Ortho: The Unmatched Legions of Harmony

Last Edit: 07/03/08

The Unmatched Legions of Harmony

“He who stands with us shall never stand alone.”
- Romhel of Voll

Visitors to Orthorian society are often overwhelmed by the sheer size and scope of the organisation they see around them. Although they might expect the Harmonium to run simply everything, those privileged enough to visit Ortho are often surprised to learn that the military Harmonium have strict limits on their power. What its enemies often claim to be all-encompassing power of the Harmonium is really just omnipresent influence. The Harmonium has many defined areas of power and in each domain there is little which escapes their gaze. But the organisation itself exists for a specific purpose and is only empowered to act in accordance with this aim; other aspects of harmony are enforced by the Harmonium’s fellow 'pillars of state' – the church and world government. It’s certainly true to say that the Harmonium’s founding principles can be found everywhere the OCA touches however - even defining the philosophies of its enemies.

Despite its limitations the Harmonium is almost everywhere one turns on Ortho. Its official remit is for the safety and security of the morals and ideals of harmony (and those yet to find harmony), but in practise its primary work is physical protection of the people. This can be divided into three broad categories: military activity, public security, and unofficial work undertaken “for the good of the cause.” Its power may be immense but Ortho has had five hundred years to tweak, push, and pull at exactly what amount of official authority is best for the Harmonium. There are actually surprising gaps in it – especially if your conception of ‘the hardheads’ comes primarily from the propaganda of its enemies. Since everyone on Ortho is (in theory) a supporter of the cause anyway, everyone is (in theory) happy with the situation as it stands. Few people want another Julhien and nobody wants a second civil war.

Military Activities

The Harmonium’s military remit is to enforce the philosophy of universal harmony, ensuring that no individual or organisation exists with or without to threaten the cause of peace and stability – and it does this very well indeed. Much though it decries conflict and calls for eternal peace, the truth is that the Harmonium excels at war. Its soldiers are among the best trained, best equipped, and best supported military forces anywhere on the mortal plane, and when necessary the Harmonium can (and occasionally does) invade an enemy states in greater numbers than not just the opposing army, but the whole of its population.

The word ‘Harmonium’ – and especially the slang ‘hardhead’ – is synonymous with the image of red armoured warriors marching in perfect step, each man a committed champion of the cause. This is a deliberately created image, but also a truthful one: uniform, unit structure, terminology, and even Harmonium campsites are standardised throughout their sphere of influence. Unity is one of their prime goals, after all.

The Legion

One of the greatest strengths of the Harmonium legion is the massive resources that are placed in the hands of individual soldiers. Even the lowliest infantryman is trained and equipped far beyond the standards of other armies, and each regiment has support officers with magical and technological aids for their use. Outside of the Pax Harmonium, this level of equipment is usually seen only on adventurers and in the personal guard of kings and emperors.

The typical legionary wears plate mail and fights with a longsword and large metal shield, although standard Harmonium training covers all the martial weapons and armours. Specialist units are common, but they are rarely so specialised as to become useless at other kinds of warfare. Most Harmonium solders function equally well as archers, a pike block, or even cavalry. Constant training and duty rotation are used to prevent troops from losing their skills, as well as to reinforce a ‘can do’ attitude to changing roles in the field.

Of course, not all personnel in the Harmonium have levels of the Fighter class, but they will still have gone through basic training with all the other troops: Even a wizard will have done sword and spear practise until his muscles ached, stood watches throughout the night, and done overland marches in armour before they were allowed to move on to advanced training in their chosen class. This is not enough to grant proficiency (unless the character spends the appropriate feat), but at least they will known which end to hold a spear, how to put a suit of armour on, and numerous minor details of military life.

See the equipment chapter for information on the trappings of a standard Harmonium soldier.

The basic division of the Harmonium is the Legion, a self-contained crusade designed to operate as independently and self-sufficiently as possible. Numbering approximately 5000 men, it is far more than just a band of warriors: Each force moves with its own propagandists, demagogues, provisioners, healers, mages, clerics, scouts, spies and counter-insurgency agents, exigency squads, and other specialists.
In addition, each legionary is expected to be the embodiment of the Harmonium ideal: There is no ‘booty’ or ‘prize money’ to be found here, nor is plunder and pillage permitted. Soldiers are paid a steady wage instead (often quite a good one, comparatively) and all treasure acquired is sent to the company quartermaster for return to the populace or inclusion in the armies coffers, as appropriate. Soldiers are also expected to uphold the ideals of the service at all times, and regularly go that extra mile to win ‘hearts and minds’ – even of those they are currently at odds with. Prisoners should be treated justly, civilians as politely as possible, and all conduct must be strictly honourable – or at least what the Way of Harmony considers good and proper.

Behind the lines, military arcanists and clerics provide magical support armed with appropriate wands or staves from Ortho’s vast stockpiles. A common and welcome sight on battlefields is the humble support-cleric (often clad in breastplate and tabard bearing the green hand of Alae), dashing from unit to unit dispensing Cure Light Wound spells. Various mages provide a similar service, sometimes fighting in distinct units, like the Iathran Cavalry Choir and Ice Mages, or the Mounted Mage Brigade of North Thaera. Working alongside these are mundane specialists who provide semaphore machines, engineering, siege weapons, and the like. The typical Legion is usually more than a match for the standing army of a small nation, and the Harmonium is prepared (within a few limits) to send in as many Legions as necessary to get the job done.

Tenfolds

The smallest unit of a legion is the Tenfold, a unit of ten men (usually Notary One or Two) who share a single camp and watch rota (three men to a shift, and one off watch in reserve). Each Tenfold includes a Lumsman (usually the senior Notary 2), and a Notary 3 in command. A tenfold comes with its own shared tent, pack horse, and enough supplies for a week of travel.

The Harmonium Navy

“Iron ships. Iron men.”
- Motto of the Harmonium marines

Alongside the infantry and landbound cavalry are the Harmonium ‘wet’ navy and aerial squadrons. Especially at its inception the Knights of Harmony were forced to recruit a number of privateers and adventurers to their cause, and the service still has a reputation for ill discipline and wild behaviour (‘wild’ by Harmonium standards, anyway). Originally the Hardheads saw the navy as little more than glorified transportation, and ships were used only as floating battlefields to be packed with men. But as the cause spread and new ideas with it, the navy came into its own. Trouble on Eallia has also spurred the development of new and better ships, and the tactics to use them.

In recent decades the Navy have embraced new technologies far more so than their landbound counterparts, making them strong supporters of the Technologist bloc in Orthorian politics. Their use of cannon and heavily armoured ironclads mean that once on site, a Harmonium naval force is practically invincible when battling against traditional wooden ships armed with ballistae and catapults. The new generation of steamhorse-powered ironclads are expected to make this difference even more pronounced.

Aerial Troops

Ortho’s flying ships are kept carefully under wraps by the OCA (see Spelljamming below), but its flying beast squadrons and aerostat navy are both a relatively common sight. As well as providing troop movement over difficult terrain, dirigibles can disgorge marines and paratroopers on the battlefield and play a significant roll in siege warfare. The Legions have also recently introduced the smaller Ferdies as scouting and exigency tools.

The majority of aerial troops remain cavalry however, soldiers on flying beasts. Normally only the largest and most dangerous flying mounts are used to directly attack the enemy; smaller beasts make harassing attacks, sniping, or reconnoitring the battlefield – and also acting as heralds and messengers when necessary. Squadrons of mounted mages also use flying beasts to good effect, raining fire down onto the Harmonium’s enemies.

Spelljamming

Fighting Orders

Standardised Legionaries form the vast bulk of the Harmonium’s military forces, but there are also several organisations existing within the Harmonium. As the Knights of Harmony consumed the various independent military forces of the world, they took in numerous orders, fellowships, and organisations, both large and small. The Knights of Harmony are perhaps the most famous of them, but there are many others. Only those which have a special role or very significant history manage to survive as something more than an unusual brigade name or ceremonial title however. These Fighting Orders are typically given the same status of Provincial Prides (see below), but their membership is open to any Harmonium warrior who meets their approval and has a transfer approved.

The most Prominent fighting orders of Ortho are given below. Given the sheer vastness of Harmonium influence however (nine worlds, many small colonies and enclaves, and the Outer Planes), there are probably dozens of others as well.

Cudgelites

The Orthorian chapter of the Children of the Cudgel is a fighting order that draws almost exclusively from the ‘lower classes’ of Ortho, as well as professional fighting men that in other regimes would be called mercenaries. While Didairdin’s Knights of the Sheaf are still dominated by traditional fighting nobility, the Cudgelite membership are far more literally an army of farmer-warriors. Those who look down and disparage such people have cruelly nicknamed this order “the crudites” - though not within hearing of the faithful.

Like most other Fighting Orders on Ortho, the Cudgelites are part of the Harmonium and follow its discipline and ranking structure, although they are permitted to maintain their own brigades and follow the tenets of their faith. Cudgelites also take a vow of poverty, tithing the majority of their possessions (save weapons and armour) to the Church of Order. In return the faith tries to ensure that it’s ‘templars’ always have a roof over their head and gainful employment when not on campaign: It’s common to see Cudgelites toiling in the fields beside farmers and Didairdin’s clergy when not at war. In fact, the faith of Saint Cuthbert on Ortho is being slowly being consumed into that of Didairdin, much as various native deities of war and agriculture were. This is sometimes a source of tension between the Orthorian sect and established Cuthbert-worshippers elsewhere, but the native faithful seem content.

Maidens-Hospitler of the Green Hand

‘Warriors for the Goddess of Peace’ is not so strange a concept as it might first appear: The Harmonium itself is after all an organisation whose aim is peace but whose expertise is warfare. Although they would prefer peaceful methods, the Harmonium recognises the reality of life and take to heart the old adage that “to make peace you must prepare for war.” So it is with Alae’s knights.

Alae’s hospitlers are charged with protection of the wounded, both on the battlefield and off. Their duties include escorting medics and orderlies safely to and from the scene of battle and guarding them (and their charges), as well as protecting field hospitals and other refuges of the sick and wounded. Its members are primarily mounted warriors (medium and heavy cavalry), and many of at number are paladins.

The Fighting Judges of Tyerusus

The Fighting Judges are holy warriors serving the Lord of the Underworld. Quite small by the standards of Ortho, they are more famous for their rivalry with the followers of Didairdin than for deeds on the battlefield. Their duties include guarding the Great Judge’s temples, law courts, and execution-sites alongside regular Harmonium troops. Although fighting judges were once well known for bringing justice to lawless borderlands and wilderness, these days such activities are found only on Ortho’s frontiers (Hazhkan, Karazam, the colony of Anoc) and beyond. Judges can also be seen riding the Knights’ Roads of Ortho, administering justice at isolated towns and farmsteads.

The Knights of Harmony

The Knights of the Sheaf

The Knights of the Sheaf are templars, holy warriors serving the god Didairdin, Lord of Discipline. Although part of the Harmonium and following its regulations and rank structure, the Knights of the Sheaf also live a life of strict monastic discipline. Many of them have clerical training.

The Order of the Sheaf was created to bring prosperity and security to the ashen fields of Iathra. In the days following the defeat of Alzrius the land was blackened and scorched. Famine – never far away under Alzrius’ rule - ran rampant and disorder followed inevitably on its heels. Romhel’s army did what it could to keep order and root out the remaining demons, but it could do less to restore the land or put food in peoples’ bellies. Romhel called on Mogranhu’s druids to restore the land, and the temples to guard and assist them.

The Knights of the Sheaf were warriors who rode out under the banner of Didairdin to reclaim the lands from chaos; they hunted demons and sorcerers, they protected supply caravans, guarded druids as they returned life to the ravaged fields, and watched over communities as the new regime rebuilt. Much of the peaceful doctrine of the Lord of Discipline stems from writings put down during this time, when the way of the warrior and the way of farmer were interwoven in Iathran culture. So successful were the Knights that Romhel’s alliance was able to move on to “the Thaeran problem” far sooner than expected.
Five years after the defeat of the Demon Lord, Iathra had the ‘Great Harvest’ (actually a very modest one, but bounteous compared to previous years), which marked the beginning of the land’s recovery. Romhel and the Knights of Harmony swore eternal fellowship to the Knights of the Sheaf, and although its templars returned to much more martial pursuits in later years, it was in honour of this camaraderie that the templars were able to maintain their status and relative independence when they later became part of the Harmonium.

The Red Hand of Hextor

The majority of Hobgoblins are, primarily lifetime foot soldiers with no particular desire to move up in the ranks beyond doing grunt fighting on the battlefield, but the Red Hand Brigades are an Elite Hobgoblin Order that is as close as they come to knighthood.
The Red Hands of Hextor are a religious order that emphasizes the role of individual fighters achieving glory via subterfuge. They only accept Hobgoblins who've proved themselves of above and beyond normal fighting ability, alongside an unwavering belief in the God of Tyranny.

The Red Hand has no concept of chivalry and achieves their aims primarily through the use of commando tactics. The members include Fighters, Rangers, Sorcerers, Priests and Blackguards of Hextor. Almost all of them end up taking a level or more in Rogue with plenty having access to Prestige Classes that emphasize the use of Stealth in military combat. Red Hands gleefully use assassination, espionage, sabotage, and traps to inflict the maximum amount of damage to their foes. Amongst most Harmonium troops Red Hands are treated with disdain or dislike but the massive amount of blood they spill is enough to make them great heroes amongst the Hobgoblins of the Harmonium.

The Truesteel Guard

The Truesteel Guard are Harmonium specifically charged with protection of the Octave. Varzak of the Crushing Fist created the first of their kind - a bodyguard of fanatical orcish warriors who protected Romhel and the other Knights of Harmony. Originally they served the Composer directly, but since the Schism their Grand Marshall has instead served the Octave as a whole.

The guard is open only to exemplary officers of rank Measure One or higher, who complete a rigorous series of examinations to test their resolve, skills, intelligence, and utter commitment to the Harmonium cause. The Guard administer these tests themselves and are almost impossibly high in their standards; applicants can expect to be tested without warning – and sometimes not to know they were being tested until after they have passed or failed. The selection process is brutal. It’s well known that every applicant is tortured at some point, simply to test their resistance.

Clad in gold-chased admantine plate armour, Truesteel Guardsmen serve as personal bodyguards to the Conductor, often building a close relationship with them and advising on matters far outside their security remit. Officially the Guard remains strictly neutral in affairs of state or conflicts between Conductors, but its impossible to remain entirely unbiased and many guardsmen have held powerful political influence in the past; especially their overall commander, the Grand Marshall.

Assignment to the Adamantine Guard is for life. In fact, they even have their own ‘retirement home’ on a pleasant island enclave down the coast from Harmony’s Glory. Here they retire to a seclusion so complete it is a virtual - if voluntary - captivity. As guardians of the highest political body in the Pax Harmonium, they have been privy to many secrets over the years. Out of loyalty to the cause, the Guard prefer to keep those secrets safely away from the rest of Ortho.

The Verzatoida

The Verzatoida or ‘Blood Guard’ are an order of templars dedicated enforcing the spiritual code of Motmurk’s hierarchs. They are guardians of propriety in the orcish homeland, enforcing the rules of honour, public decency, and social rank among the orcs. Legally, they are a fighting order of the Harmonium, and have powers similar to both the Civil Patrol and Intramural Affairs.

Unfortunately they also happen to be the military arm of the Motmurk church, and help the Hierarchs maintain an inordinate amount of influence over the state. The majority of its membership is made up of fighting clerics of the Didairdin, Rialondru, and Saeduenical.

Provincial Prides

Fighting alongside regular legions and Knightly Orders are Provincial brigades known as Prides. Acknowledging the expertise of local warrior traditions, Prides are made up of specialist warriors who are expert in a particular local combat style. All have served in the regular Harmonium legions, but have the honour of representing their national or Provincial speciality as well. The number and size of Prides varies in each Province, but most are the size of a brigade or regiment. They are usually attached to standard legions to bolster forces when necessary. Of all Orthorian troops they move around the most, whenever and wherever their particular expertise is needed.

The finest Pride of each Province is known as the First Pride and is the most distinguished and prestigious of its kind. Once bestowed this title can change hands but it’s a rare occurrence, usually happening only after some major disgrace or if the regiment is wiped out in battle. Current Prides include:

o The Pride of Bafatai: Mountain assault troops. A strong rivalry exists between them and the Iathran Prides (a rivalry neither really remembers the reasons for).

o The Pride of Gelidahl: The ‘Last Province’ is so recently and sparsely populated that Prides have yet to be raised from there. The Gelidahl Rangers are the current contenders for the role of First Pride, experts in survival on the ice.

o The Pride of Hazhkan: Jungle warfare brigades, a mix of jungle skirmishers, lightly armoured pike units, and Hazhkan’s famous war-elephant cavalry. The title of First Pride of Hazhkan is disputed between two rival regiments and the title is regularly passed back and forth between them: The Thunderfoot Regiment (war elephant cavalry, ridden by noble-caste clerics and paladins serving Rialondru), and ‘The Lillyboys’ (experts in tropical jungle warfare, known for their ruthlessness and ‘unconventional’ tactics). The latter was named after “my precious lilies of the swamp” – a reference made about them by their original commanding officer, the now disgraced Rakshasa ‘Duchess’ Tashpathani

o The Pride of Keln’in: Beholder shock troops. The First Pride is known as the City Breakers and specialise in siege warfare.

o The Pride of Motmurk: As well as numerous Shieldwardens, the Pride of Motmurk specialises in light and medium cavalry, especially horse archers and deep strike cavalrymen who can live off the land. Unusually for a Harmonium force, the Prides are divided along tribal lines allowing each regiment to practise its tribal speciality. The First Pride of Motmurk is the Flying Scorpions – a squadron of daring wyvern riders.

o The Pride of Iathra: Ice Guards and arctic-warfare specialists, famous for their ski-mounted skirmishers. A strong rivalry exists between them and the Prides of Bafatai (a rivalry neither really remembers the reasons for).

o The Pride of Iironda: Specialists in Solarium weapons and other advanced technology, especially muskets (regiments also serve as field testers for new weapons). It is sometimes derogatively called ‘the Pride of Han’ because it spends so much time involved with the local merchant lords and their schemes. The First Pride is known as The Thunder Legion and consists primarily of musketeers, although the new aerotrooper regiment (the Sons of Lightning Aerostat Parachutist Marines) make no secret of their desire to take their status.

o The Pride of Osmopondia: Charioteers, from heavy assault chariots to light, fast, vehicles which provide magical support. There are a fair number siege engineer Prides as well.

o The Pride of Shoryko: Heavy infantry drawn from the bodyguard of various noble houses and churches, as well as ‘fighting monks’ from Shoryko’s famous mountain monasteries. There are also a number of ogre Shieldwardens newly attached to the Pride, as well as a prestigious regiment of heavy assault troops called The Shieldbreakers (ogres wielding greathammers, used to break open enemy shield walls and lead attacks on fortifications).

o The Prides of Thaera: Given the hodgepodge of traditions that make up the former Thaeran Empire and the ‘troublesome’ nature of much of the populace, assigning it a Pride has often been difficult. Officially the Prides of Thaera are marines, but many people (especially the natives) consider the Province’s specialist units to be its oppressive keepers of public order, nicknamed ‘The Ironheels.’
North Thaera's pride is known for being a strong shield and spear wielding Hobgoblin phalanx. Rather than an elite unit, it is one that most veteran soldiers spend some time in amongst the Vak'moor Hobgoblins. They are famed for their ability to break both calvary or infantry charges.

o The Pride of Ulfrheim: Is made up of navy and marines drawn from the Seafolk, including a great proportion of weres. The First Pride is known as The Ironfang Warriors, and consists exclusively of shapeshifters.

o The Pride of Voll: Heavy cavalry, specifically knights. The order is steeped in ritual and tradition. Many knights of other countries also serve in the Pride of Voll, which is among the most prestigious Provincial legions.

o The Pride of Xaric: Pikemen, both light and heavy armoured. The first Pride of Xaric is known as The Ten Thousand Teeth of Xaric, famous for its proficiency against cavalry and aerial attackers. Muskets have recently been added to its arsenal and mixed units of pike and musket are showing great promise. The monastery of the Seven-Fingered Palm also fields a regiment of ‘insurgency specialists.’

o Ortho’s seas are home to two of Prides: The Pride of the Deeps (heavy Marines, almost exclusively Mer); and The Pride of the Shark (an all-Sahuagin legion, specialising in waterborne commando raids). Both have seen multiple actions on the colony-world of Eallia, fighting alongside.

Orthorian colonies are also permitted to maintain Prides, although these are usually limited in number – the Harmonium prefers every colony world to meet the universal standard rather than celebrate their differences. Nevertheless colonial Prides are often their most high-profile regiments, touring Ortho to highlight the expertise of new Harmonium members. The current colonial Prides are:

o The Pride of Anara: This world has yet to establish a Pride.

o The Pride of Anoc: The Pride of Anoc are ‘roughriders’ – explorers and trailblazers who specialise in bringing law to the wilderness. Their numbers are small, but they often work in small teams far from home, with a lot of latitude in their authority.

o The Pride of Arcadia: A contingent of powerful planar warriors of many races, among the most physically powerful regiments in the Harmonium. Drawn from the whole of the Planar colonies, its skills are legendary but both its standards and the attrition it suffers is very high.

o The Pride of Eallia: This Pride was disbanded following the rebellion of the colony’s sea elves; its name officially ‘retired’ until the colony proves its loyalty once again. Although a small regiment of former Wave-Knights still work with the Harmonium, they do so as regular Harmonium troops. Many of the former knights remain vigilant for an opportunity to clear the name of their Pride, although rumours persist that some of their number are secretly part of the rebellion.

o The Pride of Fjorge: Seige warfare and military engineering corps. Because of biological imperatives in the K’jinte race, regiments are strictly segregated by hive.

o The Pride of Intagril: The Prides of Intagril are organised along the standard Harmonium legion. Many of its regiments have a part in the bloody history of the War of Iron, and now specialise in actions against supernatural threats.

o The Pride of Lucidia: Spelljamming naval forces. Individual ships are granted to title of First Pride every five years, based on their service record and the vote of a council of standing captains.

o The Pride of Meter: Heavy infantry consisting of Loxoth, Giff, and Rhek. A prestigious all-rhek halberdier regiment (all proud nobles, many of them paladins) is their First Pride. In the common tongue their name means simply The Superlatives.

Supplicant Legions

Supplicant Legions are made up of externals, personnel from nations outside the Pax Harmonium (who are usually petitioning for colony status). They are arrayed along the line of standard Harmonium legions, although their equipment is usually a little poorer than standard (issuing plate armour to every man can be cripplingly expensive, and the legion’s homeland has to foot the bill). Supplicant legions often fight alongside regular legions on the outskirts of Harmonium influence, to learn by their good example. Service in a Supplicant Legion is usually rewarded with Citizenship after ten years of service. On worlds hoping to one day be part of the Pax Harmonium, service as a Supplicant is a considered a great honour.

The Harmonium prefers to break up supplicant legions, and it’s rare for whole armies to be fielded together. The OCA prefers to send individual regiments and brigades to fight alongside more numerous Harmonium units, both because of their relatively poor standards and to reduce any danger of inharmonious behaviour.

Penal Units

Penal units are made up of criminals who have escaped the workhouse by signing up in the army. Penal units always have the most hard-line commanders, the most severe discipline, and the most dangerous assignments, and its personnel are effectively prisoners when not on duty, but they have also achieved some of the greatest military victories (and last stands) of Harmonium history. Those who pay their ‘debt to society’ often continue in the regular military after their indenture ends.

Exigency Corps

The Exigency Corps straddle the line between military and public security, and their duties frequently extend to diplomacy and what other states would call ‘espionage.’

Public Security

“The law is upon you!”
- Famous cry of the Hardhead constable (usually accompanied by a whistle-blast)

In the Harmonium philosophy there is no difference between military and police activities. Both are necessary to preserve the peace and good order of the state, and the Hardheads pride themselves in being as adroit with civilian disruptions as they are with military dangers. Usually its soldiers have the support of the populace; troops are welcomed as champions of the community, unlike soldiers from many other regimes.

The Civil Patrol

Although all Harmonium officers are empowered to arrest miscreants and prevent disorder should they witness it, the duty of dealing with public order falls to the Civil Patrol. Constables are the mainstay of the service, experienced officers who specialise in urban crime and have developed particular skills in keeping the peace in Ortho’s towns and cities. Constables lead civil patrol units (who are often made up of regular soldiery or constables in training), they command the ‘Peace Stations’ where the civil patrol is barracked, and lead investigations. Constables also operate on the Knights’ Roads of Ortho and her colonies, keeping a watchful eye on travellers and carrying news between checkpoints.

The Thieftakers

The Thieftakers are a subdivision of the Civil Patrol, but rather than patrolling alert for mischief, they are charged with tracking down as-yet unknown crimes and bringing the perpetrators to justice. Many of them operate ‘undercover’ and can be called in by Intramure or the regular Civil Patrol to assist in difficult or prolonged cases.

Many thieftakers also ride the Knights’ Roads in less… civilised territories and colonies, alert for smuggling, rustling, crime, and insurrection. They sometimes act as roving judges, but in general the OCA prefers to rely on the established legislature instead. Thieftakers only serve in this capacity when there’s no one else around to do so.

'Intramure' / The Eyes of Harmony

Intramure (short for ‘Intramural Investigations’) is a branch of the Civil Patrol that deals with crimes committed (or suspected to have been committed) by Harmonium members. These officers work secretly to apprehend those Harmonium who fall to the ways of corruption and crime. Often worshippers of the Lord of Watchfulness, they are infamous for their thoroughness in investigations and heartlessness to pleas of mitigating circumstances – in fact, Intramure has been reprimanded several times for apparent miscarriages of justice, and for operating on a principle of “better safe than sorry, and better that an innocent man is occasionally punished for the good of the state than that a guilty one should ever go free.”

They are sometimes known as the Eyes of Harmony, or simply as The Eyes.

The Electoral Guard

The Harmonium watches over all political events, from local votes to international political campaigns; to the ennoblement of new barons, to the coronation of cardinals and kings. Their purpose is to ensure that nothing corrupts the political harmony of Ortho, including the politicians themselves. The Harmonium ensures that political individuals do not engage in disharmonious practices – everything from bribery to deviation from philosophical dogma.

Electoral duty is normally assigned to regular troops, although there are also a number of full time officers assigned to the task. These soldiers are part of the Information Control Executive (see below), and concentrate mainly on examining the statements and publications of politicians for deviations from accepted dogma. Permanent Electoral Guards are often accused of being nothing more than enforcers allowing ICE to throw its weight around, but this is a prejudice largely unsubstantiated.

The Law Courts & Workhouses

Harmonium officers provide security at Ortho’s law courts. In cases where the accused has broken ‘Public Law’ (committed a crime against the ideals of Harmony – i.e. the State), trained Harmonium personnel also serve as judges and after retirement, many of these judicial officers make the move to Private Law. All judges are graduates of the School of Ethics.

Once a criminal is found guilty, the Harmonium also sees to their incarceration. Officers staff workhouses across Ortho, guarding prisoners while they pay off their debt to society.

Other Activities

“Dig for victory!”
- Motto of the Harmonium Irrigation Initiative

The Harmonium has several duties above and beyond the remit of both armed forces and police agencies. Although following the standard hierarchy of the Harmonium, many of its operations (especially those dealing with civilian matters) are performed under the supervision of an OCA department official; using Harmonium ranks and procedures but are overseen by the central authority. The vast majority of these ‘other activities’ are carried out without any official sanction or support - merely the action of concerned members, taken for the good of their fellow citizens.

Recruitment: The Campuses

Campuses are training camps and official recruiting stations for the Harmonium, set up in every town and city – although there are also countless books, plays, posters, and demagogues complimenting the persuasions of campus personnel. Wandering recruitment units also travel the Knights’ Roads and byways of Ortho, visiting isolated settlements and haranguing travellers in roadside hostels. In many respects however, every officer is a recruiter and expected to draw others into the cause. Oratory skills are part of basic training, even though few regular soldiers excel at it.

Indoctrination usually begins in school. Many teachers are former Harmonium and serving officers often give talks and lectures to students, including basic weapon drill and physical training. On holy days the temples also preach the Way of Harmony, and there are numerous secular celebrations of Harmonium virtues and victories. The School of Ethics, various Choirs, and just about every other organisation in Orthorian society are used to recruit. Given the obvious benefits from membership and stigma of refusing it, the Harmonium has little trouble recruiting new personnel but constantly pushes for more members – because a key Harmonium tenet is that everyone should join it

The Harmonium doesn’t just recruit soldiers in its spare time either: It’s charged with encouraging the population to get involved in many aspects of social responsibility: Celebrations, charity drives, public building projects, sporting events, votes, and participation in the church of the Lords of Order. Veterans Associations are often called upon to provide manpower for these activities.

Military Display Events
Tourneys!

Propaganda: The Ministry of Truth

The Harmonium doesn’t like to use the term ‘propaganda’ – they refer to it as the Truth. The Truth requires fighting for however, and the Harmonium and whole department dedicated to seeing that the truth is undiluted, unequivocal, and unchallenged. The Ministry of Truth includes all three of the pillars of state in its personnel, employing (literally) many legions’ worth of scribes, sages, speechwriters, and communications experts in its ranks.

The Information Control Executive

Within the Ministry of Truth is a small but elite department known as the Information Control Executive (or ‘ICE’ as they are sometimes known). ICE sits at the heart of the Ministry of Truth, and is charged with countering enemy propaganda, rumour, and other wild claims. They print responses and rebuttals to hostile propaganda, investigate illegal printing operations alongside Civil Patrol units, enforce the Revel Law, monitor the content of political materials, and (most controversially) engage in “pre-emptive information strikes” against the cause’s enemies.

ICE’s remit is to deliver the Harmonium message as effectively as possible, as well as maximising the Ministry’s use of information on its enemies. It takes a strategic view, leaving day to day details to the rest of the Ministry. Many of its senior operatives are from more long-lived races who take a long (and somewhat paranoid) view of their work. Opponents of ICE accuse them of being nothing more than propagandists and of performers of psychological manipulation on a massive scale.

The Daily Provender

Across Ortho and her colonies many tens of thousands of troops spend their time dealing with security of the Daily Provender. Duties include moving the goods in question, securing distribution routes, keeping the peace at Provender Markets, and making sure that ‘free rations’ really does mean free. Officers also ensure that food is not claimed by individuals multiple times, and that it is not collected and resold. Most of the time it’s a very easy duty, synonymous with the image of the lazy young shortcloak.

The Harmonium Engineer Force

The Council of Ortho prefers to see its citizens gainfully employed, and there’s no better way to keep people busy than building projects. In dangerous areas or those that must be completed quickly however, the Harmonium itself is often called in to do the work. Dams, new roads into the wilderness, and disaster relief activities (rebuilding) keep the skills and ingenuity of Harmonium military engineers at their peak. In fact, it seems to many people that the Harmonium is always digging something up or knocking something down.

Soldiers and civilians often work side by side on such projects, with overall control given to ordinary citizens or OCA officials of the Bureau of Civic Harmony. Regular Harmonium troops regard this sort of work more as a punishment (and it is occasionally used as such). Soldiers who enjoy the work typically seek transfer to an engineering force.

Research & Development

Harmonium R&D bases are usually kept well away from civilian locales, for both safety and security reasons. Many of Ortho’s former dungeons are now converted into bases for the development of new ways to create and keep universal harmony. Bases dot the wilderness of Ortho, but are only found in the most secure heartlands of colony worlds. Not all advances are used of course. Some are considered too chaos-inducing or simply wicked. And some are simply so terrible that the Harmonium has – so far – deemed them unacceptable.

The Harmonium tries hard to keep their location a secret (and is mostly successful at it) but occasionally an ancient ‘treasure map’ surfaces showing a complex’s location and original layout. Both underworld gangs and independent thieves are always on the lookout for such documents and the secrets they might reveal…

Civilian Activities

Endless ranks of marching soldiery may be the most common image of the Harmonium, but they can be found in many other places as well, often as motivated individuals. In some circumstances this is merely Harmonium members assigned to civil tasks, but given the omnipresent membership it enjoys, the Harmonium’s influence reaches deep into civilian life. Many former and off-duty soldiers take it upon themselves to act when they see the need.

Counter to the claims of its detractors however, the Harmonium’s unofficial influence on society is one that is neither secret nor with in-built authority. In most cases Harmonium personnel are merely maintaining their high moral standards and proactive beliefs in a new role; the organisation as a whole merely helps support them.

Veteran’s Associations

Officers are encouraged to remain in contact with any still-serving friends, and to form new associations with fellow retirees. Every city and town and even most villages has a Veteran’s Association. As well as social events, VAs gather donations for the Harmonium, maintain a hardship fund for members down at heel or struck by misfortune. They also engage in charity work, political canvassing, and lobby for causes they approve of. When elections draw near, the Veteran’s Associations are among the first to be courted for support by the various factions. The vast majority of all ‘civilian work’ done by Harmonium is done by members of a VA, from speaking in schools and campuses to representing their Allot to the local city or village council, to acting as an unofficial counsellor for neighbours and friends.

Camp Retainers

Camp retainers are retired Harmonium officers who continue to travel with the army as semi-civilians. They work as attendants to senior officers, civilian but experienced in Harmonium procedures and disciple. Quite a few ‘retirees’ (especially those wounded beyond the ability to serve effectively) continue to work for the Harmonium in this capacity, either on or off the front lines. A CR is usually of a ‘retirement rank’ that’s appropriate to their assignment but occasionally a much more or less prestigious officer will find him or herself in a particular role.

Political Wing

The whole political system of Ortho is based on an acceptance of the Way of Harmony, and as far as the Harmonium is concerned there’s no better demonstration of commitment than being a member of it. Despite there being no law or statute to enforce membership, there’s considerable social pressure and it’s obvious to everyone both within and without the system that Harmonium membership is essential to a reputable political career on Ortho. Almost all job specifications, oaths of offices, and other entitlements include something like the phrase “demonstrate a commitment to the way of harmony and the estate of the Pax Harmonium” - and this is easy to do if you can quote your membership number and service record, and hard to do if you can’t. The populace is well aware of this principle and many people sign up for a brief tour of duty when they are young; the system even endorses it with a relatively easy ride for these “shortcloaks.” This is enough in most cases, but those seeking to advance high into the OCA usually have a longer and more prestigious record.

Membership is not the same as ‘active service.’ After their tour of duty is over, an officer returns to civilian life and other employment, but is considered a member for life (unless he’s caught behaving inharmoniously) and both the Harmonium and the civilian population show them respect and expect certain responsibilities in return (almost all representative of an Allot are retired Hardheads, for example). As well as ensuring that laws and civic codes are obeyed in each block, they are often unofficial advisors and mediators.