I had forgotten Meridith lol... And Harpies do not need carrots unless forcing you to eat them LOL... They need sticks to beat your rear with. They are harpies, not the mommy next door! They are NOT an required part of the main quest, and can be avoided. As Banjo has hinted at the possibility of future rejuve quests/game are in mind and I am sure there will be a way to avoid the harpy moms IF you didn't want to see them again.
But some of us actually love having fantasy in fantasy rpg! The Harpies, Nekos, Ghosts, Vampires, future Goblins and Naga, Elves and Demoness (be very glad it is not MINA!) are all fantasy and SHOULD NEVER be made too human or having them would just be pointless. IMHO of course.
God help us if there were say Centaurs, Minotaurs, etc... Or say a Dragon... Think about what a spanking from momma dragon would do to a human???? SMACK.. Oh damn it, I killed another one... Oh well, snack time!