Harpers

Also known as The Watchers of the Weave and The Harp of Twilight.

Summary

The Harpers are a decentralized, secretive alliance dedicated to preserving balance, protecting freedom, and resisting the spread of tyranny across Faerûn. They operate through subtlety, using information, influence, and intervention rather than open warfare. To the Harpers, knowledge is power—and power is a sacred trust, never to be abused.

Founding & Philosophy

The Harpers date back centuries, formed in response to the rise of oppressive powers and the threat of magic being wielded for domination. Their guiding tenets:

Equality & Freedom: No ruler or faction should hold unchecked power.

Knowledge & Vigilance: Secrets can preserve life—or destroy it. The Harpers keep watch.

Subtlety Over Strength: A whispered truth topples more tyrants than an army.

To be a Harper is to walk in gray morality with clean intent: do what is necessary, but never abandon conscience.

Structure & Secrecy

The Harpers have no formal hierarchy in the traditional sense. Their network thrives on cells, safehouses, and whispers, minimizing exposure if one cell is compromised.

High Harpers: Influential leaders who steer philosophy and major strategy, often anonymously.

Field Agents: The operatives—spies, scholars, and adventurers—who act on intelligence.

Friends of the Harp: Allies and sympathizers who provide safe havens, resources, and information without full initiation.

Harper symbols often appear subtly: a silver harp on a crescent moon, etched into jewelry or tucked into artwork—rarely displayed openly.

Methods & Tactics

Harpers fight with information, alliances, and precision strikes:

• Infiltrating courts and trade guilds to derail tyranny before it roots.
• Preserving libraries and magical lore to prevent monopolies of knowledge.
• Supporting local uprisings—quietly, and only when success seems just.

Presence in the Western Heartlands

Berdusk is a Harper stronghold, home to their largest base in the Western Heartlands. The influence of Candlekeep, the Lords’ Alliance, and local faiths such as Oghma aligns naturally with Harper values.

In Evenshade:

• The Temple-Library of Oghma makes Evenshade a quiet point of interest. Harpers often pass through to study, trade information, or monitor Zhentarim movement along the Chionthar.
• The Night of Silent Flames (1426 DR): Though never publicly acknowledged, Harpers were involved—some say their interference saved Evenshade from becoming a Zhentarim puppet, though at a terrible cost.
• The Watch of the Scroll (the constabulary) unknowingly collaborates with Harper sympathizers when enforcing laws against smuggling and organized crime.

Relations with Other Factions

Zhentarim: Mortal enemies. The Harpers view them as a festering cancer of tyranny and greed.

Lords’ Alliance: A convenient partner, though Harper trust is selective.

Church of Oghma: A natural ally, sharing ideals of knowledge and truth—but the Harpers wield secrecy where Oghma’s clergy favors openness.

Adventure Hooks & Evenshade Tie-Ins

• The Hidden Ledger: A Harper cipher is rumored to be buried beneath the Temple-Library, listing names of informants—some still active.
• Ghosts of Silent Flames: A Harper operative vanished during the 1426 raid. A sealed case bearing the harp sigil surfaces in Evenshade’s dockside decades later.
• Persil’s Protector: Some whisper that the boy-turned-Baron survived only because of Harper intervention. If true, did they expect something of him in return, and is he willing to comply?