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By Lady Emily
A few hundred years ago, every adventurer’s journal was rife with harpy encounters, but today you’ll be pressed to meet a person who’s even seen one. Although harpies are among the most famous of the fae creatures in our modern bestiary, they are now loathe to come near us due to our negative interactions with them over the course of history.
With an intelligence likened to our own, they are possibly the easiest of fae to relate to – when, that is, the creatures aren’t intent on a meal. Though this treatise will attempt to enlighten its readers as to the deeper nature of harpies, it must be remembered that they are dangerous – harpies will eat humans just as they eat other animals, except that they have been known to keep humans as captives for prolonged periods. Any study of these creatures should be done only by trained sages.
There are two known varieties of harpies – although they are quite distinct in appearance and behavior, sages generally group them both as the same family of creatures.
Mountain Harpies –
This is what most of us think of when we imagine harpies. Lush, feathered wings and talons are offset by upper torsos resembling beautiful women or wildly handsome men. This is the image we’ve seen in children’s books and paintings all our lives, and the fetch we feel toward them is clear. The juxtaposition of human and bird brings to life one of our deepest fantasies – the possibility of human flight. This, perhaps, is what makes the mountain harpy so powerful in our psyche.
Socially, the mountain harpy is extremely gregarious, gathering in communities or ‘tribes’. While most of these groups number no more than eight to twelve individuals, there is at least one report of a large, permanent tribe in the mountains far west of Kern. Here an explorer counted ‘at least eighty-five harpies dwelling in proximity’.
It is a known fact that the sexes never mingle – tribes consist either of males or females. The reason for this remains unknown, but harpies who have been questioned on the matter seem to think that this is only ‘natural’.
Our relationship with these creatures has changed dramatically over the last two hundred years. Before the Dragon Hunts of the Goddard Era, harpies were common throughout the lands. Encounters with them were seldom bloody, and some even had a mildly humorous flavour –
The harpy alighted on a large dead branch at the edge of our camp. None of us could believe her brazen beauty, and she paced back and forth on the branch as if proud. Milacai, who spoke some of the Old Tongue, said to her (and my translation is rough) – Beautiful bird, are there secrets of the forest you might tell us?
She stopped her strutting and stared down at us, cocking her head as if she didn’t understand. Then she spoke a few distinct words. None of us understood them, and at our urging, she repeated them. Milacai scribed them down as best he could. We could only think that she did not understand Old Tongue, and was bantering in some primitive language.
Then, to our frustration, she laughed and flew off.
It was not until we reached civilization, nearly a moon later, that the mystery finally came to light. In Selarum we had a sage look at the words, and he quickly identified the language as Jeddan. The message said – North half a league and you shall discover treasure. It was a terrible blow. Aside from missing the opportunity for riches, it was clear that the damnable harpy not only understood Old Tongue, but she had proven herself a superior linguist by displaying knowledge of Jeddan! We have no doubt she understood our Caradorian, as well.
From the Journal of Irus, dated four centuries old.
As you can see, harpies were not always destructive. Indeed, four hundred years ago, harpies would probably have been characterized as ‘mischievous, playful, and amusing’. Like humans, they tended toward beneficence, with only a few historical examples of aberrant behavior. These examples were usually large groups of harpies attacking small groups of humans and stealing away captives, most of which were never heard from again. Though these cases were rare, they were apparently enough to urge King Goddard to include them on the ‘purity list’ when the bounties began being offered. These were the Dragon Hunts, when hunters were paid for every dead nymph, tyver, troll, dragon, pixie, goblin, merman, or harpy they brought in. The list included over sixty creatures, and was finally amended to include ‘anything unnatural that dwells in the woodlands, fields, or oceans’.
The harpies were tracked down mercilessly, and the frenzy to kill quickly spread through other lands. Labeled ‘abominations,’ the harpies’ lairs were secretly observed, and then archers would wait in ambush while buckets of flaming oil were flung into their caves. As the harpies emerged, they were brought down with arrows.
This history has left a lasting impression, and today harpies stay far from human habitations. When they do interact with us, it is usually with violence.
While it is well documented that harpies will kill humans for food, it is also true that there are many escapees from capture, as these intelligent, social creatures like to keep human victims for amusement -- sometimes for many moons. With such long captivities, escapes are inevitable. And it’s even possible, judging from certain stories, that these escapes are ‘allowed’ by the harpies themselves. Indeed, mountain harpies are thought to be intensely interested in humans and our ways – as in the journal excerpt above, they are often capable of speaking the local human languages, doubtless learned from their captives.
While dangerous and cunning, it is also true that these creatures possess an intelligence similar to our own, and engage in play, collecting, art, and cruelty. Whether not inclined or not capable of making weaponry, harpies will often possess and utilize human weapons, including swords, knives, and bows.
Of special interest is the migration of the mountain harpies. An annual event upon the Old World, the northernmost tribes begin a flight that takes them east of Liramelle and south into the great forests. As they fly they unite with other tribes, moving ever southward. When they cross west of Kern, their numbers are immense – one sage watching last year’s migration counted over seven hundred. It is believed that they all gather somewhere in the southern reaches of the Old World, but for what purpose and exactly where, no one yet knows. Questioned harpies have refused to speak of the matter, even when threatened with torture or death.
Harp d’ Rivata –
‘Dragon harpies’ were first discovered on the isle of Lotarn, in the province of Masalla.
This is from the journal of one Cuurus Aril, a famous explorer and huntsman who was among the first to chart the lands of Lotarn. It is over fifteen hundred years old, and I’ve translated from Old Masallan.
We surprised the creature as we mounted Taeven’s Spire. She was tending a nest and flew away in surprise. We wasted no time in slaying the three pups in her nest, as they were obviously beasts of the foulest nature. We saw no more of the mother until two days later, when it became obvious that she was stalking us. Now the disappearance of our supplies and the death of our horse can be more readily explained. Yesterday, Ravus was relieving himself when she attacked, dropping down from a tree onto his back. He was bitten repeatedly about the neck, and we ran to his screams. Chiren managed to put an arrow into her as she flew off.
The remainder of the journal’s condition was unreadable, so we will never know the rest of the story. This was just the first sighting of such a creature, however. During the next century there were numerous reports of the creatures being seen in Lotarn.
Invariably solitary, except in the case of nursing young, the Harp d’ Rivata have a strange, gothic appearance. Black or dark grey of skin, the dragon harpies are hairless, with a line of spikes beginning at the forehead and extending down the back. These thin spines are of cartilaginous nature, and are connected by a thin, orange-ish skin. While usually folded down (thereby giving the appearance of a bright stripe down the back), these spines are raised in times or excitement or alarm, much like the crest of many common birds. An apt descriptor would be to call these creatures ‘thin’ – they possess elongated legs ending in talons, and long thin arms. Wide bat-like wings extend from their backs. They are thought to be primarily nocturnal.
Harp d’ Rivata are assumed by many to be nothing but mindless beasts, but there is ample evidence that they are highly intelligent. There are numerous reports of the discovery of ritualistic apparatus found in their lairs – usually mixtures of herbs, knives, and bones carved with symbols. One magician, upon finding such items, remarked in his journal that ‘the ritual items radiated a strong aura of magic’. Furthermore, this variety of harpy has been known to spy upon and stalk humans, sometimes for days. Furthermore, one of the only people known to have been captured by a Harp d’ Rivata and escape alive reported that ‘the monster kept me unharmed for days, and seemed to be attempting to communicate with me. As if it were attempting to teach me Old Tongue.’
The Harp d’ Rivata remains an elusive and dangerous creature, unknown even to many sages. Although numerous dead harpies of this variety have been returned to civilization, we have yet to capture a living one, and attempts to observe the harpy in its natural setting have gained us little.
Harpies are just beginning to re-establish their relationship with humankind. In the years following Queen Lillian’s ascension to the throne of the Old World, reported sightings and encounters have risen dramatically. A similar trend has been noticed with most varieties of fae.
How we react to these encounters may very well establish a new relationship with the harpies, and some even suggest that they are civilized enough to have a beneficial relationship with humans. Most, however, still fear the harpies, and reported encounters have commonly ended in violence.
Perhaps we are not ready, yet, to befriend the creatures of fae.
To the Monsters and Creatures Treatises
