Lady's Grace, cutters!

 

„Our way or no way.“

Harmonium philosophy

 

Fourth Market Day of Regula, 126 HR

 

Amariel made her way down the long corridor from which the soldiers' quarters led off. It occupied an entire side of the the Barracks’ lower floor, so it took her a while to reach the door with the number she was looking for. Her factol himself had assigned her to assist a new faction member. She had been a little surprised by the task, knowing only that the young man was a prime and had skipped the eight weeks of basic training. Instead he had immediately been accepted as a soldier for reasons Sarin was still keeping under wraps. She hadn't asked any further questions, however, because if her factol didn't elaborate, then certainly for good reason. Unlike other faction members, who held the rank of ordinary warriors, Kiyoshi, as Sarin had called him, had been assigned a room to himself. This was unusual, as otherwise only a factotum of the rank of triarius third degree upwards was entitled to it. The factol had mentioned that the new soldier had resisted the privilege of having his own room twice. Only the third time had he finally given in. Now Amariel was curious to meet this man, who was new to the faction but apparently important enough to Sarin to give him his personal aide as support. She knocked and the door opened almost immediately. Amariel caught sight of a young man of barely more than twenty years, with short black hair and dark eyes. His skin had a bronze sheen.

"Lady's Grace, soldier," the half-elf greeted kindly. "You must be Kiyoshi, right? I am decuria Amariel. Factol Sarin has informed me that, due to special circumstances, the eight-week basic training has been canceled for you and you are to go into active service immediately. I am to brief you on all important matters and assist you with any questions or difficulties you may have." She held out two books to him. "I am also to give you this. One is the Legal Code of the City of Sigil and the other is the Book of the Harmonium . Many of the things you need to know are written there. And for everything else, you can turn to me." She paused for a moment, but when he merely bowed and remained silent, she continued. "Is there anything particularly important that I should explain to you or would you like to walk through the Barracks with me first so that I can show you everything?"

Kiyoshi accepted the two books with another bow and replied: " I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, honorable decuria Amariel-sensei. Indeed, my unworthy name is Kiyoshi and I am a soldier of the honorable Harmonium. I thank you very much for the trouble you have taken to give me these books and teach me. Since you have the greater experience, I would naturally leave the training to you, as it behooves me." He then respectfully placed the two books on the bed, next to the huge blacksmith's hammer that was already compressing the mattress - but not too much, which suggested a rather hard bed.

His choice of words surprised Amariel and she had to smile. "Our recruits and soldiers are always disciplined and respectful, of course," she explained. "But I must admit, only rarely does anyone express themselves like you. Legate Shar had remarked that you come from a world that apparently places great value on correct manners. - What did you call me? A ... sensei? That's a kind of teacher, isn't it? I think that would describe it quite aptly."

Kiyoshi nodded with a serious expression on his face. "As expected, you have correctly recognized what the honorary title stands for, honorable decuria Amariel-sensei." He bowed to her with his hands folded in front of his chest.

She nodded. "Very well, Kiyoshi. Please follow me, I will show you all the facilities and important places in the Barracks. Legate Shar told me that no one has done this so far." She stepped out into the long corridor, pointing to the right and left. "You know this wing. This is where the ordinary soldiers' quarters are located. Normally there are two to four in a room, but the factol said there are important reasons why you have a room to yourself. He sounded rather mysterious, but since he didn't elaborate, it's nothing I should be interested in." She gestured up and down the corridor again. "Of course, there's not enough room here for all the faction members in the city. After all, we have around 35,000 people in Sigil. That means that many soldiers also live in quarters outside the Barracks. Some of them belong to themselves, others are provided by the Harmonium. Oh." She interrupted herself. "If you have any questions, please just ask me. After all, I'm here to help you."

Kiyoshi followed the half-elf silently and attentively. He seemed to absorb every piece of information and nodded occasionally, as if to indicate that he had understood the words. "I thank you for the permission, honorable decuria Amariel-sensei," he replied. "I will ask you any question I have, relying entirely on your wisdom and experience. And indeed, I do have a question. Forgive my lack of knowledge, but do crimes differ in rank? Must I let a lesser crime go unpunished if I can thwart a worse crime by doing so? And if so, what is the priority?"

Amariel raised one of her brows in surprise. Recruits and new soldiers usually asked first when and where to get food, how quickly they could be promoted or how often they had days off, depending on their ambition and disposition. It was rare for a new recruit to immediately inquire about the prioritization of crimes. "That's a very good question, Kiyoshi," she replied. "In fact, from time to time we have to decide which of two crimes to pursue. As you have already correctly guessed, the priority is of course to punish or prevent a serious crime. For example, if you have to let a theft pass in order to arrest a murderer, then the murder case would clearly have priority. As serious crimes we classify murder, direct attacks against the City of Sigil or the factions, worship of the Lady and Aoskar, attacks on dabus, manipulation or blocking of portals, illegal slave trade and arson. Medium crimes would include robbery, burglary, grievous bodily harm, grand larceny or fraud and trafficking in illicit substances. Less serious crimes would be theft of less valuable goods, minor fraud or vandalism on a small scale. Then there are things that are misdemeanors rather than crimes, such as disorderly conduct or pestering. You can find a detailed list in the Legal Code of the City of Sigil that I gave you."

Kiyoshi nodded and listened attentively as she explained how the law was to be handled. Then he indicated a bow again, with his hands folded in front of his chest, and replied: " Thank you very much for enlightening me, honorable decuria Amariel-sensei. I am now ready to listen to your further words regarding this building."
She could not suppress another grin at his way of talking as he continued to follow her through the Barracks, obviously trying to memorize everything she told him about the structure, the use of the rooms and other procedures. Amariel led him down the long corridor, and it took quite a while before it widened and bent to the right to lead straight ahead again in a long line.
"This is where most of our offices and a large part of the instruction rooms are located," the decuria explained. "We need the offices for administrative purposes such as drawing up shift and duty rosters, recording personnel details or less important appointments and meetings with other factions and organizations. Operations are discussed in the instruction rooms and important information is passed on to the patrols. However, the theoretical training of the new members also takes place here, as do the lessons for the officer candidates. This is because they have to familiarize themselves with the laws of Sigil and the history and philosophy of our faction. Our clerics and paladins are also trained here in religious matters, as are the battle mages in arcane matters."

As they walked down the long corridor, they passed the reception hall on their left and several barred cells on their right. "You already know the reception," Amariel turned to Kiyoshi. "During the day, Lady Diana is usually to be found here, welcoming guests or telling visitors where they should go with which request. If she is not there, she is usually represented by decuria Jostos. On the right are the cells where suspects are detained before we transfer them to the Prison. As we don't have enough cells to hold everyone who is awaiting trial in court, many defendants are in the Prison until their trial, even if they haven't yet been sentenced." As they walked past the cells, they could spot, among others, a hulking half-ork, a simply dressed but not scruffy half-elven woman and a green goblin with a strange cap. "Interrogations are often conducted right here in the cells," Amariel explained. "Our regulations state that at least two members of the Harmonium must be present at every interrogation, and at least one of them must be of the rank of triarius of second degree. I would like to point out that interrogations in the Barracks are only conducted verbally. Torture in any way is the job of the Mercykillers and is used exclusively by the Red Death in the Prison, but not here in the Barracks."

She knew that especially new members with darker hearts didn't always like to hear these rules and guidelines and that - despite the best efforts of the factol and the leadership ranks - some members didn't always follow them if they thought they could get away with it. She didn't think so of Kiyoshi, but she still put a certain emphasis in her voice when she said those words. Then she stopped for a moment to wait and see if the young man had any questions. He looked at the three prisoners for a while, but didn't want to know anything else. So Amariel led him on and he followed her without a word. They entered a very spacious hall framed by many pillars, in which there were several raised platforms.
"This is the Grand Auditorium," the decuria explained, "The patrols are briefed here three times a day before they make their way through the Cage. Above all, important information is given about the current situation in the streets of Sigil. For example, whether there have been riots somewhere, which religious festivals are taking place each day, whether there are public processions or other events of this kind and so on. We also gather here for major events such as accolades and promotions of members or speeches of our factol. I hope you'll be able to experience this for yourself soon." Amariel couldn't quite stop her eyes from shining. "Sarin is incredible when he is speaking. Whether it's here in the Barracks or in the Hall of Speakers. I don't think the Harmonium has had such a formidable factol in a long time - though of course Sarin's predecessor, Lady Spesinfracta, was a great woman! But Sarin is truly unique, you know? He's a natural-born leader! We admire him very much."

Kiyoshi replied with his usual calmness. "Of course you are right, honorable decuria Amariel-sensei. The venerable factol Sarin-gensui is indeed an impressive personality."

Amariel felt herself blushing a little. Her enthusiastic excitement had certainly not been overlooked. She scolded herself internally for not being able to hide her feelings for her factol more professionally on the outside. She really had to get a grip on this. Her smile was a little embarrassed for a moment. She brushed a long, blonde strand of hair from her forehead and cleared her throat. "Quite right! So, um ... where was I? Oh yes, I wanted to show you the inner courtyard. Please follow me."

Then she quickly turned to the other exit and led Kiyoshi through the spacious auditorium, past the raised stone pedestals. On one of them stood the seat of the factol, in the Harmonium - as in most of Sigil's factions - commonly referred to as "throne". The throne that Sarin never used. Not once had he sat on it since taking office more than four years ago. And it didn't seem as if he ever intended to. Why he didn't was beyond Amariel's knowledge and the subject of various speculations both in and out of faction. It was probably not because factol Delazar had sat on this throne very often, as both, Lady Juliana after him and Lady Arella before him, had also used the throne regularly. Also, it was common practice in Sigil across the factions. Even factols such as Terrance, Darius or Ambar, who were generally known to be very close to the people and placed little value on exaggerated demonstrations of status, used their respective thrones more or less regularly. So it was not a gesture that could be said to speak of immodesty, arrogance or even imperiousness. And yet Sarin ignored this chair as if it simply did not exist and always received guests, regardless of rank, in his office. Perhaps, Amariel thought to herself, one day she would dare to ask her factol about it. If she performed her new role as his adjutant longer and to his satisfaction. But until then, Sarin's behavior would probably remain incomprehensible to her for the time being. She pulled herself out of these thoughts and opened the door at the other end of the auditorium, which they had now reached. It led into another large room with many tables and benches.

"This is the mess hall. It is where the soldiers eat their meals," Amariel explained. "In several different shifts, of course, as not all members on active duty would fit in this hall at once." She pointed to a large door on her right. "And that's the entrance into the inner courtyard." She nodded to the soldiers standing guard there, and they let her pass immediately. The cool air of a gray Sigil afternoon enveloped them as they entered a large courtyard framed by the four towers and the long, dark walls of the Barracks. It was about 300 paces long and wide, and much of the ground was not paved but consisted of trodden earth, overgrown with grass in many places. One could clearly recognize where there was a lot of training going on, for only the bare earth could be seen there.
"This is where the new members are trained," Amariel explained. "But the daily exercises of the more experienced soldiers and officers also take place in this courtyard. Even our factol regularly trains out here. The melee grounds are here, in the area separated by wooden fences. The targets for the archers and arbalesters are set up over there. On the other side, spireward, is an area for mounted combat. There aren't too many horses or other mounts in Sigil, not even in our ranks, but a few senior officers own some. Exercises for not only individual members or squads, but entire companies or even battalions are also held in this courtyard. The factol speaks out here if a large number of members are to listen, as there wouldn't be enough room in the Grand Auditorium. Punishments for more serious internal misdemeanors are also carried out here if they are to be public."

At these words, Kiyoshi seemed to listen attentively. "Forgive me, honorable decuria Amariel-sensei," he spoke up. "But is there a list of internal misdemeanors and punishments somewhere, so that I can prepare myself accordingly and avoid these things in order to become a better member of the Harmonium?"

Amariel nodded. "You can look up these points in more detail in the Book of Harmonium that I handed over you. But I will give you a brief overview: We are, of course, forbidden to do anything that is prohibited by the laws of the City of Sigil. Crimes such as murder, theft, tampering with portals, tax evasion, worshipping the Lady or Aoskar and so on. If a faction member violates those, they will be punished according to the laws of Sigil. Internal faction misdemeanors include neglect or violation of duty, insubordination or disregard for the principles of the Harmonium. Failure to show up for shift or repeated tardiness would be lesser dereliction of duty, whereas willful failure to prosecute a crime would be a fundamental dereliction of duty. Of course, a superior must always differentiate from case to case. For example, not pursuing a pickpocket into the depths of the Hive would not be a dereliction of duty. In fact, we should expressly refrain from doing so. It is too great a risk for a comparatively minor crime. However, if someone is threatened or attacked in the middle of the Clerk’s Ward, for example, we are not allowed to simply walk past. What disobedience to superiors means is certainly clear. But how strict a superior is towards his subordinates can well vary. Common punishments for less serious misdemeanors include additional guard duty or patrols, additional drill exercises or a reduction in pay if the person concerned does not have a family to support. More serious misdemeanors may result in detention of varying duration, transfer to another garrison or demotion. Corporal punishment can also be imposed. However, this has not occurred in recent years, as both, factol Sarin and his predecessor factol Juliana, do not favor this type of punishment. They say we are not with the Mercykillers here." Amariel smiled briefly before becoming more serious again. "Desertion is punishable by death in serious cases and imprisonment in lesser cases. If you no longer wish to do your duty, you must leave the faction or at least its military wing. But this must be done through official channels and is a final decision. There should also be good reasons for this. However, you must not shirk your duties as long as you are a faction member. I also mentioned the principles of the Harmonium. These are ten basic rules of our faction, which you will also find in the Book of the Harmonium . If you wish, I can also explain something about them."

Kiyoshi listened carefully to everything and then replied: "I understand most of it so far, honorable decuria Amariel-sensei. However, I have one question, if you will forgive me. I already have a duty to my lord and prince, the daimyo Musashi Ittosai, lord of Kamigawa. When he calls me, I must answer his call. How is that possible when I am also supposed to serve the Harmonium?"

Amariel was very surprised by this remark. The young man was obviously of great importance to Sarin. But how could it be that he was also indebted to another master, in some prime world? That could not be good. She scrutinized Kiyoshi closely, her expression changing from thoughtful to concerned as she thought about the unexpected news. "That's a really good question, my dear Kiyoshi," she replied. "And I must confess that I don't know the answer. I am merely a decuria, and this is beyond my knowledge of the exact mechanics of our hierarchy of duties. I suggest - especially since you are obviously important to our factol - that you clarify this question with him yourself. I cannot ... I can't imagine that Sarin would like it if you suddenly had other duties."

Kiyoshi nodded. "I thank you for enlightening me, honorable decuria Amariel-sensei. I will speak to the venerable factol Sarin-gensui about this. Now, I would like to hear more about the virtues of the Book of the Harmonium ."

"The Book of the Harmonium contains all the principles and the very philosophy of our faction,” Amariel continued. “It was originally written by Jhary of Heka. However, the sages and scholars of our faction continue to add expansions and refinements. The ten most important principles and rules of conduct are known as the Pax Benevola. According to tradition, they are based on an agreement between the good and righteous gods on how mortals should live their lives. The principles of the Pax Benevola are as follows:

1. It is wrong to murder.
2. It is wrong to covet what is not thy own.
3. It is wrong to commit adultery, whether with mortals or gods.
4. It is wrong to steal.
5. It is wrong to lie or distort the truth to gain advantage.
6. It is wrong to sacrifice lives to the gods.
7. It is wrong to dishonor thy parents and family.
8. It is wrong to defile the purity of Ortho.
9. It is wrong to associate with demons.
10. It is wrong to work on holy days.

Every member of the Harmonium must abide by these rules. If you have any questions about certain principles, please do not hesitate to ask."

Kiyoshi nodded at each rule, but remained stone-faced and gave no indication of his emotions. At the ninth and tenth however, he hesitated. "Forgive my lack of knowledge, honorable decuria Amariel-sensei, but won't my duties as a member of the Harmonium inevitably involve dealing with oni? If only to arrest them? And what if an oni calls the Harmonium for help because his house has been broken into? Then I have to talk to him, don't I?"

Amariel couldn't help but smile a little at this question. "Oni? That's what you call demons in your world, isn't it? Well, not associating with them means you're not supposed to be friends with them or go any further. You can arrest them, of course. And should a tanar'ri rightfully call for your help, you must fulfill your duty here as well. But nothing that goes beyond your duties."

In the background, the clanking of weapons could be heard and short commands were shouted as some soldiers gathered in the courtyard for melee training. Kiyoshi nodded understandingly, but had another question. "And why are we not allowed to work on holy days? Doesn't this rule invite criminals to strike especially hard on these days, since we're all off duty?"

The half-elf nodded. "As for the holy days, yes ... That's always a bit of a difficult subject here in the Planar Harmonium. It's easier on the Ortho, the Homeworld. The same holy days apply to the entire world. Only a select few work then so that everything doesn't collapse. However, the rest of the population celebrates the holidays. It's more difficult in Sigil and the planes. Although we all celebrate the holy days of Ortho, each culture or religion also has its own holidays. With dozens of races and faiths represented in our faction, it's very complicated and time-consuming to organize shifts and rosters so that no one is ever on duty on any holy day that affects them. Of course we patrol Sigil every day, there is never a day when the Harmonium is not on duty. To tell the truth, this is a principle that we can hardly uphold in practice here on the planes."

It was one of the few moments since the beginning of their tour when Kiyoshi showed any emotion: he looked a little horrified. "Forgive me, honorable decuria Amariel-sensei," he replied. "But I think I misunderstood you. Surely you did not mean to imply that it is not possible to follow all ten rules of the Book of the Harmonium . After all, they are laws that every member of the Harmonium must abide by."

Amariel looked at Kiyoshi seriously. What Sarin had told her about his unworldliness by Sigil standards was obviously not an exaggeration. She sighed. "I'll be honest with you, Kiyoshi. These ten principles are very important to us. We try to adhere to them whenever we can. Especially to important ones like not murdering or stealing. However, the Book of the Harmonium was written many centuries ago, on the prime world of Ortho. And Ortho ..." She searched for the right words. "Ortho can be very far away here in Sigil. As I said before, for example, the tenth principle regarding holy days is difficult in Sigil for the reasons I mentioned. And there are ... other things that we sometimes do differently on the planes than on the Homeworld and ..." She broke off and sighed again. "This is a complicated subject you're bringing up. I'm not sure if I'm not going too far with my remarks."

Despite his high level of discipline and self-control, it was obvious that Kiyoshi was somehow shaken by what he had just heard. Amariel wondered if she had done something wrong. But what else could she have told him? This was Sigil, and the sooner he got used to it, the better.

"Honorable decuria Amariel-sensei," Kiyoshi explained. "With your permission, I would like to retire to think about what I have heard. Is there somewhere I can reach you if I have any further questions?"

The half-elf nodded. "I am sorry if I have overwhelmed or unsettled you. I know Sigil can be confusing. Of course you can retire to your room and think about everything. My quarters are on the first floor of the Barracks, in the officers' wing. The room number is 7. If you have any important questions, just drop by. I'll have my duty roster brought to your room so that you know the best time to meet me." She looked after him as he marched off across the courtyard and shook her head gently. A rather unusual young man. She was dying to know more about why he was so important to her factol.