From the introduction: Bards who join the college of the Big Top are renowned traveling entertainers, who bring exotic and thrilling spectacles to everyday people far and wide. As the name suggests, most of these bards travel in circus caravans, setting up and tearing down huge tents, and displaying all manner of exotic animals, unbelievable skills, and dangerous stunts. But not all are relegated to life in the circus; many bards of the Big Top will find company with adventurers to provide entertainment during their travels and to direct the group in combat with the same speed and drama as a three-ring circus.