Calliope Clay is Moana if Moana had failed.
She’s the character of all time, honestly. At least, the character of all time who’s only in three episodes.
Bc her story is 100% Moana up until a certain point, y’know? Not saying that as a bad thing I think the story of Moana is a pretty decent and interesting hero’s journey. Imagine, you spend your entire life in one place and you’re not allowed to leave. Because everything around you is dangerous (savelirwood, shady creek run, the ocean) and your home is this one safe haven (the grove, the island) and the adults around you all know this, and they want to protect you from it.
But you want to go. You’ve got wanderlust. You appreciate your home, but you want to see what’s out there.
And then a sickness starts to seep into your home. Everything starts dying. Everything you care about (the people in your village, the temple to your goddess) is in jeopardy. And the only way to fix it is to leave. The deity (the ocean, the wild mother) has expressly told you so.
It’s a terrible situation, but it’s also somehow the best of both worlds. You leave home to save home. You’re committed to your home and family but also get to go out and see the world you’ve always wanted to see.
But then the stories split. Moana learns to sail, she saves her people, she faces adversity and wins. She then gets to travel the world all the time!
Meanwhile Calliope. She is facing a three step plan: residuum, forge, menagerie. And on the third step, she faces something she could not have, under any circumstances, defeated. She was set up for failure. That thing had legendary actions. She was one firbolg— at best level 8 or 9, but probably more like level 5 or 6.
Maybe the Wild Mother tried to warn her, when the bull showed up and petrified her mother and aunt. But a goddess that speaks to her followers in the turn of the wind? I’m assuming you have to be listening. And I don’t think Calliope would have been listening for anything but a green light.
She fails, and she’s stuck there for 10-8 years. And then her younger (now older) brother, who never wanted to leave the grove at all, who was the one chosen to stay, rescues you. And then! He tells you he’s not done exploring the world bc as it turns out it’s pretty cool! So you go home. And your younger (older) brother spends another year-ish out saving the world.
Like honestly what a tragic character. The story of Moana is pretty basic— classic hero’s journey. But I’ve never seen a Moana story arc where it ends in epic failure where the person didn’t die. You know, I’ve seen the skeletons that the hero has to pass on the way to fight the final boss, but we never really learn their story. But Calliope? She was the main character. She was the hero. And she failed. And her little brother— the side character— got her story. And she can’t even be envious of Caduceus because holy shit he’s traumatized now. But does that mean she has to pretend to be grateful??
Anyway could we have some sort of Calliope Clay content?? Could someone play Calliope Clay in campaign 4? Will never recover from the tragedy that she was only in three episodes.
