Alter Aeon The Great Library

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Note - as with any topic, researchers should question the reliability
and veracity of these texts.  The library's aim is to preserve
documents, not verify accuracy.

AABN:  52500
Title: a book titled "Understanding the Order of Harmony"

The Order of Harmony is amongst the oldest continually existent human
organizations in the world. Its founder is unknown, lost during the Great
Wars in the Age of Chaos. It is known that it originated as a monastic
fraternity in Suboria sometime during the Age of Creation.

The Order of Harmony was well-established in Old Q'thelas prior to its
fall. The tradition continues strongly in the Naginag Combine, with major
monasteries at Sutton Vu and the Tower of Power. From Q'thelas it spread to
the Dunn Hurr and as far west as Ralnoth and even the Westering Isles. When
Daigaku-Tatami was founded by the second wave of Suborian colonists, they
brought the Order with them anew. The Order maintains a strong presence in
the Kurita Province to this day. The Jade Mountain Monastery in particular
is famous for having forged a treaty between the Kuritans, the Aztec Empire
and the dwarves of Khal-Uktar over the jade quarry by the village of Hisui.

The Order of Harmony is not dedicated to any one religion. Members may
worship any god, though the Order itself prefers pantheism in its clerics.
They follow a philosophy dedicated to obedience to laws, supporting local
government, law enforcement and peaceful coexistence. The Order of Harmony
is opposed to racial, ethnic and religious discrimination, crime,
government corruption, war and anarchy.

Membership in the Order of Harmony requires an oath foreswearing material
possessions and obedience to the principles of the Order. Members can be
any race or gender. The Order will accept criminals if they are deemed
suitably penitent. Monks cannot be married, however they may serve in the
military or law enforcement of nations on good terms with the Order. A few
smaller communities rely exclusively on a local dojo or monastery for
protection. After a year, monks are free to leave the Order or to reaffirm
their oath for an additional year. After six years, a monk is given a
choice: to leave the Order or join for life.

The Order owns numerous small dojos, free clinics and shops across the
world. Large local monasteries oversee these smaller operations. Each
monastery is controlled by a sensei, who has a large degree of autonomy.
When two monasteries come into conflict, they both immediately withdraw
from the situation. The leader is not known, though some claim the Dragon
Emperor of Suboria is the ultimate authority of the Order.

The Order of Harmony has participated in wars, including defending Westfall
during the Barbarian Wars, as well as forming the backbone of the Second
Legion of Naginag Combine. The Order cooperates with any organization it
believes will be a lawful, stabilizing force in regions where it holds
sway. 

The Order uses very little heraldry. Its official symbol is a solid blue
circle within a white circle against a gray field, symbolizing a unified,
peaceful world. A few individual monasteries have adopted local symbols
that align with their philosophy.

Initiates in the Order are trained in the martial arts. The particular
style varies from dojo to dojo. The most popular armed combat techniques
come from kendo, while unarmed fighting styles are derived from a Suborian
method called Wamu-sen, roughly translated as "warfare of worms". A
fighting style that incoporates magical "hand spells" such as shocking
grasp and burning hands is also common, called Moeru Ken, or Flaming Fist.

The Order of Harmony enjoys a friendly rivalry with the Church of the
Silver Flame, as both espouse similar philosphies and pursue roughly the
same goals. It is unusual for the Order of Harmony and the Church of the
Silver Flame to have an organized presence in the same community.