A Call For Volunteers

[*Selebius]

She does not have to wait long and the halforc asks her to enter.

His is not really an office- it looks more like an unused storage room which was hastily equipped with table, two chairs and a chest- and a Harmonium Banner on the wall behing the desk.

On the table there are neat piles of folders - for letters and records and probably other things- and there are copies of those- some for the archive, some for his superiors- all in all a lot of paperwork- a clear sign of a lawful organisation or, as some might say, a stifling bureaucracy.

Hograth wears his his unifurm but not his armour, looking up as Lev enters and gestures to the empty chair in front of his table.

"Greetings, citizen. What can I do for you?"

[*Powderhorn]

"Hi Hogarth!" she says with an air of cheer. "I was afraid I wouldn't be allowed back here... your guard seemed... ah... pissy." She scuffs her foot a little bit, looking bashful, and then continues in a rush, "And I think that's the problem you guys have. Nobody likes you because none of you are any fun, you're all business and serious. When was the last time anyone heard about the good things you've done? You know? Like helping homeless people, or feeding the hungry, or things like that. When was the last time you did anything to give people warm fuzzies?"

She paces with her usual energy even in the tiny confines of the room, making it look more like she's trapped than anything else, and continues, "All anyone knows about the Harmonium is that they arrest people. Well, if all you ever do is arrest people, of course nobody is going to like you! Sure, I mean, sure, you keep Sigil safe and all, but, it's not like anyone's been hurt in a while to worry about their safety. I mean, people are comfortable, and you're the bad people to take them away. Of course they don't like you!"

[*Selebius]

He listens to her and lets her speak, without interrupting her, taking a few notes on a new sheet of paper.

After she stopped he leans back, his voice calm as he answers.

"First I thank you for your opinion... this is exactly what I need.
You see so far I have gathered opinions from members of several factions and I see certain... matters we need to adress.

Now while we are at it let me try to adress a few of your concerns.

First... I fear most of our officers are quite gruff and lack patience. You.... or everybody else should not take this too personal. It is their nature and most of them will still be helpful if approached.
However you need to know that these woman and men are in mortal danger as soon as they leave the barracks.... are facing hostility- open and poorly veiled- just for the uniform they wear.
For most it does not matter how nice or how unfriendly an officer might be... they react to the uniform alone. Sometimes with lethal force.
Think about it and you might start to understand why our officers are a bit.... tense sometimes... but they still do their duty."

Resting both hands on the table he continues.

" You made a good point about helping those in need and indeed we might do something like that soon.

However.. it is not our main mission. We are still required to enforce the laws of Sigil. This means we might have to arrest the same berk who we just fed the day before.
Yet I hope that by helping those in need we can prevent some crimes happening.
But... I am not talking about just feeding the poor. I am talking about trying to get them a job... a home. They shall be able to fend for themselves and not depend on us too much."

He smiles at her, pauses for a moment before going on.

"As for your last point I fear you live a rather sheltered life- or we are doing our job well.

There is crime in Sigil. Petty crime.. but also a few rather serious cases. Those following the laws of Sigil have nothing to fear from us... and should an officer act against said laws please report him or her.

However.... if you don't like a law.... remember it is not our job to change them.
Go to the Hall of Speakers or try to contact your factol if you are in a faction.
They are the ones making the laws of this town.... they can change them."

[*Selebius]

A few days later a new bulleting board can be found at the bazaar- there are announcements of new laws that might affect traders and travellers, warnings about known thieves and cutthroats and a small box ready to accept letters and notes meant for the hardheads.

Once every other day bread and apples as well as basic medical attention is given to those in need at a makeshift tent near to the guard between Hive and Lower Ward.

The officers in charge are encouraged to use an open faced helmet and Hograh tries to make sure it is always the same two volunteers- just to build trust and give the Hardheads a face.
Sometimes jobs are offered to unemployed Hivers- nothing spectacular but ofteb a good way to earn some jink for their living.

Of course the officers are also encouraged to keep eyes and ears open- to listen to what they are told, to get an impression of the overall mood and, if possible, to aquire valuable informations about fugitives or criminals hiding in the Hive.

[*Selebius]

In his makeshift office Hograth takes a fresh sheet of paper to write his report:

To: Belron Nipvit, Mover I, Harmonium
From: Hograth Thorn, Notary I, Harmonium

Mover,

I am pleased to report that my initiative was a success.

After recieving ideas and suggestions from sources both inside and outside our faction I came to the following conclusions:

Our faction is sometimes seen as disruptive and outright provoking. Some of our officers are accused of bullying and outright extortion.

We are seen as ineffective and aloof, often unable to de-escalate a conflict and to find compromises.

On the other hand our ability to project force to enforce the laws passed is well respected and we never fail to find volunteers who fight the fiends of the abyss to keep the portal safe.

To adress the problems above I initiated the following:

A bulletin board on the great bazaar on which laws important to both merchants and costumers are posted, as well as wanted posters and some information for those who want to join us as recruits.
There is also a box ready to accept notes and letters for those who desire to contact us.
Harmony needs communication.

A similar board is set between the Hive and lower ward as this spot is easy to access by the workers and even the unemployed.
To adress unemployment this board also offers informations about possible jobs- busy and well fed people add strenght to a lawful society.
Those officers working there also test a new open faced helmet that with only a minor loss in protective value makes it easier for the general population to bond with those officers chosen for peaceful interaction.
A welcome side effect is that this new helmets are less restrictive and allow both a wider field of vision as well as easier hearing which proved important when interacting with crowds.

The food and medical supplies offered there attract some of the poorest, people who would never approach one of us voluntarily under different circumstances.
By listening to and by questioning those people our officers found a new source of information, information we can use to protect the people and guide them to follow the laws.

Please see the attachments for the calculations of costs in money and manpower should we decide to continue this campaign.

Hograth Thorn, Notary I

<a seal showing a dragon's claw and an arcane mark showing something similar>

[*Mr_Otyugh]

A reply is ssent to Hograth promptly after sufficient review time...

To notary one, Hograth,

First we, the movers, would like to commend you for the time taken to perform this study. However we feel some aspects of the report may stray from the greater good. While analysis of the helmets disadvantages are sound , it bears noting that "kind" or "empathetic" are not values we seek to primarily convey. Efficiency, unity and an unyielding will are greater values. Decision to wield the helmet is left to the members of harmonium in action, diplomats  are another matter.

In similar note; casual charity also digresses from Harmoniums main objectives. Our goal is to ensure that others can do so without hostile intervention, but not perform charity. Emergency aid certainly if situation consents such course of actions. To put it in short; we aren't trying to make friends, just our duty which is paramount, perhaps a sacrifice in matters of popularity, but a necessary sacrifice so that others can be in peace.

However...  all that said, a little positive public image cannot hurt as long as the relations remain strictly professional. Ability to take criticism and patience appear to be good places to start. And as such , the rest of  suggestions are to be placed under a trial.

Good work notary two.

Belron Nipvit,
Mover one

((Ps. Pad is horrible for typing. :P

[*Selebius]

((Agreed. But Cellphone is worse :-P))

Hograth reads the message and, as usual, files it with the other letters he gets, adding it to his folder.
The Halforc seems quite pleased- compromises are never easy and the Harmonium- no, all factions- are a rather headstrong bunch. But he knows his work might make future investigations easier, might even safe a few lifes.

He returns the storage room to its former state, doing this work alone, enjoying this rather simple task.

Donning his armour he then heads out again. There is work that needs to be done.