March Rewards 3

draco flame

1. a harpy to engorged to fly. 

Fat harpies are fun, and it gave me an excuse to draw the various types of harpies that exist within my world! I'll go down the list and give some lore on them.

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So to start off, the big fat harpy is called a Celaeno Harpy. The ones that appear to have a woman's face and a more vulture like hideous body with a large mouth are Aello Harpies, and the ones with huge noses and the faces of old women are Podarge Harpies. The Masked ones are known as Octhoe, and the ones that appear as birds with the heads of women are Ocypete Harpies. Finally the tiny cute kind are called Nyctimene harpies.

Ocypete harpies, look like women with the bodies of owls, eagles, hawks, or other birds of prey. They are often known as the harpies of the East Wind. Ocypete are insatiable creatures that devour any and all edible substances they can get their talons on, and flocks of Ocypete harpies have been known to descend upon towns and festivals and devour all of the food they have available, and in some situations devour those in attendance as well, and can cause famines in large groups. Due to their extreme metabolism however they rarely gain weight. They are known as Swift wing Harpies due to their quickness. They are thought to be able to fly at over 70 miles per hour, and some can move even more swiftly in quick bursts or if they utilize wind magic, which many of them possess. They can fly swiftly and quietly, though the closer they get the flapping of their wings can be quite frightening. They can flap their wings and manipulate the wind, causing gusts to knock people down or throw carriages off of mountain tops, and some can let out a piercing screech that can strike fear in a creature so great they stop in their tracks. If that wasn't bad enough, they have eyes that seem to be able to hypnotize creatures by constantly moving and changing, causing the creature to become enraptured by the harpy's words and actions and they become unable to look away. They often use this to lure in enemies as they have beautiful, seductive voices and exotic, beautiful faces. They are known for eating humans, and flocks of Ocypete harpies are known for tracking humans for miles before they kill them, or toying with them for a while. They work as endurance hunters, chasing down creatures and waiting among the trees, watching or screaming to scare their prey, attacking only if they try to rest, pushing them into exhaustion. When not hunting, Harpies can speak various languages depending on their location, and can speak with humans and in rare cases even befriend them. Some have been known to sell items to adventurers and the like, or moreso trade and barter for items as they tend to enjoy bracelets, rings, and necklaces as jewelery, as well as mysterious nick-knacks and baubles, the shinier the better. Harpies know that humans are curiously attracted to many of them, and use that to their advantage to swindle them or steal from them, and sometimes seduce them as humans can impregnate a harpy. Harpies usually breed however by laying eggs and allowing said eggs to be fertilized by male birds of prey in the area such as owls, eagles, hawks, and other creatures like rocs, cockatrice, and giant eagles can fertilize the eggs as well, sometimes leading to some strange or uniquely powerful, though usually infertile, crossbreeds. Such as the horrific crossbreed that once occurred between a harpy and a Griffon. 

Celaeno Harpies are Ocypete harpies whom have innate magic abilities that are more profound than those normally found in an Ocypete harpy. Known as "The Dark Ones" due to their connection with misery, tragedy, and curses. Celaeno harpies possess a terrible metabolism due to the dark magic in their system, making them just as ravenous as other Ocypete harpies, but making it much more difficult to shed the weight. Celaeno harpies will in the right circumstances, eat themselves into immobility, causing them to lose their ability to fly, and generally lose their ability to move at all, causing them to rely on the rest of their flock or their magical capabilities, or if they can, hibernate until the weight has been shed. They are usually in luck however as Celaeno harpies often form flocks with other kinds of harpy due to their innate connection to dark curse magics, and sorcery in general, allowing them to be spellcasters and therefore working as oracles, seers, and mages for the flock. This tends to put them in a position of high regard and thus even a Celaeno Harpy whom has overindulged can usually be pampered and cared for without worry. Powerful Celaeno harpies, such as the one pictured here whom has gone above and beyond in her gluttony, often become bloat mages, and can store magic in her fat to empower her capabilities, and they often work as matriarchs or simply as mothers to the young harpies, and are more than likely to birth many children as they tend to be at home anyway. In these situations the Celaeno tends to sport human like breasts to feed the children. There are often other harpies among the Celaeno as well to tend to her and feed her as their dependence on overconsumption can cause them to go into a cannibalistic fury on occasions, though many can keep this at bay, the more Celaeno in one area, the bigger chance it will happen. Celaeno harpies possess horrible curses, and invoke dark arts to inflict misery and misfortune upon creatures, and it is believed that their curses derive from the Horsemen of the Apocalypse as they are known for inflicting curses of famine, war, death, pestilence, and conquest upon their foes....

Closely related to both of these are the Ocythoe harpies. Known sometimes as the Harpies of the South Wind. They are a divergent species whom branched off from harpies that lived near flightless birds such as emu, ostritch, Velociraptors, or Cassowarries, and over generations generated more of their genetics and lost their ability to fly. Ocythoe Harpies are known as "Swift Runners" as they can run at over 50 miles per hour regularly, and are very nimble and able to move through rough terrain with ease. They may have lost their ability to fly, however their innate wind magic still exists, making it so that despite being unable to lift their heavy bodies, they can still glide, and use gusts of wind to their advantage, performing maneuvers such as flinging themselves up to 50 feet in the air before opening their wings and gliding short distances. They cannot become Celaeno harpies due to their divergent evolution, however they possess some qualities within them in the form of very minor curse abilities, which is why their forms look rather fecund and motherly, though they do tend to have quite an amazing metabolism unlike their Celaeno counterparts. Their curse comes in the form of their fangs and talons, and creatures bitten or clawed by them tend to be cursed for the wound to be blindingly painful, and to give off a sickly odor that allows the harpy to track the creature for miles. Unless treated through some form of magic, the wound will continue to fester. They are exceedingly frightening, and often wear masks due to their more feral appearance compared to their cousins the Ocypete harpies. Otherwise they are very similar in hunting methods and in their ability to speak and form communities. 

The last kind of harpy related to this particular family are the Nyctimene harpies which are a very special case. Nyctimene harpies spawn from Ocypete harpies whom have repeatedly bred with smaller birds, or whom have been domesticated to a certain extend from time near humans. Exceedingly rare in most areas, Nyctimene harpies are chubby little fluff balls whom cannot fly for excessive periods of time and whom tend to get no larger than a house cat, though some get as large as chickens or even turkeys. They are used as familiars by wizards, and kept as pets by the wealthy, and they tend to have the mental capacity of a 5-10 year old. They eat mostly small animals such as mice, and some have been able to become Celaeno harpies, though it can be quite detrimental to their health due to how small they are, though some can make it work. Nyctimene harpies can be found in the wild still, as some have escaped from captivity and bred in the wild, and some have become much more bird like because of it and can't actually speak, while some are very verbose. Some have been adopted in by other kinds of harpies and hav been used as scouts, or were simply too cute for the harpies to not collect. Many larger breeds of harpy will actually eat Nyctimene harpies as they see them to be sad or unnatural little creatures... Nyctimene harpies are a bit like pidgeons in the magic capital of Fuirriev and there are no less than 100 of them on the magic school campus, often times free to roam, though they often cause havoc as they can all speak. 

Of the first of the outlier harpies, are the Aello harpies. Those whom live in the northern areas and are known as the harpies of the North Wind, they are called by some fair maidens and by others as foul creatures. Their name means "Storm Swift" which derives from their ability to call upon powerful storms and command powerful blasts of lightning. Related to Thunderbirds, the Aello can fly in flocks and bring with them a massive thunderhead, and command the bolts of lightning to strike down from the sky to obliterate their foes with deafening violence. They can also sometimes control blizzards and cold fronts. Their appearance is much more jarring than other Harpies as they have a woman's face attached to a large vulture like head that has a large gaping humanoid maw of teeth connected to it. They have bodies that appear like that of a pregnant woman with arms instead of legs and wings instead of arms. They are very tribal and tend to live in small societies with one another, though usually no more than 5 or 6. If their flock grows any larger, one (The youngest) will often leave and form it's own flock. They can be very seductive and tricky, using their ability to create fog and clouds to hide themselves and only allow their face to be seen. They take things from creatures, and often have various items and belongings in their nests, and sometimes kill creatures solely to take their belongings. Aello harpies hunt by striking creatures with lightning, and if it doesn't kill them they'll snatch them up and drop them from great distances, or bring them into the storm and allow themselves to be struck by lightning which will have no effect on them, but their bodies will conduct it. They often are found by the sea, and as such they are at odds with Sirens on many occasions, though occasionally the two creatures will form a symbiotic relationship and share their spoils. 

Finally is the Podarge Harpy, or the Harpy of the West Wind. Taking the form of hideously ugly women with bird bodies, and female arms, breasts, and bellies. Podarge harpies are the only kind of harpy that isn't always a harpy naturally. Podarge harpies are powerful hags, and sometimes they don't begin as harpies, but as actual witches whom make the transformation into a Podarge Harpy. Also known as Podarge Hags, Sky Hags, or Bird Hags, the Podarge harpies are horrid old women with crooked faces and the voices of hundreds of screaming birds. They are large and horrible, forming flocks with other harpies of any sort and offering their magic capabilities to them, and some use their magic to mentally dominate the harpies and put them under their control. Podarge harpies can call upon birds to aid her, and they can take a humanoid form though it's still usually very off putting and hideously ugly. They possess the usual powers of any witch, but also have the ability of a hag to weave through the dream realm and move among human consciousness, feasting on the fears of those whom have a phobia of birds. They can explode into a flock of ravens and re-form, and they can even lay eggs and hatch other harpies or horrid bird creatures that are often deformed. While some harpies do not trust them, powerful spellcaster harpies can become Podarge Harpies as well, and their capabilities are nigh unmatched in their particular field of expertise. They are known to transform their victims into birds through horriffic transmutation magic. It is believed that the nursery rhyme "Sing a song of sixpence" derives from a Podarge Hag placing a pie before a king which became a flock of birds.