Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 colman Sep 13, 2008 7:49:11	Beaches are boring. Typing up new organisations on your iPhone is a good way of killing time while the wife suns herself. Especially when you've read the Last Mythal series in the first couple of days. Among the sucessors to the legendary Harpers are the Forest Harpers, dedicated to protecting the people of Cormyr against threats to their freedom whether they come from outside or inside the Kingdom - even the Crown is opposed if it threatens hard won freedoms. In fact, the organisation was founded by Xxx, Mage of Cormyr, and is thoroughly infiltrated by Crown agents. It acts to channel the efforts of do gooders who might pose the danger to the Crown the old Harpers did. The forest harpers channel their energy against suitable opponents of the king - including nobles he can't act against himself but who work against the great freedoms or have fallen under foreign influence. Membership and ethos are much the same ad the old harpers - some were involved at the founding - and members are identified by a gold pin the device of a harp under three trees. Officially, the organisation is wary of Imperial Cormyr and has some links to resistance movements on the dragon coast - usefully for Crown spy masters, who ate careful bnot to betray the source of the information. The Forest Harpers are an open secret - Robin Hood like - and their members include adventurers, bored or idealistic nobles and members of crown forces, and a scattering of traders, shopkeepers and inn keepers who want to feel part of something larger and exciting. These harper friends provide support foe the active agents that aren't operating under an official charter. They are, naturally, infiltrated by assorted enemies, including the Netherese and Sembians, noble factions and other power groups in the area. Most of these are known to the Crown and are generally either exposed when useful, turned or fed misinformation as apropriate. Not all the hostile agents are known to the spymasters though. They're loosely organized, guided by a harper council of elders - three senior members who are all crown agents - from their oft-changed secret base (currently in a disused fortified hunting lodge near Waymoot in the King'sorest), always known as the Elders' Holdfast. Unknown to the crown, one of the three elders is a Dawn Harper, as are several other members. They use the organisation to feed info into Cormyr by carefully suggesting missions and planting leads about activities that they want Cormyr to deal with.
#2 colman Sep 23, 2008 3:48:48	Well, that was popular!
#3 trobon Sep 23, 2008 3:51:08	This probably would have worked better in the Realmslore section. That being said, I enjoyed the read and I like the ideas you have for the group.
#4 colman Sep 23, 2008 3:59:39	I think "Realmslore" is reserved for canon lore rather than homebrew.
#5 JohnLynch Sep 23, 2008 4:01:37	I missed this thread. I like them. I like that they can be an enemy for the players or allies depending on what is going on. I might have to use the group in my own game to help make things more adventure-friendly in Cormyr if that's okay.