Queen Jessaleanna Marylin Goldenfeather is my name and I am a Harpy. No, I am not a Harpy in the traditional sense, tales of harpies are prevalent in many old myths and legends from Humanity and even a few other sentient beings randomly around the universe. Most may describe harpies as being horrible amalgamations of humanoid bodies with bird features, controlled by instincts and considered to be unthinking beasts only good for extermination. Most would be correct in thinking this as well. That was until Humans discovered the home world of my harpy species, the Crescentmoon Harpies.
When Humanity first found us on planet Otteroon Prime located in the Harliis Galaxy we were barely sentient. Our budding civilisation lived quite primitively compared to the spacefaring Humans at the time but as you can see from comparing a Human body to a Crescentmoon Harpy the Humans found our race to be ascetically pleasing and through minimal genetic manipulation Humans were able to uplift the normal Harpies of Otteroon Prime into the Crescentmoon Harpies, raising our intelligence and giving us access to both spiritual and technological development paths.
Humans were an unusual race. Not exactly unified as one they tended to be quite diverse in philosophical and ethical practices. Some Humans were absolutely opposed to interaction with 'aliens' as they liked to call them, very xenophobic indeed. Some Humans only seemed to be interested in other races to study them academically. Some of them were only interested in sexual gratification with any species not their own. If it was one thing that the rest of the universe learned about Humans is that even if one Human was not interested, there was always ten more that were.
Despite their flaws Humans always appeared to overcome and obstacle, even if the only solution was to throw enough individuals at a problem until it was not a problem anymore or the problem rolled over and surrendered.
So yes, Humans uplifted the Crescentmoon Harpies and later indoctrinated and moulded them into a subordinate race the same as they had the Elves, Dwarves and Mermaids before us. It was only later after us that the Beast-Kin race was introduced. The Beast-Kin race never had a home world as they were created by Humanity as more of a fortuitous, but ultimately failed experiment and then there is the last subordinate race which was discovered when Humanity managed to break through the dimensional barrier and access SubSpace, which is where they met the Fairies and brought them back from.
Individually Humans could be very easy to deal with, being very similar to most sentient races in the universe. They lived, they died, they strived for survival. Some were altruistic and just wanted to help, some wanted to scam everyone they came across to increase their own wealth or influence.
As a whole Humanity was aggressive, arrogant and greedy yet had boundless capacity to nurture and support their own and other races. But they mostly chose the option that advantaged Humans, and only Humans. They would strip whole solar systems of resources just because they decided that any life that had risen in the location wasn't sentient and those resources could be used to support and develop Humans, which was the obvious better choice. The six subordinate races worshiped the ground that Humans walked on and would never disparage their unethical practices and would be the first to commit genocide on another race if they felt Humans had been disrespected in any way by them.
Humans also brought something previously unknown in the universe. They may have not been the ones to create it, but they certainly were the ones who took it to the next level. Humans brought methods of personal power cultivation to the masses and the means to obtain immortality. Powerful immortal Humans would roam the universe, spreading their methods far and wide, adapting resources to force advancement of species, manipulating genes, inserting technology and generally uplifting the spirituality of sentient beings. Some races would resist the change; some would embrace it wholeheartedly and make it their own. The only constant in the universe was that change was inevitable, it could be delayed, it could be sped up but could never be stopped.
The dungeon that you are currently in was once a powerful cultivation tool. Genius prodigies from Humanity and subordinate races would pass through this place. A self-sustaining pocket dimension filled with perpetually renewing resources that could be used to strengthen the mind, body and spirit in order to obtain the most stable and sturdy foundations of cultivation which would give the one who obtained it ultimate power over others in the universe. Countless Humans and subordinate races had once passed through this place, some passed with flying colours, same failed abysmally.
For many years, the humans ruled, the subordinate races bowed in fealty and the rest of the universe could only scramble around for scraps. Humans preached equality while practicing injustice. Where there were conflict and strife, Humans were the cause and also the solution. This lasted so long the universe almost came completely under the control of Humanity.
That was, until the appearance of the Enemy. It appeared that the initial foray through the dimensional barrier and the discovery of the Fairy race was in reality a lucky fluke of coincidence in being a positive outcome. The lucky positive part being that Fairies as a race were fairly easy to get along with, unlike most species of sentient beings beyond the barrier. It also was discovered that the breach in the dimensions caused by Humans was not repairing itself, in fact, it was only getting wider, and deeper. All across the universe in various locations more holes in the fabric of our reality were torn asunder. Sometimes by other beings on the other side, sometimes through natural means in areas where spiritual energy had been allowed to gather and accumulate.
It started pretty slow, a mysterious death here, someone disappears there but soon gained momentum, and Humanity; completely clueless.
Small colonies at the edge of explored space went dark. Well, truly those colonies went dark all the time, the frontier of known space was dangerous after-all. So, no one suspected a thing.
It was not until the Dyson Sphere surrounding the solar system Sol, where Humanities home world Earth resides, was torn open and the planet Earth, which was being painstakingly restored to a pristine state at this point was decimated and scoured with nuclear fire until only the bedrock remained then burned further until it cracked apart into indistinguishable chunks. Scorched and blackened, the planet was now just a spreading cloud of debris.
After this carefully planned and executed attack on the very cradle of Humanity it is a bit of an understatement to say Humans got a little mad. Humans were beyond angry, they were seething with hatred so deep it almost united them, almost. But Humans will be Humans and despite the cost, despite the losses, unity of purpose was slow and cumbersome as most Humans just left it for other Humans to take care of. It wasn't until it was too late, the universe in turmoil, enemies old and new encroaching, bastions fallen, bunkers breached and the Enemy with a metaphysical knife to Humanities throat that what was left of Humans took note. Favors were called in; old hostilities were forgiven and Humanity fought back with everything it had left. Last minute contingencies were enacted. Humanities best minds were utilised, and plans were put in motion.
Then nothing. Not a peep from the people known as Humans. At the same time, the Enemy, also gone. Many just shrugged and said, "They had a good run, but I guess its over now.", then moved on to the next show.
As for myself, when the conflict with the Enemy began, I was still in control of Planet Otteroon and had been in power for many eons after being trained and raised by Human cultivators to an immortal state of being. But even being at the pinnacle of cultivation power, able to destroy worlds with the wave of my wings and strike fear into the hearts of the unworthy and receive worship from everyone who gazed upon my visage, I could not protect my people or Humanity at all. I had failed. I had fought on with everything I had but it was not enough. I survived, but only after losing every Human ally I had and over ninety percent of the Crescentmoon Harpy race.
So, it was the remnants of Humanity and what was left of its subordinate races, untied under the banner of the Dauntless Empire, the last Human empire left, then disappeared into the darkness, defeated, but not entirely wiped out.
The universe still waited for another race to rise but no one wants to be the one to earn the ire of the Enemy, despite no Enemy being seen since Humanity vanished into the stars.
As to how I, Queen Jessaleanna of the Crescentmoon Harpies came to be imprisoned here. Well, I wouldn't say I am imprisoned, technically I could leave at any time. But I fear that if I do the Enemy will find me and my race, including myself, will be exterminated. You see, I am not really a prisoner, more a, caretaker of this, ah... dungeon. Yes, dungeon, that is what this is.
Now, that is all I know. I have been here in this place for a long time. When you are immortal like me time really has no meaning, I exist day to day, I tend my flower garden with the Jamos that occasionally appear here to help me and watch as numerous adventurers attempt and fail to conquer this place. Never before has an adventurer such as yourself, and a Human no less, appeared within my Garden through the Jamos Chamber of Ascension though, and you say you have no memory of the Jamos or even their underground kingdom. Very unusual indeed.