Reviewing game organisations: The Harpers

[Kelemvor]

The Harpers
The Harpers organisation works as a force for good in the Kingdoms. Its
name is derived from the fact that many of its members are bards, but
they accept members from most other guilds. It is said that such famous
people as Elminster, Khelben Blackstaff and Storm Silverhand are harpers.
Rumour has it that their head quarters are somewhere in Berdusk.

CODE OF THE HARPERS
Harpers work against villainy and wickedness wherever they find it but they work ever mindful of the consequences of what they do.

All beings should walk free of fear, with the right to live their lives as they wish.

The rule of law aids peace and fosters freedom, so long as the laws are just and those who enforce them lenient and understanding.

No extreme is good. For freedom to flourish, all must be in balance: the powers of realms, the reaches of the cities and the wilderlands into each other, and the influence of one being over another.

Whaterver it takes, a Harper will do. Pride never rules the deeds of a true Harper.

Harpers can spare themselves less freedom than those they work to protect must have but even a Harper must be free.

Harpers police their own. A Harper who hears the call of personal power can no longer hear the sweet song of the harp. A Harper who seizes power, and holds it above all else, is a traitor to the harp. Traitors must die, for freedom to live.

Without a past, no being can appreciate what they have, and where they may be going.

Alas, Isle of Kev let me down on the For4 sourcebook Code of the Harpers, but there are many many links on the net relating to them. I have electronic and paper copies of this book if anyone needs it.

HARPERS
The Harpers are a semi-secret society. They are primarily a good-aligned group that is allied with a number of good churches, and recieving support from powerful neutral individuals, including druidic circles. Thier aim is to keep dangers both of and to civilisation at bay. They believe in the power of individuals, the balance between the wild and the civilised, and the good of humankind and its allied sentient races. They also believe in preserving the tales of the past, so that one may learn from those tales in the future. The harpers attract a wide variety of adventurers, but the society is most attractive to elves, rangers and bards.

Harpers are spread throughout the North and the Heartlands, often operating in secret. They are by nature meddlers and often operate alone or in small groups to achieve their ends.

What a Harper is in the words of Mirt the Moneylender of Waterdeep, explaining to Shandril:

"Right, then, good Lady Shandril, I shall try to tell thee something of what it is to be a Harper." ... "A Harper holds peaceful sharing of the lands above all other goals." ... "By sharing, we mean all the races living in and under the land, where each prefers to live, trading together where desire and need stir them to, and respecting each other's holds and ways -- without the daily bloodletting that all too often holds sway in the Realms today." ... "True, we must fight, it seems often enough to keep our swords and our tempers both sharp enough. Yet, know ye; all of us fight when we must, or die. Moroever, ye only hear of blades drawn and death and spells hurled, and never know of the many, many times that a quiet word or a skilfull deal has turned enemies aside from each other, forced a way clear where none was before, or distracted foes from the eager task of tearing each other's throats out. That is the true Harper way: subtle and quiet, behind the shouting. Trust and wisdom, and outfoxing othes is what we deal in."

Taken from the Harper novel, Crown of Fire by Ed Greenwood.

[Kelemvor]

More than any other of the in game organisations, this one suffers from a lack of true direction for its members.

A modest area with some trainers and storekeepers exists and there are several current players and a recruiter. However, little activity has been generated in recent years and new members have been few and far between.

Some of this is down to lack of a visible presence in game, but in truth most of the people requesting to join the Harpers have little understanding of the goals and aims of the organisation.

If this organisation were to be revived it would probably require a much larger membership and leadership than the other organisations and a lot of time spent working through the remit and expectations for new recruits.

[Duranamir]

Personally i think one of the problems with this organization is that currently they have no one to work against. Reviving the evil organizations may well help in bringing the harpers,the natural oppisition for such groups back to the fore.

Duranamir

[Lerytha]

I agree that the Harpers need a foe to "bounce off", as it were. If the Zhentarim increase their plotting, the Harpers can conversely react to that.

I think with all organisations though, it requires as well as a majority of PC-driven conflict, the occasional intervention by an imm. That is, to give an organisation something to do. Maybe the Harpers have to kill a dragon? Or maybe they have to negotiate a peace treaty between two Tethyrian lords (although they'd have to hide their Harper loyalty, owing to them being banned in Tethyr)?

Three things hinge on the organisation (and any organisation) being usefully re-activated:

- PC commitment to roleplay (first and foremost)
- IMM involvement in plots and different roleplays (occasionally)
- "Oppositional" roleplay, as mentioned by Duranamir - this does not neccessarily involve PK. It could be that the Harpers even try to deal with divisions between goodly faiths by reasoning between two people who are feuding.

I think the scope for the Harpers is wide-ranging. They can (and canon-wise, do) involve themselves in everything. As meddlers go, they are the ultimate. I read the Harper book once, and a Harper is just as likely to help a woman being beaten by an abusive husband, as they are in killing the latest blue dragon attacker from Anauroch.

Which is why I think, similarly, the organisation can do a variety of good things for the MUD, OOCly and ICly.

My two-penneth worth.

~Ol

[Selveem]

Honestly, even without the evil organizations mobilized I think there is plenty of room for the Harpers.

It's my opinion, but a strong one, that the Evils of late have been doing a far superior job of plotting and executing plans to thwart their foes.

I would LOVE to see the tide to turn every once in a while. Who better to oppose them than The Harpers.

Their meddling is wide-ranging and potent. They are definately a force to be reckoned with. I would REALLY like to see this organization renewed!

[Lathander]

Three points:

1. Playerbase, Playerbase, Playerbase
2. Imms will need to address the issue of alts in different orgs.
3. Playerbase, Playerbase, Playerbase

[Aegir]

Those Who Harp believe in the power of individuals, the balance between the wilderness and civilization, and the good of humankind and its allied creatures. They preserve the tales of the past so that others may remember its lessons when dealing with the present.

Harpers spread knowledge, aid common folk in small ways, thwart the schemes of villains, and manipulate the affairs of civilized races in order to preserve their idea of balance.

Harpers often secretly aid adventurers and other groups that promote good causes, whether this aid consists of a pointer to a friendly innkeeper in a hostile town, a traveling cleric appearing just when the group is hurt, or a surprise attack against a common foe.

I mentioned my thoughts regarding the "cold war" between the Harpers and Zhentarim in the Zhent thread, so I won't re-hash that here, and simply focus on other aspects of the organization.

Some thoughts as to what the Harpers can do in regards to FK include helping like-minded PCs in various ways, partially to gauge potential for an offer of joining, but also to subtlety promote their ideals. They'd be somewhat anti-civilization, or at least the expansion of it, and would be extremely opposed to orcs and the various goblinoid races.

Members would have leanings towards art and scholarly pursuits, so as to preserve and promote the ideals of the past, and being a CG organization by nature, they'd have little or no issue with going around established laws to accomplish that which they perceive as the greater good.

[Nedylene]

The record keepers of the realms. The Harpers also help combat threats.. Not just threats such as the zhentarim but also things such as the fiends of the hells coming back, the Phaerimm breaking through the sharn wall etc etc.

There is a WIDE variety of things they can do with an active leadership, a creative leadership and a good playerbase. If we have the interest I do not want this organization going anywhere.