Roleplaying: The Harmonium

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*Bloodlines
Posts: 139
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Posted by *Bloodlines »


The Harmonium are usually touchy when you start asking questions. More often than not they'll try to clap you in planar mancatchers if you start trying to record their speeches into mimirs. Nobody really knows why the law-enforcing faction of Sigil's so jumpy these days, but there are plenty of wild theories.


Some cutters reckon the Hardheads are worried they'll be displaced from Sigil when the next sect with enough power challenges them. See, the Harmonium are a pretty new faction as these things go, and they haven't had so much time to build up power bases on the planes as other groups. Add to this the fact they're making themselves pretty unpopular by enforcing the laws of the Cage, and you come up with a pretty grim conclusion...perhaps the Hardheads think they're an easy target.

A casual observer would probably laugh at this notion, after all, the Harmonium are the most prominent faction in the Cage, especially now they've established a secondary headquarters in the Hive (as SIGIS reports). But some touts reckon they're spreading themselves a bit thin. The Communals, the Expansionists and the Ring-Givers all have their greedy eyes on the Cage, and any one of 'em is a potential threat to the Harmonium.

Perhaps this is why, as the dark whispers go, the Harmonium are trying to weaken other factions on the sly. Many a rumour's gone round the Harmonium are actively trying to drive the Indeps out of the Cage by harassment and persecution. It seems to be working...there are fewer Free Leaguers hanging around the Bazaar these days, anyone will confirm.

Or perhaps the Harmonium are worried about something else. Strange things have been happening on Arcadia, recently. Berk, it's a gossipmonger's paradise...

Roleplaying the Harmonium

The Harmonium opens its doors to all who truly believe in the group's terms for universal peace. Members of any race and any profession can join, as long as they follow a lawful ethical code.

ALIGNMENT. True belief in the Harmonium way implies a lawful-alignment, but evil members find themselves as welcome as good ones. The understanding of law and order is more important than consideration of good and evil. Fact is, few in the Harmonium seem actually evil; many are good, and lots fall somewhere in the middle of the good-evil spectrum. See, evil doesn't prove truly conducive to harmony and peace. But even a baatezu understands order and the advantages of stability.

RACE. Just as baatezu understand order, so do members of certain other races. Humans and dwarves remain the most likely to appreciate order, and a lot of humans join the Harmonium; dwarves join in smaller numbers, commensurate with their smaller racial population. Githzerai and bariaur generally don't appreciate order and seldom join the Harmonium, but some tieflings and planar half-elves join; while most have too much independence for this militaristic faction. some of these loners find themselves drawn to the sense of family the Harmonium offers. As for primes, elves and gnomes don't seem very fond of Hardhead ideas. Most of the primes who join the Harmonium do so because of the recruitment slogans offering stability and security in a strange, new world.

CLASS The "world" is a tough one, and it requires tough people who'll fight for what's right. Thus,  the Harmonium appeals very much to warriors of all sorts, especially paladins. Rangers don't make good Hardheads, as so often they enjoy being on their own. Priests prove much more common - at least, those who appreciate the tenets o peace and stability. Priests of war gods are harder to find within Harmonium ranks, not because they disagree with the faction so much as having too many of them in the membership would be bad for the Harmonium's image. A lot of the faction's priests revere a power called 'St. Cuthbert" from a prime world called Oerth. Seems the followers of Cuthbert have a lot of the same ideas as the Harmonium; any of 'em that visit Sigil find themselves quickly attracted to the faction.

Wizards appear infrequently among the ranks of the Hardheads, though some of the more militant and lawful ones join. Rogues become faction members only rarely, partly because of their very nature - "rogues" don't work well with others, after all - and partly because they are known lawbreakers. It surprises many cutters to see that the Harmonium allows rogues into their ranks, but some thieves actually work to prevent others of their class from committing criminal acts. Even the lawful Harmonium sometimes has a need for good spies - as long as they don't break the law, of course.

Once a cutter has joined the Harmonium, though, things like race and profession doesn't matter much. A Hardhead is a Hardhead, and they all stick together, cooperating like one big family. Oh, they have their share of squabbles, to be sure, but all Harmonium members know that turning stag means they lose all the benefits of the group. Not only that, they find their formerly beloved faction hunting them; anyone who's belonged to the Harmonium knows he doesn't want to become their prey. Not many Hardheads turn stag.

FACTION ABILITIES
RP Abilities only: Requires consent of a DM/EM or all players involved/affected by its use if no DM/EM is present. (per Server Rules)

Measures of any rank gain the ability to use Charm Person once per day
 
Mover (Any): Once per day, allows caster to speak a short, precise phrase ("Throw down your weapons!"). The target must perform the action if they fail their saving throw. The DC is determined by half the Mover's character level + Charisma modifier
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