Post by Ash on Jun 15, 2015 19:21:01 GMT
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[attr="class","sern-thread-text"]Harpies are said to have been created by Zeus with the very first of which being used to snatch up people and things whenever the Greek Deity King declared it. While some still follow the Greek God, others eventually left for the human world in rebellion. The group that rebelled came across a coven of witches that seemed to have angered Zeus. As the harpies loyal to the god began to snatch the witches up to carry them to Zeus, the rebelled harpies sought to help the witches. In the end they managed to save all but one and the witches made a spell to give them human forms, allowing them to walk among the humans, both blending in and hiding from the gods. It is said, Zeus realized this and granted the ones that stayed with him the ability of a human form to find those who turned on him and bring them back.
The Greeks didn't have it entirely wrong. One of their forms are half bird, but while they have been depicted as female, there are males as well. In their natural form, they are half human and half bird. They have wings in the place of arms and feathers that vary in color all across the spectrum. The talons at their feet are sharp and always black.
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They can shed their feathers and walk as human at will for long extended periods. In their human form, they can pass perfectly as one minus their eyes. While they're pure golden in their natural form, they can be any color in their human form but there is always a hint of a golden tint in their irises and their eyes change to their natural gold with high emotions.
Harpies tend to be easy to anger but they vary in personality from friendly to dangerous. They don't take insults and threats lightly and do tend to be violent once angered. Extremely vindictive, they show no mercy to those who wrong them. Even the nicest ones tend to have a nasty side and none shy away from revenge in most situations. They also tend to be impulsive and unpredictable in the best situations.
Harpies are usually found in family groups of three or four. In these groups they are at their strongest as they gain the ability to cause mild to moderate wind storms just by flapping their wings. Some have even been known to make tornados. Groups of two are usually only seen when one of the group has died. Solitary harpies are very rare. There are only three reasons a harpy can be found without a group and they are as follows:
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Harpies are basically immortal in the sense that they can live forever provided they aren't killed. They don't die of old age but they age as humans until the gene is triggered. At that point their age appearance is set. This is usually between 18 and 30. Those that trigger older than 30 die through the transition 98% of the time, and those her trigger earlier (usually through stress) have 50% chance of surviving between 16 and 18 but the younger they are the chance of survival significantly drops.
Harpies are predominantly born like humans through harpy parents but human half-breeds are possible, in which case their harpy form is weaker than the average harpy but they are still extremely lethal. Turning a pure human into a harpy is possible but very difficult as you need a witch, a harpy feather, and a harpy's blood from harpy that willingly gives them over.
Along with the general abilities all fae share, harpies have a combination of extended abilities that are unique to their species and are as follows:
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Enhanced Strength – They are significantly stronger than humans and get stronger with age. The strongest harpy has been known to lift twice their body weight without breaking a sweat.
Enhanced Senses – Their senses are heightened, particularly their sight and hearing. They can hear and see even better than vampires in their harpy form.
Enhanced Agility – They are fast and their reflexes are just as advanced as a vampire.
Shifting – They can change their shape at will. When grounded, they look purely human but in flight mode they sport the wings and feathers that make them the creatures of myth. The oldest ones have even been known to change into full-fledged birds usually hawks or eagles.
Flight – In their avian form, their wings are strong and durable. They can fly for miles without being winded.
Talons – Their talons are as beautiful as they are lethal. In their harpy form their talons are always present on their bird-like feet, but in their human form they are retractable and grow from their fingernails. These talons have been known to slice through steel. They have a natural coating that hinders the healing process of supernatural beings, even harpies themselves
Enhanced Healing – Harpies heal faster than humans and are immune to human diseases. Their healing abilities are slightly slower than a vampire's by no more than a few minutes. Left untreated, a scratch from one of their own will not heal properly and has a high chance of scarring.
Aerokinesis – While not as strong on their own, individual harpies still have the ability to create, control and manipulate the air around them. The older they are, the stronger this power can get. Only groups of three or more have been known to create, control or manipulate wind-based weather such as sandstorms and tornadoes.
Just as they share the general weaknesses all fae have, they also are susceptible to the following:
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Decapitation – Like with most living creatures, harpies cannot live without their heads. They die instantly.
Piercing the Heart – If the arrow or any other similar type of object used as a weapon is left in, the harpy can't heal and will die slowly. Small and medium-sized bullets will simply get pushed out through the healing process, but the larger the bullet and the harder it is to heal. The best way to ensure they don't heal, weapons made of iron and rowan are best.
Removing the Heart – As above, should one manage to remove their heart they will immediately die.
Diet: Though they prefer meat over vegetables and many avoid poultry, harpies can and do eat and gain sustenance from anything humans would eat.
Appearances
The Greeks didn't have it entirely wrong. One of their forms are half bird, but while they have been depicted as female, there are males as well. In their natural form, they are half human and half bird. They have wings in the place of arms and feathers that vary in color all across the spectrum. The talons at their feet are sharp and always black.
[break][break]
They can shed their feathers and walk as human at will for long extended periods. In their human form, they can pass perfectly as one minus their eyes. While they're pure golden in their natural form, they can be any color in their human form but there is always a hint of a golden tint in their irises and their eyes change to their natural gold with high emotions.
Temperament
Harpies tend to be easy to anger but they vary in personality from friendly to dangerous. They don't take insults and threats lightly and do tend to be violent once angered. Extremely vindictive, they show no mercy to those who wrong them. Even the nicest ones tend to have a nasty side and none shy away from revenge in most situations. They also tend to be impulsive and unpredictable in the best situations.
Organization
Harpies are usually found in family groups of three or four. In these groups they are at their strongest as they gain the ability to cause mild to moderate wind storms just by flapping their wings. Some have even been known to make tornados. Groups of two are usually only seen when one of the group has died. Solitary harpies are very rare. There are only three reasons a harpy can be found without a group and they are as follows:
[break]
- Sole Survivor: These harpies are the only one to survive after their group was attacked. They are either searching for another family to take them in or choose to be solitary.
- Exiled: Most harpy groups have their own rules and codes they live by, mostly having to do with preventing exposure to humans. When these are broken by any member of the group, the offending harpy can be cast out. In these situations, they are rarely welcomed into another group and are usually forced into a permanent solitary life. The easiest way to tell these harpies apart from the rest would be their attitude or scarring.
- Lost: These harpies were either abandoned or orphaned before they could find a group of their own. In these cases they commonly don't even know what they are until their transition is triggered. This is the rarest reason.
Life Span
Harpies are basically immortal in the sense that they can live forever provided they aren't killed. They don't die of old age but they age as humans until the gene is triggered. At that point their age appearance is set. This is usually between 18 and 30. Those that trigger older than 30 die through the transition 98% of the time, and those her trigger earlier (usually through stress) have 50% chance of surviving between 16 and 18 but the younger they are the chance of survival significantly drops.
Reproduction & Creation
Harpies are predominantly born like humans through harpy parents but human half-breeds are possible, in which case their harpy form is weaker than the average harpy but they are still extremely lethal. Turning a pure human into a harpy is possible but very difficult as you need a witch, a harpy feather, and a harpy's blood from harpy that willingly gives them over.
Abilities
Along with the general abilities all fae share, harpies have a combination of extended abilities that are unique to their species and are as follows:
[break]
Enhanced Strength – They are significantly stronger than humans and get stronger with age. The strongest harpy has been known to lift twice their body weight without breaking a sweat.
Enhanced Senses – Their senses are heightened, particularly their sight and hearing. They can hear and see even better than vampires in their harpy form.
Enhanced Agility – They are fast and their reflexes are just as advanced as a vampire.
Shifting – They can change their shape at will. When grounded, they look purely human but in flight mode they sport the wings and feathers that make them the creatures of myth. The oldest ones have even been known to change into full-fledged birds usually hawks or eagles.
Flight – In their avian form, their wings are strong and durable. They can fly for miles without being winded.
Talons – Their talons are as beautiful as they are lethal. In their harpy form their talons are always present on their bird-like feet, but in their human form they are retractable and grow from their fingernails. These talons have been known to slice through steel. They have a natural coating that hinders the healing process of supernatural beings, even harpies themselves
Enhanced Healing – Harpies heal faster than humans and are immune to human diseases. Their healing abilities are slightly slower than a vampire's by no more than a few minutes. Left untreated, a scratch from one of their own will not heal properly and has a high chance of scarring.
Aerokinesis – While not as strong on their own, individual harpies still have the ability to create, control and manipulate the air around them. The older they are, the stronger this power can get. Only groups of three or more have been known to create, control or manipulate wind-based weather such as sandstorms and tornadoes.
Weaknesses
Just as they share the general weaknesses all fae have, they also are susceptible to the following:
[break]
Decapitation – Like with most living creatures, harpies cannot live without their heads. They die instantly.
Piercing the Heart – If the arrow or any other similar type of object used as a weapon is left in, the harpy can't heal and will die slowly. Small and medium-sized bullets will simply get pushed out through the healing process, but the larger the bullet and the harder it is to heal. The best way to ensure they don't heal, weapons made of iron and rowan are best.
Removing the Heart – As above, should one manage to remove their heart they will immediately die.
Diet: Though they prefer meat over vegetables and many avoid poultry, harpies can and do eat and gain sustenance from anything humans would eat.
