Vistani

The Vistani are a group of traveling minstrels, bards and scoundrels who move from place to place all over Keedrah. They do not stay in one place for long, preferring to set up a type of carnival or fair, get what money and supplies they can, and dust out of town before they overstay their welcome. They have gained a reputation as crooks and double-dealers, and are generally viewed with distrust. The Vistani, however, see themselves as being stewards of the folk traditions of Keedrah, and absorb local stories and tales wherever they travel, sharing the stories amongst themselves and with any who will listen. They generally accept all-comers into their group, mostly by picking up orphans and vagabonds, regardless of race, but insist all who do wish to travel with them earn their keep somehow - there's no place for free-loaders on the road.

The Vistani don't just travel the roads of Keedrah, but the entire plane itself. They slip bonds of the prime material plane and can be found wandering the Shadowfell and Feywild. They sometimes do this on purpose, utilizing known gates between the various planes that make up Keedrah, and sometimes quite by chance, going to sleep one night in a sylvan Feywild glen, and waking the next in the prime. There is also some talk of Vistani bands that have somehow crossed the astral divide between worlds, coming from completely different worlds within the multiverse.

History

There are a multitude of histories of the Vistani. Some claim they are descendants of the builders of the great temple who that did not gain paladin powers, and were instead invited by Netar to roam the land forever and keep sacred the histories of Keedrah. Others claim they were all once halflings in service to a noble house that disbanded. Still yet others claim to they were the mortals who beseeched the Neutral God to strike down the dragons for their insolence, thus leading to the arrival of Bahamut, which marked the end the time of the dragons. In any case all tales include mention of the first Matriarch, a halfling woman named Vistan, from which the people take their name.

Notable People

Havar, Vistani Storyteller - Told the tale of Oethecar the Damned to a group of travelling Primers.