Character, Concept, and Novel Outline

Cast of Characters

•Giles: Satyr.  Son of Dionysis and a mortal woman.  Abandoned at Ruth Hall for his father to care for.  Has goat eyes he hides behind sunglasses and two nubs of horns; otherwise completely human male. 
    oAshamed of his heritage and his half-siblings.  Hates being classified as just another horny satyr, though of course he has urges, too.
    oWorks for Ruth Hall as a stableboy
    oCan see both sides of an issue, though he can be too empathetic.  Wants to please everyone he thinks is a superior/looks up to/respects.
    oSevere self-confidence issues.
    oIs homosexual, though it’s a non-issue.

•Peter: Dwarf. One of the Muses of History, though his Hall is in Iceland. Neatly trimmed beard, stocky, your generic dwarfish figure, though blond instead of dark colored. 
    oWears an icy metal inner shirt that will never warm as penance for a long-dead wrong, like the old hair shirts of antiquity. 
    oAppointed representative of the Circle of Muses when the old Muse of Ruth Hall in central Pennsylvania goes missing.  Acts as tutor figure to both Giles and Jessica, though he tries to get them to figure out possible solutions before he does. 
    oCan act slightly condescending, especially around Jessica as a human woman, but takes his duties seriously and can admit to being wrong
    oPrefers being around his own people/charges

•Jessica: Newest Candidate to pass the trial and become a Muse of History after the old Muse of Ruth Hall goes missing.
    o20 year old math major in college; sophomore
    oHas a mother and a little sister, Taylor.  Father died four years before when she was entering her second year of high school.  Family has struggled financially since his death.  Taylor very like father, who was a dreamer.
    oVery straightlaced and practical.  Follows goals single mindedly.  Stubborn.
    oBlack and white in views, takes a bit to convince her of alternatives.
    oHas a gift of cutting right to the heart of a problem, but can occasionally fail to see alternatives if Plan A doesn’t work out.

•Dee/Diana: Female groundskeeper of Ruth Hall; goddess Artemis/Diana.
    oResentful of demotion in the world from respected, worshipped deity to a myth seeking sanctuary with the Muses.
    oRespects actions, not words.
    oUp to date with some modern technology, like rifles and landline telephones.  Computers are too modern for her, though.
    oWill betray Jessica and Peter when Giles refuses to.

•Dedalus: Human. Modeled on Dedalus, the inventor of Greek Mythology, name will probably change to something like Dennis. 
    oMiddle aged geneticist, working with manipulation in carrots, which he feels is beneath him. 
    oMarried for four years to a housewife.  Very much “head of the household”. 
    oHad a son after several miscarriages, but he has mental retardation.  Unable to accept that he produced something so ‘defective’. Angst with this has caused his wife to leave him.  Son visits occasionally. 
    oBelieves he’s leading a holy war to introduce his ‘children’ (winged beings) as the next stage of humanity’s evolution.
    oCooperating with “associates” who have only revealed themselves directly but one time

•Icarus: Dedalus’s winged ‘son’, as produced by genetic manipulation and magical influence. 
    oHas albatross wings at 16 feet wingspan.  Smaller stature (5’5”). 
    oVery superior, acts condescendingly & fatherly towards humans. 
    oLongs to fly in the sky; has not been permitted to as yet.


Concepts

•The Muses and their Job
    oThe Muses of History are responsible for protecting those that history has forgotten—mythological creatures—and reintroducing them slowly when the opportunities present themselves.
          oIs optional for one of the creatures to go to one of the Muse Halls for sanctuary, though a Muse is obligated to protect all.
          oIs generally honored for their duties
              oSome of the mythological creatures are resentful of the fact that they’ve been forgotten and forced from their ancestral homes because of mankind
              oSome are just happy to be fed, protected, & left alone.  (Were previously bothered for favors, knowledge, etc.)
              oSome believe that the Muses are happy to keep their position and are actively not helping to reintegrate the mythos into modern society
    oMuses are governed by the Circle [of Muses] so that each of the nine branches of the Muses are represented.
    oThe Swan is the Muses’ emblem
    oThe Original Muses:
          •Calliope: Epic Poetry
          •Clio: History
          •Euterpe: Flutes and Lyric Poetry
          •Thalia: Comedy and pastoral poetry
          •Melpomene: Tragedy
          •Terpsichore: Dance
          •Erato: Love Poetry
          •Polyhymnia: Sacred Poetry
          •Urania: Astronomy
•The Rose Colored Glasses
    oOriginally was to sort out of the stories and paths that could’ve been taken and hadn’t
          •Tell what IS versus what MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
    oShows the true nature of what’s being looked at, though nature, is, of course, relative.
    oThus, new Muse Candidates can see themselves becoming the new Muse, but every decision they’ve ever made results in different branches/possible natures to be revealed.
          •Candidates who cannot cope with the possibilities of what might have been versus what really is fail and are driven mad, often to commit suicide.
    oNot exactly a form of fortunetelling, but more of a matter of having the will and stubbornness not to get lost in the branching potentials.
    oUseful for seeing through illusions, shades, etc., which are prevalent in a Muse’s line of work.
    oSymbol of the Muses of History and their work; the glasses can take multiple forms
          •Jessica’s spectacles
          •Peter’s monocle
          •Atlantean goggles, etc.





Timeline of Events

•Dedalus’s son is born with mental retardation.
    oDedalus and wife divorce (she leaves him)
    oDedalus becomes obsessed with creating a ‘perfect’ son, one who is ‘whole’
•Dedalus is contacted by mythical malcontents (his “associates”)
    oMalcontents offer to give him his desire through the goodness of their hearts
          •Appear as divine Christian beings to him, securing his belief in their benevolence
    oTell him that he needs to seek out the Muse of Ruth Hall because he knows where a key component to his creation is
•Dedalus kidnaps the Muse by setting a trap, according to his “associates” instructions
    oHeavy concentration of magical folk gets the Muse to come investigate; sedates him and locks him up.
•Muse tells him he needs a feather from Celarus, the winged horse given to the Muses by Apollo, to make his son ‘true’ on earth, otherwise he will simply be an idea/specter/spirit
    oMuse can escape, but does not because he feels he needs to monitor the situation; also hoping that this will nudge the Circle of Muses into finding his replacement so he can retire.
    oSends his rose-colored glasses back to Ruth Hall so that the next Muse can be found.
•Giles finds the glasses on a stack of hay in the stable and brings it to everyone’s attention, knowing that it means that it’s time for a new Muse to be found.
    oAfter he contacts the Circle for an emergency conference, he is forbidden from trying on the glasses, as he is a halfling.
          •He thinks it’s racism; it’s simply because the magic only works with somebeing fully human or fully other.
•Giles puts the glasses on anyway, both as a rebellion and to get more respect/higher position.
    oGlasses nearly blind him, burn huge ropey scars behind both of his ears.
    oRescued by the house spirits.
•Peter comes as Circle representative to oversee Giles’s recovery & punishment and to find the next Muse.
    oGiles must accompany Peter to find the new Muse and then serve as tutor/personal assistant until such time as the new Muse is affirmed into his/her position and may release him.
    oDone by geas, an impulse that becomes painful when resisted.  Can possibly injure oneself in a geas.

STORY STARTS HERE WITH PROLOGUE!!!!!!

•Failed Candidates kill themselves, Peter & Giles are still looking for the next Muse.
•Peter offers the glasses to Jessica; she puts them on to spite Giles
    oGiles is being a huge prick about the whole process in a feeling that’s part jealousy (because they have a chance that he didn’t) and in fear for them as he watches more candidates fail.  Getting more depressed about it.
•Jessica starts to see “potentials”
    oMath homework flickers between base 10 and base 12
    oCrush has films that can make him be his ‘normal’ self, a boyfriend, rocker boy, total nerd, chef, slob, rich, and dead.
    oEveryone starts splitting into potentials.
•Jessica runs into the bathroom to see herself and her own potentials
    oForces herself in the Muse potential to save herself from insanity
    oGlasses pop off and she’s solidified as the next Muse of Ruth Hall
•Giles and Peter try to convince Jessica to go with them to Ruth Hall
    oPeter tries adventure, romance, etc. tack—Jessica refutes all and insists on keeping her current path for a math degree and eventual teacher certification.
    oGiles, under pull from his geas, works out a deal with Jessica: spend a semester of “co op credits” at the Hall and help find the old Muse.  That way, she’s still in school, gets rid of the general education requirements that she doesn’t want to take, and still go with them.  Once the old Muse is found—which Giles privately doubts will happen—she can return to school.
    oJessica accepts the deal on the condition they fund this semester and the next, as she’s been having financial difficulty.
          •Not an issue for the Muses, though she doesn’t know that.
•Jessica arrives at Ruth Hall (Grey Towers in Milford set in a Hazleton-ish area)
    oPeter yet to arrive, as he’s returned to Iceland to take care of his own Hall before returning to tutor Jessica; Giles returned weeks ago.
    oMom and Sister drop her off at the front stoop.
•Immediately, there’re problems: domestic sprites are squabbling about the best remedies to get rid of the mice and rats in the basement.  Some of the sprites are downright dangerous at the moment as they haven’t been fed milk.
    oGiles left the housecare on purpose out of spite.
•Jessica manages to soothe the squabble with cold logic and sends one of the sprites to find milk for the dangerous sprite she’s got in a headlock.
•Sprite returns to say there’s trouble at the stable, forcing Jessica to try feeding the sprite chocolate ice cream (for some reason, the house spirits love it and always have it on hand) and to run to the stable.
    oThief has gotten into the stables, stealing some of Celarus’s feathers.
•Giles is hurt; Jessica gets him inside with help from Dee, who was trying to fight the intruder
•Peter arrives to find Jessica being tutored by Dee in stable maintenance
    oHe says it’s “beneath” Jessica, but Jessica maintains she’s being ‘paid’ to be here for a semester and this is what needs to be done.  Unknowingly wins respect of Dee, Peter, and other beings.
•Giles comes to and says what happened in the stable; Peter, Giles & Jessica decide they will start searching for the old Muse the next day.
•Jessica can’t sleep, so sneaks down to the front lawn for cell reception to go on the Internet.
    oInterrupts a dancing ring with Giles and his half-brothers; discovers that he’s a satyr.  Overhears taunts about his ancestry and his abortive attempt to wear the glasses.
    oSneaks away before being discovered.
•Jessica attempts to be more patient with Giles, who is exceptionally bad tempered.
    oSnaps during brief lesson in Muse history/glasses; they fight and come to an uneasy truce.
•Decide to look around immediate area for evidence of Muse’s last ramble.
    oHe’d often walk around, and most mythical beings would keep track of him in the area.
    oAsk most residents on Hall grounds who don’t mind being bothered; he hasn’t been seen.
          •Jersey Devil’s cryptic comment of “Wind is changing.”
•Visit a local bar where the old Muse like to go
    oLocals mention they hadn’t seen him recently, but tell Jessica that there’s been weird stuff going on in a corn field in the bottom of the valley once they learn that she’s his ‘student’
•Go to the cornfield
    oScarecrow’s been knocked down and the corn’s severely blighted.  Soil feels spongy with an aftershade of green. Terrible smell.
    oGiles says the “locals” aren’t happy for some reason, and that the scarecrow didn’t protect the crop from crows
•It’s a bunyip infestation!! ☺
    oLooks like a regular rabbit with iridescent sheen, but with the tail of a lizard and a gaping, rotting mouth with many tentacles which reeks and poisons everything.  Burrowed in fields, they can ruin crops/land for acres.
•Bunyip retreats into a hole, then emerges with hundreds to defend their territory.
    oCan’t kill, because vapors will spread and poison entire valley, including the people.
    oCan’t drown, because it will infect the water supply
    oCan’t ‘convert’ or change magically—they are what they were meant to be and they have a right to exist, too.
•The group escapes up a tree, though Peter is too short to get in the tree.
•Giles realizes the scarecrow might still work if they can put it back up, so Jessica just up and runs to where it’s fallen, despite the bunyip mass around the tree and field.
    oNot exactly impulsive, but more of a, “That’s the solution?  Alright, do it” kind of girl.  Nike to the extreme.
    oPuts scarecrow back up, pole of blessed wood starts to sedate the bunyips.
•Jessica, Giles & Peter retreat from the field to assess the situation, but both Jessica and Peter have been severely poisoned and must return to the Hall.
•Giles gets a ‘secret’ visitor while retrieving potions for Peter & Jessica’s poison.
    oDee listening without Giles knowing.
    oIs tempted to leave Hall service.  Visitor claims to be able to break the geas, if he will agree to lure Jessica and Peter into a trap.
    oDiscussion about servitude to Muses, why must the mythos stay hidden, etc.
•Giles refuses willingly, claiming he owes the new Muse a debt.
•Next morning, they return to the field.  Bunyips are pitifully exhausted.  Must be moved.
    oJessica feels they don’t “deserve” it, but Giles becomes angry and insists they can’t help the way they are and should be treated fairly.
•Bunyips are moved to the cellar of Ruth Hall to clear the basement and keep the grounds clear of pests.  The domestic spirits’ house magic prevents the derogatory effects of the bunyips’ vapors.
    oOne ends up adopting Jessica, though she has to remind it to keep its mouth shut.
•While settling the bunyips, Jessica has a revelation about how to find the old Muse through contagion magic, part of the lesson Peter was giving the day before.
•Gets Dee to drive her back to the field to get the scarecrow, has idea to use it as a compass to follow to find the old Muse.
    oGiles ridicules the idea—what are they going to do with a 10’ “compass”? Completely impractical.
    oTry the spell anyway; turns out that Celarus reacts to the spell, not the scarecrow.
          •The scarecrow was spelled too long ago to be a good enough compass, but Celarus’s feathers had just been stolen.
•Hitch Celarus to the little wagon and Peter, Giles, and Jessica all fly off to where the old Muse is.
•End up leading them to Icarus, whose wings come from Celarus’s feathers, and they are captured.
•Taken to Dedalus, who takes the glasses.
    oOld Muse has told him about them.  He wants to study them to see if he can duplicate them and use them to look at his “associates”, who he suspects have been less than truthful.
•Put in same room as the old Muse, who is completely unapologetic about the situation.
    o“Four minds are better than one at this sort of thing”—everyone’s kinda disgusted with the situation.
•Get a visitor to entertain, who’s mentally disabled.  Completely engaged by his little pinwheel, and Jessica becomes sympathetic towards him.
    oIcarus comes, too, and asks them questions.  Giles realizes it was his voice that he heard that night; Jessica and others believe that he betrayed them to head into the trap.  Icarus admits he’s never flown in the wide-open sky and dreams of doing so, but can’t while the restrictions of the Muses are in place.
•Taken out to admire Icarus and his “siblings” in the church, where they’ve been appearing to their dedicated cult-crowd.  Asked to declare their allegiance and act as their diplomats instead of “their jailers”
    oGiles goes over after offer; Jessica refuses on principle because they’re “bad guys” and kidnapped them. Peter is silent.  Old Muse maintains that this is the next generation’s role.  Everyone just groans at him.
•Winged people and other creatures of mythos expand out of the church
    o“Associates” have been using Dedalus to learn about modern technology
    oDee was the one who betrayed them; angry at having been forgotten
    oChaos, killing
    oJessica realizes the need for a ‘neutral’ party, what it means to be a Muse
    oLittle boy with the pinwheel dies in front of her
•Jessica looks through her glasses at the possibilities as Dedalus is about to be killed by his band of “associates” and actually pulls forward the one potential that would have changed all this—the one where he watches a little boy (his biological son) play with a pinwheel.
    oEverything is reversed, with only Jessica, Giles, Peter, and the old Muse knowing what has happened because she was at the nexus.
•Fast forward a few months to Christmas break.  Jessica returns to the town and watches as Dedalus tries to accommodate his son’s antics.
    oJessica’s sight has decreased to legal blindness unless she uses her glasses; sometimes ends up having splitting headaches.  Has never tried to pull another potential through; worried she’ll lose her sight completely if she does.
•She’s on her way back to university; she’s still a Muse in Training, though in this history, she was simply searched & found (they discovered through other records)
    oOld Muse said something like, “Fabric of time is allowed a few snags” and winked.
•Talks to Giles about the genocide; Giles says that technically, they’ve never existed, so she couldn’t have killed them.  Even so, it weighs on Jessica.  Goes on to ask about what to do with the others who inspired Dedalus to create them, because now the problem’s merely been shifted, since the explosion of tension has now never happened.  Giles just says it’s their job to fix it again.

FIN