Wolves of Fortune was first written by me in the early 2000s and its sequel Roads of Fortune was released a couple of years later through a small independent seller; as such it is a relatively unknown concept. The original story revolved around real life, starring an alternate version of myself, my spouse Painless and our friends as we obtain powers of the elements to transform into werewolves to save the world from a terrible evil. Roads of Fortune followed up after that, introducing new characters and a new world for the characters to explore. This version is a rewriting and melding of both concepts toward the idea of an animated series:
Currently I have a 3-episode Pilot Script written: Taking place on an alternate world called Limbros - An ancient evil: the embodiment of evil called Abysno is using a corrupted King to his own ends in digging up his source of power; black diamonds, with which he wishes to corrupt and destroy the civilized world. Only the Guardians, embodiments of the elements Water, Fire, Earth and Air have a chance to combat this threat and save the world. These Guardians must awaken their abilities while facing Abysno's generals and monsters they are able to create from his arsenal of black diamonds.
Note: This project is 18+ due to gore, violence, language, and mature themes - If you wish to audition please be 18 or older, if you are selected you will be requested to provide proof of your age. This story also contains LGBTQ+ themes and characters as many of the main protagonists and some of the main antagonists represent those communities and I encourage any to apply, or to be aware of that before auditioning. This is NOT a sexually explicit or NSFW series, my primary vision on the creation is as such:
As a fan of animation, I have been more and more inspired by series that have come out; Netlix's BNA series, or Amazon Prime's Vox Machnia series have inspired me to come up with the concept as a pitch for a mature animation with a serious but sometimes playful tone of a group of adventurers trying to save the world. My hope is to get a concept together for maybe a 13 - 20 episode series with a general monster-of-the-week format that builds onto an overarching story culminating in a tense, climactic finale. I would love to get enough to start a Kickstarter, and/or send this concept to interested parties. As this is my first project here, I hope my dream and concepts aren't too ambitious for you. I have held this story close to my heart for over 20 years now, and I feel like this could be a great means to achieve it!
Any advice on this, any ideas that can come to the table please let me know I am open to any suggestions. Thank you!
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND that this is currently an unfunded project; I cannot pay you immediately for your amazing contributions, as I am hoping to use this project and concept to generate funds as I can. If we can be funded, or if we are able to move forward with this concept, I will pay everyone for their support and hope to move everyone into this project. If this project fails to meet expectations, I will not continue to use your materials without consent. I HAVE NO INTENTION TO USE AI or any other such tools to replicate, or generate content off your work! Any and all content provided will be used for the purposes intended!
Everyone I want to thank you ALL for your support in this. I am going to mark this project as 'Complete' here but for the artist and animator roles I will be republishing and have featured to another post: https://cstng.cc/projects/roads-of-fortune-pilot-artistic-technical-roles-needed-copy-a76e9cbe-9da8-424f-b7ed-855345280e70
Please reapply over there if you're interested! Thank you all!
Okay! We're cast, we've got audio covered it looks like! We're still looking for visual artists, storyboards for a couple scenes to preview in the Kickstarter, animators to give them a simple animation and flare. Illustrators to help really finalize the looks of our concepts. We've got a couple auditions for those but I would love to see if anyone else is interested please be sure to point people this way! We are looking at a solid September Kickstarter and moving on from there! Come on! We can do this everyone! Thanks all for your amazing support!
Hey everyone! I just want to say I am amazed at all the talent who have applied and volunteered to help make this project happen. All the voice roles have been filled (way in advance I know) but the talent in all the auditions astounded me! I am still in need of storyboard assistance even some animations as needed, sound design/editing is available again. The long range goal is by September-ish to have enough available, enough concept work completed to create a teaser trailer to display for a Kickstarter campaign and push forward with getting this off the ground. Any insight, suggestions, thoughts for this process would be most welcome. It is my passion project and I want to see this through flawlessly! Thank you everyone who has followed and showed interest in this project, I cannot express my love for your support enough. And if this is a success and we can continue the series keep your eyes peeled for future voice roles too!
Hey everyone! I was looking through the 'Extras' roles to make a script for them specifically and realized the INNKEEPER had way more lines than an extra should have! SO I've leveled him up to Minor Role instead. Please feel free to audition for him as well! Good luck! And thank you again!
You all...it does my heart good to see so many talented people try out for this series, it was TRULY not easy to select any one of you for the roles and I listened to some of you multiple times, back and forth, weighing out who to choose. In the end I am happy with my selections BUT if you did not get a part fear not; there are several extra and minor extra roles you can jump into. If you are interested please DM me on Discord @grifterwolf and who you'd prefer. Otherwise keep an eye out for updates.
Also I am still in need for audio editing, storyboard artists and while I have a concept artist I will also add a line in as an illustrator to help brush up and finalize the looks, plenty of technical stuff to get ready for this. We are hoping to have a Kickstarter ready to go BY autumn, so much to do so little time really. Thank you everyone who participated, please feel free to direct others here that might be interested and I cannot express my appreciation for your support enough. Thank you, thank you.
Needing storyboard artist(s) to help with visualizing the story, the scenes the various stages of the project we do for a teaser as well as the pilot.
*Say something you think would fit*
Unlike the concept artists, I am looking for illustrators to help try to finalize the vision into one uniform look to really give a few characters, weapons, styles a solid appearance that could be used in the overall final product and design.
*Say something you think would fit*
Seeking an animator or animators to help bring this project vision to life, I will either be pitching a title intro or a character transformation sequence (from Human to beast with elemental powers) I'll defer to the animators' decision if it would be easier to create one or the other, but I would certainly love to see what you have! If and once this project receives funding, I will gladly compensate you for your time. For right now it is merely for a concept to pitch or Kickstart.
*Say something you think would fit*
Looking for a background or landscape artist to help bring the world of Limbros to life there are several quaint locations in the pilot script and it would be great to see your visions bring them to life!
*Say something you think would fit*
Seeking someone familiar with Audio to edit recordings and correct audio as needed as well as as-needed sound design. If and once this project receives funding, I will gladly compensate you for your time. For right now it is merely for a concept to pitch or Kickstart.
*Say something you think would fit*
Painless is the guardian of Earth, and like his element, he is often quite grounded and capable of incredible strength. He is tempered, often calm but has a rough exterior until he warms up to others and that is when he can be quite friendly. He possesses the virtue of Wisdom, and has as much intellect to go along with his brute strength. His Guardian form is that of a large black wolf, wielding a great hammer.
Over the course of the series, he grows closer and falls in love with his comrade Grifter, which only spurs him further to face whatever he must to keep him safe as well.
Painless has a deep, baritone-to-bass resonating voice. Thinking along the lines of actor Sam Elliott, OPTIONAL he could have a slight American southern accent but it is not required for this role (his namesake was born in North Carolina, so it is there but as a hint)
“I’m glad the river didn’t slow you down, but now we have a real mess to deal with... wait, what’s happening now?”
(Dismissive/Annoyed) “He’s just as naive as you or any other human then. I am telling you, if you know what’s best for you, get off my mountain.”
(Calling upon his weapon to summon an attack) "LANDSLIDE!" (he makes an exerting grunt/roar as he slams the weapon into the ground)
Jaden is a man who was adopted into a formerly local tribe of natives that have since seemingly gone extinct, brought into a life of being a shaman he is what some may call a lone wolf. He is a bit standoffish, but is actually rather kind. He awakens as the Guardian of Fire, calling forth the power of two animals, he becomes a hybrid of a lion and a wolf. He embodies the virtue of Loyalty, which he shows in abundance, using that to win over a dark enchantment that took him after his transformation.
Jaden speaks in a low-to-mid tone of voice, though in private company he will occasionally speak in an elevated whisper, sometimes making people mistake it for some deep sadness or contemplation
(remembering what happened/confused) “That black wolf that pummeled me... or... beast-me with his huge hammer?”
“I’ve lived in this area all my life... but that didn’t sound like any animal I’d ever heard of.”
(Summons a great force of fire that covers his mane and chest as he struggles to contain it) "BLAZING..." (Unleashes the flames with a mighty fury) "TRAIL!"
First introduced as John; the adopted son of King Ivan, ruler of Gandald (and in secret an enemy to the Guardians) A knight at his core, John always strives to do what is right until he sees something he shouldn't and is turned into thinking the Guardians are evil and his enemies. Partway through the series, his virtue of Honor breaks the hold on him and he awakens as a powerful Dragon wielding the powers of Air and all of its electric attributes. His memories return, and he becomes more hardened, disciplined but also has a streak of hot-headedness, especially with contention of his proclaimed right to leadership over Painless who has become the defacto leader.
No direct voice tone directions, except perhaps speaking the way a knight of medieval times may speak the lower ranges may suit him he is the only character I had not solidified a sound for, so give me what you've got!
“Excuse me.” (he rides closer and dismounts his horse before helping the woman to her feet) “What has this woman done to deserve such a cold departure?”
“Now, I do not want any trouble, but you’ve gone and forced my hand.”
“I don’t know. It’s just... something does not feel right. If it was one thing I learned while I was away is that my intuition often can judge whether I live or die.”
Abysno is quite literally the embodiment of evil; often given no direct form but through shapes and shadows. His eyes being the most prominent feature of his presence around his "puppet" King Ivan, he controls the power of Black Diamonds; ancient crystals used to enhance his powers and to possess innocent souls, transforming them into terrifying monsters against their will. His will is often distributed to his followers who seek to corrupt souls in order to give him form and with it the power to destroy the world.
His voice can be soft as a lamb, commanding as a general, or grotesque, otherworldly or monstrous depending on his mood and demands. (Think perhaps Mum'ra from the original Thundercats) but all voice types are encouraged.
“That fool is going to get himself killed if he continues to act so rashly.” (he sighs) “No matter, his personal vendettas are of no consequence. Once he returns, we will deal with the prince then.”
“I will hear no more of these excuses! I’ve granted you life and youth eternal. In return I expect a certain amount of effort in attaining my goals. I am not your stooge, I am not your lackey, and unless you want your guards to find your guts inexplicably around your neck dangling from the ceiling, you will not question me again!”
“It means nothing, I’ve destroyed them once, I will destroy them again.” (Referring to the Guardians)
When King Ivan was still a prince, he fell into a dark cave. Encountering a massive cache of black diamonds, he was approached by Abysno, who promised him eternal youth and power, which he was rather easily swayed by. He has no wife and no blood heir, only his adopted son John, who he is more and more worried that will take his place as king. An incredibly strong fighter, he is stricken by the pull of Abysno who controls his very soul. He is the face of the evil and commands his generals and armies to do harsh things, even to possess and turn his son to do Abysno's evil deeds. He has no power, he is merely a vessel unaware that he is growing weaker by the day.
Any voice type can apply, prefer low-to-mid voice ranges
“But you are not whole, master. Until you consume enough souls, you will not be able to fight them.”
“I will not fail, and these pests will be eradicated soon...”
(Cheerfully toward his son John) “Ha! This is wonderful, I didn’t realize you would be back so soon. I figured I had another week at least to prepare a proper welcoming party!”
(Possible dual role or tell me your preferred part)
Mina and Maive are two of Abysno's Generals, twin sisters transformed into maidens made of glass to serve his bidding. Mina is the more level-headed of the pair while Maive is more vain and rash than her sister; their targets for black diamonds often include people of wealth, stature and beauty. Both feel that there are none with greater beauty than themselves, and they are very dangerous fighters themselves, often using their combined powers in combat to commit a formidable force.
Voicewise, they can be identical twins (for a dual role) or if they are separate I could see Mina's voice being a bit deeper, while Maive is a bit higher pitched maybe a touch flighty
Mina: “Did you sense that, sister?” Maive: “I did indeed, Mina. Such an untapped and unbridled energy. The master would surely benefit from his soul’s power.”
Mina: “This isn’t supposed to happen! What sort of power is this!?” Maive: “Two birds with one stone Mina! Oh tonight is our lucky night!”
Mina: “Don’t think you’ve won, Guardians.” Maive: “Our master will make short work of you! Soon!”
The living embodiment of toxicity, corruption and disease, Gangrene is a massive lumbering beast resembling something like a Werewolf. His very skin is toxic to the touch, causing violent acidic reactions. He is brutal and malicious an utter monster and is shockingly intelligent; a high functioning psychopath with a thirst for destruction. He is a wildcard despite being one of Abysno's generals, he has his own agenda and the guardian Grifter seems to be his specific target. If he does target someone with a black diamond, his targets are often pure of heart, innocents such as children, priests nurses those that dedicate their lives to others.
He has a deep, dark ferocious voice with a mad sense of humor, and he tends to growl as he speaks. Think of the most terrifying voice to go bump in the night and add malice to it.
(Gets attacked) “Now, that was rude. I was stalking to someone!”
(rising in a successful attempt to look intimidating) “Are you saying you arranged this party for me, General?” (His grin widens) “I’m flattered.”
(Absolutely losing his temper) "I'LL TEAR YOU APART!"
Hexxa is a powerful sorceress. No one seems to know her she, due to her haggard appearance, she could be well within the reaches of 200 years old. She is Abysno‘s most loyal servant and holds no loyalty for Ivan or the other generals, nor do they trust her. She is cold and calculating. She casts spells to emanate and corrupt her victims, killing them mercilessly if any cross her She is a truly terrifying force to be reckoned with. For voice references lean into the witchcraft nature of her character,
Voicewise maybe think Eartha Kitt or Margaret Hamilton, but feel free to give your own spin on the voice.
“A threat arises, milord. I sense a growing power that will rise to defeat you.”
“Still your tongue, boy. You may be my king, but you are not my master.”
“I am already one step ahead of you, master. A potion that, should the prince imbibe, will render his thoughts clouded and his judgement askew. He will feel the need to follow his father’s order, no matter how he may question it.” (She cackles delightedly)
A'Tana is not only a trained general, but also the daughter of the King of the peaceful kingdom of Abrada; stubborn and a fighter, she often assumes the role of a soldier instead of a princess. Her goal is to capture and to destroy the beastly Gangrene, smart, independent and determined. Her stubbornness leads her to not trust the Guardians at first, but she soon becomes an ally to their cause. Not exactly a damsel in distress, she is capable of getting out of any scrapes she finds herself in.
Her voice can be any range any accent, as long as there is a degree of confidence and leadership in it.
“The Wizard assured me his magic was guaranteed.” (she dismounts as she spots the hat that the Wizard had been wearing and picks it up, only to be startled when his decomposed head falls from it. She cringes as the camera follows his head roll and stop at the soldier’s feet) “It would seem the guarantee had expired. Were there any survivors?”
“It seems even our strongest steel isn’t incorruptible. I doubt touching it with your bare hands would be safe.” (she closes her eyes and sighs) “Alright, men. Let’s fan out and-”
(Angrily) “How could you do this to them? These were innocent people!”
Boyant is another general in the King's of Abrada's army. Promoted to relieve A'Tana from hunting down Gangrene despite her protests. He is a proud man, confident, and has no issue usurping the princess' authority to insure her safety
“That’s General Boyant. I was given this prestigious honor on the terms that I relieve you and send you home.” (emphasize "General" as he is announcing his promotion)
“Rider, you are to escort the general home to her father at once. If she resists, further restraints are authorized.”
Danova is the feisty captain of a group of pirates that encounters Grifter as a stowaway in the opening episode, she does not trust easily but as she warms up to him she proves that she is a strong willed pirate who has earned the respect of her crew and after he saves her life, she becomes indebted to him. She has a single episode appearance but she may make more appearances. She has a husband named Gerome who is not as adapted to the sea, her demeanor changes when talking about him clearly in love.
I am not looking for any particular imitations or accents, just a rough somewhat less-than-traditionally feminine voice, almost tomboyish like the Junker Queen from Overwatch, she can be loud and boisterous more often than not.
“Bone!” (he reacts in fear, despite being evidently the largest man present, he quickly snaps to attention as she stomps over to him) “What do you think you’re doing!?”
“Markeet can be a bit of an ass, but he does know how to order people around his kitchen.”
(scoffs) “Hah! Gerome couldn’t find his way into the ocean if he fell off a boat, he doesn’t know the first thing about ships or how to run one. Hell, when I first met him, he tried to join me fishing and all he caught that day was pneumonia.”
Mako is brought into existence by a Black Diamond; a Shark-like savage monster with arms and legs; a rather vicious looking creature of the black lagoon-type beast. He is the first real threat trying to prevent Grifter from claiming his Halberd
“I am not as I was, I am called Mako. First, I will devour your souls to feed them to my master, then I will devour the soul of this creature and steal this halberd as my trophy.”
(Taunting) “If you will not be my first victim, this one will do just fine!”
Titania is the embodiment of Courage and the first of the titan spirits encountered. She grants Grifter the powers of the Guardian of Water after proving his worth. She is an immortal statue at the bottom of the sea, her voice radiates calm, speaking clearly despite being under the water. Her voice is soothing and encouraging almost ethereal.
“Please... warrior, please help... I am Titania; entrusted centuries ago to guard the artifact of the Water Guardian. Having revealed myself, a terrible enemy has discovered me and sent one of his minions to destroy me. Please, you must save us.”
“It has always been my destiny to find a spirit worthy of the Halberd of Tides, now that a true successor has been found I can rest.”
“Call your weapon, Grifter. It will obey its true master, then you can use your spell to finish him off!”
A singular episode appearance, Ben is a local bookkeeper in the town of Shine, he is kind and seems to be one of the only people to welcome and befriend the outsider Jaden. He's an older man with thinning white hair and thick glasses, rather bookish as his profession would suggest.
“Oh! Yes we have dozens of books on that subject!” (he bounces excitedly) “Now are you looking for books on Lurr? Or general stories about lore on Limbros in particular?”
“Yes, our Jaden here is a powerful shaman.”
Tovus is a big, brutish hulk of a human who seems to have made it his goal in life to make others miserable; especially Jaden who he calls a hybrid due to his true and adoptive families being from different cultures. He isn't the smartest man, his only "smarts" being when he delivers punches, but in the face of true danger, he would be the first one to throw women and children out of the way to insure his own safety. He has a short appearance in one episode, but he may return someday.
He has a deep confident, know-it-all voice that has a bit of a drawl to it perhaps like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, but maybe not as articulate when he speaks
“So you take the trip all the way to Shine, but you don’t even wanna stop to visit an old buddy? I’m offended, hybrid. Really.”
“So, that’s what it takes to get a little backbone in ya?”
A wizard charged with using magic to contain the otherwise uncontainable Gangrene only to meet an extremely GRUESOME demise for their trouble. This part was written in the script as a male, but I would also consider if a female wizard would like to try out for it!
The Wizard has a commanding tone of voice, a sense of controlled fear knowing what they are charged with. Gurgled screams or a horrifically voiced death would be fun to hear (think...your head is melting around your face-kind-of-gruesome)
“I would call you a bastard, or a psychopath instead.”
“You were put in those restraints securely, how is it you speak beast?”
Professor Varan Tate is a chief scientist and archaeologist of a dig site. An older man, he is an instructor and mentor to Painless, he's sometimes a bit aloof, but has a genuine heart and thirst for knowledge and has a great respect for his fellow scientists.
(excited) “Painless, Ana, come here! Come here, you’ll find this extraordinary!”
“I can’t see a blasted thing, where are we?”
(seeing the ground collapsing heading toward him) “Oh my!”
Ana is an Anthropologist that accompanies Tate and Painless on an expedition to some ancient ruins. She is a beautiful woman, inquisitive, intelligent and sharp. But there is much more under the surface and eventually she is revealed to be someone entirely different.
No particular direction on tone or accent here, but note after her true nature is revealed (third line) her voice is more ethereal sounding, as though inhabited by an ancient vessel (Agara).
Ana: “You don’t sound very excited. We’ve found the ruins of a civilization that we believed was nomadic, scattered all around the world. To find a settlement of this size...”
Ana: (Deadpan) “It’s a myth, Painless. You’re a man of science, you should be able to separate fantasy from reality.”
Agara: "You have proven your wisdom beyond the ages. Use your power to fight against the darkness and to aid others that require it.”
A tough as nails innkeeper who confronts John late one night after ejecting a woman from his establishment. He is a boss type with a gruff voice and has two big idiots as bouncers who he can summon with the snap of his fingers.
Feel free to have fun with his accent! He can have a bit of an edgy almost-British tone to his voice, he can have little to no accent, I would like a bit of a timber to his voice like he's tougher than he looks (but he looks pretty tough) a no-nonsense man with a temper.
“I told you already! If you don’t have the money, you cannot stay at my place! You should have thought about your situation before spending hours drinking and carousing with my patrons!”
“Keep out of this, stranger.” (the innkeeper snaps his fingers and two large men; his ‘bouncers’ appear behind him) “It does not concern you.”
“See, that is where we have a problem. I have enough help, and no place for the bitch to work off her tab, so I’m afraid we are in the same place we were a moment ago. You may enter, but she is not welcome here.” (to the bouncers) “Boys?”
This entry is for several small roles with anywhere from 1 - 3 lines, there are a few characters whose only lines are screaming, agony, gurgling and shouting but I will put in a few of these 'Extra' lines. You can read from these or you can come up with your own thoughts. This is the list from the script, if you have one in particular you'd like to try for feel free! I look forward to hearing them out:
Minor/Unnamed Characters
(Episode 1)
CAPTAIN
SOLDIER 1, 2, 3
SAILOR 1, 2
Various Deckhands/Sailors - No lines/Background chatter
(Episode 2)
GOON 1, 2
RIDER
(Episode 3)
INNKEEPER
WALLACE
DIGGERS/ARCHAEOLOGIST TEAM VOICES - No lines/Background chatter
SOLDIER 1 “What is this mist?” SOLDIER 2 “It isn’t mist, it’s smoke from the village, you idiot!” SOLDIER 3 “It does not smell like smoke it smells like...”
GOON 1 “But Tovus we didn’t run off, we retreated!” GOON 2 “It looks like a big tree. HAHA!”
RIDER: “General, wait!”
I am looking for someone to develop a 'Theme' and/or 'Transformation Sequence' track for this concept. The themes are the animation are more High-Fantasy/magic and Adventure and I would love to hear what sort of music you've composed! The primary pitch I'd create would include either of the above sequences (Opening theme or Transformations) If and once this project receives funding, I will gladly compensate you for your time. For right now it is merely for a concept to pitch or Kickstart. It's a pretty massive concept.
*Say something you think would fit*
Character and Concept art for this project, this would be for character creation as well as design thoughts concepts based off ideas of which I have a vision in mind, looking for something smooth and stylized. I was reinspired to work on this project after the anime series BNA as I like that aesthetic, but since then shows like Vox Machina have only helped to inspire me. Please show me what you've got! If and once this project receives funding, I will gladly compensate you for your time. For right now it is merely for a concept to pitch or Kickstart.
*Say something you think would fit*
Upon successful completion of our Kickstarter campaign, an Agent would be most helpful in providing advice and assistance in pitching the series. Any assistance would be appreciated, however as with the deferred payment requirements we wouldn't be able to pay until after a completion of the campaign. This would be an agreed-upon amount at that time.
*Say something you think would fit*
