Well, Viola can make an eyeless faerie, I suppose.
Viola points out that any quest that's central to the story really should be Halia's--it's her story, not her children's. At any rate, we need Demeter's involvement from the very begining, when Halia's children think of her as nothing more than monster who used to be their mother.
Viola thinks Demeter should be interested in any story in which a mother is separated from her children, given that the Persephone myth is her own best-known story. I suppose Viola could corral one of the creek fae and take hin to a site holy to Demeter, but that only works properly if she's already involved in the story, and we're just seeking more direct intervention.
That works, though the nature of mothers' problems probably means we'll get petitioners at other times.
Calliope frowns. "Carting Halia across greece would certainly be challenging." She smiles. "We could always take her through Arcadia...we'd have to know where we were going, but it might be possible, and would have a lot lower risk of killing innocents. And the groundwork wouldn't have to feature in the story, so we could just do that ourselves."
"I don't think this is a good idea: there might be less risk to innocents, but still a sizeable risk...and a considerable risk to us as well. If you really think there needs to be a trip to visit Demeter, let me do it myself, perhaps with a creek faerie or two, and make it incidental to the main story."
Calliope looks decidedly disappointed, but moves on. Slightly.
"I was wondering about blindfolding ourselves, and then using Intellego Imaginem to see? I think we need some big centrepiece for the conclusion of the story - some last challenge to overcome. Just getting her children in on her own is too easy - anyone could have done it over the centuries. And I think Demeter needs some sort of push to intervene in a more dramatic manner now (or at all, if we don't include that she's been involved previously)."
Viola decides to admit that she's picked up on this. "Why so disappointed. You wanted to drag a Gorgon through faerieland?" Viola laughs. "Or do you just to try out traveling that way?"
"Are we sure that would work? I suppose it's no different than a mirror."
Viola thinks. "Hmm...well, while anyone could have done this centuries ago, I doubt anyone made the effort--the fae can't do it themselves, and no human had a motive to. With Halia imprisoned in her regio, humans' only interest in her was as a way to prove their manhood.
"That being said, yes, the more drama the better. In the Odyssey, the drama at the end was provided by the resistance of Penelope's suitors, and then their killing. Obviously, even if we don't kill them, it would be dangerous to bring in a group of humans to put up some form of resistance, especially if we take the obvious course of having them motivated by the desire to slay a monster. That would be...chaos. The resistance has to come from some other source, either the fae, or perhaps something within Halia's mind, like her own despair. Or perhaps the environment? Perhaps something in the regio, the weather even, makes it hard for her to rejoin her children?
"What if Poseidon created a storm so fierce that it blotted out the sun and moon, plunging the landscape into total darkness? That would make it challenging for Halia to reach her children, but, ironically, once she reached them, if the darkness were truly total, she wouldn't petrify them.
"That still leaves us to find a role for Demeter, though. Perhaps she can help guide Halia through the darkness."
"You gave me the script for initiating the knowledge, but I haven't managed to make proper use of it yet. I think it should be doable - we wouldn't have to spend a long time actually in Arcadia."
"I think it should work as long as it is actually eye contact which triggers the spell."
"Poseidon and storms works, although storms creating total darkness are unusual. Poseidon doesn't have lightning bolts, at least. There would need to be something that triggered Poseidon sending the storm, though."
Viola nods, more serious now. "Yes, but just because you know how to do something, that's not a good reason for doing it. There are quite a few things I know how to do that I rarely do--don't worry, the occasion will present itself."
VIola laughs, almost darkly. "There's already a constant rainfall in the regio. I think I can manage to make that storm worse, with or without Poseidon."
"You were thinking of the storm being just in the regio then? I'd assumed you'd meant her coming out to find them. Didn't you say there was a lot of lightning in the regio, though?"
Viola smiles, "Indeed--but I think we can get rid of the lightning at least temporarily. And don't you think it's easier to bring the creek faeries to Halia than Haila to the creek faeries?"
Calliope puts together the following summary of the second half of the story:
Various "heroes" try to slay Halia, but are instead turned to stone. Demeter helps Halia somehow?
The creek faeries are persuaded to make another attempt to reconcile with their mother.
Possibly after learning of this plan? Poseidon (or possibly "Poseidon") creates a massive storm in the regio, blotting out the light. May have additional dangerous effects, to add drama.
The children make their way into the regio, and seek her out.
There's a big reunion scene. Possibly Demeter appears. Curse gets lifted.
Halia is petitioned by mothers who have been separated from their own children on the anniversary of the curse being lifted.
After this, she aids some mothers, possibly accounting for more petrified men. She also tries to reconcile with her children at least a couple of times during this period, only to be frustrated.
Maybe a nice flood.
Other than that, Viola is happy with it, provided Calliope is as well.
Calliope purses her lips. "What did you have in mind for her aiding them? The only thing I can think of is mothers sending men to her as a way of getting rid of them, which isn't the tone I had in mind."
Viola laughs, "Let's think a little more creatively. What if a mother trying to protect her child flees with her into the regio? Her pursuers enter as well, only to be turned to stone. Or perhaps a mother remembers that Halia was once an oracle, and seeks her out for a prophesy critcal to a child's future. I'm sure there are other possibilities as well."
I don't think the current situation with the lab should impede its use, although its possible that the stats might change once Halia does.]
Calliope finishes her song by the end of Winter 1228. It's an epic tale of a mother cruelly separated from her children by the machinations of pagan gods, but who finally reunites with them and throws off the curse.
All that's needed now is to spread it. Unfortunately, the minstrel, a Venetian man named Antonio who the grogs brought back from Tana, speaks Greek but not Kipchak. Meaning, he could learn the song, but not spread it to the local villages (although he could sing it at the covenant - as can Calliope - and Constantinople (if he can show his face there)). That requires the covenant to have kept him around, though.
Yes, but i know you didn't feel comfortable taking this one over, so that's OK.
Yes, that's the issue--fixing the fountain alone would give another +3 in bonuses to Items, plus there might be other effects.
Calliope finishes her song by the end of Winter 1228. It's an epic tale of a mother cruelly separated from her children by the machinations of pagan gods, but who finally reunites with them and throws off the curse.
Wasn't there some reason reason Viola needed to travel down to Chersonesus? To find a local singer? I'm betting the answer to that question is in a post above this one that I need to re-read.
I think Viola was considering travelling to Chersonesus to try to find a singer who spoke both greek and Kipchak, yes (the grogs' trip to Tana wasn't a bust, as such, but they didn't find exactly what Viola wanted either. Minstrels with both Greek and Kipchak are something of a rare commodity.
You also need to decide what to do with the singer who's already arrived (at the start of winter).
Keep the Greek singer around in any case--let's show him all the entertainment the covenant can manage. A talented musician is always valuable when dealing with faeries, and he's also not a bad thing for an Imaginem maga with a study requirement.
I do however fear that we still need to make that trip to Chersonesus.
