Risks

Shared Fate

For better or worse, the entire Kingdom is bound up in Harmony. Wounds against Harmony are wounds against the Kingdom. One need only read the accounts of widespread disruption after the genocide at Losthome to sense the risk.

Additionally, as the singers of Harmony, the behavior of the folk defines Harmony’s nature. When a villain arises, he casts a shadow over Harmony. Just as a single sour note can overwhelm an orchestra, a single corrupt thread of Harmony can reverberate far and wide.

If Harmony shapes the folk, and the folk shape Harmony, then these polluted notes might wrest the evolution of the Kingdom towards darkness.

Dissonance

Dissonance is the karmic turn of bad luck; the misfortune of the downtrodden; the unwelcome surprise at the end of a long day. This reaction to Harmony arises from the many small misdeeds of the world: theft, violence, betrayal. In a sense, it is the background radiation of sins.

Grave sins can generate massive amounts of Dissonance. Murder, torture, oath-breaking and such sins create massive waves of Dissonance.

While Harmony is shared among all, Dissonance congeals under the command of powerful villains. These villains harness that power to bring misfortunes and mishaps to their enemies!

Freeloaders

Another cost, less obvious, are those who would take but never give back. Nobles convinced that rule is their right; merchants convinced the best deal is the one where they walk away the richest; scholars devoted to knowledge at any cost. Any of these accept the health and peace of Harmony as an infinite resource.

What impact could their small pursuits have? Are they not entitled to the benefits? If their actions should cause strife, then is that not a flaw in Harmony itself? After all, they do nothing illegal.

When one or two feel this way, Harmony persists. When such attitudes proliferate, the song begins to waver.