Harbingers

Harbingers are agents of a nameless shadow order, each their own sovereign, the vanguard of the greatest power in the Well of Sol, keepers of all worlds under the sun. Their order pledges its allegiance solely to the Symposium and Pax Solar, operating outside the bounds of any nation.

Ties to the Symposium
The authority to operate beyond nations and law, utilizing technologies and methods otherwise forbidden, is too great a power to be wielded by any one faction alone. Instead, it is held by the Symposium itself, the solar assembly of all nations, among whom all share the common goal of letting no single one of their midst rise too far above everyone else.

The existence of the Order is known to everyone, as are its purpose and extent of authority. Yet no single part or asset could ever be tied to the Symposium directly. In this way, officially, the Order is non-existent.

Patrons
Members of the Symposium may thus become patrons of single cells of the Order, of which there is an unknowable number. To its ends, each cell may draw from significant riches and exercise a great deal of power in its local spheres, yet there is no authority in existence which could command the order as a whole. Instead, the loyalty of each cell is owed only to its patron in the Symposium, whose interests and power are subject to the intricate, endless machinations of the Great Game played between all nations of the Heliopolis.

Cells of the Order
Depending on the wealth of their patron and goals, the magnitude of cells varies greatly. From single agents seeking out the illegal works of a crazed individual to entire stately operations with fleets under their command – all lies within the power of the Order, granted to them secretly through their patron nations.

Wardens of the Dangerous Arts
Most renown enjoys Harbingers as hunters of dangerous technology forbidden to fall into the hands of rogue individuals and nations. These are those arts which would enable even a single soul to ascend and sow destruction beyond comprehension. What arts are deemed as such dangerous, is an ever-changing system of laws and scripture written and rewritten by the powers that be.

Such technologies the Harbingers seek out and secure, more often re-purposing it for their own means rather than destroying any progress achieved.

Protectors of Pax Solar
Where the diplomacy and sanctions of the Symposium fail, Harbingers may be sent to use any means necessary to avert outright, uncontrolled war within the Solar System. Should any nation trespass the boundaries of the legality of their war or should they dare even wage unsanctioned war on their own, they violate the Pax Solar and are, as such, deemed rogues to the Symposium.

To restore peace, Harbingers are known to have assassinated violent leaders, stir revolt and revolution, sabotage entire fleets and defense systems and even confront rogue forces with fleets of their own.

Last Vanguard of the Symposium
In these two major, and countless minor instances, in which the Will of the Symposium is being opposed, the Harbingers act as a last means for the Symposium to resolve a matter without officially changing status quo. Only when the actions of Harbingers have failed, will the Symposium mobilize its armies and fleets, declare war upon the perpetrator and vanquish them from the Heliopolis.

As such, for all their fearsome reputation, Harbingers are in some way a last show of mercy. To bow to them means to uphold the order of the world as it is, allowing a measure of recuperation, as the Symposium never used officially drastic means.

On the Harbingers
To the living souls of the Heliopolis, Harbingers are the only physical manifestation of their Order. What is the Order, to the common populace, is decided by the Harbinger's word and action. Whilst on the greater stage, they may act as mere pawns to the Great Game of nations, Harbingers are nigh untouchable in any other aspect. Not only do they act as direct enforcers of the Symposium's commandments, but they also employ all that which they hunt down. Dangerous Arts, technologies unfathomable to all but the most advanced minds, lie at the fingertips of the order's agents.

Like their cells, goals, and patrons, Harbingers may come in countless form and fashion, using vastly different means to achieve their goals. Their only commonality is the Harbinger's Badge, sigil of the order, by which their authority is asserted.