✥ HARPIES ✥
A winged, bird-like race that lives in the dense, lofty canopies of [PEENT].
Although they lack the inherent ability to control magic, they are highly curious and thirst to control and learn more about it. Their society largely revolves around collecting beautiful artefacts, many of which are highly magical and pilfered from other nations. Although their culture places high emphasis on beauty, their standards of beauty do not fall within conventional human standards – they believe in the idea of “aesthetic,” and if an individual can successfully tailor and maintain a unique aesthetic for themselves, they will be lauded by the rest of their flock. Even the drabbest and dullest harpy can thus become high ranking if they invest enough time and effort into a self-image, no matter how humble it may be.
[anatomy sketches/diagrams go here]
PHYSIOLOGY
GENERAL
appearance
- humanoid in appearance, with elongated wing "arms." Possess slim, clawed "hands" at the end with thumbs for manipulating objects
- posture appears a bit more stooped than typical humans, stand like birds on keratin-scaled feet
- covered all over in feathers, although in some areas they are very fine and near-invisible. "Hair" is merely elongated feathers that are trimmed into specific styles
- cannot actually fly without magical aid - they can't attain liftoff, but they can glide for sustained periods depending on wing size
- craftsmen harpies may trim their primaries for increased mobility
- as intelligent as humans and are able to fully vocalize. their own language is punctuated with chirps, squawks, and other primitive noises which most humans are unable to imitate
- incredibly keen eyesight but poor sense of smell and have hearing only slightly better than a human's. they can see more colors than humans and can see much farther/more clearly
- very material-oriented, tend to have visceral responses to visual feedback - partly the reason their culture revolves around aesthetic and beauty. they form strong emotional attachments to objects and often use gift-giving as a way to express their feelings (particularly in courtship)
- sexual dimorphism distinguished through genitals and typically larger females
subspecies:
??? - smallest subspecies (based on passeriformes, hummingbirds, other tiny birds), flighty and very vocal.
???? - largest subspecies (based on raptors), particularly keen eyed and fierce.
????? - medium-sized subspecies (based on parrots and corvids), clever and tend to be craftsmen (THE BEST SUBSPECIES oK)
diet
- vegetation, insects, small rodents (much like...birds), they can eat raw food but that's generally seen as unseemly
- adept at hunting due to their talons and agility
- basically incapable of traditional farming due to the nature of their environment, but are able to harvest from trees and designate specific seasonal crops
MAGICAL EXPOSURE
Harpies who are exposed to high quantities of magic often wither and die or become abominations, as their bodies are not designed to harbor it. The rare individuals who survive are often irrevocably warped and contaminated, but due to their society’s near-fanatical fixation on magic, rocket into high-status positions. Fear of death prevents most harpies from attempting to tamper with magical instruments, creating an oligarchy of bold individuals who are fervently admired by the rest of their kin. Magically-contaminated inviduals are known as Graces.
Many nations have become wary of the individuals who lead the harpy nation from the shadows, and have given them code-names and danger ratings as precautions for possible military intervention.
CHERUBIM (in mythology, archangels with multiple animal body parts/multiple animal faces)
These individuals have had a body part mutated into something else – often into something resembling another species’ anatomy, like a clawed foot into a paw. They are typically considered the least dangerous of the archangels due to the randomness of the change and the potential for absolutely useless mutations, but occasionally a lethal anomaly will occur. There are hushed rumors of eldritch harpies with tentacles bursting from where wings ought to be, or strangely mutated heads with rows of extra teeth and claws.
AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS:
Red Light District – the high-end of the red light district and courtesans, which is full of parlors of cherubim-mutated harpies who can fulfill any kink or fetish you can imagine. (Teeth in places where they don’t belong? Yep. Goo or slime? Sure. Extra orifices? Check. Tentacles…do u even have to ask) I’m sorry
Harpies with random useless mutations are often sent here because their odd body part might fulfill someone's fetish out there...u never know
Of course, if the mutation is very minor (eg an ear got turned into a finger or smth), an individual will probably just be treated as a standard harpy
Militia – cherubim who actually have useful mutations (that increase their strength, stealth, have body parts with the potential to be used as weapons, etc.) are usually enlisted into the military as soon as the extent of their magical exposure has been discovered. The military is not typically active
SERAPHIM
Harpies with a single trait or body part duplicated and amplified. This includes but is not limited to eyes, ears, arms, or wings. This mutation is considered a heightening of individual senses, creating dangerous creatures with carefully honed areas of specialty. A multi-eyed harpy may become a spy who can take in visual information from all angles, a multi-winged one an adept and unrivaled flier. Seraphim harpies are often regarded as the physical “force” behind the archangel harpies, and are given the highest danger rating in terms of combat and face-to-face encounters.
AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS: WIP
OPHANIM
Harpies whose brains have been fused or tainted with magic. Such individuals often have powers that relate to the mind or emotions, granting skills such as limited clairvoyance or the ability to sense or manipulate others’ emotions. Their mind-related magic always physically manifests as a halo around their heads that may be partly material or completely immaterial, but is always visible to the naked eye. Additional rings may also crop up on a harpy’s body if their magic is particularly strong. As such, despite their immense danger rating they are easily identifiable and thus most easily avoided compared to the other archangels. They are also often extremely physically frail and lead cloistered lives, directing the other archangels from high-up shelters where they are protected from invaders and the elements.