Harpy

"It is only by detaching ourselves from the world that we can find peace, and ultimately freedom. The Clarasen people are uniquely gifted in our ability to do this." - Corentin Medain, a Harpy philosopher.

Back to Humanoids Article: Humanoids    Often found on high mountains, Harpies are a recently-created species of Humanoids having emerged in the third millennium. They often live in high mountains or other secluded locations. Harpies often live in migratory tribes, although some groups have recently settled down. Harpies appear similar to Elves but are much shorter and lighter. All Harpies also have the ability to sprout wings from their arms that allow them to fly. Few can outpace them when flying, and even fewer have as sharp eyes as them from afar.

Creation of the Asgari

The Asgari Shantil created the Harpies following the events of the Great Collapse. The first population of Harpies was made by splicing attributes from Humans, Elves, and various birds of prey. These Harpies would be used as scouts to warn the Asgari of invaders so that they could be dealt with properly. This subservience to the Asgari did not suit them, and they eventually emigrated from Shantil-controlled lands.

Natural Scouts, Skirmishers, and Ambushers

The average Harpy has excellent vision, being able to see at 100ft what the average Elf would be able to see at 20ft. Because of this, they are able to glide thousands of feet up in the air and see a target far before they can be seen. Because of their extraordinarily sharp vision, Harpies prefer ranged weapons, especially crossbows as they don't require as much strength as bows or make as much noise as a firearm. Their superior sight also gives them the advantage of knowing exactly what their enemy will be doing, which makes it easy for Harpies to ambush them. Harpy warfare is defined by repeated hit-and-run attacks until the enemy wears out. The worst mistake one can make when defending against a harpy is committing to a counteract, which they will quickly retreat from and subsequently punish with a hail of ranged fire.

Because of their excellent vision and love for ranged weapons, most Harpies live as hunter-gatherers or as merchants able to quickly fly goods to and from places. It is also not uncommon to see groups of Harpies using their abilities as mercenaries or adventurers either.

A Life of Freedom

Because of how easily Harpies can move from place to place, they rarely settle down. There have only been a few recorded large-scale permanent settlements of Harpies, and even fewer that had normal practices such as agriculture. A Harpy can easily traverse more than 110 miles in a day by flying and even more if they push themselves. It was this ability to quickly move that allowed them to escape the Shantil when they wished.

The ability to go anywhere and do anything is highly prized in Harpy society, and it is a great injustice to them to imprison someone. In Harpy society, a criminal either pays off their debt or is killed.

Bandit Folk

"In most societies, individuals steal to live. In Harpy society, it seems, individuals live to steal. I suspect they're jealous, hateful creatures at heart; there are more than enough stories of them stealing food from wanderers just to watch them starve." - 'Death to All With Feathers,' a nationalistic pamphlet published in Sonaran cities following the involvement of Harpymanaz with Paltian's invasion.

The ability of Harpies to quickly move around and to see on the ground has led to many of them becoming reavers. Tribes of Harpies can sometimes be seen raiding towns or extorting their inhabitants before flying off to their unassailable mountain homes before any soldiers protecting the town are even able to mount a response. It is because of this tendency of Harpy society to leech off of others and their unwillingness to meld into larger societies that most distrust Harpies. There are many people who know someone killed in a Harpy raid or lost their money when a merchant caravan was slaughtered and carried off by Harpy bandits. When a Harpy tribe sinks its claws into a piece of land, it will be sucked dry of its food and valuables until either the tribe is wiped out or they move on to greener pastures.  

Creating a Harpy Character

• Your Tribe: What tribe were you a part of? Why did you leave?
• Lifestyle: What did your tribe do for a lifestyle? Were you bandits, mercenaries, merchants, or an unorthodox path like farming?

Harpy Names

Male Name Examples: Armel, Corentin, Gwenaël, Hoel, Padrig, Ronan
Female Name Examples: Annick, Enora, Frañseza, Katarin, Maëlle, Rozenn
Last Name Examples: Calvez, Kerguelen, Le Guen, Tredivic, Moravan, Seznec,
Making Your Own Name: Clarasen are based on Breton names.