Written by Stephen Turner | 22 July 2010

Here lies the body of the story.

Our stalwart band of hobbits are taking the ring to Mordor, our heroine has girded herself with jet-pack and ray-gun to go trekking across the stars, while our reluctant hero, realising there is no other choice has gone forth to reap vengeance on them what done him wrong.

It is here that character development happens, here we see team bonding and relationship building going on, and it's here that lessons vital to the climax of our story are learnt. Here is the part of the Hero's Journey sometimes called the Road of Trials. There is a long way to go yet and many challenges to be met along the road before that rousing conclusion can be achieved. There will be dangerous terrain and monsters and the denizens of the road, such as the trickster and the shape-shifter, the tempter and the goddess. Heck, you wouldn't really want it to be too easy for our protagonist would you?

Let's begin with a look at all that dangerous terrain. Challenging terrain can be just that: a geographic feature that is daunting but must be traversed. It may be shadow and spider haunted Mirkwood, it may be a desert of shifting terrain, howling winds and giant sand worms, or it may be an asteroid belt filled with volatile rocks and laced with mines that must be negotiated in a rickety, half-blind spaceship. These are physical obstacles that must be overcome through courage, determination and ingenuity, or, failing all that, blind luck. Terrain need not be physical; it can be emotional or medical. In a romantic setting we will have such rocky roads as a significant other's sibling being mistaken for a rival, or an overheard word taken out of context causing doubt and jealousy to arise. This kind of thing is the bedrock of romantic sitcoms and a few Shakespearean plays. Monsters can also lurk in the terrain, be it a troll under the bridge or the mugger lurking in the bushes, or they may come looking for you, like the bailiff pounding on the door with notices of repossession for outstanding debts.

As with terrain you need to find ways of overcoming monsters. You can confront the monster, trick them or even avoid them outright. A trio of three billy goats managed to overcome a troll by a combination of trickery and avoidance until Big Billy Goat Gruff could confront and demolish the troll. The movie Shrek provides us with examples of terrain and monsters. To retrieve Princess Fiona, Shrek and Donkey must first cross a river of lava on a rather dilapidated bridge, then they search a castle that conceals a fire-breathing dragon. Later, with Fiona, they enter the woods, and there they find Monsieur Hood and his merry men lurking.

Terrain and monsters provide the protagonists with a chance to display true grit, intelligence and/or cunning and teamwork in face of peril. Shrek helps Donkey cross the bridge, then Donkey helps Shrek overcome the Dragon, thus they show the first signs of teamwork and friendship. Or there is an option for a training montage as the party learns to work together and recognise each other's strengths and abilities.

Or, if it works better for the story of course, it can be the straining of party relationships under stress. The emotional terrain proves too much for Shrek who, believing himself rejected by Fiona, rejects her.

Sometimes the monsters can be something sent by the villain to dispose of the protagonist or those important to them, such as the giant scorpions sent by Calibos to kill Perseus in the original (and much superior) Clash of the Titans.

In a more fairy tale setting overcoming the terrain and monsters with kindness, compassion and generosity can mean you gain allies who can help you in your need. The elder you show kindness to on the road might prove to be a witch or a wizard who rewards you with a magic item or a clue. Or there is the tree that groaned beneath the weight of its fruit until the protagonist plucked a piece of fruit, and, later, in gratitude for the relief, the tree provides a hiding place from pursuers.

While terrain and monsters can be random challenges there are denizens on the road who are encounters of a much more deliberate kind when it comes to protagonist or the journey as a whole. To begin with, there are the trickster and the shape-shifter.

Shape-shifters and tricksters can initially seem to share the same qualities as both involve change, the trickster, however, desires external change while the shape-shifter changes their nature or character. Both tricksters and shape-shifters may actually be able to change their appearance through disguise or mutable form, but it is not compulsory.

Shape-shifters are changeable of nature, if not temperamental and fickle, pretending to be something they are not, depending on mood or situation. In Casablanca, Captain Renault, the cheerfully corrupt prefect of police, is a shape-shifter, out for his own best interests, with flexible loyalty, though in the end he joins Rick. Then there is the Mole of reality TV who pretends to be a loyal team member but is always looking for a way to betray his comrades.

There is the trickster who mocks authority and the established order. The trickster will question, seek to overturn and undo, bring about transformation on various scales, manipulate events and people, and sometimes they will do it on a whim or as part of some agenda. The Joker of The Dark Knight movie is a destructive trickster who wants to see the world burn, while Chancellor Palpatine of the Star Wars prequels wants to overturn the Republic and the Jedi in favour of his own New Order.

Tricksters and shape shifters don't have to be malign, some can be benign, even helpful. Gandalf is a consummate trickster who gets Bilbo to join the dwarves' quest in The Hobbit and is always trying to get the best out of others. Then we have the tempter and the goddess. These denizens of the road are polar opposites; one lures and begiles, the other inspires and uplifts.

Much is made of the tempter in the Hero's Journey. Quite often they are the femme fatale, an exciting and dangerous figure luring the hero to destruction with sex appeal. Tempters, of course, don't have to be female. They could be the bad boy with the killer looks and excitingly wild nature. Nor is it always sex that baits the trap — fame and glory can be just as seductive, as can wealth and power, even hidden knowledge. The tempter doesn't even have to provide what they promise; sometimes the offer alone is enough to lure the protagonist from the straight and narrow. Anakin Skywalker fell into the Emperor's clutches through a desire for power to protect the one he loved.

The ultimate goal of tempters is destruction of the protagonist in one form or another — their damnation and fall from grace or the ruination of their reputation or character works just as well as murder.

The goddess, in fairytales and old stories, was the princess in need of rescue or the damsel in distress, a wholesome, uplifting figure who often serves as the romantic lead. Again the goddess does not have to be a female figure, or even one of romantic desire. They are the opposite of the tempter and could be an ideal or set of knightly virtues, an exemplary figure from myth or history, a mentor or hero to the protagonist.

In the latest series of Dr Who, Rory Williams is the goddess figure for his fiancé Amy Pond. Amy is torn between the temptation of the adventure and mystery of her raggedy Doctor and the plainer but steadfast and ever loyal Rory. While the Doctor jumps back and forth through time, it is Rory who stands watch over Amy for the two thousand years she is sealed within the Pandorica.

In short, the selfless, giving goddess nurtures, supports and protects, while the tempter is destructive and leads the protagonist into dangerous places, and is quite likely to abandon him/her there. The goddess gives of herself; the tempter takes from others.

Of course this is all just the middle of the journey, there is so much more to come. We have yet to undertake the approach to the fortress of darkness, the confrontation with the big bad guy, not to mention the protagonist's death, resurrection and homecoming. Somewhere in all that I shall also be taking a look at the shadow, the antagonist and the villain.