False Har'py
False Har’py is the common term for any Heck’nerian cult that bastardises the religion of the true Har’py people and falsely uses the Har’py name. Called mup’maka in the true Har’py language, a word that translates into “worst liars,” all false Har’pies claim that their own teachings are the only correct versions of the Har’py religion, while actively practising lifestyles known by the majority population of Heck’ne to be harmful. They are considered an epidemic amongst those educated on Har’py history and a large amount of the negative stereotypes that cause racially motivated violence against Heck’nerian people have their origins in false Har’py cults.
Though the false Har’py are not a singular group or belief system, and there are many different sects throughout Heck’ne that are categorised under the same broad name, most false Har’pies follow at least some of the teachings that were put in place by the disgraced mala’kala, Alak’alabi, who ruled in the early 9,000’s. The mala’kala Alak’alabi is infamous for having put in place harmful laws to benefit her own sexual desires and fetishes, and though these laws are no longer active laws of Heck’ne, they are still practised by the false Har’py people. It is to be noted, however, that while modern false Har’pies cite Alak’alabi’s laws as justification for their beliefs, false Har’pies have been documented as far back as the late 2,000’s.
Most commonly, the false Har’pies will use the ranking system within a true Har’py family’s dynamic as a form of oppression and abuse. Rather than dictating responsibility and being used as a way to protect those weaker than oneself, the false Har’py use ranks to strip those within their cults of their personal autonomy and hold power over their victims. Those of the lowest ranks in a false Har’py family are treated as slaves and forced to submit to violence of mental, physical, and sexual natures without complaint. This ranking system is especially prevalent amongst cults that have different races living as family units; with those of nurlak ancestry abused the most, using the tale of Gagoo’galornga and Klict as an example of nurlak weakness that acts as an excuse to oppress them.
Alongside this racially motivated abuse, false Har’pies believe that blood purity is important. Weaponizing the commonly-held belief that Zen’efay’s partner was created using her own flesh and blood, false Har’py cults encourage incestuous relationships and kill the majority of mixed-race children. They also practice cannibalism much more aggressively than traditional Har’py rituals allow, actively killing people outside of their immediate family’s with the intention to eat them.
Another commonly held belief by false Har’py cults is that magic, especially magic that draws from the surrounding environment, is an evil weapon created Goddess Scara that should be avoided. Some groups of false Har’pies are stricter about this than others; with some believing natural-born magics such as foxen dragonshifting or an inherited ability to see the future are acceptable, and others believing that absolutely any form of magic (even accidentally) is a crime deserving punishment.
Though most false Har’py people tend to fall into obscurity and be forgotten to time, rarely achieving anything great, there are some false Har’pies that are very well-known across Demrefor.
Best known are Stars Beesa and Ka’harja Nigelle; runaways who escaped a false Har’py cult and found themselves adopted by Canis La’Can’s Distro, before her crowning as Queen. Both Stars and Ka’harja had significant influences on the world after their escape from their birth cult, creating cures for diseases, pioneering the discovery of soulstone variants, and causing the emergence of the god Aiaye.
There are also the false Har’pies, Kay’oten, Ka’harja’s biological mother, and Lah’kort, Stars’ biological father. Lah’kort is credited with influencing the Sapious king who started the multi-century Sapious/Canis war in the 10,000’s. Though documented details are vague, it is known that Lah’kort’s soul was completely destroyed in the event that turned Queen Distro immortal. Meanwhile, Kay’oten is known for having haunted Queen Distro as a spirit, recruiting followers to act as terrorists sewing unrest in Canis’ cities, and encouraging many assassination attempts against Distro. Kay’oten is especially famous for being one of the few people ever documented to successfully return from the dead; though she did shortly die again after challenging Distro to a fight to the death and losing.
Another especially prominent name in false Har’py history is Linzor Kinburn. He is well-known as he had a great influence on the mala’kalas Ali’ka and Tru’man and his violence is documented as the reason several communities of felinics, dassens, and humans came to live within Heck’ne when previously there were rarely any families besides those composed of harpy, nurlak, foxen, and seces. He was involved in a great amount of sex trafficking, murder, and abuse, and committed crimes severe enough to earn an International warrant. Linzor’s name lives on as a cautionary tale in Das, Heck’ne, and Canis La’Can; often joined by mockery of his failures.