I was thinking about a thread for the enemies of Ortho, both explicit rebels and the merely lawless. Here are my rough ideas so far, arranged as follows:
Name
History
Modus Operandi
Tool of the Trade
Recent Activities & Events
Burrowdogs
These are detailed by someone else (in the PDF), so I’ve just put them here for completeness.
Shoryko Historical Society
See the write-up of ‘Yamonuz - Minister of Purity’ for details.
The Cult of Empty Heaven
Among some of the more elusive secret societies of Ortho are a band of heretics called ‘Empty Heaven.’ The organisation encompasses many individual beliefs, but they all share a single principle: That the Gods are inharmonious and should be removed from participation in the Pax Harmonium. Refusal to accept the Lords of Order makes them Antipodes, but most members are as law abiding and committed to the cause of Harmony as any other – they just don’t think that the gods should be a part of it.
It’s hard to preach such beliefs on Ortho. The Temple is one of the three pillars of state and worship of the Lords of Order is encouraged to the extent that repeated refusal is almost a crime. So most heretics maintain an outward degree of compliance with the social norm, meeting only in small groups to discuss their opinions - and occasionally making plans to spread the word. Many of these actions are subtle (and occasionally not-so-subtle) sabotage of the temples, such as rewording official printings of holy books, publishing satires of the gods, pontiffs, or religion in general, and uncovering any ‘abuses of the system’ by the churches of Ortho – some real, some imagined or invented.
History
There were always a few people who were uncomfortable with the temples’ influence on the Pax Harmonium. Mostly they accepted the arrangement but went on believing as they had before. Some of them were highly placed scholars or nobles, quite open in their scepticism. Many produced speeches and texts attacking the churches –which later became much sought after ‘underground’ books, even by those not of the heretics. The Knights and their successors initially discouraged rather than persecuted such people, mainly because at the time the Church’s position was so secure and the attacks mild and academic.
This changed after the Schism, when the ‘heretics’ were joined by worshippers of the Seven and the Nine who wanted to continue practicing their religion in secrecy. Some of these cults felt that Hell and Heaven might even be better off without the gods, others merely sought out the heretics as kindred sprits. The Harmonium might have quietly tolerated the religious detractors before then, but could not longer ignore them now they were joined by a barred priesthood. Soldiery moved to arrest and prosecute all known members of the group, not just the exemplar-worshippers. This conflict was known as ‘The Philosophers Purge’ and inaccurately painted all Empty Heaven believers as heretics worshipping forbidden beings to the public eye.
The heretics were nowhere near prepared for the assault, but survived precisely because they were such a disparate, disorganised, and loose organisation. Aside from the cultists of the Seven and the Nine, most heretics knew only a handful of other members, and they simply didn’t have a hierarchy or organisational structure that could be pinned down by the Hardheads. Although many cults stood proud against the Hardheads (and were defeated), secular members merely buried their books, and stopped their meetings for a few years. Several members publicly recanted (having little desire to be made martyrs to the cause), but changed nothing in their hearts. When the groups started up again some years later, they were determined to be more discrete.
Modus Operandi
Empty Heaven Cult members are usually harmless scholars, doubters, and sceptics – although ’harmless’ only if you discount their blasphemy against the Lords of Order of the Pax Harmonium. The exact philosophy and motivation of each cult member tends to vary, but they are all firm believers that the Gods hold too much sway. For some this is a political opposition to the power of the temples or distrust of the Lords of Order. Other cultists believe that worship of the gods should be replaced by reverence to the philosophy of harmony rather than to specific deities, or that the gods are flawed beings who will never truly give up their power in the name of Harmony. General Athar-like sentiments have crept into the Cult over the years as well (mainly spread from planar influences). A few members also remain loyal servants to the Seven and the Nine, believing that the exemplars are the only true representatives of Law.
The Cult generally contents itself with working inside the system, aside from the occasional spot of vandalism or pamphlet of propaganda. They usually confine themselves to subtle sabotage, speaking against the church in councils (though usually careful to site an innocent reason for each objection), seeking out and revealing damaging information about the clergy, and generally promote a more secular approach of morality. More fanatical members occasionally set out to make a public statement however – like bringing down a corrupt (or just too-powerful) clergyman, using underground press-print workshops to produce books supporting their views, or just daubing graffiti on church walls. Its propagandists often latch onto other social problems or local injustices, trying to link them to various churches.
Most recruits are drawn from colleges and academies, places where people are ‘professional thinkers’. The majority of members come from these ranks. Membership from other groups is rare, although support could potentially be found among any group that has suffered at the hands of the church – criminals, mistreated poor, the Free Folk, and many victims – rightful or not - of the Lord of Watchfulness. The School of Ethics and Harmonium Campuses are the most common recruiting grounds, as it is in these places that traditional opinions are most often (politely and constructively) challenged, and new ideas examined.
After The Philosophers Purge only a small minority of devotees to the Devils Lords and Archangels survived. They are mostly made up families who have worshiped the Seven or the Nine for generations, and ally themselves with the secular members primarily for protections. Most of these cults work with Empty Heaven on their anti-church activities but keep their worship private. The faiths also attract the occasional underground occultist studying the Devils and Celestials for their own purposes.
Tool of the Trade
The Cult of Empty Heaven is hardly a cult at all – its most common incarnation is a simple circle of scholars (professional or amateur) who like to discuss their philosophy. Groups are usually small, and recruitment is slow and careful. Most members only attempt to recruit those they think have similar sentiments, often long-term friends or colleagues. If the prospective candidate shows no appropriate sentiments when sounded out, the group swiftly backs off. It’s the only way to survive right under the nose of the Harmonium.
Most heretics are thinkers (professional or otherwise) who consider the fight an intellectual and philosophical one, and focus their attention in this direction. Most members keep their affiliation secret but apply its policies to their daily lives. Others work more pro-actively, and run secret printing operations, often used by other underground groups as well as themselves.
The Cult is famous for its literary rebellions, from simple pamphlets to massive scholarly tomes. The central work of their philosophy and most prestigious manuscript known to the outside world are The Scrolls of Empty Heaven – a treatise on the benefits of internal harmony, secular morality, and spiritual enlightenment; penned by a monk of Anju’s own order at the time of the Knights, and not a direct attack upon them.
Empty Heaven is another venerable production, that styles itself after official Provincial news pamphlets. A frequent source of scandalous revelations, this intermittent publication highlights abuses by churches and corrupt statesmen (often genuine but sometimes not).
Their latest ‘best seller’ however is The Indictment - an attack on every aspect of deityhood that contains so much Athar sentiment that many Harmonium suspect their direct involvement in its production. The Indictment is pure rhetoric and propaganda, phrased as a legal challenge, questioning the gods’ right to rule and calling them and their priesthood to answer numerous charges.
Recent Activities & Events
Empty Heaven and The Indictment are typical of the sudden rise in black market pamphlets across Ortho. Free Folk allied with the cult managed to hijack several shipments of press-print devices 20 years ago. Since then the cult has been slowly emigrating its printer stocks to every corner of the world. Bands of Freeblades now specialise and transporting these devices about each Province, staying one step ahead of the law.
Perhaps the most significant development in Empty Heaven occurred almost unnoticed within the ranks of the cult itself: While most of the examplar cults actively try and destroy one another, some have begun to co-operate in a “gentleman’s agreement” for mutual survival. A few combined groups are almost on the verge of a new religion, embracing both the exemplars of both evil and goodness within a unified philosophy of Law.
ADVENTURE HOOKS
“Deus Ex Machina”
The PCs are hired to help steal a press-print machine. The machine has been impounded by a Sinhunter, who has warded it with all manner of divine spells (and got a couple of Harmonium officers standing guard). The cult would like the guards getting rid of (without killing them!) and the wards disabled or dispelled so they can steal the machine.
“Some Disassembly Required”
Possibly as a follow-up to the Adventure above… With its latest inflammatory pamphlet in circulation and Sinhunters already closing in, the player characters are asked to ship a Printer out of the city. The massive machine will need to be dismantled before it can be moved however - then reassembled successfully in its new location!
“A Friend in Need”
The PC has become friends with a middle-aged scholar of the School of Ethics called Anjus Scaif. In his youth Anjus (names based upon those of the founders are relatively common) became very briefly involved with the Cult of Empty Heaven – something that’s still recorded in his Sealed Notes. After a stern warning from the Harmonium however, Anjus put aside such rebellious thoughts and has had a productive and law-abiding career; sufficient that he’s now running for public office. He’s made no secret of his past, but it’s still made his campaign an uphill struggle.
The PC in question discovers a dusty cache of forbidden books (hidden in the attic, behind a loose brick in the cellar, etc). Clearly they’ve not been used in some time… but they’re still forbidden materials - especially in the hands of someone with a record of prior involvement with the cult. Given his history, reporting the find will result in a lengthy investigation and almost certainly Anjus’ arrest and exclusion from the political race – his reputation would be ruined. Alternatives are simply re-hide the books (effectively becoming an accomplice in the eyes of the law) or taking the books either to sell them on the black market (they would be worth quite a bit), to destroy them, or to study them. If approached by the PC, Anjus denies any connection to the tomes, claiming that they must have been stashed their by the villa’s previous owner. The truth of the matter and where it might lead is up to the DM to decide; what’s most important here is the moral decision that the PC makes.
The Ghoul Fleet
Even in so settled a time as this, ships sometimes never reach their destination. Wrecked ships generally mean an unfortunate storm or seareiver attack, goods taken indicates the actions of a pirate, but when only the bodies are stolen people mutter darkly and blame the terrible haunts known as the Ghoul Fleet.
History
To this day no one knows where the elves developed sorcery capable of transforming all the soldiers of the invading Hannish fleet into ghouls, but by their black arts the galleys of the Gem-Studded city were transformed into floating graves, home to hungry revenants who immediately turned upon their home port.
Rowing with undead tirelessness, the Ghoul Fleet made straight back for Han. Only the intervention of the Merfolk saved the Gem-Studded City from their sudden attack: As the fleet struck, the Merf harnessed giant sea-creatures and with ropes dragged the galleys down into the depths, pinning the ghouls to the deck with barbed harpoons and weighing down the cursed ships with rocks. Then they sank the whole ghoul fleet into a bottomless black chasm on the sea floor, and hoped the matter dealt with. The Mer put a watch on the chasm’s lip, but all seemed quiet for a few years. Then suddenly contact with the guards were lost; the waters were found bloody but the garrison was gone. The ghouls had emerged from the deep and gone roving.
When it set out, the living fleet was a hundred strong. Perhaps twenty were destroyed outright in the first battle with the Mer. Monsters and Harmonium patrols have destroyed many more over the years, but at least two dozen still remain to plague the world. Those captured by the ghoul fleet are feasted upon, save for a few black souls that are invited to join their ranks.
Modus Operandi
The Ghoul Fleet comes and goes by means of magical sea-fogs, still travelling in the same rotting galleys they set out from Han in as living men. Most have decayed to the point where they’re a skeletal wreck kept afloat only by the magic of their curse. They emerge from the mist seemingly at random to wreck a coastal village or strike at passing ships from Ulfrheim to Hazhkan, then disappear again into the mist and vanish. Usually each ghoul galley works alone, but sometimes two or three join together for a raid. Attempts at Divination to predict their plans only reveal that the pirates are seeking an end to their curse. Perhaps they have no more plan than that; their raids certainly seem random enough.
Ancient elven magic animates the ghouls, binds them to their ships, and forces them to sail the seas despite broken planks and gaping holes below the waterline. Sheared planks and broken holes are sometimes plugged with poisonous black seaweed that trails out in the water like a tattered black shroud, but otherwise each crew takes little care of their ship. Undead sharks, octopi, and giant crabs in each vessel, accompanying the ghouls into battle like trained hounds.
Only their sails are untouched by corruption, a light grey weave that is almost translucent. Where they came from no one knows, but it is said that the sails allow the Ghoul Fleet to travel between the land of the living and the world of the dead.
In addition to its oars, each galley has a single mast draped with translucent grey cloth that feels smooth as silk, icy cold, and deeply unpleasant in a strong but inexplicable way. Focus of the curse which binds them, each sail seems incorporeal, ignoring mundane wind but billowing to some unseen gust that no one else can feel. The Sails are effectively indestructible while the ship exists, but if the ghoul ship is completely destroyed, the sail dissipates into harmless mist. They radiate strong evil and magic to the appropriate spells.
Each Dead Man’s Sail allow a ship’s captain to sail from the Prime Material into the Ethereal Plane. A sea-fog always enshrouds the vessel while it travels the planes, obscuring it from view. Those who manage to follow the ship into the mist and watch it travel into the ether are taken along for the ride.
The Dead Man’s Sail is useable any number of times per day, but not more than once per hour.
The ghoul fleet spends most of its time in seclusion on the Ethereal Plane, contemplating their tortuous fate and passing the years in whatever manner the hungry dead can when not upon the hunt. From time to time their hunger gets the better of them however, and a ship or two goes prowling for flesh or a way to end its curse. Treasure is rarely their aim; the ghoul fleet hunts for fresh warm meat instead.
There’s no strong chain of command among the ghoul fleet as a whole. Each ship is its own master unless forcibly bent to the will of another. No captain can stand on another’s ship however, which makes stealing their counterparts’ artefact all the more difficult.
Tool of the Trade
The ghouls are warriors, fighting with cutlass, harpoon, dagger, and bow. Despite the natural attacks of their breed, they cling to ‘civilised’ combat, reserving their claws and teeth for feasting afterwards – their vile passions often get the better of them in the heat of battle however, and they throw down their steel in favour of tooth and claw.
The ghouls’ curse binds each crewmember to its ship. When ‘slain’ their bodies dissolve into foul slime, but are reborn in the bilge of their galley, climbing out of rotted clam shells that grow out of the hull (a process which takes 2d6 days). Only if the ship is utterly destroyed can a crewman be permanently killed.
The curse enforces obedience from each ghoul to the captain of each ship, although like devils they are permitted to twist any commands to their own advantage. This binding power resides in a special object owned by each captain, and loss of this artefact to another crewman sees the magical power (and captain’s rank) transferred to them. Of course the captains are highly paranoid about these icons, but most crews are desperate to get their hands on them and plot constantly to learn what it is and steal it. The item is different for each ship, and might be such varied things as a parrot cage, compass, telescope, rum, jug, or cutlass.
There are two ways for the ghouls to break the curse: According to the dark divinations of the fleet’s wizards, if a whole ship’s crew is sated on the flesh of the inhabitants of Han then the undead existence of those feasted will come to an end. The magic that binds each individual ghoul to their ship can also be broken if they can somehow persuade a blood descendent to take their place.
Recent Activities & Events
For years Harmonium expeditions have tried to track the ghouls back to their ethereal layer. Officers from the planar colonies have recently reported more success, utilising the strange powers and allies that can be found among the Planes. Their report talks about a vast tangle of black weeds deep in the Ethereal Plane, home port of the cursed fleet. Known to those who sail there as the Grim Sargasso, the ghouls dock their ships there when not ravaging Ortho’s seas. Also home of a few ghosts and ethereal parasites, it’s unclear whether the ghoul fleet alone calls it home, or if they are merely guests or invaders of some other resident. Expeditions are even now being prepared to scout the mass, and the Composer of Planar Harmony hopes that the ghoul fleet’s threat can be eliminated once and for all.
The Mhaol
The Mhaol are madmen, renegades, pirates, and rebels. Far worse than even then most lawless criminals, they are fanatically devoted to the destruction of the Pax Harmonium. They are all brigands, murderers, and worshippers of chaos.
This is the common perception of the Mhaol throughout western Ortho, and it is not entirely inaccurate. The Mhaol are all outlaws and devotees of chaos, but that’s not the whole story.
The Mhaol are actually committed to bringing down the Harmonium, the OCA, and the ruling forces of Order. For some, this is because they are criminals, antipodes, and recanters; others oppose the Pax Harmony just because it’s done them some personal harm. Some - mostly planars or spelljammers - have philosophical issues against the state and the will to do something about it. A handful are actually long-lived creatures who remember the glories of the Thaeran Empire and are determined to get revenge for its destruction.
History
The Mhaol are named after their leader Maeve Mhaol – Pirate Queen and “Cropped-haired Bride” of Thaeran legends. Active for almost twenty years now, she’s recruited men and women from all over Ortho, although most of her following are drawn from formerly Thaeran territories.
Maeve’s initial appearance was marked by a series of murders and sabotages, including a prison-break that served to provide her with her first crew. Since then she has attracted other criminals to her banner, and her activities have only increased. A number of lucky successes (and unlucky coincidences among her enemies), have seen her name spread throughout the west. The Mhaol have numerous secret harbours among the maze of islands and coastal mangroves that make up the Thaeran backwaters. Occasionally they disappear completely for a few months (especially when the Harmonium navy takes to the water in force), but they always return once more.
Some say she’s Iathran, others claim she hails from Theara or Voll. Whatever the truth, she’s well known to hate the Harmonium and all its trappings. Once an insignificant enemy, her rebels have been very lucky and her repute grows almost daily. She strikes ferociously against the Harmonium (especially the Sahuagin), the OCA, and rich merchant cartels but uses her ill-gotten gains to help the common people she sees oppressed, forgotten, or overlooked by the state. The stratagem is working, and she enjoys comparatively good support among the poor and the Free Folk.
Modus Operandi
The Mhaol’s name stems from their habit of shaving their heads in honour of their Lady: Mhaol means shaven-headed in Old Thaeran.
Officially, Maeve is a pirate (a Pirate Queen in fact), but her forces concentrate on state shipping or those carrying goods for the OCA. Their attacks vary from individual acts of rebellion, assassination, and sabotage, to full-scale assaults on Harmonium forts and coastal towns. They carry off enough booty that the Harmonium initially considered them pirates rather than true rebels, although that opinion is changing as time (and their success) goes on.
Tools of the Trade
Maeve currently has direct command of two dozen ships, but three times that number could be brought to her banner if required. She has contacts in every western ports and Anarchist spies in the Harmonium and every other major institution - although they’re not necessarily highly placed.
The Crop-haired Bride is indeed a pirate and a fanatical enemy of the Harmonium, but almost everything else about her is a carefully crafted lie. She’s actually a powerful Eladrin, once an influential patron in the Thaeran Empire, banished by the Knights of Harmony. Returning to Ortho was a matter of pride for her; she’s obsessed with returning chaos of Ortho and destroying everything that the “oppressors” have created.
Maeve’s ‘army’ is made up of rebels and antipodes gathered from across Ortho, devotes of the benevolent Gods of Chaos, and planar adventurers from the Revolutionary League. These latter agents have been invaluable spies and saboteurs, distracting and misdirecting the OCA. But they have also led her down darker avenues of war. Sometimes her goodness is overwhelmed by her desire for freedom and revenge - a dangerous situation for an exemplar.
Her groups’ uncanny luck and success is anything but. Actually Maeve’s rebels worked undercover for years building support and contacts before opening starting their crusade. Judicious use of magic and propaganda have entrenched the legend of the Crop-haired Bride in the western populace, and her generosity towards the common people have earned her the respect and admiration of the Free Folk, who are often involved in her schemes. She hopes that one day the freeblades will rise up on masse against their oppressors.
Maeve is forthright, honest, flamboyant, and a terror in battle. She usually assumes the form of a human woman on the cusp of leaving youth for middle age. Still beautiful despite the hardships of her life, Maeve’s maiden figure is now taut with muscle. Her flesh has been hardened by sun, salt-spray, and combat, and sports more than a few tattoos. Her expression is usually intense and grim, but on occasion she bellows out a laugh with undisguised joy and happiness. Her most prominent feature is her bald head; she keeps her hair shaved, save for a single short tuft at the front.
Recent Activities & Events
The Provincial government of Pan Thaera (where she mainly operates) is desperate to downplay the matter, but the truth is she’s become a much bigger threat than they can handle. Originally they thought her just a myth, then a canny criminal, then a temporary problem easily rectified. They were wrong on all counts however, and she’s had more and more successes while government forces have suffered one embarrassing failure after another.
Maeve’s current strategies revolve around drawing the Harmonium into a fruitless pursuit, then destroying their fleet in a spectacular demonstration of her powers. To this end her agents are scouring the globe for spells and artefacts that can be used in sea battles both on and below the waves, as well as bringing in such things from the Outer Planes. Like the Thaeran Empire before her, Maeve is prepared to entertain extreme ideas to battle her enemy – including finding a way to harness the remaining Seareivers or the Ghoul Fleet to her cause. Although preparations are not yet complete, Maeve is already looking for a suitably impressive target to ravage; something so important that her actions cannot fail to outrage the OCA into precipitous action.
ADVENTURE HOOKS
“Eye in the Sky”
The PCs become involved in the latest effort to catch the Mhaol – a secret “invisible dirigible” captained by a ruthless Beholder, which will lurk amidst the clouds above tempting targets, descending suddenly on the criminals and eliminating them one by one. Loyal Harmonium can be employed to crew the ship, while free folk or rebels might be approached by a Mhaol agent to discover the secret of the new Hardhead strategy.
“Silent Witness”
The PCs become involved with a Father Lufior Pusuivent, a Sinhunter determined to free the Mhaol of their deviant ways. Pusuivent is also motivated by a desire to free a number of prisoners taken by the Mhaol (whom he refers to as ‘hostages’), specifically a group of clerics of Ina who were recently taken captive. This assignment is somewhat “off the books” so he might be forced to hire free folk rather than use the temple resources. The clerics are known to Pusuivent, who considers them friends – as much as a fanatic can – and is determined to free them. Pusuivent also suspects (quite rightly) that the Mhaol has spies within the establishment.
Assuming that the PCs manage to infiltrate the Mhaol base, they will discover that Ina’s priestesses are unwilling to leave. They are providing spiritual sustenance to the rebels as well acting as witnesses to their philosophy. If the Sinhunter discovers this, he will insist that they are removed by force for “re-education.”
The Kou’koryao
The Kou’Koryao are the underworld syndicates of Shoryko. Their name means “enemy of Koryao” for their origin lies in the Golden Age of their nation (although nowadays they are often known simply as the Kou). The Kou’koryao consider themselves nobility and embrace the same social hierarchy and bigotry as the rest of their society. They run their criminal gangs like ruthless merchant cartels.
History
The original Kou’koryao were nobles driven into the hinterlands by Koryao the Great - political exiles and their followers who were forced to survive on banditry and piracy. They survived throughout the Golden Age and beyond, calling themselves nobles but being little more than gangs extorting wealth from the peasantry (and even today, many bandits claim noble lineage). Some Kou’koryao had terrible reputations for savagery, but others actively courted support from the commoners in the hope of some glorious future rebellion. In some cases these gangs were the law in wilder areas; often allied with nearby monasteries and isolated temples against the dangers of the hinterlands and the cruel dictate of their new masters.
With the coming of the Pax Harmonium, the Kou’koryao returned to society. Most modern Kou are based among the commoners, in a role that’s similar to a huihui but much more organised; almost as powerful as the banished trade guilds, they organise their labourers, provide benefits for sick and elderly members, and generally see to it that the nobility and cartels never have cause to trouble their people with questions. Kou thugs police the fields and poor districts, collecting ‘taxes’ in exchange for patronage and ensuring that no outsiders and independents infiltrate their territory. Nobles and legitimate cartels tolerate them because of each Kou’s usefulness in their political struggles - They are muscle - sometimes very skilled muscle - for hire, with strong ties to the noble houses.
Even many generations removed, the leadership of the Kou still thinks of themselves as nobles, and carry themselves with a fiercely defended air of power and arrogance, talking great pains to demonstrate how they are descended from this or that noble line. The Lords of Shoryko regard these underworld families as barely above the commoners they lead – but above them nonetheless.
Modus Operandi
By being useful to the schemes of the nobility and feuding temples, the Kou are permitted to exist. Considering themselves responsible citizens, they thoroughly police their own ranks and maintain an appropriately discreet and subservient demeanour – at least in public. The OCA certainly isn’t happy with this situation, but as long as reported crime in Shoryko is always low and the Kou constrain their activities to private law, it’s considered a matter of local policy. The Kou themselves appreciate this and important foreigners are treated as sacrosanct and safe from attack.
The Kou control the labour market, ensuring that it remains stable and safe for use by their clientele. Huihui and other worker groups are forbidden and brutally oppressed, as are independent operators. The Kou function more like cartels than the criminal gangs of other nations, and many even have more or less legitimate enterprises. Each has its own traditions drawn from the noble family who propagated it, and are proud of their magic and combat skills. Despite being highly organised, there is little cooperation among the kou - most are fiercely devoted to their city state and regard rivals from outside their territory as little better than foreigners.
Shoryko law enforcement has a tradition of suspicious cooperation with the Kou. Relations are hardly friendly but officers of the Civil Patrol routinely utilise contacts in the Kou when investigating crimes. In most cases they merely approach their local Kou contact, who handles the matter internally. Intermittent arrests are also permitted, of independents or low level Kou who are indiscrete. Local Harmonium officers usually concentrates on petty crime and social order. Dealing with the underworld is considered a task best left to the underworld itself.
Tools of the Trade
The Kou use ample amounts of thugs, although many are actually well-trained in martial arts by friendly temples or internal training regimes that treat them like traditional noble retainers. Low level members have adopted the use of monk weapons so as better to disguise themselves as honest workers, but the leaders of the Kou refuse to sully themselves with such tools, using the same weaponry as the Shorykan nobility. Many of these weapons are ancient blades from the Golden Age of Shoryko; worth a fortune were they to be sold on the open market.
Since the Crisis of Faith two hundred years ago the Kou’koryao have enjoyed a quiet alliance with the temples as well as their traditional noble allies. In exchange for magical aid and a little political support, the Kou provide spies and agents for use in the inter-temple rivalries. The Kou make good use of this alliance; some isolated compounds are bound so closely to their criminal allies that they are almost a full-time part of it. Such places serve as training grounds and a source of skilled hirelings and magical experts, and more than one wanted criminal has “gone on spiritual retreat” when the Harmonium started to close in.
Recent Activities & Events
In recent years the kou have found yet another new ally in the Shoryko Historical Society. With its new more aggressive policies against foreign influence, the secret society has relied more and more on Kou members for manpower and criminal deeds.
A certain nervousness has taken hold of low-level Kou members of late. Rumours have begun to circulate that the infamous crime lord known as White Scorpion has returned from the mountains. Although his Kou was eliminated by rivals after he himself retreated into the mountains, tales are spreading that some of his followers hid themselves in remote valleys and within other gangs, patiently waiting for the master to return. Everything from bad weather to unexplained deaths and disappearances have been blamed on these bogeyman. Rumours have spread even to the Kou Masters, who have begun resorting to ever stricter discipline to discourage it.
There was once a monk who dwelt in the mountains of Shoryko. He was a great student of philosophy and the martial arts, yet cruel and wicked. He murdered his rivals with poison while they sat meditating on the snowy peaks, then claimed that an albino scorpion stung them, then scuttled off across the snow. The monk’s real name has been lost to antiquity but he became known as The White Scorpion, and his followers later became known as the White Scorpion Kou.
The White Scorpion was at the forefront of resistance to Koryao’s rule, and was only defeated when Koryao himself met him on the battlefield. Defeated but not killed, White Scorpion retreated into the wilderness with his followers, to a secret valley where they could hide, wait, and plan. His Kou was patient; for generations they prepared, infiltrating every level of society. They were almost ready to strike once more when the Knights of Harmony arrived. It’s a matter of historical record that the Society was again at the forefront of resistance, and that despite the many years since Koryao, White Scorpion himself took to the field.
This is the tale told among the Kou:
Emissaries from the White Scorpion Society came down out of the mountains to stand before the Knights. “The Lords of Shoryko are weak,” they are said to have claimed. “But you shall not find the White Scorpion easy prey for your warriors. Make our leader king and we shall join you, oppose his wishes and Shoryko will drown in blood.”
The Knights refused and battle began between them and the Society. To their surprise the White Scorpion himself took to the field, beard as white as his namesake but still hale and hearty. Each of the Knights he defeated in turn, until Anju of Thaera challenged him to a duel.
“Seven tests of inner strength and virtue,” Anju proposed. “And for each defeat you suffer, you must withdraw for a hundred years.”
“And you also.” White Scorpion said.
The pair battled upon a windswept plateau, and the fight lasted seven days. There was a contest of strength, of speed, of endurance, of cunning, of wisdom, and of rhetoric. The final contest was a battle between the two. In all but two Anju’s Way of Harmony was victorious – but The White Scorpion won the test of cunning and also the final battle.
“I could slay you now and claim every test was mine.” White Scorpion said, as Anju lay defeated on the ground. “Who would know otherwise or dare to challenge me?”
“You would know.” Anju said.
And the White Scorpion departed into the mountains, and Anju returned to the Knights, who travelled out of Shoryko to quest elsewhere, until two centuries later when their heirs the Harmonium came back to Shoryko.
Exactly what transpired during and after the battle is not recorded in any official account, but The White Scorpion is said to have disappeared and the Knights turned their attention to other countries. With White Scorpion gone, the other Kou joined forces to destroy his Society, whose power they had long feared.
In the end Shorykao joined the Pax Harmonium peacefully. Modern historians consider White Scorpion himself to be nothing more than a myth, for no evidence or divination of his existence has been certified. Legends persist however, claiming that not only was the White Scorpion real but that he still lives somewhere high up in the mountains.
ADVENTURE HOOKS
See the ‘Shoryko Historical Society’ for suggested plots involving the Kou.
“Sacrosanct”
The PCs are instructed to protect a particularly high-born foreign Harmonium Officer from harm... without letting on who’s doing the protecting. Unfortunately the visitor is a lecherous drunkard who’s used to getting his own way by throwing his powerful relatives’ names about. While on a ‘state visit’ he plans to visit every dive, brothel, gambling hall, and drug den in Shoryko.
“A series of Unfortunate Events”
The PCs are hired by agents of the Shoryko Historical Society to eliminate a high-ranking Harmonium officer. There’s just one complication – it must look like an accident (including to the victim himself, in case she be Raised or subject to a Speak With Dead). The assassination must occur while the dignitary travels through the wilderness from the outside world – which means along a Knights’ Road. The characters are assured by the Kou Master that a successful undertaking will mean much for the status of their Kou and the PCs wealth and influence within it.
The Snake Dancers
No criminal organisation calls itself the Snake Dancers and no such name is recorded in the Harmonium’s official reports, but every urchin in Iironda can tell you countless stories of these rogues. They are enchanters, charlatans, and tricksters armed with magic and a ready wit.
History
‘Snake Dancer’ is the catch-all Iirondan term for a street entertainer, especially one who uses minor magic or entertaining trickery. ‘Snake Dancing’ (using a performing snake, controlled by magic or a swaying pipe) is only one of their arts - they also juggle, tumble, do fire-breathing, contortionism, and prestidigitation. Most are well-known on the street as keen-eyed informants as well, a tradition long predating the arrival of the Knights of Harmony. Stood on street corners all across Iironda, they double as spies, lookouts, information brokers, and contacts with the underworld. Snake Dancing and other street performance are perfectly legal under the Pax Harmonium, but it’s alleged that within their ranks are hidden numerous tricksters, fraudsters, and conmen, who utilise illusion and enchantment magic in their schemes.
Legends abound about the Snake Dancers, often spread by the performers themselves - both the innocent and the rogues. They are always exaggerated tales of wonder and adventure involving gods, spirits, demons, powerful artefacts, and charming rogues. Of course to comply with the Revel Laws the talesmiths must condemn the trickster-magicians and provide a good moral example to their listeners… but it’s still clear to all who the hero is.
According to the storytellers, Snake Dancers have slipped into the bedchambers of Princesses, brought down tyrants with their trickery, and visited fantastic locations on this and other worlds. When it comes to stories of the Snake Dancers, separating lies and truth is almost impossible.
Modus Operandi
True snake dancers are merely informants and watchers (with the occasion picked pocket or burglary to fill their purse), but a core of magic-wielding conmen form the core of the criminal group. Keen to avoid Harmonium attention, the Snake Dancers prefer a clean getaway with as little blood on their hands as possible – although the string of charmed scapegoats they leave behind rarely thank them for this.
The Snake Dancers survive through careful anonymity, by persuading others to do the dirty work for them. Thoroughly urbanised thieves they specialise in fraud, embezzlement, con tricks, and sabotage. Most work alone, recruiting any ‘assistants’ they require using magical and mundane charm. On occasion they join together for a job or two, but ego inevitably gets in the way of long-term cooperation. In a world of Charm, Suggestion, and Domination no snake charmer dares to trust another.
As well as thieving, the Snake Dancers work as spies and saboteurs for the powerful Merchant Houses of Iironda, who love involving the tricksters in their schemes. Most Houses maintain contact with a Snake Dancer or two for use against their rivals.
Tools of the Trade
There are two kinds of Snake Dancer hiding within the Free Folk of the East: The humble rogues and street performers who are this organisations eyes and ears and agents, and the unscrupulous bards, illusionists, and enchanters who have made the Snake Dancers infamous.
Magic-wielding snake dancers utilise spells like Charm, Hypnotic Pattern, and Suggestion in their schemes. Spells like Disguise Self, Invisibility, and Polymorph Self are also popular choices to keep one step ahead of the law. Their mundane counterparts rely on their skills of hiding and sneaking, bluff, and information gathering instead. A ready wit and a lying tongue complete the arsenal of both groups.
Recent Activities & Events
In recent years the Snake Dancers have been spreading across all the tropical lands, plaguing Provinces who haven’t been aware of them until now. Hazhkan, Keln, and Pan Theara have all been hit by crime sprees thanks to these rogues – word is circulating among the Free Folk that some kind of contest has begun among the Snake Dancers, to commit the most daring and outrageous crime. What the “prize” for such foolishness might be is unknown; perhaps nothing more than pride is at stake?
ADVENTURE HOOKS
“High Society”
The PCs are hired to infiltrate the passengers and crew of the luxurious Iirondan airship Lord Zhou, for a three days floating party. One of the seemingly high-ranked nobles aboard ship is actually a Snake Charmer out to fleece the wealthy for everything he/she can get. The PCs must determine the guilty party and stop their plans without revealing to the proud Lords of Han that a criminal has been walking amongst them.
“Snake Charmed”
The party completes a standard-seeming adventure with their normal patron or another respectable source, only to find the Harmonium waiting to arrest them when they return. It turns that out their entire adventure was instigated by a Snake Charmer using Suggestion, Charm, illusions, and other magic to delude the party into doing his will.
The Spawn of Ruay
The Ruay are an irritation to civil order, not a threat to world peace. They have no faith or grand philosophy, only mischievousness and disrespect for authority. They’re not trying to make a serious political statement, and are motivated solely by a desire to cause trouble and have fun.
Unlike the more famous Burrowdogs, the Spawn are drawn solely from the rich upper classes of Ortho’s great cities, specifically those which still support a powerful nobility – Han, the city states of Xaric and Osmopondia, and a few families in Harmony’s Glory. Privileged, wealthy, bored, and looking to rebel against the system, the Spawn of Ruay like to amuse themselves with pranks and flamboyant mischief.
Membership of the Spawn is an ancient tradition among certain noble families, a ‘harmless’ way for their heirs to get the excesses of youth and rebellion out of their system before taking up the reigns of power. As the earn true responsibility from their families, a young noble is expected to give up his or her membership and live a respectable life, but the friends and allies (and enemies) made whist in the Spawn of Ruay are often maintained long after their association with the society ends. This is part of the reason that the group is illegal under the Pax Harmonium: Aside from their disrespect and irresponsible behaviour, they are a secret society within the ranks of the nobility that serves to promote its own interests and increase the power and status of its members.
History
Tycko Ruay was a Duke of southern Thaera, exiled from Court for dalliances with more than one of the Emperor’s concubines. Fleeing his wrath and forced to leave his lavish wealth behind, Duke Ruay was forced to become an itinerant adventurer. Tales and legends of his adventures have firmly entrenched an image of the honourable rogue in plays, songs, and stories. Tycko Ruay’s name is synonymous with handsomeness, flamboyance, and wit… and dalliances with ladies of several races. See ADVENTURERS AND ORTHO for more information.
Duke Ruay left many children behind him, several of whom went on to become almost as famous as their sire. As his legends spread, it became fashionable for the nobility to celebrate and emulate the Duke’s philandering and swingebuckling ways. Aggrieved husbands and irate civil defence officers were soon calling his devotees “the spawn of Ruay!” and in time the perpetrators themselves began to use that name as well.
All this was before the coming of the Knights of Harmony. There was no place for such shenanigans in the Pax Harmonium of course, but Tycko Ruay’s life popularised by the books and plays of underground playwright ‘Virtus Cant.’ Within a hundred years “the spawn of Ruay” were an ingrained feature among young nobles across Ortho, albeit a semi-secret one.
Several high-profile public incidents of mischief brought the Spawn to the attention of the Harmonium, and investigations revealed enough serious violations among its ranks that the group was outlawed. Despite this action, the Harmonium had bigger fish to fry at the time, and most groups escaped arrest by using their families’ influence.
Modus Operandi
The Spawn gather in secret at expensive taverns, restaurants, and inns, as well at manses and rural compounds. Their meetings are often more like parties however, with glittering costumes, elegant feasts, and bawdy entertainments. Typical meetings consist of little more than scandal, gossip, and gambling, but later on the group usually settles down to boast of their exploits and plan some new mischief. Style, daring, and flamboyance are appreciated more than the actual effectiveness in their deeds.
Most groups achieve little more than that; perhaps adding the reading aloud of satires, jokes, banned poetry and other illegal literary works. More athletic Spawn sometimes enjoy a tour of the Licensed Quarter or otherwise respectable taverns where they cause havoc and start fights. A few groups take things further and involve themselves in serious criminal matters like drug smuggling, burglary, or worship of the Lords of Chaos (usually in their benevolent aspects, but a few turn to Ghanalim to advance their careers).
The Spawn have no real connection between individual ‘cells’ beyond basic philosophy and the occasional travelling member. Groups number between half a dozen to fifty or more within major cities. Despite their code of rebellion, within each group a complicated web of status defines who’s in charge or whom, based upon their individual ranks and the status of their families. In theory it is only the wit and style of members that determines his rank within the Spawn, but the truth is that the society is bound strictly by the rules of noble rank. Those who cannot prove the purity of their bloodline (often defined as seven generations of nobility) are not tolerated, and those with lesser lineage are inevitably relegated to menial status. Humans dominate the Spawn, allowing only the most elite of other races to join their ranks.
Tool of the Trade
Most Spawn wear flamboyant costumes and elegant masks when out and about in the name of their order. In honour of their ancestor a rapier and a ready wit are their chief weapons, although alchemical devices like smoke sticks, thunderstones, and tanglebags are also popular – as are magical trickeries among those that can use them. If apprehended, they try and use their influence to get favourable sentences or the charges quashed. In Provinces with a history of such things, this is done almost openly. It’s usually just a few choice words carefully whispered in an ear or two, perhaps with a bribe or some compensation.
Most Spawn activities are designed to display the cunning of its members and lampoon the ruling elite of the Harmonium, OCA, and the Church. They concentrate mainly on “arrogant commoners and others with ideas beyond their station” - Nobles are rarely targeted unless they come from a family that the Spawn believes are unworthy of their titles. Hidebound officers of the Harmonium and the OCA are usually their primary target.
Spawn activities are known as “performances” and those captured by the Harmonium are known as “the heroes of the hour.”
Recent Activities & Events
The Spawn of Ruay are enjoying something of an ascendance again, after a few years in hiding - the cause being a particularly successful ‘performance’ in Han the Gem-Studded, where a delegation of austere patriarchs from Motmurk were diverted from an official diplomatic ball to an illegal orgy outside the Licensed Quarter. The chief perpetrator captured by the police (known as “hero of the hour” among the Spawn) was Shojan Chu, who is even now coming to the end of his workhouse sentence. The Spawn have high hopes that his spirit has not been crushed by incarceration.
Ill-chance seems to be dogging some of the Spawn of late: Unlucky breaks, misfortunate, and twists of fate seem to be plaguing the society. At first the Spawn suspected a traitor in their midst, but the circumstances of each are too different, strange, improbable, or downright inexplicable – three men have vanished utterly, two ancient families suffered bankruptcy on the same day from entirely different reasons, and a few people have simple gone mad, another was struck by lightning. The Spawn now suspects that someone with powerful magic at their disposal is set against them.
ADVENTURE HOOKS
“Card Sharp”
PCs are hired to find the cause of the mysterious ill-fortune striking the Spawn of Ruay (see above). If they can put up with the rampant snobbery and arrogance, investigations will reveal that each chapter of the Spawn of Ruay received a visit from a wandering nobleman a few weeks before each disaster. The exact name, history, and description seem to change each time, but high stakes card games seem to be at the heart of the matter.
The culprit is in fact a Rakshasa called Rang Culhuacan (‘father of the Leaning Hill’ – Patriarch of the Leaning Hill lotus estate in Hazhkan). Rang is a Harmonium member (although not currently in service) and has decided to eliminate one of the OCA’s enemies – namely the Spawn of Ruay. To this end disguises himself as a travelling member of the group, a lover of high-stakes card games. In each case he ingratiates himself with some flamboyant ‘performances’ and displays of wit, but his real aim is to play cards with the senior members. Using his powers it is a relatively simple matter to amass many victories, but then he suddenly deliberately loses to his opponents, and when the stakes far exceed his supposed wealth he ‘reluctantly’ divulges his gaming secret – a magical deck of cards that have granted him his wealth and skill. These are in fact a “Deck of Many Things” that he tricks his fellow players into using.
“Rapier Wit”
The PCs are relaxing in the Licensed Quarter when a particularly obnoxious crowd of young rakes arrive on the scene. Bizarrely, one of their number is an unhappy-looking ogre dressed in perfumed silk, complete with rough, waistcoat, and rapier. This figure sits glumly in their midst, enduring numerous casual slurs and jokes at his expense.
The nobles do their best to aggravate the PCs, following them from tavern to tavern if necessary. If the PCs respond in kind, they are challenged to a duel by the ogre (actually a paid bodyguard hired for this very purpose), much to the merriment of the Spawn.
The Black Alchemists
The Black Alchemists are among the most publicly dangerous underworld organisation operating on Ortho. Infamous for their violence, mercilessness, and utter disregard of collateral damage, they are a blight on the Pax Harmonium’s reputation for peace and justice.
Black Alchemists are assassins armed with magical and alchemical weapons of the most explosive and indiscriminate kind. They sell their services to the highest bidder, providing their services to individuals who want their enemies taken care of noisily, messily, and with no chance of coming back.
History
When the newly formed ‘Harmonium’ turned its attention to the trade guilds, the Alchemist’s Guild was already involved in illegal activities. Many of its members were roguishly-minded wizards and sorcerers who went into hiding from the Knights of Harmony when the criminal guilds were broken up. Such spellcasters had been specialists with friends among the underworld even back then. With the demise of the Thief Lords they simply went freelance under cover of their new guild. By the time the Harmonium got round to destroying the Alchemist’s Guild, in many places it was little more than a front. Some were merely suppliers to the black market; others full-time criminals with only a thin layer veneer of respectability.
Honest alchemists had been appalled at the change in membership of the guild, but were powerless in the face of their wicked colleagues. They happily assisted the new Harmonium in eradicating their unlawful brethren. Many criminal alchemists went to ground however, showing the same tenacious cunning and talent for survival that had allowed them to evade the Knights of Harmony in the first place.
Initially they served the black market by supplying various alchemical and magic items, but as life back in the underworld hardened them, they slowly developed a talent to use the equipment themselves. Initially they specialised in thieving spells, but later learned that they could earn far more wealth and respect by providing death and destruction. Within a generation the Black Alchemists had become a loose-knit association of feared assassins wielding magic, explosives, and alchemical tools. They didn’t care who they work for; criminals, rebels, or madmen… it was all the same to them.
The Black Alchemist’s spiritual home is Iathra. Many warlocks and pyromaniacs went on the run when the Demon King was deposed, hiding their skills behind the façade of the Alchemist’s Guild. Not a few of them were Fire Eaters of Alzrius, but their numbers have been whittled down by simple attrition over the years. Nevertheless rumours persist that the Black Alchemists venerate the Demon King, something that only adds to their terrible reputation and the Harmonium’s determination to destroy them.
Modus Operandi
Most Black Alchemists are loners or operate in small teams. Over the years they have recruited men more suited to their new profession - these days the Black Alchemists are cruel and brutal individuals empty of pity and eager for destruction. Those who hire Black Alchemists are looking for savage violence, not efficiency – but these killers also have no scruples at all, save that they pride themselves on never being taken alive by the authorities.
It’s in Iathra that the Black Alchemists are strongest, but they’ve spread to major cities throughout Ortho. Constant pursuit by Harmonium has forced them to adopt a nomadic lifestyle anyway, constantly moving from place to place to avoid capture. Fortunately they are only a loose alliance of killers, who prefer to work alone. Even if captured a typical member can provide little information about his fellows.
Many rogues and Free Folk have almost as low an opinion of the Black Alchemists as do the Harmonium, and a visit from a Black Alchemist makes most criminals nervous too – they’ve learned to survive by not being noticed, and these killers are anything but subtle.
Tools of the Trade
Black Alchemists use destructive magic, firearms, alchemical items, and explosives. Although they certainly have no objection to poisons, they generally prefer something more spectacular. They favour spells from the school of Invocation.
“The Alzrian Beggar” - These hollow mannequins are cast in the likeness of a huddled transient, the sort of poor traveller who might be sleeping in an alley or doorway, easily overlooked (at least in the slums; in other areas these types are moved on by Harmonium patrols – which has its own uses on occasion). They’re made of painted wax, but studded with nails, metal shards, and other small debris. Inside their hollow chest and limbs is packed solarium powder, primed for detonation.
When activated, the alzrian beggar detonates with loud flash and thunderous roar – anyone within 30ft takes 4d6 fire damage and 2d6 damage from the flying shards. A Ref Save (DC 18) halves the damage. Victims within 60ft take 1d6 damage from hurled debris, with a DC 15 save for no damage.
The device can be set to explode at a given time by means of a mechanical fuse, activated by exposure to fire, or trapped with magic.
Trap Statistics:
Mechanical Fuse - This device is clockwork timer that ignites after a given time.
“Demon’s Bridle” - This terrible device is used by the Black Alchemists to interrogate prisoners. It is a fearsome torture device, and often mere mention of it has made prisoners divulge everything they know. The Black Alchemists particularly love to threaten to use it on a victim’s loved ones.
The Demon’s Bridle is a solarium charge designed to fit into the victim’s mouth and attach behind their head like a regular bridle does a draft animal. It can only be fitted to a pinned opponent or one vulnerable to a Coup de Grace. Although the device has a prising spike for forcing it between the clamped teeth of an unwilling victim, applying it still requires an opposed STR check if the victim is conscious and resisting. Attaching the bridle is a Standard Action that is subject to Attacks of Opportunity.
When activated, the charge explodes with a small but painful burst of flame, causing the spike within the victims mouth to jump violently: Depending the amount of charge its been prepared with, a bridle’s charge can be used to shatter teeth, burn tongue and mouth, or even blow off a person’s jaw.
The Bridle causes 1d6 fire damage (no save). Victims must also make a Fort Save, DC 16 or be unable to speak very clearly until the damage is healed. Spellcasters using verbal components will need to make a concentration check as if they were taking “constant damage” (see PHB, PAGE) until their wound is healed.
Spell - Retributive Strike
The spell infuses the caster’s body with fire magic. It activates immediately if the target is killed or rendered unconscious, including by means of Sleep of similar effects – including mundane slumber: A fireball destroys the caster if they are killed or rendered unconscious.
Recent Activities & Events
Rumours of Black Alchemists are relatively common, but many of these stories are inaccurate (criminals sometimes use their name to inspire fear, or to cover their simple arsons and murders), and some are simply made up.
I love alot of these groups Armoury and definitely think they add a lot of characters. Some quick thoughts up and down the board (I hope you'll give my own work the same courtesy)
Some comments and criticism I'd like to throw your way.
The Cult of Empty Heaven: I like these guys but they seem like a bit of local color more than they actually seem like a significant organization at this point. You could distill a lot of the points down to a sidebar more than this. I think you could really add a lot to them if they were more than what amounts to "People who don't like the Church." For me, I think one major benefit of the group would be to have it more organized and have some ties with the Athar. Frankly, I'd make "Athar" their simpler nickname as well as CoEH is a bit of a mouthful.
You could have a lot of fun with a 'scholar from another world the Harmonium encountered' that started organizing them.
The Ghoul Fleet: I definitely think that this group deserves to have their own Monstrous Manual entry with the Ghouls of the group described with an Ecology entry all their own. This is a group that's a definite one shot and fun adventure hook for destroying. They can't be used more than once I think, sort of like some Ravenloft Islands of Terror, but it seems like a really great story.
The Mhao: I almost think this group deserves a good deal more expansion as a power block rather than a small sector threat that it is. It's definitely noteworthy but doesn't shaving one's head rather largely indicate one's membership in a very lethal secret society? Unless the pirates live on their own pirate island with no contact, it removes a lot of the benefits of 'fading in.'
I'd actually change that aspect (though it's a nice bit of local color) to only her immediate crew and that's if she's got some place to flee like the Ghoul fleet does.
The Kou’koryao: I like these guys but I think they'd be a little better if they were made to be more clearly out to be the "accepted criminal organization" You've got some mafia and Yakuza similiarities but I like the idea you're hinting at that they're basically an ingrained criminal group that's become part of the establishment.
Sort of like Big Brother's groups that handle the masses' outlets for rebellion within a controlled environment. I'd imagine some vice control would spruce up this place considerably ('illegal' gambling parlors, prostitution, and so on)
Snake Dancers: Some illustration about what motivates this as a group and why these people are Un-Harmonius might make it a little better. So far there's allusions to basically being analogues for circus-folk and just rogues but how they slip through the Harmonium's attempt to harmonize and why would help.
The Spawn of Ruay: (I keep pronouncing this 'The Spawn of Roy') A bunch of arrogant wannabe Scarlet Pimpernils? I think a better social agenda would make this group more interesting to players.
The Black Alchemists: No criticisms, I love these guys.
These are all very good things, Armoury and I definitely would love to see a lot of them. A sense of stronger purpose and more game use would be appreciated though. The CoEH seems more like "This is how the irreligious are treated on Ortho" than viable enemies of the public order though.