The Skalds are a Legacy that deals with the power of stories and sagas to inspire people. Each Skald is busy soaking up the zeitgeist of his time, composing the sonnets and epics that acclaim or curse rulers or heroes of the day. The Skald remembers, recites, and records. There's no reason for an elder Skald to give his students orders, because they do not perform missions or have concrete tasks. Their only mission is to watch, to absorb the ambiance, and from it to create.
Mindset[]
The Sagas of the Skalds are their heritage. These rhythmic, sometimes melodic performances embody the culture, the land, the times, and the persons of all the Skalds who have come before. The Sagas are very long. Each Skald learns the entirety of the Saga that came before from her tutor, then adds her own experience and wisdom to it as she goes on, which she will eventually pass on to her apprentices. There are hundreds of concurrent Sagas of the Skalds in the world, many of them variations on the same theme but all meaningful, potent, and valuable to the Legacy. More than just remembrance, the magic of their words and melodies can change the world. Through song, they enact the wonders of their Legacy. Skalds can call to them the spirits of the land or of the past, and such entities often heed their beautiful words.
While Skalds communicate with and understand spirits, this Legacy reveres the human culture, and Skalds often use their influence over the unseen to help tame or shape a region for other mages, or for humans in general. The Skalds' mission is to see the world through unclouded eyes and record it. But they also charge themselves with improving a society, a kingdom or Consilium, by reminding those who live in it of what is right. The Skalds' airs and epics move and inspire, and it is with this gentle lever that the Legacy tries to move the world. With another, Skalds use a secret language called Skald Cant in order to communicate.