On Harmonia's postion as a superpower.

[koriand'r]

Its clear that Harmonia is the undisputed power in the known suiko lands but saying that why would it leave such places like the SME/Toran Republic as it is given that it was once harmonian territory and broke away by rebellion. And why did they just let Highland fall. *Highland was a ally of Harmonia yet their involvment has been small.* In fact i the suikogaidens I believe; Nash an agent of Sasarai helps forces/people against Highland. *I pesume that's correct though I don't have suikogaiden* But if that's so than why? Surely Sasarai would had sent Nash on tasks that would had helped Highland.

It seems rather strange that a nation with militry might in millions would stay quiet over other countries that have a combination force of just a mere 100,000 compared to Harmonia's. Espacilly as Harmonia is determined to gain true runes, surely they would be pressurising other nations in some fashion?

[Jowy Atreides]

Something that occasionally, historically, is some sort of unification when a large nations invades. This would be one of the reasons, especially since everyone seems to be readily aware of Harmonia's presence.

True Runes would play a major role in this too, because of their awesome power.

[KQswst104]

One thing that doesn't make sense is how every nation they let go has a true rune somewhere. You'd think that if True Runes were what they were focusing on, they'd get those first. It's possible they didn't know about the Soverign Rune/Sword&Shield Runes, but I highly doubt it with their spies. And they can't have been focusing on finding the True Fire/Water/Lightning Runes since they were stolen AFTER they let those nations go. My guess is the reason is they're doing what they're doing is a big secret Konami just doesn't want us to know yet.

[Jowy Atreides]

Well, it seems pretty obvious that Harmonia, or at least Hikusaak, are looking for True Runes. Why else would Harmonia have these True Runes?
Note: Some of these True Runes were only in the possession of Harmonia for a short period of time but they did have them at one point or another.

Circle Rune
Sovereign Rune
True Elemental Runes (Yup, all five of 'em)
Beast Rune

And who's to say that Hans didn't receive his Black Sword Rune from Harmonia as a gift for helping them or something? Highland generals (especially Kiba Windamier) were sometimes sent to Harmonia to help out there.

And since only a few True Runes have an actual definable origin who's to
say that Harmonia at one time had all the known True Runes and had them all stolen from them in a highly unfortunate string of bad choices? It's happened in the known past, why couldn't it happen again? I know the only person to penetrate Harmonia's defenses was the Flame Champion, but hiding out in the shadows waiting to steal a specific True Rune is always an option.

[Wolfho9999]

The true runes also are known to have their own mind like the beast rune.

[Jowy Atreides]

It's more like goals, for lack of a better word. And Luc showed little spheres that were used to store True Runes because True Runes were under the impression that they were human vessels. The reason that the Beast Rune moved is more than likely because it knew that Luca Blight would come around eventually and would want to use it's vast powers. The other True Runes don't really have any known goals so why should they be moving around?

[Vextor]

Nash's assignment was to find more info about True Runes and nothing else. Nash bascially broke the orders from his superiors (who wasn't Sasarai back then) when he decided to help the folks of Dunan. He sort of got absorbed into the moment, and does comment on how he is betraying his own country by doing what he's doing.

[Calvin]

Far as I remember, Harmonia is on the decline these days (information I seem to remember hearing from SARSAdmin quite awhile back), and a lot of domestic issues is a good, solid way to stop a country in it's tracks. As long as they are forced to deal with internal problems, their imperialistic goals would be put on hold.

Aside from just hearing this, there's enough evidence to suggest such a theory.

First and foremost, the leader Hikusaak. He bears the Circle rune, which brings order, but also brings stagnation. As a country, Harmonia has Hikusaak at it's core; he's been their only leader in known history, and it would seem that Harmonia revolves heavily around him, almost to the point of looking at him as a sort of diety or god-like figure, judging from the way people like Sasarai and Luc speak about him in Suikoden. In my experiences and observations in the world, life is much like a pendulum, swinging back and forth. We can see this in the Suikoden world in many instances. In Toran, for example, there was peace before the Succesion Wars, the war broke out and Barbarossa established peace. However the pendulum began to slowly swing back towards war, and 7 years later civil war again erupted--the war ended, and again there was peace.

Harmonia, however, is subject to much more extreme examples of this simply because of the circle rune. Case in point, Hikusaak established the Holy Kingdom in IS 0--order. In IS 230, civil war broke out in Harmonia, which was caused by Hikusaak's rumored death, but I also think it safe to assume that the circle rune's ability to bring stagnation on Harmonia had a hand in the war. Stagnation does bring conflict, and conflict can result in war. The order established slowly deteriorated because of stagnation, and I believe Hikusaak's disappearance was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Approximately 230 years after those events, around IS 460ish, Hikusaak is again rumored to have disappeared. Judging by events that transpire in and around that date, one can come to the conclusion that Harmonia is having troubles. Just look at all the wars they began to lose: They were beaten in the Jowston Unification War, the Higheast Rebellion, and were pushed back in the Second Fire Bringer War before becoming allies with Zexen and the Grasslands, at least temporarily, to defeat the Destroyers. That's all in a 15 year period. It would appear that their imperialist desires were still there--they just simply did not have the strength to conquer rival nations.

It seems to me that Harmonia is again having internal problems, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the country break into another civil war in the years after IS 475. It does seem strange that they aren't pressuring other nations, however based on the things I've seen and read in the Suikoden World, I think the reason is simply because they can't.

[RageRune]

I believe that the reasons why Harmonia is having problems with it's military is because there is bascially no permanet leadership.

As I remember correctly Sasarai led the troops into Grassland along with Dios but anyway I remember when they went into Chisa Village that they decided to retreat because of reinforcements from Chris and co. but before they switch sides at Brass Castle most of their troops in Grasslands were Sarah's minions meaning that because they were'nt real there must have been some deceiveing by Luc to invade Grassland because of the rumor of the Fire Bringer.

So if that's the case then the Harmonian Goverment must have been easily decived by Luc and the destroyers resulting in the switching sides in Grassland and Zexen. So I think that the problem is that the Harmonians are becoming overwhelmed by their own military imperialism that they can't see wheter there are being decived or not.

So I think eventually there will be a civil war within Harmonia that results in finding out the truth about Hikusaak.

[Awa Zel]

When Sasarai decided to join the Fire Bringer, didn't he say something about it being for personal reasons? I'm not entirely sure what he said and I can't check right now, but I was always under the impression that Sasarai and his battallion were helping the Fire Bringer against the wishes of Harmonia/Hikusaak, or at least without his consent.

As I said, I don't remember exactly what it was he said and I can't check right now, but that was the assumption that I made during both of my playthroughs.

[Ced The Lad]

He didn't get the temple's permission, which was why he said that Dios wouldn't be paid for his services.

Despite the magnitude of that war, many of the heads of state felt that they were never really involved at all.

[Sasarai825]

About the Harmonian army. Is it a real army, or is it an army of monsters, like Luc's was after he lost Harmonia's backing. If they had someone like Sarah who could summer and disguise monsters to look like Harmonian soliders, could Harmonia be using people, possibly the bishops, to conjour up monsters and disguise them. If this is the case, this probably is the reason why they are reluctant to attack other nations. Sarah needed alot of concentration to keep up the illusion and control over the monsters.

[Ced The Lad]

It's a real army. A very large one, at that.

Sarah seemed to be the only one that could create such illusions especially if everyone was surprised by the fact that someone could perform such an act.

[Black Fang]

Well what makes you sure that the whole of Harmonia wants to take of the rest of the world. Even if they theoretically do, which they possibly did at one points, soner or later people would rebel in greed and wishes of their own so called "independance" even though in reality they would belong to Harmonia for centuries.

This is basically what happens to Highland and the Scarlet Moon Empire if I recall corectlly. So in short, you either need a psycho ruler hell bent on world domination such as Luca except with a lil less of a thirst for destruction and more for domination. Even then the actual citizens and armies of Harmonia would need justification for the series of wars to follow, coz lets face it, sure everyone would like their nation to be glorified, but not when it comes at a great cost to those they love, namely their sons, husbands, brothers and fathers.

Then again, so far we know not of what exists above Harmonia and the Grasslands except for the nameless lands, and further still if there are more continents in the Suiko world. Maybe they do not attack due to becoming a threat to some equally powerful nations across the ocean, which would surelly attack Harmonia at any sign of them gainging immense power, so yeah, lotsa reasons for them not taking the whole world over.

[dradon_paladin]

Haromia is like Rome in its decline, only instead of feuding with barbarian tribes and surrounding nations they are handeling their decent into deprevity with diplomacy. The thing about Harmonia is the fact they are so big.

Hikusaak was more than likely their god-like religous figure (Kinda like Buddah) due to the fact he had the Circle Rune. When he went missing for whatever reason, the country started to fall apart. People felt their "god" abandoned them, and thus the theocracy has lost most of its influence and control over the nation.

This is nothing that Martial Law could not fix, and is more than likely what Harmonia is up to. Theyare using their millions of soldiers as simple law inforcement, and thus they can't possibly get the true runes in a militeristic manner.

As for why they want them, your guess is as good as mine. It will more than definitly be the plot of the last Suikoden. I just hope and pray that Konami don't hit us with some cheapass plot of "Harmonia is going to destroy the entire world with a giant rune." You know, they make Hikusaak out to be a genacidal Sepheroth type. (Shudder)

Based on what we have already seen in SII, the runes could have been part of one big rune, and Harmonia needs them to control the "stagnation" side effect of the Circle Rune.

Then agian who knows, maybe the nation to get all 27 first gets a prize. I just hope they settle the story with some originallity and dignity, not an "end of all life as we know it" story.