Difference between revisions of "Harpies"

Revision as of 09:15, 24 November 2007

Harpies are half women half bird creatures that have wings instead of arms. They possess clawed legs as well, and some wear feathers on parts of their body, though this varies a lot from one species to another. Felaryan harpies are usually about 80 feet tall though smaller races exist as well.

Harpies are voracious and have long since dominated the sky's of Felarya as one its top predators. Preferring mountains and plains, harpies have excellent vision and hearing, and can spot a prey from extreme distances. they have been know to be a bit cruel towards their prey in groups, often playing games with them involving dropping and catching. Being without hands, harpies are extremely agile with their mouth and tongues. When alone, harpies are not very daring though. Confronted to a large group of humans, a lone harpy would usually just stoop over them mouth wide open to snatch one or two, and fly off to find a quiet place to digest her meal.

Harpies are known for their bad tempers and their sarcastical and mocking retort and felaryan harpies are no exceptions. They are prone to anger and often quarrel amongst themselves. They despise sphinxes which they see as little more than a bunch of full-of-themselves and self-righteous morons. They have engaged several times in war with them.

Harpy language

Most harpies have a curious habits to punctuate their sentences with threats or insults. The thing is they don't usually mean it at all. It's just a tradition and would seem odd or even impolite if they didn't do it. They skip this custom only if they are in a hurry or they have something very important to say.

"I wish to speak to your sister" would give " Let me see your sister or my wrath shall storm your head !" If the other harpy wanted to answer : " She's out" she would say : " Insolent fool ! My sister has more important matters than speaking to the like of you !"

And contrary to what it seems, the two harpies there arent't on the verge of killing each others. The tone of the sentences gives subtle informations of the real meaning of the phrase. Some harpies are known to throw extremely sophisticated insults this way. Needless to say this fact contribute a lot to their rude reputation in the eyes of other races

Demon Harpies

This species of harpies is of a blood red color from head to claws, hence their name. They don't have any demon blood though. They can be mostly found in the Jungle of perils. They are easily the most dangerous species of harpies in Felarya. They are extremely fast, much more agressive than the common harpy and they feathers can become as hard as steel in seconds while keeping their lightness, making a very efficient improvised shield. As if it wasn't enough, demon harpies are good spellcaster with a powerful magic focusing on curses and the temporarily disabling of their target or prey.

Rock Harpies

Rock harpies are mostly found in the Great rocky fields. They are quite similar to common harpies, except they are usually slighty larger, have beige-orange feathers, stronger claws and are well versed in wind magic. This last point make them especially scary : for example, if a traveller try to hide in a fissure, the harpy would just place her mouth against the opening and vacuum what is inside...

Golden Harpies

This rare species of harpies possess golden, shiny skin, golden or bronze feathers, blazing hair, and an astounding beauty that could often match a succubus'. They are usually very greedy and attracted by shiny things. The seasonned treasure hunter knows that, if they catch a glimpse of a golden harpy, chances are high there is a valuable treasure nearby.

Golden harpies are naturally fond of jewels and gems and love to wear bracelets, amulets, earrings, and other trinkets. They are vain and take a great care of their body, literally spending hours toiletting, combing their hair, polishing their claws, and lustring their feathers, often drawing sarcasms from less meticulous species of harpies.

A human caught by a golden harpy has a small chance to escape by bribing his way out. One must not rely too much on it, however, as golden harpies are cunning and mischievious, and firmly convinced that eating humans is healthy and good for their figure...