I'm trying to come up with a quick plot for the Harpy's Curse for my next session.
Here's one version:
Act 1
The play opens in the small mining town of Silver Pond with Asvorko, a bean counting mine manager who distrusts his workers. He is approached one day by the Harpy Queen, who asks him if her brood can roost in his mines. In exchange, they will captivate his workers which will give him the loyalty he has always wanted. Asvorko agrees.
Act 2
A group of adventurers (bearing a striking resemblance to the PCs) are hired by Rigor, owner of the Empty Glass tavern. He says the workers in Avroko's mine have stopped visiting him suddenly, and he wants them to look into what's happening. The adventurers use one of Rigor's old smuggling tunnels beneath the bar and travel into the mines.
Act 3
After running into several encounters, the party eventually finds the Harpy Queen and her minions. Before they can slay her, Asvorko intervenes to defend them. Obviously no fighter, the adventurers try to persuade him to back down, but he refuses. He is quickly beaten, but not before distracting the party long enough to let the harpies escape. Asvorko is imprisoned, and finds that his mines have been plundered by the harpies.
The play is meant to be a thinly veiled political statement against Korvosa, as well as a word of caution to bachelors.
Any other versions?
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I don't remember exactly what I did with this one, only that I used the fact that there was an opera to give Cyrdak an excuse to put the PCs on stage and give a comedic recreation of the attack, using wands of silent image and ghost sound in tandem to create whatever the party bard said was happening.
If I recall, my story was that the Harpy Queen had spied the handsome prince on the way to meet his betrothed, and she then swore that she would have him. She sent her daughters after the princess, and the prince went after them to save her. He slaughtered his way to the lair, and killed the Queen, only for her to curse him - in life or in death, she would have his life before the year was out. End Act I.
Act II is the waning days of that year. For the last year, he's been hearing a woman's voice singing to him, and he knows it's the Queen's ghost, coming for him. In these last days, he has learned that the Queen will take him, unless he can appease her spirit. What does she want? The life of his wife, the princess, who is with child now. The majority of this act is him gathering the nerve to kill his wife, and culminates with him behind her while she braids her hair, knife in his hand, prepared to kill her...and can't. He lets the blade fall, and collapses in tears, apologizing to her.
His wife forgives him for his attempt, but says she cannot "for the death of my daughters." She then shimmers and reveals herself to be the Queen, having taken human form for the last year. She reveals that her daughters killed the girl a year ago, and they all feasted upon her flesh. Now that new life stirs within her, she is ready to leave him, and tells him "I told you, I would have your life before the year is out. A promise is a promise." She grabs him with her talons and flies out of the balcony, dropping him to his screaming death.
Operas are tragedies!
Operas are tragedies!
What about:
Scene 1: Prince is exploring mountains. Harpy queen approaches him and tells him to be her mate. Prince refuses. Harpy queen laughs/cackles and says that he has no choice and that he'd come to regret that decision.
Scene 2: Harpy queen is in her den. She's casting a spell by a cauldron. Harpy's dance around her. I think I made this one a dance number. :P
Scene 3: Prince is in the throne room with the King. A possible bride from him is brought into the room with her father. Once the bride looks at him she screams in disgust and says how ugly he is and runs off stage. The king is outraged by the display the prince is visible shaken. He's usually regarded as handsome.
Scene 4:Princes bed room. The harpy queen enters the balcony and offers the prince to join her again. The prince refuses. The harpy queen then tells him that no one else will ever love him and he will be hers eventually.
Scene 5:Throne room again. New match. This time there's a shy girl. Sees the prince and is visibly taken aback but does not run off. Her father scolds her for her reaction saying that they need the money from this union or their family is ruined. The girl relents.
But then:
Scene 6:In a courtyard garden. Prince and new girl start to bond. They fell in love for each other. But then Harpy queen appears. She is surprised to see the two together. She tells him that he and her (queen) were supposed to end together. He say he found someone that loves him for who he are. Harpy queen is enraged and throws a torch to the floor on her way out. The poor girl is caught by the fire and then helped by maids.
Scene 7: The prince is checking the girl in her room. She is so disfigured that the prince can not look at her. She tries to remind him that she remains the same person. He refuses to listen. During the discussion he inadvertently pushes her and she falls out the window. The girl dies.
Scene 8: The prince is in his room. He is feeling remorse and guilt. He killed the girl who loved him but he could not see her beyond her appearance. In despair, he kills himself.
Sorry for my English. :)