"I've heard tales o' their entrancing beauty. Sure'n what sailor has not? They dance among the winds ranging o'er strange isles that appear on no map, their beautiful voices calling honest sailors to forsake their shipmates and swim out to join them. Join them they do, I reckon, when they drown or get dashed to pieces on the sharp waiting rocks. Either way, they're meat for the Harpies. When you hear strange sounds at sea lads, stuff yer ears with cotton or wax and heed not the Harpy's song, for there's nothing but death in it for ye."
- — Edgar, Ship's Mate[1a]
A flock of Harpies descending upon their prey.
Harpies are rare, winged humanoid predators with the lower bodies of birds of prey and the torsos and faces of Human or Elven women. Harpies are almost entirely unknown in the civilised realms of the Old World. They make their lairs in the mountains and cliffs of Naggaroth, the Chaos Wastes and the lands of Troll Country, but always near the sea, where prey is more readily available.[1b]
They often accompany the warherds of the Beastmen into battle. They have often sometimes allied themselves with the Dark Elves of Naggaroth, whose sadistic temperament they share.[1b][3a]
Role
"They are gorgeous, are they not? I suspect that they are indeed the favoured daughters of Khaine. For myself, I cannot speak to their connection with the Witch Elves, but I can tell you with certainty that they are not mere beasts. I once saw a flock of Harpies torment a sailor for several hours, savouring his terror and pain before they finally ripped him to pieces in an orgy of blood. A beast cannot delay its pleasures in such fashion."
- —Lakroth Mal, Druchii Corsair[1a]
A flock of Harpies
Harpy wings are leathery, resembling those of a bat, though their forms often sprout black feathers. Their lower bodies end in scale-covered bird's legs and jagged talons. It is their torsos, however, that likely causes great speculation about the origins of Harpies, for they have the upper body of a voluptuous female, though with a savage and feral beauty.
Their appearance has led to many arguments among scholars; some concluding that they are little more than mere beasts, others that they are creatures originally touched by Chaos like so many other of the mortal world's monsters.[1b] Some Dark Elves believe they are the reincarnated souls of slain Witch Elves, others that they are a manifestation of Khaine, the god of war and murder. They are certainly vicious enough for either to be true.[3a]
A Harpy that is part of a Beastmen army, as rendered for Total War: Warhammer II.
Harpies are savage and spiteful, displaying only the meanest glimmerings of intelligence and, even then, only to malicious purpose. Innately cowardly creatures, Harpies band together in great sky-borne flocks, which roam high above the mountainsides and valleys in search of prey defenceless enough to risk attacking. Harpies care little where their next meal comes from and will as happily steal eggs from a Great Eagle's nest as raid farmstead for cattle, isolated villages for the old and infirm or battlefields for meagre scraps of flesh from spent corpses.[5a]
A Harpy that is part of a Dark Elf army, as rendered for Total War: Warhammer II.
Most commonly, Harpies live in the caves of the Chaos Wastes and the Troll Country, but often the woods around Beastmen encampments are infested with nests of Harpies. It is as if the creatures are drawn by the same forces that compel the Beastmen to congregate and slaughter captives before the sacred places of the Dark Gods.[2a]
As the Beastmen enact their hidden rituals, the Harpies glare jealous and restless from the branches above, awaiting the hours when the Beastmen will slumber having spent themselves in their excesses. The Harpies then descend to pick over the bones of the Bray-Shamans' sacrificial victims, squabbling with one another over whatever morsels they can steal.[2a]
In the New World, Harpies nest in the peaks of Karond Kar. In Naggarothi lore, Harpies are considered to be an omen of good fortune, and it is claimed that if they ever deserted Karond Kar, the city would fall soon after. Harpies are similar in temperament to the Dark Elves, for they delight in tormenting their victims. Hunger drives them to follow Dark Elf raiding fleets for months on end, soaring patiently in the skies until battle begins.[3a]
Warfare
"They are beasts, nothing more or less. The apparent similarity to feral Elven maidens is a cruel hoax, perpetuated no doubt by one of the twisted Gods of Chaos, or perhaps the Lord of Murder."
- —Wolfgang Aldhelmson, Witch Hunter[1a]
Harpies are ultimately scavengers and opportunists who prey upon the sick, weary, battle-worn and dying.[2a] They will frequently try to attack from surprise and in large numbers. They put their wings to good advantage, using hit-and-run tactics on landbound foes. If injured, they will swiftly retreat to a high location where they cannot be readily followed.[1b]
A Harpy that serves in a Beastmen army with its wings at full extension, as rendered for Total War: Warhammer II.
This is not to say that Harpies will not attack larger or better-armed creatures than themselves, but it can take many hours for the flock to work up sufficient courage to put themselves at risk. If the flock considers the advantage of numbers to be on their side, they will descend into the fray, screeching and howling as their claws tear at the beleaguered foe. Yet there is no loyalty in such a fight -- should a Harpy be slain in the battle, its fellows will devour it as surely as they will the enemy.[5a] There is no order or leader amongst Harpies, no more than amongst the most savage of beasts.[2a]
Harpies are incredibly vicious and sadistic beasts that share a temperament with the Dark Elves they sometimes serve as allies.
Bestial and savage creatures, Harpies perch impatiently amongst the trees as the Beastmen warherds muster, descending from the gnarled branches as the enemy approaches. As battle is joined, they flock in large, ragged groups over the battlefield, waiting for the chance to dive down upon those too weak or wounded to defend themselves. Their screeching cries cleave the air and cast a shadow of dread on those below. Old Worlders consider a flight of Harpies a terrible ill omen, especially if it is in sight of a town, village or farmstead. And with good reason -- for the warherds are never far behind.[2a]
At no time are Harpies more dangerous than when the green moon of Morrslieb burns fully in the sky. Under the tainted moon's eldritch light, Harpies are wilder and more vicious than at any other time of the year, and far more likely to brave dangers in their perpetual search for food. Mountain villages and trade caravans double their watches when Morrslieb is full, lest their loved ones and chattel are spirited away on a cackling wind. Filth and well-picked bones are piled beneath a Harpy's foul roost, yet those brave enough to scavenge can sometimes find cast-off treasures -- for Harpies value only meat and leave the rest to fall where it may.[5a]
Salt-harpies
The Sea of Claws is home to a special breed of Harpies known as "Salt-harpies," which harass passing ships.[4a][6a]
Notable Harpies
Miniatures
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Old World Bestiary (RPG)
- 2: Warhammer Armies: Beastmen (7th Edition)
- 2a: pg. 47
- 3: Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (8th Edition)
- 3a: pg. 50
- 4: Dreadfleet(Specialty Game)
- 4a: pg. 64
- 5: Storm of Magic (8th Edition)
- 5a: pg. 92
- 6: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Sea of Claws (RPG)
- 6a: pg. 5