Harpy
Basic Information
Anatomy
Harpies are fairly large humanoids with human-like faces, slender bodies, and long legs. Their bodies are often much more bird-like than other races, in many cases often being nearly identical to the bodies of birds, aside from often having fingers or hands on their wings. This is due to their heritage, as harpies are said to be the descendants of a fallen wind god and their human priests in the early age of gods. Harpies also lack most secondary sex characteristics found in most humanoids, such as breast tissue, and are often regarded as being quite androgynous. Some harpies will have brighter plumage in males along with decorative plumage, however this does not apply across the entire population and often is heavily dependent on their personal heritage. Harpies have extremely little bodyfat (often considered the lowest ratio to body size out of all extant races) and extremely slim bodies, and those without thick plumage covering may be extremely vulnerable to the cold.
Growth Rate & Stages
Young harpies, similarly to angels, have a 'baby coat' of fluffy downy feathers across their wings and backs throughout childhood. Generally, these coats are often plain with very little in ways of patterning, often being white, gray, black, or brown. Adult plumage, patterning, and colorations typically begins to grow in during yearly molts in their teenage years, and a harpy's full adult plumage may not be completely grown in until their 30s, well into adulthood.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The diet of harpies can vary greatly from one individual to another. Most are generalist omnivores, eating a wide array of foods such as fruits, seeds, grains, fish, meats, and vegetables, however many may often have more specialized diets. Some harpies may have indigestion and stomach upset when eating a more herbivorous diet or vice versa, and will typically avoid such foods, but their diets and consequences of not following them are not as severe as in other races, such as Centari or Werewolves.
Biological Cycle
Harpies are known to molt completely every year, shedding their feathers to be replaced by new ones. This often happens in sections that are often separated by a few months, such as molting only on their wings in one molting period, then only on their back, and then the rest of their body. Molting removed heavily damaged or too small feathers and allows them to be kept in good health and condition. Molting is an uncomfortable process for most, causing itchy skin, irritation, and the potential for sunburns due to exposed skin. Harpies currently molting are known to be much more irritable and have shorter tempers, due to their discomfort.
Additional Information
Average Intelligence
Human or greater
Civilization and Culture
Gender Ideals
Likely due to that harpies are typically more androgynous, much of their gender ideals are presented through clothing, body modification, makeup, and self adornments. Men among harpies are expected to wear brighter clothing, more jewelry, and often fall into creative roles such as the arts, singing, dancing, and other performance arts. Men are also expected to be much more highly competitive among their peers, especially in regards to romance. Women, conversely, are expected to appear much more plain with little in ways of jewelry, makeup, tattoos, or bright colors in their clothing. Browns, grays, blacks, and other natural tones are traditionally sold as "girl colors", as opposed to men's clothing which is often heavily patterned and brightly colored. Women are much more expected to fit into jobs outside of the creative space, such as labor intensive work, hunting, farming, construction, or other labor activities.
Especially among younger harpy communities, the strict traditional gender roles found within harpies are thought to be a major driving force in their allyship to vampires, who generally lack such a strict gendered society but still retain rich cultures of self expression through clothing and self adornment.
Common Dress Code
Like angels, feathers are often worked into the clothing of harpies, though to a much greater extent. Due to their yearly molts, harpy communities often have a surplus of feathers, allowing them to make entire garments out of them, often by weaving threads through the quills to form a knitted fabric. Long cloaks, shawls, skirts, and ponchos are quite common, and most harpy clothing is often fastened using buttons, ties, or loops to accommodate wings and tails. Generally, harpies will wear loose, light clothing, to minimize additional weight on their bodies.
History
The first harpy societies appeared in western Asia and eastern Europe during the 7,000s, though their exact origins are not quite known. Archeological evidence and oral histories heavily suggest that the first groups of harpies originated in and around the temples of various avian gods, likely as the result of such gods having romantic and sexual relationships with their priests and followings. Collectively, harpy society tells the tales of their origins to be from one singular fallen wind god, the first members of their race being a blessing upon avian gods without heirs, as children born to their high priests. Genetic evidence does not show conclusive results to this myth, though it is plausible, given the extreme amounts of variation within the group.
Harpies moved all across the globe over time, though the majority of their population still remains in the European Archipelago, particularly within Greece, close to Ryou, the God of Wind and Yung Pagoni, God of Peacocks's temples.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
The interracial connections harpies have with other groups can be quite confusing. Angels often consider harpies to be the same race as them, making no distinction between the two groups, both for better and for worse. Many angel communities and societies in fact do not legally recognize harpies as a separate group at all, instead labelling them as angels. Harpies are very rarely subject to the same kinds of extreme prejudice angels often show to other groups, but those living within angel communities are still often expected to follow the angel's social norms. Harpy communities themselves rarely reciprocate this one-sided kinship, though their efforts to distance themselves from angels are often ignored.
Unlike angels, however, the harpies do not show similar hostilities to groups such as Vampires, Demons, or Blood Demons, and in fact are typically on quite good terms. Harpies and demons in particular share very similar religious trends and worship similar gods, with quite a lot of intercultural crossover between their worship, ritual, and patron gods. This high amount of cultural exchange and that harpies often live in the same communities as demons has allowed them to foster good relationships with vampires and blood demons as well, if slightly more distant.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Origin/Ancestry
Humanoid / Divine
Lifespan
200 - 400 years
Average Height
6 to 7 feet. Females are typically larger, averaging closer to 7 feet
Average Physique
Slim with very little bodyfat
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