
a ribbon thrown from a balcony Tied to the neck of the instrument, faded on one side.
a scarf knitted by an audience of one Far too long. It goes round three times.
a thimble a seamstress swore was lucky Worn on the little finger for the hard passages.
a whistle a listener carved during a slow song It plays only two notes. They use both.
a wooden spoon from a kitchen that fed them all winter Hung on the case by a loop of string.
the first hat they ever passed round, now too small Hung from the case by its band, like a bell.

From the stage 12

a cloak lined with pockets for props Open it for the viewer: scarves, a horn, a rubber fish.
a curtain ring from a stage that is gone Brass, heavy, worn on the thumb.
a false nose they have never needed Still in its box, with the price on.
a folding stool with a squeak in the note of D They tune to it.
a hat with a hole from a thrown turnip The hole has been hemmed, not mended.
a mask worn only for the last song It hangs at the belt all evening, facing backward.
a painted backdrop of somewhere they have never been Rolled on a pole across the shoulders like a carpet.
a pair of shoes that only fit on stage Carried by the laces. They change in the wings.
a prompt card for a line they always forget Pinned inside the hat, read while bowing.
a puppet with one eye It rides in a coat pocket with its head out.
a stick of greasepaint worn to a stub A smear of it is always on one cuff.
a string of bells for one ankle They walk carefully in libraries.

Harder to pack 12

a callus they are privately proud of Thumb held up to the light and inspected.
a debt to a song they have not written yet Blank staves ruled ready on the last page of the book.
a feather from a bird that sang back Stuck in the hatband at a confident angle.
a jar of applause, or so they tell children An empty jar with a tight lid, held to a small ear.
a knot they tie whenever a show goes well A cord at the belt with more knots near the old end.
a laugh borrowed from someone they miss Head back, eyes shut. The laugh is too big for their frame.
a nickname from a town that meant it kindly Painted on the case in someone else's lettering.
a seashell that hums one town's chorus Probably only the sea. They hold it to an ear anyway.
a silence they are saving for the right room A finger half raised, then lowered: not tonight.
a stone that sounds a note when struck Kept in a sock so it does not ring in the pack.
a tune they refuse to play until it is finished Fingers that start it on any tabletop and stop at the same bar.
the hush of one particular cellar, visited yearly Standing at the top of the steps with a hand raised for quiet.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Each keepsake is a small object from a performing life, something to put in a hand, a pocket or an instrument case. The notes on where it shows in a drawing are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

How it works

This bard backstory generator deals a performer's past in six parts: who trained them, what they perform, why they left, a rival or patron, the night people still talk about and one keepsake. Text only.

Read the full guide

What a bard is here

A bard, both poet and singer, performed verse for a patron. On this page the word covers anyone who earns supper with an act, from a hurdy-gurdy player to a teller of ghost stories. The second part names the act, so draw the hands doing it.

One night to stage

The fifth part is a single evening, such as an encore that lasted until breakfast. It is the scene to draw: a room, a crowd and the bard in the middle of it. Put the keepsake, the sixth part, in the foreground of that scene.

Put the keepsake where a viewer finds it second: in a hatband, on the instrument case, at the belt.
A patron sits and a rival stands. Seat or stand the fourth part before drawing either face.
Draw the audience first. A performer's pose is an answer to the room.

Questions and answers

What goes into a bard's backstory?

A teacher, an act, a reason to leave and somebody to play for or against. This page adds one remembered night and one object, because those are the two things a drawing can show at a glance.

Can I use it as a goblin bard backstory generator?

Yes. No list says what people the bard belongs to, so a goblin, a human or a talking badger reads the same. Decide that yourself, then press New backstory and keep the parts that suit.

Is it tied to a tabletop game?

No. Bard is used as the old word for a singing poet. The lists name no game, rule book, setting or spell, and the instruments are real ones, checked against their encyclopedia articles.