TWO ELVES are drawn into a DEADLY CONSPIRACY to UNRAVEL the ANCIENT LIE behind their IMMORTALITY.
A BROKEN WORLD
When the so-called Peace Initiative illegalizes magic, it sparks a violent protest that ends the life of an immortal councillor. Framed for murder and shunned for his natural blood magic, Liirem must turn to his sister Mia and her friends at the Adventure Guild for help. But after visiting the Wildlands outside the Crystal City, Liirem returns home with an injured orc, Serak, and a glimpse into the true horror lying just beneath the facade of elven society.APOCALYPSE/REVOLUTION
The newly-elected councillor turns the tide of power in the Seven Cities and, blaming the mortals for their predecessor's death, drives the Peace Initiative swiftly into fascism. Seeking truth, Serak finds his way to the mortal Undercity and convinces Liirem to join a generations-long mortal plot. Meanwhile, a killer still walks the city freely, and they have their own ideas about how to best deal with those in power.REBUILDING FROM THE ASHES
With the Peace Initiative weakened, many dead and many finally alive, waterfolk seize control of the Crystal City. Amid violence and fear, the mortals see the start of a better future.
THE LAST LEGAL MAGIC
Liirem witnesses the assassination of an immortal councilor.THE COST OF LIVING
Liirem loses his job after being accused of murder.THE ADVENTURERS
Liirem participates in a magical duel in order to join the Adventure Guild.A LESSON IN NECROMANCY
Liirem becomes the apprentice to a powerful bloodcaster.US AND THEM
The adventurers supervise Liirem's first quest outside of the city.A DREAM OF THE SEA
Liirem follows an escaped orc, Serak, into the wildlands.THE FOUNDING FESTIVAL
Liirem and Serak attend a parade and receive a gift from waterfolk agitators.
THE UNDERCITY
Mia follows Serak to the mortal-infested Undercity.CONSPIRACY
Liirem meets another bloodcaster and learns a dangerous secret.BLOOD AND FIRE
Liirem and Mia make a trip to their father's home in the mountain city.THE VICTORY GALA (FOR PEACE)
Liirem attends an important event as Omera's apprentice.FREEDOM WAS ALWAYS AN ILLUSION
Liirem brings the adventurers to the Undercity.THE MASTER
Liirem facilitates a reunion of bloodcastersTHE MOUNTAIN ALL ROADS LEAD TO
Mortal terrorists cast a powerful spell.
BLACKOUT
A citywide node shutdown leaves the crystal city briefly on its own.THE UNSTOPPABLE MACHINE
The remnants of the Peace Initiative attempt to regain control of the city.MORTAL DANGER
Wildland mortals enter the Crystal City.WHY
Serak and Liirem go to the beach.THE YOUNG ELDERS
The infamous Threadcaster claims a final victim.HOW TO BE ALIVE
The elves attend their first funeral.THE CRYSTAL CITY FALLS
Finally, an immortal regime topples.
Liirem
his own worst enemyLiirem was born with natural blood magic and taught to fear himself from a young age. He tries his best to follow rules and do everything right, but he still finds trouble simply from being who he cannot help but be.Liirem is doing everything precisely by the book, exactly as he is told, but the system he lives within exists to keep him contained, not help him grow. To see true freedom, he has to stop upholding a system that oppresses him.
Mia
thinks she's immortalLiirem's younger sister. After losing her apprenticeship, she became a gig-work "Adventurer" and now gets by on mercenary contracts, setting fires in the wildlands outside the Crystal City.Mia is a true believer in a system that is not supporting her. She falsely identified the cause of her problems and moves with misinformed confidence. It will take a shock to wake her to the reality she is immersed within.
Friends, Allies, Adventurers
Rhem
respectful pyromaniac
doing his best
Rieni
gravity-defying adventurer
mad flips
Araan
jaded commander
knows all the answers
Serak
wildland orc
would rather be surfingIntroduction: EP04
Enemies, Necromancers, Forces of Power
Dragriin
harmonic couple
in love with power
Omera
professional necromancer
carefully curated reputationIntroduction: EP02
Mikel
enemy of the state
burns his mouth on teaIntroduction: EP09
Vesiin
The architect of elven immortality
no longer like youIntroduction: EP11
Hi! I'm Caspian Priebe, a professional artist with a BFA in animation. In 2020 quarantine, I stuffed all my free-floating ideas in a blender and The Crystal City Falls is what came out. With the pilot script and storyboard complete, I'm moving into animatic/animation phases.Interested in hearing from:
- Voice actors
- Composers
- Background/Environment artists
- Social media management
- Leftist artists of any kind
- Nebula (want a 2D animated cartoon?)
- Anything that will make the project better!If you connect with what I'm trying to do here and are interested in collaborating in any form, please reach out. :)PORTFOLIO | RESUME
VOICE CASTING ROLES:
| Recurring characters | Gender (H/M/F/D) | Direction | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liirem | M | LEAD, thoughtful | 49 |
| Mia | F | LEAD, childish | 23 |
| Rieni | F | Cheerful, bubbly | 28 |
| Rhem | M | Monotone, casual | 35 |
| Araan | H | Bored, confident | 17 |
| Dravem Draagrin | M (H) | Narcissist, bombastic | 25 |
| Gria Draagrin | F (H) | Patronizing, dismissive | 37 |
| Single-episode characters | Gender (H/M/F/D) | Direction | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Councillor Vontaas | H | Regal, diplomatic | 13 |
| Squad leader (ep01-02) | H | Sharp, demanding | 19 |
| Tech worker A | ((H)) | Office worker, nervous | 2 |
| Tech worker B (ep01-02) | ((H)) | Office worker, boss | 7 |
| Tech worker C | ((H)) | Office worker, snarky | 6 |
| Tech worker D | ((H)) | Office worker | 2 |
| Elf with sign | H | Conspiracist, protestor | 13 |
| Luminist Protester | H | Speaker, self-assured | 9 |
| Rioter | ((H)) | Enraged shouting | 3 |
| Councillor | H | Politician | 1 |
| Protester | ((H)) | Enraged shouting | 1 |
| Elf in crowd | ((H)) | Enraged shouting | 1 |
| Heckler | ((H)) | Enraged shouting | 1 |
| Guard | ((H)) | Commanding | 1 |
| Wand guy (guard) | ((H)) | Obedient, bumbling | 2 |
| Ritualist (guard) | H | Academic, professional | 10 |
A NOTE ON GENDER
In this setting, the dominant elf society follows a very simple four-gender model which could be summarized as (feminine/masculine/both/neither).Young elves are gendered only as "child" until a point where the child declares themself as one specific gender, at which point they are expected to conform to the roles and expectations of their declared gender.MASCULINE and FEMININE should be familiar concepts, but notably do not perfectly correlate with the ideas of "men" or "women." This designation is more about physical presentation and behavior than biology. Mascs and Fems are considered socially equals, but also very much seen as broken halves of a greater whole. They are socially expected to pair up into "harmonic" masculine/feminine couples, with any other possible relationship arrangements stigmatized.Individuals can move somewhat fluidly between these two gender categories, but a masc or fem desiring to re-declare their gender as a dissonant or an individual harmon would be seen negatively.HARMONIC individuals and paired "harmonic couples" are seen as legally equal entities--one singular "harmon," regardless of whether the harmonic entity inhabits two bodies or one body. This is the culturally dominant gender.A harmonic individual could be compared to a bigender or pangender variety of nonbinary, but importantly, they must inhabit feminine and masculine energies in perfectly equal and balanced amounts.DISSONANT individuals have only been recognized in recent history. This is largely considered as an edgy "new" gender concept counter to the traditional Harmonic Ideals."Dissons" might be compared to an "agender" or "third gender" type of nonbinary that seeks to distance itself from traditional ideas of gender.In terms of voice casting:
This harmonic gender system should serve only as a guideline. Voice actors of any gender could potentially voice a character of any gender they are comfortable representing vocally.
Trans and nonbinary voice actors strongly desired!