In Antaron, megilindarim - bladesingers - are the keepers of the yaara'menie (old ways), and their home is Megilindar Nost (Bladesinger Keep), found in the southern sylvarian kingdom of Maelamin. They maintain a rich oral history of the sylvari, and know many of even the most obscure legends and myths. This small, elite group is highly regarded by aristocracy and commoner alike, as they are seen as some of the most "pure" sylvari left in existence, and are known to keep themselves above the concerns of politics or infighting.  Bladesingers work in service of the sylvarian crown and people, and are often chosen for missions of utmost importance that may require diplomacy, strength of arms, or both. Their loyalty lies solely with the Speaker and with each other.

 

The most noted capability of the bladesinger, however, is their prowess in combat. They practice a special fighting style known as the "bladesong," which emphasizes beauty and economy of movement over sheer destructive force, and is easily among the most effective fighting techniques in the world. The style is so named due to the strange music caused by the wordless, soulful tunes which are sung as these warriors rip their whistling blades through the air while the practitioner employees various techniques known as the "Eighty-Nine Steps". The bladesong uses the momentum of an opponent against him, causing him to be off-balance and opening him to attacks. Practitioners of this art must have extreme balance, coordination, and skill. 

 

The bladesong is a secret fiercely guarded by the megilindarim, and takes many years to perfect. It is not to be taught to non-bladesingers, and certainly never to non-sylvari. 

 

Despite its importance, the bladesong is but a portion of what it means to be a megilindar. A character who is chosen to become a bladesinger will literally spend many years perfecting the bladesong and the Eighty-Nine Steps before he or she is judged capable of passing the order's tests.  Even so, before this sort of testing is even considered, the initiate must have already demonstrated extensive knowledge of sylvari history and legends, shown considerable skill in diplomacy, and learned the sort of etiquette that befits a representative of the Empire.

 

Initiates who pass the tests of the order and who can truly command the bladesong gain the rank of istima, or novitiate.  While these are already among the most formidable warriors in the world, they have much yet to learn - but centuries of experience have taught the turar - the masters of the order - that such learning is not best suited to the structured environment of a classroom or drill square.  Instead, a seasoned megilindar will choose take on the istima as an apprentice.  Some megilindarim take on apprentices on a regular basis; others seldom do the same.  Furthermore, each warrior has their own ideas as to the most effective ways to teach - which often vary according to the temperaments of both master and pupil.  Some will keep their istima close, while others will instead send their novitiate alone for expended periods of time before meeting back to discuss and further train.    

 

When enough skill and experience are gained, an instima will obtain the rank of arato, or champion.  These make up the backbone of the megilindar order, carrying out the bulk of the tasks required by the crown and the order.  

 

A select few arator will grow powerful enough to be recognized as a tura, or master.  All turar are given a say in the matters of the order in the form of a council.  Needless to say, there are only a handful of turar in existence.  

 

The megilindar order is lead by the estahyanda, a tura handpicked for command by the Speaker of the Stars themselves.  While the rank of estahyanda embodies some of the highest esteem that any sylvari can even hope to obtain - even the heads of the Great Houses respect the office - it comes with incredible demands, as well.  The weight of the order and its success lie heavily on the shoulders of the estahyanda, and the Empire itself asks much of them to help safeguard her people.

 

Note that while the megilindarim are a military order in fact, in practice, they are not part of the regular sylvari army.  However, every bladesinger is treated as a full military officer.  In the absence of other leadership, a megilindar could absolutely step in and lead troops - and in fact, this has happened many times in history.  No matter the rank or reputation, any bladesinger is at least the equivalent of a sylvari nilaa, or squad leader.

 

Furthermore, megilindarim can earn (or be appointed) higher military titles based on their skill, reputation, and exploits.  It is not uncommon for a bladesinger to hold the ranks of nikym (platoon leader) or nikerym (captain).  It has not been unheard of in history for a megilindar to even hold the rank of enyalie (general).

 

In formal military address, the military ranks and bladesinger titles are combined: Nila'istima, Nila'arato, Nikym'arato, Nikery'tura, and so on.

Class Details
Only pureblood sylvari may become megilindarim.  Traditionally, bladesingers almost universally come from aristocracy, but it is possible for anyone with the necessary aptitude to prove themselves and be accepted into the order.

 

Alignment: Bladesingers must have a large measure of discipline, and must be committed to the values of the order.  As such, only lawful good or neutral good characters are eligible for this class.

 

Minimum ability scores: Megilindarim are exceptional individuals.  Their minimum statistics are STR 12, DEX 15, CON 12, INT 10, WIS 13, and CHA 13.

 

Bladesingers gain hit dice as per warriors, and use the ranger experience table to determine level advancement.

 

Bonus Proficiencies: All bladesingers receive the ancient history (sylvari) and etiquette proficiences for free, representing the time they have spent learning the history and legends of thier people.

 

Required Proficiencies: To perform thier duties, megilindarim must take the reading and writing (sylvari) and military tactics proficiencies.

 

Equipment: Bladesingers live light. Equipment should cover necessities, but surplusses are to be avoided, and lighter equipment should be used in place of heavier alternatives.

 

Appearance: Bladesingers have no standard dress code, but it is accepted that they normally dress in muted, tasteful garb, as tradition would expect of a sylvari.

 

Code: The bladesinger must live up to the strict standards of their order's code at all times. Discipline is usually ingrained to the point where any individual would rather die than break even the smallest tenet (i.e. a dishonored sword is left on the battlefield, regardless of immediate danger). However, a megilindar that breaks his or her vows can expect to be hunted down and executed by the rest of the order.

 

Weapon restrictions: A megilindar may only use swords, and these must always be of the highest quality the character can afford (quality, not necessarily cost). While the bow is a classic sylvari weapon, bladesingers do not use it, as all of their training focuses on the bladesong in combat. 

 

At level one, the bladesinger only has proficiency with the longsword - the prototypical traditional sylavri weapon. Upon reaching level five, the megilindar may choose to either continue to concentrate on the longsword, or that may invest that weapon slot into another sword skill.  Additional weapon slots are gained at levels 9, 13, and 17.  Note that all swords are counted at half the normal penalty for non-proficient attacks, due to the extensive megilindar training.
 

A bladesinger endeavors to never allow their weapon to touch the ground, as this dishonors the blade. If this happens, the blade must be immediately discarded, and a new weapon must be found - the bladesinger is no longer considered worthy to hold the weapon they have so dishonored.  A megilindar will uphold this taboo - even to the penalty of death.  In the event of a fumble, however, the bladesinger may, in lieu of any further actions that round, make a dexterity based skill check to prevent dropping the weapon. If successful, the weapon is retained prior to touching the ground.

 

Armor restriction: The only armors allowed to a bladesinger are leather, studded leather, or mithril chain - no restrictive armors are allowed, nor may a shield be used. 

 

Class restriction: Bladesingers may not multi-class, as they must spend many years of dedicated training to achieve the necessary skill level to pursue their chosen class.

 

Combat features: Bladesingers get an automatic -1 adjustment to their armor class to reflect their adeptness at dodging/deflecting attacks. Each four levels of advancement gives an additional -1, to a maximum of -5. Note that this bonus only applies to melee opponents that the bladesinger is aware of. 

 

As their attacks do not focus on damaging strikes as opposed to brute strength, bladesingers may not use the extra to-hit or damage bonuses associated with high strength.  However, they instead apply high dexterity bonuses in their place.  I.e. a character with a 17 DEX gets a +2 to hit and a +2 to damage rolls.

 

Megilindarim are considered specialized in their chosen weapon (for the purpose of number of attacks per round) at level one. As additional weapon slots become available, the bladesinger may elect to further concentrate in their chosen weapon to the same degree that a normal fighter can.

 

Disarm: A bladesinger may, at any time, attempt to disarm an enemy. A "called shot" is rolled with a +1 bonus; if the attack hits, the enemy is not harmed, but their weapon is flung from grasp.  The DM may elect to allow skilled opponents a chance to retain their weapon with a check of their own, though a successful disarm attempt will at the worst prevent an attack with that weapon during the same round.

 

Attunement: to perform the bladesong and the Eighty-Nine Steps properly, a megilindar must have attuned to it by spending significant time with a given weapon in daily practice and use.  In the event that a bladesinger obtains a new weapon, they will typically fight at a -2 penalty, which gradually dissipates with time and familiarity.  It is up to the DM how long it takes for a megilindar to attune to a new sword, though it should usually be measured in weeks at least.  Furthermore, until full attunement is attained, the bladesinger may not use any of the supernatural abilities listed below.  If there is some important story-driven reason (discovery of a special ancestral weapon, supernatural gift, etc), the DM may rule that the penalty is lesser or waive the attunement period entirely, but this is strictly the DM's call.

 

Enchanted blade: At fourth level, the bladesinger can, once per day, imbue their weapon with an enchantment that makes it effectively +1 for an hour in terms of enemies that may be hit.  The megilindar must be performing the bladesong with an attuned sword to use this ability.  

 

Once a bladesinger has perfected the ability to enchant their blade in this manner, they are no longer considered to be an istima, or novitiate.  From this time on, they are considered to have obtained the rank of arato, or champion, and are referred to by that title.

At levels five through eight, the bladesinger gains the ability to enchant their weapon one additional time per day, for up to an hour each time.  At level nine, the blade is always consdered to be enchanted when used (provided the bladesong is used with an attuned weapon).  

Note that this enchantment stacks with other magic in terms of determining if an enemy can be hit - i.e. a bladseinger with a +1 sword, using thier bladesong enchantment, could hit a creature otherwise only hit by +2 or better weapons.

 

Missile deflection: At fifth level, the bladesinger gains the abilty to deflect normal missiles.  Arrows, bolts, javelins, and similar light projectiles can be struck out of the air with the megilindar's sword.  The bladesinger must already be performing the bladesong with an attuned sword to use this ability.  If this is the case, they make a roll as if they were attacking AC0; if successful, the projectile is harmlessly deflected. 

This ability may be used twice per round at level five; for every level achieved past level five, the bladesinger may attempt to deflect one additional projectile per round.  Note that there is no need to make an attempt if the projectile attack would have missed on its own.  The DM may rule that magical projectiles require a greater check to deflect.  Furthermore, if a roll is failed, the bladesinger may not deflect any other projectiles in that round.  Again, the bladesinger must already be in their battle trance, actively using their bladesong; an ambush or surprise attack would not be possible to deflect with this ability.

 

Blind sight: At ninth level, the bladesinger has become so in tune with the bladesong that they no longer rely on sight. Therefore, darkness - whether normal or magical, fog, and even complete blindness fail to hamper their combat ability.  As with other supernatural abilities, a megilindar must perform the bladesong with an attuned sword to use this ability.

 

Once a bladesinger has perfected the ability to see by means of the bladesong, they are considered to have obtained the rank of tura, or master.