🎼 Barding

🎼 Barding

A lute displayed for Barding at the Rainbow Parrot Inn in Krondor.

Barding is a Skill practiced by player characters in Betrayal at Krondor, allowing the party to perform music at Inns and Taverns. In Fables.GG, barding retains its iconic role as a means of earning coin—but expands into a tool for emotional resonance, faction influence, and dynamic storytelling. Performances are no longer restricted by chapter or frequency, allowing players to bard as often as the narrative demands.

1. Overview

A lute is available for Barding at most Inns and Taverns. When the party interacts with it, the character with the highest Barding Skill attempts to play This Kingdom Mine, a patriotic ballad known across the Kingdom of the Isles and the Northlands.

Payout is modified by the performer’s Skill level. At low levels, the party may be mocked or asked to leave. At higher levels, they receive progressively greater fees and may unlock narrative effects such as faction sympathy, emotional breakthroughs, or hidden lore.

Unlike the original game, each performance does not tap out the establishment’s entertainment fund. Players may bard repeatedly, using music to shape mood, earn coin, or deepen character arcs. Gambling and Barding may coexist, though some NPCs may react differently depending on which is attempted first.

2. Increasing Skill

The entire party’s Barding Skills can increase when they perform, especially when Barding is the only Skill selected. Skill progression is influenced by:

  • 🎵 Performing in emotionally charged locations (e.g., after a battle, in a grieving town)

  • 🎵 Meeting Tamney the Minstrel, who offers mentorship and rare verses

  • 🎵 Purchasing and using a Practice Lute, which allows private rehearsal

  • 🎵 Harmonizing with faction values (e.g., Ruthia’s temples reward beauty, Banath’s shrines reward cleverness)

Repeated performances may unlock new arrangements of This Kingdom Mine, or allow players to compose original verses tied to their character’s journey.

3. Rewards

Inns and Taverns across Midkemia offer coin for successful performances. At 100% Barding Skill, typical payouts include:

💰 Barding Rewards by Location (100% Skill)

  • LaMut — The Blue Wheel Inn: 60 sovereigns

  • Hawks's Hollow — The Dusty Dwarf Inn: 70 sovereigns

  • Questor's View — Babon's Hostel: 60 sovereigns

  • Eggley — The Stranger Inn: 150 sovereigns

  • Tanneurs — Tom's Tavern: 30 / 130 / 180 sovereigns (varies by chapter)

  • Krondor — Rainbow Parrot Inn: 180 sovereigns

  • Darkmoor — Darkmoor's Rest: 100 sovereigns

  • Malac's Cross — Queen's Row Inn: 85 sovereigns

  • Lyton — The Wayside: 105 sovereigns

  • Silden — Anchorhead Tavern: 55 sovereigns

  • Two Inns Sector — Rapid Rooks Inn: 60 sovereigns

  • Two Inns Sector — River Pilot's Folly: 95 sovereigns

  • Romney — The Black Sheep Tavern: 95 sovereigns

  • Prank's Stone — The Flying Sow: 86 sovereigns

  • Cavall Keep (South) — Lapping Meadows: 122 sovereigns

  • Cavall Keep — Duck's Head Inn: 130 sovereigns

  • Kenting Rush — Dagger 'n Star Tavern: 65 sovereigns

  • Kenting Rush — Candlemaker's Grin: 99 sovereigns

  • Dencamp — Dencamp on the Teeth: 55 sovereigns

  • Wolfram — Wolf's Teeth: 65 sovereigns

  • Highcastle — Ranger's Hall: 55 sovereigns

  • Eldpoint — The Royal Bed: 110 sovereigns

In Fables.GG, rewards may also include:

  • 🧩 Lore fragments or hidden quests

  • 🕊️ Faction sympathy or divine favor

  • 🎁 Unique relics or verses tied to specific regions

  • 🧠 Emotional breakthroughs in NPCs

4. Trivia

  • Barding is now available in all chapters, including 7, 8, and 9, if the narrative permits

  • “This Kingdom Mine,” despite its patriotic bent, remains beloved in the Northlands

  • Some temples may respond to barding with blessings, silence, or divine tests

  • Barding may be used to calm hostile NPCs, unlock riddles, or reflect character growth

🎼 Closing Note

In Midkemia, music is not just entertainment—it is memory, persuasion, and power. By removing mechanical limits and embedding barding into the emotional fabric of the world, Fables.GG transforms performance into a living ritual. Whether sung in sorrow, shouted in defiance, or whispered in love, every note becomes a thread in the tapestry of story.