Harpy A harpy was a malign humanoid creature with an avian lower body and a pair of wings . It subdued its prey with its ability to magically sing , inducing a trance in those that heard , drawing them closer , and then tormenting them . Description . A harpy had the upper body of a humanoid and the lower body of a reptile , with scaly , clawed feet and hands . They had filthy , tangled hair on their heads ; black eyes ; and possessed wings that rendered them capable of flight . Harpies had the appearance of female humanoids with grotesque , avian features . The hands and feet of a harpy ended in long , sharp talons . Most harpies were unclean creatures , who had no regard for their appearance . They tended to wear little or no clothing , so as to not restrict their flying mobility , and what little they did wear usually consisted of baubles and tokens stolen from the corpses of those whom they had slain . The feather coloration of a harpy varied according to the region of Toril that they were native to . Rumors even abounded of beautiful harpies found in tropical lands that boasted the colorful plumage of parrots or other birds of paradise . There was no physical difference between male and female harpies . The males possessed breasts just like the females did , leading to the misconception that male harpies did not exist . Song . A harpy ' s song , once heard , acted like a charm , inducing a trance - like state in which the victim was compelled to move towards the harpy , regardless of any dangers that might obstruct his or her path . Once the victim was right next to the harpy , it was at the harpy ' s whim , and the harpy would often carry or move its prey back to its lair . It was possible , but difficult , to resist the song of the harpy , and creatures who could not hear were unable to be affected by the magical song . Elves were naturally resistant to the effects of the harpy ' s song . Despite their savage minds and appearances , harpies were able to sing beautifully . Their songs could even captivate the minds of those that listened too long . Harpies used this song to lure in victims to slay . Ecology . Females were able to lay as many as twenty eggs at will from the age of two , but only around three of those would successfully hatch , and any deformed young were killed by a parent . Similar , when old age weakens a harpy , it is also killed by its kin . It was unclear whether harpies looked after their young or not , but if they did , it consisted of nothing more than feeding their young , similar to birds . Society . Harpies did not wear clothing , but would adorn themselves with jewelry or trinkets from their victims . They would always take at least one possession from a victim back to their lair as a symbol of their kill , but were otherwise uninterested in treasure or wealth . They were not particularly intelligent creatures , and were prone to cowardice in the face of superior power . They communicated with a language of shrieking and cackling , which dramatically contrasted with the beauty of their magical singing . Harpies used primitive weapons ; usually bone club s , but they could also bite and rake with their claws . They had no preference over their victims , and enjoyed the killing and torture of any creature . They were almost exclusively carnivorous , but if meat was unavailable , they would resort to eating vegetation . Their preferred food was fresh demihuman meat , especially elves . Due to the natural resistance elves had to the harpy ' s song , harpies viewed their meat as an especially rare delicacy . The lifespan of a harpy typically ranged anywhere between twenty - five and fifty years old . Harpies were spiteful , hate - filled beings that would attack anything that they took offense to . This could include beautiful things , living creatures , or inanimate objects . The savage mind of a harpy was often fraught with insanity . Harpies made homes in groups of six or more individuals within marshlands or in caves near shorelines , which were preferably near well - traveled routes . An entire tribe ( known as a " scream " ) , although very rare , could be as large as two hundred . Harpies ventured out to hunt , and their victims were often brought back to the lair to be killed and eaten . There was no social structure to harpy life , and there were constant quarrels as a result , sometimes resulting in a fight to the death . If a death should indeed occur , harpies were quite content to eat their own kind . It was not unknown for harpies to cooperate with other evil humanoids if it served their interests . Lands . Harpies dwelt in and around the Kingdom of Nix , a goblin realm that lay upon the high Forbidden Plateau in the Utter East , beside a glacier in the Wu Pi Te Shao Mountains of the Yehimal . The harpies of Nix were known as merciless hunters , and were depicted as having long tails . Swooping from the skies , they caught foes in nets and carried them off . They would drop their hapless victims in the cauldrons of Nix ; their demise produced a burst of mana to power the bloodforge s . These harpies were instrumental in Redfang the Reaper ' s reign of terror over Vanesci Hamlet , by kidnapping villagers for the cookpot .