Harpers

The Harpers are a semi-secret organization dedicated to promoting good, preserving history (including art and music of old) and maintaining a balance between civilization and nature by keeping kingdoms small and the destruction of plant life to a minimum. They consider the elven empire of Myth Drannor shortly before its fall to be the pinnacle of civilized history and strive to recreate the world in that image.

Those Who Harp are led by a council of seven High Harpers, who are responsible for most of the group's long-term plans and goals. High Harpers are elected through the means of secret ballots among the other High Harpers, with the criteria being long time service and extreme discretion in the implementation of their plans.

The Harpers have disbanded several times but after each time, they have eventually reformed one way or another.

History
The idea behind the Harpers was conceived by several Myth Drannan elven military leaders in collusion with several trusted human rangers and druids. The mage Dathlue Mistwinter agreed to lead such a group in 324 DR at the head of a council which also included a young Elminster Aumar. They took for their symbol her family crest - a silver harp between the horns of a crescent moon and would meet at twilight at secret locations in the Elven Court, earning them their moniker - the Harpers at Twilight.

The Harpers at Twilight dwindled in number over the next four centuries, victims of attrition at the hands of their enemies - bandits, slavers, drow, illithids, orcs and evil spellcasters attracted to Myth Drannor's success. The Weeping War decimated the remaining members of the group. By the end of the conflict, Dathlue was dead as were all but about a dozen of the Harpers at Twilight.

First Reformation
Six years later on the 26th of Flamerule at a druid grove in High Dale called the Dancing Place, a large congregation of dryads arrived when dusk fell earlier than it should have and a bright moon shone when no moon should have been visible. Clergymen of many different gods started to arrive before finally Elminster appeared to explain why they had all been called. The elves had called for the support of the priests assembled to help fight back against the faithful of Bane, Bhaal, Loviatar, Malar and Myrkul who were coming from the south and attacking the elves and performing abhorrent deeds. The priests argued but their deities directly possessed them and spoke through them, voicing their support in person. This night thusly became known as the Gathering of the Gods.

The remaining Harpers at Twilight set about recruiting new members and expanding their influence, though they did so very slowly and lost around twenty new recruits to conflict with their enemies. Over that time though, these new Harpers established an incredibly effective information network and earned the respect of religious leaders by using that network to help their causes. In return, they were granted the use of fortified temples and monasteries wherein members could train and recuperate between missions. It was during this period, known as the 'Long Years' within the organization, that the Harpers erected the wards around Hellgate Keep and helped to kill Sammaster. Their increasingly public actions also made them come into more frequent conflict with the Church of Bane and the nation of Thay. When the Harpers eradicated the Wearers of the Skull and thereby attracted the ire of the Church of Myrkul who sent liches after the Harpers, only to see each destroyed, Thay raised armies to hunt them down and the remaining Harpers went underground in 1021 DR.

In 992 DR the Harpers founded the Heralds of Faerûn to prevent the unscrupulous from blaming others for their misdeeds. The Heralds also used their power to provide Harpers with cover identities. In 1116 DR however, the Heralds decided that they could not be openly associated with the Harpers and split from them.

Second Reformation
After the loss of many members during the previous year, Elminster and Khelben Arunsun decided in 1022 DR that new recruits were needed and that a revitalized Harpers would be an 'underground army of adventurers'. Recruits who met the pair's standards took time to find but eventually, Elminster happened upon the Wanderers of Espar, a band of a dozen bards, druids, rangers led by Finder Wyvernspur and Ulzund Hawkshield, in Cormyr. Through a series of manipulations, these adventurers were introduced to surviving Harper veterans and ended up successfully battling many of the Harper's enemies.

In the time of Mystra's Return, Storm Silverhand begins to revitalize the Harper organization in Cormyr. She sought out people from all walks of life from smithies, merchants, leather workers, and even those who worked in brothels. Her revitalizing actions were known and tolerated by the War Wizards of Cormyr. The Harpers prevented the assassination of King's Lord Lothan Durncaskyn who was sheltering Mirt's lady, Rensharra Ironstave.

During the Cult of the Dragon plot, The Tyranny of Dragons, the Harpers were one of the many factions who rose up to oppose Tiamat's attempt at freedom.

Membership
Most members are either good/neutral-aligned rangers or bards, though many wizards and druids are also their willing allies. Five prestige classes are tied to the Harpers including the Harper paragon, Harper mage, Harper priest, Harper agent and Master Harper. It should be noted that this wiki considers Harper agent and Harper scout to be the same prestige class in two different versions of the game (3.5 and 3rd, respectively).

Regions
The Harpers operate mainly in the North Faerûn, along the Sword Coast, the Western Heartlands and the Dalelands. The group itself is extremely decentralized and the nearest thing they have to a base of operations is Twilight Hall in Berdusk. An often employed means of achieving their goals is assisting adventurers who are on quests that would further Harper interests.

Waterdeep
Due to the influence of the Moonstars, the Harpers have a relatively small amount of influence within the City of Splendors. They have roughly 120 members at any time within the city's walls.

Relationships
Many gods support the organization of the Harpers. Azuth, Deneir, Eldath, Lliira, Mielikki, Milil, Mystra, Oghma, Selûne, Shaundakul, Shiallia, Silvanus, Tymora and the entire Seldarine all contribute clerics to become members of the Harpers and many of these also lend divine aid to the members of the group on a regular basis. This can cause tensions between individual clerics of different faiths but never between deities or between the society as a whole and deities.

Powerful individuals support the Harpers, but equally powerful forces oppose them. Among these are the likes of the Dark Dagger, the Malaugrym, the Rundeen, the Eldreth Veluuthra, the Twisted Rune, the Knights of the Shield, the Iron Throne, the Cult of the Dragon, the Red Wizards of Thay, the Zhentarim and many of the churches of dark gods, in particular the revived church of Bane. The Harpers also oppose any who would forge an empire through conquest or use the Weave without thought to the consequences.

Harper code
"* Harpers work against villainy and wickedness wherever they find it, but they work ever mindful of the consequences of what they do.
 * All beings should walk free of fear, with the right to live their lives as they wish.
 * The rule of law aids peace and fosters freedom, so long as the laws are just and those who enforce them lenient and understanding.
 * No extreme is good. For freedom to flourish, all must be in balance: the powers of realms, the reaches of the cities and the wilderlands into each other, and the influence of one being over another.
 * Whatever it takes, a Harper will do. Pride never rules the deeds of a true Harper.
 * Freedom is a multiversal right, though Harpers can spare themselves less freedom than those they work to protect when the need presents itself.
 * Harpers police their own. A Harper who hears the call of personal power can no longer hear the sweet song of the harp. A Harper who seizes power, and holds it above all else, is a traitor to the harp. Traitors must die for freedom to live.
 * Without a past, no being can appreciate what they have, and where they may be going."

"What it is to be a Harper"
Mirt the Moneylender explaining the Harper's purpose to Shandril:

"Right, then, good Lady Shandril, I shall try to tell thee something of what it is to be a Harper."

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"A Harper holds peaceful sharing of the lands above all other goals."

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"By sharing, we mean all the races living in and under the land, where each prefers to live, trading together where desire and need stir them to, and respecting each other's holds and ways—without the daily bloodletting that all too often holds sway in the Realms today."

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"True, we must fight, it seems often enough to keep our swords and our tempers both sharp enough. Yet, know ye; all of us fight when we must, or die. Moreover, ye only hear of blades drawn and death and spells hurled, and never know of the many, many times that a quiet word or a skillful deal has turned enemies aside from each other, forced a way clear where none was before, or distracted foes from the eager task of tearing each other's throats out. That is the true Harper way: subtle and quiet, behind the shouting. Trust and wisdom, and outfoxing others is what we deal in.""

- Mirt the Moneylender in Crown of Fire, pp173-174

Notable Harpers

 * Arilyn Moonblade
 * Artus Cimber
 * Caledan Caldorien
 * Drogan Droganson
 * Elminster
 * Glarasteer Rhauligan


 * Jaheira
 * Mirt the Moneylender
 * Ruha
 * Storm Silverhand
 * Tam Zawad
 * Zespara Alather

Former Harpers

 * Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun - expelled from the organization in 1370 DR for making secret deals with Fzoul Chembryl, the leader of the Zhentarim, over the stolen Scepter of the Sorcerer Kings. He later founded the Moonstars to better suit his needs.
 * Gorion - Retired from the Harpers to raise Gorion's Ward, and slain by Sarevok.
 * Khalid - Slain by Jon Irenicus.