Harpy

At a glance

Feature	Details
Appearance	Avian humanoids with large wings, beak-like noses, talons, and mottled skin and feathers.
Origins and communities	Dispersed after Polyargos was destroyed; Mount Klox remains a known flock settlement.
Culture	Territorial flocks, communal bonds, loud displays of strength and shifting rivalries.
Racial abilities	Nesting; Shrieking; Flight

Origins and dispersal

Originating on the island of Polyargos, the Harpies were scattered across the continent of Sapience after the island’s destruction in the late Midnight Age, significantly increasing their prevalence across Sapience. Despite their ill reputation, Harpies boast an intricate society marked by dynamic power structures and a predisposition for cunning manipulation.

Harpies are a cousin race to the similarly winged, humanoid Atavians, both of which descend from the Atav. Far from being created by the Gods as a potential shell, mythology instead attributes the Harpies’ appearance to a cruel trick played on the lofty Atav by the Goddess Khepri.

Flock society

Harpy populations organise themselves into flocks, each led by the strongest and most cunning amongst them. These societies are rife with constant power struggles and cunning deceit, with alliances and rivalries shifting like the wind. The current queen, Kru’lax, having reigned for centuries, has an uncanny insight into her people’s power dynamics, allowing her to maintain her long rule through astute manipulation of Harpy flocks, inciting discord among the myriad factions to keep her in power.

Despite this apparent lack of cohesion, Harpies place a high value on their communal bonds. They communicate through a cacophony of loud squawks and high-pitched screeches, delighting in both the ensuing chaos and the discomfort of anyone who hears them.

Appearance

Trait	Details
Eyes	Primarily amber and yellow, sometimes brown. Never blue.
Size	4 – 5 feet / 1.2 – 1.5 meters.
Nose	Beak-like.
Hands/Feet	Both end in large, twisted talons. Extremely strong grips useful for hooking prey.
Skin	Tough and rugged, adorned with an array of flaps and folds. Colours range from dirty browns to off-whites and greys. Often mottled, thick hide broken up by patches of feathers.
Wings	Large, often scarred or discoloured from scrapping with other Harpies.

Overall, Harpies tend to look far more avian than their Atavian cousins, usually described as looking like large carrion birds with a Human woman’s chest and torso. They often slouch or walk with a slight crouch to mislead others on their height – a trait used to surprise enemies. Most Harpies object to bathing and take pride in their filth, but some of those that have spread out into the lands have taken up the practice – usually just to forestall the complaints of their fellow citizens.

Harpies are either female or non-binary. Trans males exist but are rare within the Harpy population.

Culture

Harpy culture revolves around loud displays of strength and tenacity, and they are highly territorial. They engage in “peacocking” – exaggerated displays of prowess or bravado to mask their vulnerabilities. This is a survival tactic, as any sign of weakness could incite bullying or aggression from other Harpies. The louder and more assertive a Harpy is, the more respect they are apt to garner in Harpy communities.

Their love of noise and commotion extends to their recreation as well and they delight in creating havoc, often indulging in activities that involve high levels of noise and chaos. Their humour is often coarse and crass, with a particular fondness for mockery and jest.

Harpies prefer to live in defensible, hard-to-reach places, such as mountains, cliffs, and treetops. They nest, lay eggs, and never give birth to non-Harpies.

Harpies live by a culture of conquest and raiding weaker villages or communities, which also serves as their most common way to continue their species.

Settlements

Mount Klox

These Harpies are loyal to Kru’lax, the Harpy queen, and focus on amassing wealth through raids on nearby settlements. Mount Klox is a mountain in the Tarean Mountain range, first settled by Klaw’ese Klox and her flock, then overtaken by Kru’lax and her loyal flocks.

Racial abilities

Level 1: Nesting

Syntax: NEST HERE

In cliffs, mountains, ruins, or forested environments, you can create yourself a nest. Sleeping in the room with your nest will boost your endurance regeneration. You can have only one nest, but you can relocate it at any time.

Level 31: Shrieking

Syntax: SHRIEK AT <target>

Unleash a piercing shriek at your target, draining their mental reserves.

Level 61: Flight

Syntax: FLY and LAND [TREES]

Your glorious wings grant you the ability to fly, as long as there is room to do so.

Class ideas for roleplay

These are potential starting points for a character’s story and are offered as suggestions only. You can make almost any class or race combination work in Aetolia as your race gives no special advantage with these classes; availability follows the usual class and guild rules.

Ravager

A Harpy accustomed to flock rivalries might find Bloodloch’s Ravagers a willing audience for extravagant boasts and dirty fighting. Soulfire and raw ego would turn their displays of strength into weapons in a city that prizes power and gives little quarter to weakness.

Bard

A Harpy performer could turn peacocking and sharp mockery into a stage persona at Djeir’s Theatre of Shadows. The training goes beyond spectacle: light-weaving, swordplay, and assassination give them several ways to outmanoeuvre a rival.

Sentinel

A Harpy seeking a home for a scattered flock could join Duiran’s defence of the wilds. Sentinel training would ask them to treat animal companions as allies and respect both predator and prey, broadening a territorial duty beyond their own kin.

See also: The Races of Aetolia · The World of Aetolia · Character Classes