Baritone Harpy

The half-breeds of the greater harpy collective; baritones are a very common form of harpy that is groundborn, incapable of flight. They got their name from the low, warhorn-esque voices they use to sing with. Their voices can be so deep and loud that flocks of baritone harpies have been mistaken for warbands on more than one occasion. They're not only smaller than others subspecies but also quite approuchable, at least compared to other harpies. They may seem indifierent but they rarely get into conflicts unless goaded or instigated.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Not wholely unlike the parent species, baritone harpies have a humanoid construction with two legs and a set of arm-like wings. Though they differ greatly from their airborn cousins, having diminuative wings that're more akin to arms, similar to humans. Ther bone structure varies greatly from harpies, having longer legs and arms. Though strangely enough, their legs aren't structured like that of a digitigrade creature, but instead more akin to most birds with a 'backwards' set of knees. Muscle density is centered more around the hips and legs, resulting in very powerful legs with a lot of torque and speed. Additionally, the arms have muscle groupings more akin to humans with similar levels of strength. However, the wings are mostly unchanged despite this, having two fingers and a thumb per hand.

Genetics and Reproduction

Baritones reproduce very similarly to any other harpy, though they differ in the fact that they are far more 'unique' than the parent species. This is because baritones are half-breeds; born from the intamacy between any harpy and the male of any compatable species, such as humans, elves, etc. They don't suffer from the evolutionary brick wall that the others have, though this isn't to say this was entirely a good thing. Baritones have lost many adaptions from their parent species because of this union, causing stunted growth and the inability to fly. 
Regardless, baritones reproduce in the same way that other harpies do, through traditional mating with creatures outside their race or with the help of magic. These harpies are less inclined to use magic than some of their cousins, but it's still an attractive option when continued breeding will result in them losing even more of their adaptions, as there's no way to introduce more harpy genetics, being a mono-sex species. Aside from such difficulties, they lay eggs like any avian creature, though their eggs are very large, about double that of most other subspecies.

Growth Rate & Stages

Upon hatching into the world, a baritone chick will find itself smothered in darkness. This is because baritone mothers will keep their eggs warm by wrapping their wings around the eggs. While their wings aren't fit for flying, they're plenty large enough to create very fluffy blankets for their young. The chick will grow slowly with few major changes, typically that of most humans. They'll go through a stage in their body begins to transition into adulthood, their voices will change into the deeper tone that is natural for the species, and the pigments of their feathers will change to that of the parent.

Ecology and Habitats

Being tied to the ground, baritones find themselves nesting in rolling hills, plains, or forests. Some dig burrows while others create more traditional nests. They prefer warmer areas but adaptions have allowed them to live in colder climates as well.

Dietary Needs and Habits

They require a steady diet of both meat and plants, but this ration depends wholely on what subspecies their mother is. They are no longer scavengers but instead varying degrees of omnivore, typically skewed towards carnivore. They typically hunt for small game, though they aren't against hunting larger prey such as deer or similar species.

Biological Cycle

Typically, baritones will moult more frequently than some of their cousins, and usually at very specific times of the eclipse. As the seasons change, they will moult into a thicker coat of feathers to keep warm, and then moult again as it gets warmer into a thinner coat. While they don't hibernate, they eat more before the cold season to pack on the necessary body fat to stay warm and store nutrients for when hunting becomes more difficult.

Behaviour

They are one of the more passive species of harpy, being neither aggressive nor friendly towards others of their species. Though it's common for them to travel in packs or make-shift villages. After all, there's strength in numbers. Though an interesting instinct in baritone harpies is that mothers will often be accomponied by another adult harpy. These secondary mothers stick close to the primary mother and the child to share the burden of keeping the chick safe until adulthood, as baritones are more prone to being hunted by larger predators. Often when the primary mother dies for one reason or another, the secondary mother will take up the role of the primary mother. When observed, it appears that baritones have a much stronger maternal instinct, not necessarily the pure strength, but that it activates even towards chicks that aren't their own, even children outside their species. There have been times when children get lost in the plains and are picked up by a flock of baritones and remain unharmed, some will even be hesitent to return the child. It's incredibly rare for a child of anykind to be in worse condition in their company than before they were taken into their care.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

When plucked, they looke nearly human aside from some distinguishing features. Their noses are smaller than humans but still resemble that of the parent species, as well as their mutated eyes. However their mouths appear smaller, and their teeth are more human-like than that of traditional harpies, their teeth configuration is much the same case with a greater emphasis on an omniverous diet.

Average Intelligence

Baritones exhibit very human-like intelligence and mannerisms. They are more in tune with their morality, rarely killing other sapient creatures aside from cases of desperation and self-defense. However, these chances are never zero.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Baritones have a more balanced sense of sight, neither good nor bad. They can see at most mid-ranges, though they're still farsighted. Additionally, they have an improved sense of smell that harpies aren't known for, about on par with humans. Something one wouldn't imediately notice is their excellent sense of balance. Something that carried over from their ancestry was the harpy's sense of balance, but it's made of equally, if not better use in the case of the baritone subspecies.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Like harpies, baritones have similar naming conventions, usually borrowing from the subspecies they were born from. Though they differ in that they might take more standard names from the area they're born from, whether that be human names, elvish names, or otherwise. Even more interesting, flocks of baritones don't typically form clans, typically naming their flock if they feel the need but only rarely. Though many of these half-breeds to seek out harpy clans to feel more at home among their people, uniting under their coat of arms. While they lack the ability to fly, their hands are more dexterious and allow for finer work to be done such as sewing or even blacksmithing if given the chance to prove themselves.

Beauty Ideals

Beauty depends greatly on where they were born and who they were raised among. Baritone harpies are better copycats than even other harpies, and take many of the traits of those they grow up around. Though some may take on the beauty standards of their male parent if they grew up with that species, though this is rare due to the prejudice harpies face. So much like many things, the answer is 'it depends'.

Courtship Ideals

Courtship is an act of copying what they see. The singing voice of baritones is unwieldly; coming out as deep, almost like a warhorn than a singing voice. This means that unless they're trying to court another baritone, it can be difficult to successfully court. Because of this, many find other ways to impress potential courtees, attempting to learn skills that the other party might find attractive, such as any of the arts. Though this does depend on where they came from, as they might not even court like a traditional harpy and instead use more human-like mannerisms with gifts or flattery.

Relationship Ideals

They enjoy company and can be directly harmed be seperated from their 'flock' for extended periods of time. They are very social creatures that feed off socializing, so when they lose those connections it can cause stress that results in feathers shedding more freqiently and more intense moults, some may even begin to starve themselves if this extends into a full depression. It's rare that they venture alone, typically accomponied by some form of kin.
However, when they do form connections, they form a lot. They make for good conversation and understand how to keep a conversation interesting. Despite being half-breeds, harpies struggle to find a reason to dislike these hyper, diminutive harpies. Friendships with baritones rarely falls short of what one expects coming into it. They care for the ones they love and hope they feel the same way, resulting in very rich and fulfilling social circles that involve baritones.

Common Dress Code

They dress themselves in different ways depending on where they come from. They copy the style of the harpies they grow up around, though typically that style is the bare essentuals.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Being as hyper as they are, baritones can be... A lot. It seems like even just two baritones meeting feels like a life-long friendship with how they introduce themselves, often going into a long conversation and learning almost every minute detail about each other and how their day is going, how their family is holding up, or anything else that comes to mind. Others outside of their subspecies might be overwhelmed by their inability to stop talking once they start, attempting to learn everything about you, and might even take offense if you don't ask them about themselves. But they're so oblivious to the world around them that they rarely realize they're annoying people.
Within their own bubble, baritones don't have much opinion on the likes of witches and hags whom are prone to anger when they feel they're disrespected. Only baritones with knowledge on witches, whether taught or by relation to other harpy clans tend to know the rules of dealing with witches and how to avoid offending them.

History

Baritones have existed for a long time, albeit not as long as their parent race. After all, just because magic is the norm when it comes to egg fertilization doesn't mean every harpy has the option to do such or even wants to, resulting in the half-breeds that were later named named after their deep singing voices. Though it wasn't always such a quick difference in anatomy as some might be lead to believe, as baritones are products of continued interspecies breeding. Breeding outside the species isn't necessarily bad, but because each harpy is a clone of the previous, this means that there's no way to reclaim what's lost, which is why it's so taboo. But all harpies are different, and so some have courted or been courted by humans, elves, or any compatible race, resulting in a chick who's just a little bit less of a harpy, and that chick grew up to do the same, only for several generations to pass and result in changes to their anatomy, a blend between a harpy and human. Of course this implies at some point that they stopped doing such, which some have.
Now, baritones roam the earth, forever tied to the ground while they watch their cousins soar among the clouds. Some are indiferent towards this reality, while others whom had grown up among true-blooded harpies find themselves longing for the sensation of air against their face or the dew of clouds in their feathers. But such is the way of life, and something that they must all one day accept.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Baritones are common enough throughout areas, even compared to common subspecies such as soprano harpies, that they aren't regarded with that much hostility outside of xenophobic cultures or some pure-blooded harpies. They interact fine with the world around them and don't make themselves widely known, resulting in a species you don't tend to hear about because of how rarely they get into trouble. They take a backseat, engaging with and merging with whatever sociaty that'll accept them. Home for a baritone is anywhere.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Harpy

Lifespan

80 eclipses

Average Height

5'8" - 6'

Average Weight

120 - 140lb

Average Physique

To compare them to large, humanoid chickens isn't misguided, though still insensitive. They're stout with heavy plumage and very large, strong legs. Their upper bodies are very human-like, appearing to be a similar build to human women, if not a big bigger.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Because of how baritones are born, they tend to resemble their harpy parent the most. While a baritone born from a soprano harpy might be lighter and with pastel skin and colorful feathers, one born from an alto harpy will be huskier and have pale or red skin with black feathers. They vary greatly from area to area, though their main differences tends to be their pigments.

Geographic Distribution

• Greengrave