Ourana: Harpy Matriarch / Queen of Torin City

Name: Ourana

Species: Flare Harpy

Age: 302

Sex: Female

Height: 121 ft / 37 m

Skin complexion: Bronze

Hair color: White

Eye color: Gold

Affinity: Fire magic

Other characteristics: Ourana is one of the bigger harpies that you will see. She is extremely proficient with her innate fire magic and she will often maintain a radiant aura about her.

Quote: “The sun never fails to rise—neither shall I.”

Ourana is the queen of Torin City, having conquered the humans living there over two hundred years ago. While initially very tyrannical in her approach to ruling the humans, she has softened over the centuries. The fact that Ourana chose to make herself the queen of a human city instead of feasting on everyone in it probably sets her apart from most giant predators. She didn't do it because she had a bleeding heart or because of narcissism (though it might've factored a little bit), Ourana conquered Torin City for practical reasons. She and her flock were being pursued by vengeful sphinxes when they discovered the city on the mountain top, and the humans within it had proven themselves to be capable fighters; Ourana saw their potential to give her an advantage over her enemies. Most of the Torinian people reluctantly accepted Ourana's ultimatum; it was subjugation or death, and they chose to live.

As the years passed by and Ourana fought alongside humans in many battles against the sphinxes attacking her new home, she came to see them as members of her flock and not just subjugates (and prey). The younger generation of harpies that were born among the humans in and around the city created strong bonds with them, and this contributed to the growing sense in Ourana that there was no separating them any longer. In addition to that, her perspective on her own purpose has changed greatly since conquering Torin. When at one point she believed that it was her destiny to rule others by her talons, she now desires only the peace and safety of the Torinian people (both human and harpy). She has seen enough war to last her the rest of her life.

Background Information: In her earlier days, Ourana sought a kingdom to rule primarily because of her mother Hyperia’s influence on her. Hyperia instilled in her daughters that it was her destiny to rule the next great Felaryan kingdom, convinced that harpies were next in line to exert their influence over the other races. Hyperia was filled with delusions of grandeur and envy of the elves, dridders and faeries who had their great kingdoms, and she was convinced that the sphinxes had stolen her opportunity from her, following their misplaced sense of honor. Hyperia placed her burden on her daughters, Ourana and Hemeria. Ourana was driven from her flock by her older sister Hemeria at the age of ten. She was found wandering the wilderness and on the verge of death by a sphinx who then took her as his own daughter. Ourana never forgot what her mother told her and after years of learning and training with the sphinxes, she betrayed them. After her betrayal, Ourana began gathering harpies to try and fulfill her mother’s dream of creating the next great kingdom. Ourana and her army were driven back by a coalition of many races who joined with the sphinxes, and she was forced to flee to Iracal Island. The events of this war are detailed in the Ouranomachy, or “War in the Skies”.

Additional Information: Ourana is generally level-headed and stoic. She rarely shows extreme emotions or raises her voice because she can project strength and fierceness without yelling, as any Torinian (human or harpy) will tell you. She’s an extremely pragmatic person, preferring to make decisions on logic alone, but she’s not uncompassionate towards her subjects. Ourana has a slight tendency to be vain—she’s proud of her mastery of her fire magic and she regularly maintains an aura of warm light around herself. The Torinians have jokingly referred to Ourana as “the other sun” because when Ourana awakes in the morning, her aura begins to light up her surroundings. Ourana learned of this nickname given to her and she began to play along by saying, “The sun never fails to rise, and neither shall I.”