Bard

In a city full of criminals and corpos, the fixer known as Bard is known for one rare trait: Loyalty.

He has spent a considerable amount of time and effort building a network of trusted shadowrunners and informants, and has been well rewarded for it. Bard´s clients want professional runners that can be trusted to finish a job, keep things clean and not draw too much attention to themselves, and so that's exactly the kind of people Bard seek out. If a runner proves themselves to be trustworthy and capable after an trial run or two Bard considers them a part of the network, an informal arrangement of shadowrunners, informants and "service-providers" (smugglers, cleaners, black-marketers, etc.).

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The Network

From Bard´s point of view, the network is an organic circle of trusted colleges; people come and go, but as long as you don´t break his trust you´re welcome back anytime. Runners in the network can expect jobs tailored to their skills, with up-front information and all the terms and conditions on the table. Bard will never betray you and will make sure you have the information you need to get the job done. After all: If you win, he wins.

He also has a habit of taking run negotiations with the client (Mr Johnsson) and the runners separately, shielding the shadowrunners from any potential fallout or backstabbing from the Johnsson, but also limiting the negotiating power of the runners. The runners can´t ask the Johnsson for more money if Bard has already hashed out all the details with them. Some runners prefer this, as it lets them focus more on the job at hand, and think less about if the Johnsson is going to betray them when its all over. Others prefer meeting the client themselves, and think that Bards pre-negotiations and fixed payouts a bit to much.

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Teller of tales‎

Bard started his career in the shadows as a runner but quickly realized that the real money and power was not in bullets and magic, but in information. He became a info-broker, trading secrets for money and finding information for people with power.

This is when he got his alias; being a teller of tales, a smoothtalker and a charismatic bastard with to much information, the runners that knew him started calling him Bard, from the popular fantasy-trids that they grew up on.

As his time passed and his network grew, it was only natural that he´d start hiring shadowrunners to further expand his offering to his clients, becoming one of the most well-known fixers in Tacoma in the process. While he does business all over the city, his home base has historically been in Tacoma, Seattles large harbor and industrial district. He can usually be found lounging at the uncharacteristically sleazy Trinity Taskbar in Tacomas harbour, making deals with runners and selling intel to those who need it.

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A new market

The last year has seen Bard expand his network. While he never was tied down to just one area like some others, he did try to stay out of what other fixers considered "their turf". That changed with the growth of GMTown into a fully fledged black market, Wanting to get in on the game early Bard started making moves in the area, recruiting informants, contacting fledging runners and making sure he had good connections with the vendors of the GM-T, including getting a membership at The Thief's Back Pocket lounge to facilitate private negotiations.

Older art of Bard, also by Nelly