The Harmonium

Source: The Factol's Manifesto p.88

A Heritage of Ambition

The Harmonium's been around a couple of centuries, maybe more. It depends on who a basher listens to. According to the faction itself - and any member'll tell a body the same thing, 'cause it's drummed into them at indoctrination - the group was founded about 500 years ago on a prime world called Ortho. There, a group of adventurers went off to "rid the country of chaos and bring peace to the land." Simple enough goal, right? Many aspire to the same thing.

Thing is, this group actually went and did it.

They brought peace and harmony to their land, so they started calling themselves the Harmonium. And Then they moved on to other lands, and spread some peace and harmony there too. It was tough work, sometimes, because they had to force the peace on some poor berks who didn't know what was best for 'em. But the Harmonium willingly took on these difficult jobs. Eventually, they delivered their whole world into peace and harmony. Naturally, spreading peace throughout the world required the Harmonium to eliminate a lot of nasty types - all those wrong-headed, free-thinking folks who love to cause trouble. Those who journey to Ortho today say it's a very rigid place, where dwarves, orcs, beholders and humans all work together under the Harmonium's law. There's not an elf or a pixie to be seen anywhere, though.

The Harmonium ruled their world, and their world knew peace and harmony. (If not exactly happiness. - Ed.) Then the problems started.

Seems that every once in a while, chaos and discord managed to rear their ugly heads. The Harmonium leaders got tired of this occasional disorder and got together to discuss the matter. The high-ups decided that the chaos must originate somewhere else - it couldn't come from within their own perfect world, after all. Suspecting the culprits came from the Outer Planes, the Harmonium mounted an expedition and journeyed to the Abyss. After getting their rumps kicked from the Plain of Infinite Portals to the Caverns of the Skull Goddess and back again, they decided they needed another plan. So, the Harmonium expedition relocated to Sigil, to establish a beachhead of sorts.

And here they have remained.

The faction found some like-minded folks in Sigil - folks like the Guvners - and the Lady of Pain seems to approve of the order they bring to the Cage. They also found targets for their war for peace in the numerous folks of other factions. A lot of those groups regard Harmonium members as playground bullies, a bunch of berks who want to spoil the fun for everyone. But ask a Hardhead, and he'll tell you he's absolutely right about the way it should be.

Oh, the Harmonium's made some mistakes in its time, though the members’d never admit to it. Just ask a high-up about the recent Arcadia "incident" and watch him twitch while he tries to come up with some kind of answer. (The Harmonium accidentally allowed the thrid layer of the plane to slip into Mechanus, as recounted in the Planes of Law boxed set. - Ed.) Or mention the town of Fortitude on the Outlands; that's also a sore spot with the Hardheads that know about it. (In response to the loss of the Arcadian layer. The faction tried to shift this town to Arcadia in the adventure Fires of Dis. - Ed.)

There's also the matter of the world of Athas, the prime planet that’s home to lots of giant, psionic bugs, among other things. It seems that a Few thousand years ago, a bunch of bashers called the "Champions of Rajaat" went about warring on others to eliminate chaos and bring peace. Sounds familiar, right? Well, the Harmonium wasn’t around back then, so the faction couldn't have been involved - although time does some funny things between planes, once in a while. Or maybe the Harmonium took some inspiration from the Champions. Thing is, bashers who've been to Athas call if an awful, dry world wrecked by magic. Almost anything would eat a body just for walking by, they say. Is that what the Harmonium wants?

'Course, the Hardheads deny it. Present-day Athas resulted from the actions of right-minded barmies who didn't know when to quit, they claim. The Harmonium knows to back off before that point. So they say.

Harmonium members do have their work cut out for them - after all, the Cage doesn't exactly embrace peace and law. The Hardheads get some help along the way, though, from the Guvners and the Mercykillers, their partners in crime. (That is, in stopping crime. - Ed.) The Harmonium makes the arrests, the Guvners conduct the trials, and the Mercykillers enforce the punishment. All three factions believe in law and order, so they work pretty well together, though the Hardheads seem happy that the painfully meticulous, fill-this-out-in-triplicate Guvners don't actually create the laws.

On the other hand, the "wheel of justice" finds opposition in the friends of chaos, like the Indeps, the Revolutionary League, and the Xaositects. 'Course, the Free League seems too independent to constitute much of a threat, but the Anarchists and the Chaosmen can prove dangerous. The Harmonium also considers dangerous the selfish or destructive attitudes of the Fated, the Bleakers, and the Doomguard, as well. The Doomguard has become a special thorn in the Harmonium's side, because this faction controls the Armory and keeps weapons out of Harmonium hands, preventing the Hardheads from launching a full-scale war for peace. Then again, this arrangement suits everyone else fine, from the Lady down to the Clueless.

The Harmonium considers the Athar and the Godsmen a bit barmy, in light of their weird beliefs, hut harmless in the end. Hardheads tend to ignore the relatively inoffensive - if spooky - Dustmen. The Signers can become annoying, with their great egos, but like the rest, they seem largely ineffectual; in fact, the Signers help preserve the peace by running the Hall of Speakers and getting the factions to meet. The Sensates also prove little threat, but most Harmonium feel peery of them anyway; by wanting to experience everything, the Sensates go around looking for disorder. The Clueless, though they can become magnets for trouble, remain acceptable to the Harmonium.

The Ciphers seem an interesting bunch. They seek harmony of mind and body - so far, so good, according to Harmonium beliefs. By uniting thought and deed in harmony, a cutter's spirit can align with the multiverse. Thing is. Ciphers seek individual harmony - not too consistent with the universal harmony the Hardheads want. Also, Ciphers act without thinking, which counters the Harmonium desire to think everything through - or at least appear to. Here's the dark of it, though: The Ciphers resemble the Harmonium a bit too much for comfort. Besides their search for harmony, both groups like members to feel so sure of themselves that they act with no prior reflection. The Hardheads see a half-twisted reflection of themselves in the Ciphers, and it bothers them enough to remain peery of 'em.

Tire Harmonium's outlook on the various other factions dictates how the Hardheads will go about accomplishing their long-range goal of peace. Don't forget, the Hardheads're willing to fight for it. Encouraged by their success long ago on their prime world. Harmonium members truly believe everyone one day will come around and join them, in the meantime, members can eliminate troublemakers: starting with the Anarchists, Xaositects, and Indeps.

Factol Sarin

Male human prime

The chant says Factol Sarin comes From the Harmonium world of Ortho, where he moved through the ranks to become a high-up. Deserving of promotion, Sarin chose to go to Sigil, rather than rake the easier route through the ranks of the prime Harmonium worlds. He knew Sigil would be a rough posting compared to one on Ortho and that he'd arrive a near Clueless. And he still wanted the Cage.

This fact ought to tell even a leatherhead one thing: Sarin feels dedicated to the Harmonium cause. This commitment shows in his every word, his every action. Since arriving in Sigil some two decades ago, he has become the ultimate Hardhead, embodying all the reasons his faction got pinned with the nickname.

Sarin's tough - not even a barmy or a Clueless ever would suggest otherwise. He believes unshakably in the Harmonium's cause and will do anything honorable, lawful, and good to promote peace and harmony. Not surprisingly, this attitude makes it very difficult for a lot of folks to deal with Sarin.

And the factol deals with a lot of people. Because he remains active in Sigil, locals see his imposing figure on the streets with some regularity. The tall, broad-shouldered factol wears a perpetually severe look and his unmistakable armor, made of adamantine. The front of the armor is decorated with the Harmonium's faction symbol, and the spikes sprouting from the shoulders and helmet resemble the Lady of Pain's own shining blades. The likeness is no coincidence; Sarin likes to remind bashers that he supports the order of the Cage, and that he supports the Lady by doing so.

Anyway, the factol's appearance attracts attention, and so does his personality. Some Harmonium members might feel inclined to soft-sell the faction, but not Sarin. No, he'll take the chance to lecture anyone, anytime, if he doesn't think they understand the absolute correctness of the Hardhead cause. He also feels he can increase his people's morale by performing himself the tasks he asks them to do. Sarin doesn't figure he's doing a good job unless he arrests someone personally, at least every day or two.

The Factol makes himself accessible to faction members in a social context, if they happen to run into him - but he’ll talk faction business only with cutters who go through the proper procedures to get an audience with him. He'll deal straight with any faction member, and treats everybody fairly - at least given the Harmonium view of "fair."

Sarin has a smooth, deep voice that can really boom in a lecture hall or on the streets of the Cage. He can act charming, almost friendly - when he wants. But even when he's harping on the Hardhead chant or drumming the law into some poor cross-trader's brain-box, his magnetic personality commands respect. Without a doubt, Sarin numbers among the finest leaders in Sigil. He even has the respect of other factol's including those who hate him or disagree with him. The Hardhead even occasionally sways them to work with him - though that works partly because of the threat his faction presents to those who don’t behave. Make no mistake, though, Sarin deserves respect, and he gets it; he never has to lead through intimidation.

Sarin has headed the faction for a little more than five years so far, and he's looking forward to leading it for a long time to come. The even-tempered blood's not given to rash decisions that might get him booted, so he likely will hang around for a good, long time.

Besides being a prime and a charismatic and popular leader, Sarin sticks out among most factols for another reason: He's married and has a family. His wife, Faith, is a priest (Pl/9human/C12/Harmonium/LG), one of the factions spiritual leaders. Sarin and Faith have nine children, all of whom they raise in a loving but disciplined fashion. Their oldest, a girl of 14 named Marinda, already plans to join the Harmonium.

City Barracks

The imposing City Barracks looks like a gargantuan slab of stone heavy enough to crush the very streets. The structure, with its spiked gray slate roof, appears dull but impenetrable and can house more than 1,000 people. It has a single entrance, over which rises an arch in the shape of two arms raised, clasping hands to form a huge fist. (Some say the high-ups have their own private entrance, but the location's dark. - Ed.) The barracks is an ugly place - not that any basher wants a Hardhead to hear him say so.

The Lady’s Ward around this headquarters remains calm and orderly - faction members see to that! Local businesses - few and far between — all make sure they toe the line this close to the Hardheads' home base. The first thing a body encounters on the approach to the Harmonium's barracks is a group of guards. Four stand watch at the building's entrance at all times, day or night, no matter what conditions arise around them. They stop everyone who enters, asking simply, "Who goes there?" The guards reject anyone without a good reason to visit the headquarters but allow Harmonium members to pass, assuming they have Faction concerns.

Visitors walk beneath the clasped stone hands arching above the doorway and into a reception area just inside the main door. Non-Harmonium visitors must sign in here and state their business to the faction's receptionist. If she approves the visitor, she issues a pass the guest must wear while in the building. Only Harmonium may enter freely; those that don’t know their way around receive a faction member to guide them. (Generally those just out of training. - Ed.) The receptionist, Diana the Guardian, reminds visitors to stay with their assigned guides at all times.

Diana the Guardian
Female human planar

A pleasant human in her late 30s, Diana has belonged to the Harmonium for more than a decade and feels very devoted to the group. She's cheerful, bright, anti extremely professional, greeting each visitor as he comes In. The receptionist uses divinations and other spells as appropriate in case of trouble or if she senses something unusual in a visitor. She employs a medallion of thoughts to sense people's intentions and detect when they lie to her.
Diana makes all visitors feel welcome, and all Harmonium members feel at home. Her social skills hide her innate toughness, causing more than one intruder to underestimate her. She has called the exterior guards several times to scrag shady types they passed through - she doesn’t put up with attitude from anyone.

Level 1: Public Areas

Once through the reception area, a basher emerges into the public portion of the City Barracks, encountering the first of many classrooms scattered throughout the ground level. In these large rooms, recruits receive instruction, though they attend lessons at the faction's headquarters in Arcadia as well. In addition, Hardheads might visit a classroom for a more advanced officer training class or an official briefing. The rooms hold long tables for study, and dozens of chairs. A classroom typically holds a small stage and instructors lectern, too.

Walking along the stark, well-lit hallway of the City Barracks, a basher can hear the sound of heavy footsteps echoing. After passing a number of other classrooms, one arrives at a number of dormitories. These sleeping quarters for namers are segregated by gender. The faction discourages fraternization between officers and those of lower ranks by giving the namers quarters downstairs but locating factotums' and factors' rooms on the upper level.

A small auditorium takes up one tower on the first level; a much larger hall encompassing both levels of another tower is used for thrice-daily briefings, held before Harmonium patrols leave for each shift of duty in the city. These auditoriums come in handy for mass meetings, such as addresses from the factol. The small amphitheater holds some 200 people, while the larger one houses 500.

The back hallway leads past a training room and a mess hall. These facilities have duplicates on this level and upstairs as well. The faction’s very extensive library holds books related to law, as well as books of poetry and approved fiction. The library also offers confiscated religious tracts in abundance and multiple copies of the Book of the Harmonium and The Sigil Municipal Code. Faction members can check books out for a week at a time.

From the ground floor, one can gain access to the immense courtyard the City Barracks encloses. Portions of the recruits' physical training take place here; so do regular exercise sessions for the namers and daily parade march practices. Faction high-ups remain always conscious of appearance, and only frequent drilling gives namers and officers alike the polished military demeanor that so impresses the folk of Sigil.

Level 2: Faction Areas

The Harmonium reserves access to the second level of the barracks for faction members only. Directly above the library lies the large records room, which holds scrolls listing the Harmonium's membership, along with each Hardhead's current assignment and supervisor. This tower chamber also contains books describing the known history of the Harmonium. In addition, the faction maintains record scrolls of all arrests made by Harmonium patrols in Sigil; a large staff of clerks tracks wrongdoers, updating the records regularly. Bashers who think the Harmonium's all about fighting to enforce the law get a rude awakening when they find themselves assigned to the records room for a week or two.

The upstairs level holds two shrines for personal religious observances. One tower's second floor holds several faction offices.

Officers' quarters lie along the upstairs hallway. Factotums and factors live two to a room. Each chamber has simple furnishings: two single beds, two small tables, and three chairs. The rooms also feature small storage closets. The faction allows some personal decorations, as long as the officers keep them inside the rooms. Garish or overly lavish accessories ain't allowed in officers' country.

Just past the officers' quarters is the office of Sarin's second-in-command, Tonat Shar. This factor handles a lot of the faction’s daily business, leaving Sarin free to guide the Harmonium as a whole. The Factol gives Shar a good amount of responsibility and power, training him for eventual succession to faction leadership.

Because Shar deals with individual Hardheads more often than Sarin, it's not unusual to see officers as well as the lower ranks in Shar's office. Each morning, the high-up briefs the other factors on faction business. His office, somewhat larger than the factols, is set up specifically for briefings.

Shar's office holds a large desk, two utility tables, and a large conference table. A dozen chairs sit around the conference table, and another four chairs wait near Shar's desk, allowing him to hold more intimate briefings. The walls bear no decorations, though in a drawer in one of the smaller tables Shar keeps a number of maps that duplicate the ones the factol has hanging on the walls of his office.

Tonat Shar
Male human planar

Shar, though as tall as a typical human, has a build burly enough for a dwarf. He wears armor of red leather with a bright blue Harmonium emblem on the right breast. The factor’s serious, severe, and businesslike - and he looks it. Unlike Sarin, who’ll smirk to charm his followers, Shar never cracks a grin. Officers who work with him have learned to recognize the occasional gleam in his eye as a sign of excitement.
What he lacks in charm, Shar makes up for in fairness. When he interviews someone, he listens intently, maybe asks a pointed question or three, then makes his decision. The factol must agree with him, ’cause he's never contradicted one of Shar's judgments.
Shar remains crisp and professional at all times. That is, he's always on duty, never taking time away from the faction's cause. As the chant goes, Shar doesn't really have a friend. He sees himself as a sort of father to the Harmonium family, and, while he’ll offer support, he doesn't get too involved with the personal lives of the members. The blood just wants to remain objective.
Though not as beloved by his people as Factol Sarin, Shar has every bit as much respect. His accessibility does a lot to overcome the emotional distance he puts between himself and the other Hardheads. Shar would do anything for his organization, and has followed Sarin to Baator and back. Every member of the Harmonium who deals with Shar agrees that he's the right person to take up the job of factol - though they hope that doesn’t happen very soon, since they all do like Sarin so much.
But the factol hasn't actually said Shar'll take his place one day - there is the one other factor of Shar's rank to consider: Killeen Caine. Caine (Pl/♂half-elf/W15/Harmonium/LN) maintains the faction's headquarters in Melodia on the plane of Arcadia. Regardless of Caine's charm and success, the chant puts the smart jink on Shar to make factol.

Once past Shar's office, only a few steps more lead to the factol's office. This chamber holds simple furnishings, including a large desk, two good-sized tables, and a half-dozen chairs. On the walls hang maps of Sigil, as well as maps of other trouble spots currently important to the faction. Right now, these include maps of Arcadia, Mechanus, and the towns of Fortitude and Xaos. A lot of colored markers have been stuck on the maps.

'Course, a non-Harmonium rarely ends up in Sarin’s office; such interviews the factol normally conducts in one of the briefing rooms. Only faction members - or high-up visitors - step into the factol's office, for an interview with Sarin or to receive orders.

Next door is the factol's family quarters, a collection of rooms for Sarin, Faith, and their nine children. Other than being larger, the factors quarters aren’t much different than the quarters of his officers. Sarin believes this fact makes him more appealing to the regular rank and file - he wants to be "just one of the cutters" He's right too. The officers and namers alike respect Sarin more for not maintaining a lavish style.

Upper Towers

The four towers of the City Barracks each rise one level taller than the main building. One tower consists of a landing area for winged messengers and faction members. The other three hold additional small libraries, records storage rooms, classrooms, training rooms, and a mess hail.

Near the Headquarters

A lot of factions have safe houses in Sigil but not the Harmonium. The Hardheads prefer to operate in the open. Since they obey the law, they don't need places to hide. 'Course, it doesn't hurt that the Harmonium has such a huge presence in the Cage; with fellow Hardheads just a shout away, a member can feel pretty safe.

Still, the Harmonium does have a few places it tries to keep relatively secret. For instance, take a nearby establishment called Liberty Hall. Most people would call it a tavern, but the place has a pretty sedate atmosphere compared to other alehouses. Here, off-duty Harmonium come to unwind. (As much us Hardheads ever unwind, which ain't much. - Ed.) Liberty Hall has a Notary Club (for the namers), an Officer’s Club, and a secret back room that holds a portal to the town of Melodia on Arcadia. The faction guards this portal well; fact is. Liberty Hall usually holds more than 100 Harmonium at any given time. As Far as the Harmonium know, only members of their faction have ever used this doorway - but a body might hear a different story from certain Indeps and Anarchists...

Arcadia Headquarters

The town of Melodia is a Harmonium stronghold on the second layer of Arcadia, Buxenus. Though Nicolai Mabru (Pl/♂tiefling/W10/Harmonium/LN) rules the town, die real local high-up is Killeen Caine. Like Tonat Shar Caine has the trust of Factol Sarin, so he enjoys a great deal of power and responsibility. This charismatic blood gets along well with his people. Thing is, his affable nature might prove his undoing: Sarin prefers distance between faction leaders and members.

No basher calling Melodia a Harmonium stronghold is just rattling his bone-box - nearly 10,000 Hardheads live in town, compared to only a handful of folks who don't belong to the faction. The Harmonium uses the entire town as faction headquarters and operates lots of attractions to show visitors the bliss of life under universal harmony. In addition, new recruits receive training in four large camps that operate constantly just outside of town, Melodia welcomes all recruits and accepts them into the fold.

Within the Ranks

The Harmonium's a big faction. Besides several thousand members in Sigil and the 10,000 in Melodia, the Harmonium includes several thousand more elsewhere in Arcadia and a few thousand in the town of Fortitude - not to mention a whole prime world full 'em. That's a lot of people. A Hardhead seldom finds himself far away from a fellow Hardhead.

Role-Playing the Harmonium

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

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

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

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

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

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

Harmonium Membership

A basher can join the Harmonium in one of two ways. First, a body can go to the City Barracks and ask for some recruitment pamphlets. The interested parry then receives an invitation to a few minor meetings and social activities, where recruitment officers observe him. If they agree he shows merit, they'd ask him to join.

Other cutters'll receive an invitation out of the blue In join the Harmonium - it's one of the few factions that actively recruits. Bloods will talk lots of the Clueless into joining, knowing that their faction's stability and strength offers the Outsiders a pleasant view of the future. It appears to provide a home and the comfort of what amounts to one huge family. (Reports that the Harmonium strong-arms berks into the faction from off the streets using "Hardhead reform tactics" are greatly exaggerated. But when numbers drop too low to handle increased rioting in the Cage... well, sometimes things happen that shouldn't. Apparently Sarin knows nothing of these unorthodox recruiting methods. - Ed.)

Every four weeks, all recent recruits gather for Sarin's indoctrination speech. The factol's talk shows the type of man he is - tough, fortright, charismatic and unforgiving - and tells the recruits what to expect. They then get shipped off to training camps on Buxenus, the second layer of Arcadia. At the end of the eight weeks of grueling training, recruits either have dropped out to become common berks again or have turned into official Hardheads. Those that fail, though regarded with some caution, can freely attempt the training again later. See, the faction fully expects everyone to join eventually. (Despite Factol Sarin's words to recruits, the faction does give some second chances. The only ones the Hardheads don't invite back are those who turn stag on the group. Those, the factol has arrested and tried. Guilty sods usually get sentenced to the leafless tree. - Ed.)

The Harmonium has a paramilitary organization. Namers who've completed their training become Notaries, common soldiers. Notaries fall into five ranks, depending on their length of service, from the lowest Notary Ones to the highest-ranking Notary Fives.

Some Notaries later decide to pursue officer training. Every six months, Harmonium high-ups select a few Notaries who have proved tough, smart, and dedicated (and have reached at least 3rd level). These cutters receive advanced training and, on graduation, become Measures, the Harmonium name for factotums. Like Notaries, Measures are divided into five sub-ranks, depending on the length of time served; the lowest-ranking Measure One eventually can be a Measure Five.

Above the rank of Measure, the Movers are the Harmonium's factors. These high-ups select new additions to their ranks from among the Measure Fives, Each Mover also holds a rank from One to Five. (Tonal Stun and Killeen Caine are the only Mover Fives. - Ed.) The Factol himself decides who is worthy of promotion among the Movers, basing his decision on ability, length of membership, and outstanding service to the faction.

Governing all the ranks is the factol, also known among the Harmonium as the Composer. (That's 'cause he's the one directing all the components in Harmony , writing the music, as it were. - Ed.) The factol holds office as long as his officers deem him competent. When he steps down, a Mover Five becomes the new Composer and promotes a Mover Four to take his place.

Faction Abilities
All Harmonium members can cast Charm Person as a 1st level spell once per long rest. In addition, they can spend Inspiration when casting Charm Person to invoke one of these extra effects: either the target does not realize the hardhead charmed them, or they cast the spell as if using a spell slot of the highest level they could cast (use the warlock table as a guideline).

Measures of the Harmonium gain the following feat:

The Chant

The Harmonium always has been one of those factions with plans. Hardheads want action, and they want to take action against some of the other factions most of all. The Anarchists probably pose the biggest threat to the Hardhead philosophy, since they actively seek to upset the order of Sigil Harmonium high-ups are formulating a strategy against them, though they continually find themselves frustrated at having to make plans against a bunch of berks without specific plans.

The Xaositects also have become problematic, mostly because other factions can use them for their purposes. The Harmonium as a body hasn’t moved against the Chaosmen, though individual officers and Notaries constantly watch for them to break a law. Then they can get the berks off the street. (Since the Xaositects don't know most laws, and don't care about the ones they do know, they break 'em a lot - Ed.)

Members of the Free League get a lot of attention from some in the Harmonium. By refusing To join "real" factions - even those the Hardheads don't like - they flaunt their refusal to accept the Harmoniums order of things. As the Indeps get more organized, they gain Harmonium notice - a source of more than a little worry to the Free League. To some (and not just Indeps), it looks like the Hardheads want to exterminate them. With growing frequency, they arrest folks just for being Indeps, then prepare them for the Dustmen.

The Free League doesn't know it, but this effort ain't officially sanctioned. See, a small group of Notaries and Measures has set itself the task of getting rid of the Indeps - and they use whatever means seem necessary, ('Course, it should go without saying that these Harmonium members fall more on the, well. "lower planar" end of the alignment scale. - Ed.)

Factol Sarin remains unaware of this minority agenda. As long as the Indep-haters' "extracurricular" activities don't interfere with their normal assignments, he's unlikely to notice them - unless another faction brings 'em to his attention. The Indeps assume he's behind the extermination movement, so they won't bring up the matter with him. If Sarin does learn of the covert campaign, he'll most likely order its organizers to follow their normal orders and quit inventing new duties for themselves. After all, deciding the faction’s course of action is his duty, not that of lower-ranked members. Wiping out the Indeps, while not against Harmonium policy, mustn't be attempted without specific orders. That’s breaking the rules.

For quite a while, the Doomguard and the Bleakers have shown up high on the factol s troublemaker list. Sure, a lot of ’em appear patient, either because they figure nothing matters (the Bleakers) or because they think everything’ll eventually go their way (the Doomguard). However, some of these folks have developed a yen for active destruction. Besides, their philosophies really bother the Hardheads; they don’t want either group infecting others with barmy ideas. The Bleakers might prove easy enough to deal with: as with the Xaositects, wait a while. They're bound to make a mistake; then the Hardheads can arrest 'em.

The Doomguard's another matter. The faction has an important function in Sigil: It controls the Armory - a big problem, as far as the Harmonium’s concerned. The Hardheads work to undermine the Doomguard in every way possible without confronting the Sinkers directly. See, if they fight them directly, they fall right into the other group's hands, promoting entropy. Factol Sarin is too smart for that. Instead, he tries to move around their authority, to build good works and to step up the generation of harmony and peace. Only by supporting its own goals can the Harmonium hope to defeat the Doomguard; the moment the Hardheads counter this foe directly, they’ve done things the Doomguard way.