Harpy

(See On Player Races)
To most throughout Sanzeia harpies are vicious flying monstrous women with the upper body of a beautiful, though often cruel looking, woman and the lower half of a bird of prey. They have large avian wings that grow from their backs. For small villages harpies are one of the many dangers of the wild as they abduct travelers along the roads to mate and devour them. They are generally unconcerned with the possessions of these travelers so much as their bodies, but have been known to horde trinkets they find appealing.
There are stories of more civilized harpies, who possess a fierce sense of warrior pride and a strange sort of savage nobility. Thanks to the efforts of the Frostyear Guardians one known collection of these so-called "civilized harpies" hail from High Perch in the woods south of Hagsfall.
Both Aarakocra and Harpies consider themselves as the true species of flying humanoids and regard the other as some sort of corrupted form; territorial overlaps between the species quickly turn bloody.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Six limbs: two humanoid arms, 2 birdlike legs, 2 birdlike wings.

Genetics and Reproduction

All harpies appear to be female. The common tales say harpies breed by abducting humanoid males, mating with them, and then consuming them when they are no longer needed. Beldean scholars reject this as superstition and maintain that harpies are capable of mating on their own; the capturing of humanoid males serves an entirely recreational purpose.

Civilization and Culture

Common Etiquette Rules

Harpies have three sets of limbs: humanoid hands, bird-like talon feet, and their feathered wings. They also seemingly divide social mores in related classifications in a way that make sense to the harpies. For example, aggressive actions seem to be proper to deal with by use of "talons," but more subtle or precise actions requite the use of "hands." Using the wrong style is akin to using the wrong utensil at a dinner party, though only harpies seem to be able to differentiate their actions in this way.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

While in the past harpies have been known for abducting mortal males -- supposedly for reproductive purposes -- the more civilized harpy groups have generally cut back on the practice seeing its obviously problematic nature.

Origin/Ancestry

Elemental