Riese the Series
Riese is a new online Sci-Fi/Fantasy web series about a traveller named Riese, a seemingly random wanderer, who flees across the dying lands of Eleysia with her wolf, Fenrir. Hunted by a terrifying religious group, The Sect, Riese must evade the assassins that have been sent to kill her and discover their true objective.
Her past is shrouded in mystery as even Riese can’t recall the events of the tragic night when her entire family was slaughtered and she was forced to flee. On her journey, she’ll piece together her past and her destiny, in a struggle that will hold the fate of the world in the balance - and the once peaceful kingdom of Eleysia will be the battlefield. Despite the impending doom, Riese emerges as the sole beacon of hope.
Riese is co-created by Ryan Copple and Kaleena Kiff, and produced by Galen Fletcher and Nicholas Humphries. Production of the first five episodes has been completed, with the the next six beginning production in December. Episodes will begin streaming online this fall via YouTube and other video distribution channels.
Riese has been noted for its usage of the RED One. It is also one of the first live action sci-fi web series to feature the steampunk genre . Production-value wise, it has been compared to the web efforts of Sanctuary and features a cast of top Sci-Fi actors from a variety of shows. It is also one of the first dramatic web series to incorporate animals as one of their cast ensemble.
The Story
Imagine a crumbling world, a parallel universe. A world of anachronisms, full of archaic characters and conventions. This world once enjoyed a lasting prosperity, due largely to the influence of the monarchy of Eleysia.
Eleysia - the kingdom of the wolf, governed by Kara and Ulric, was a peaceful nation. This all changed when a mysterious and unexpected coup d’etat, orchestrated from the shadows by a religious cult, brought about a regime change.
Taking the throne was Amara, Kara’s cousin. A power-hungry tyrant, Amara immediately utilized Eleysia’s resources to begin colonizing this world, toppling nation after nation in order to unite the people under one banner.
Even as Amara assaulted the world, an ominous, enigmatic group clearly wielded power over her. Called The Sect, they purported themselves to be the official religion of Eleysia, and began to spread alongside Eleysia’s borders. Horrifying tales of their practices began to circulate, casting an even darker shadow across this war-torn environment.
Since then, this world has begun to change.
The land is dying, resources are dwindling, and compassion is fading. Distrust and anxiety have clouded the people’s minds, causing a regression to primitive ways of thinking. People have grown restless, almost feral. Rituals and mythology have resurged, and the darker side of mankind has begun to reveal itself. Some say the end is coming. Shadows have begun lurking in the hearts of men.
The true horror of the world is not in how it ends, but what will become of mankind as it fractures.
And yet, despite the impending doom, a single beacon of light shines in Riese, a mysterious wanderer. Traveling with her wolf, Fenrir, she journeys across this barren world. Within her lies the strength and resolve to stop the nefarious plans of Empress Amara and the Sect and restore the kingdom of Eleysia to its former prosperity.
Characters
*Riese - Played by Christine Chatelain. Androgynous, yet feminine, Riese is the embodiment of ingenuity and inner strength. Contemplative, cool, mechanical, she walks in this fallen world with firm determination. To most a seemingly random wanderer, Riese flees throughout Eleysia, her father's wolf Fenrir at her side. Riese is hunted by a mysterious religious cult, The Sect, and their mercenaries the Huntsmen. Riese has constantly stayed one step ahead of the vicious pursuers chasing her. Her desire to run, however, may about to change.
*Fenrir - Self-proclaimed guardian of Riese, Fenrir keeps an ever watchful eye over the child of his master. Branded as vile and corrupt by The Sect, Fenrir and his kind have been forced to hide themselves in the wild. This will not prevent Fenrir, however, from taking action to save Riese whenever necessary.
*Amara - Played by Sharon Taylor. Power-hungry, malevolent cousin of Riese, Amara is a brilliant tactician. She was a baroness until she aided The Sect in slaughtering members of the royal family, thus establishing herself as the ruler of Eleysia. In exchange for helping her orchestrate the coup d’etat, The Sect expects more and more of Amara and her puppet government. A power struggle is eminent, revealing just how strong a strategist Amara really is. Her hunger for the expansion fo Eleysia into neighboring lands is second on ly to her desire for Riese’s elimination.
*Herrick - Played by Ben Cotton. Masked and nearly inhuman, Herrick is the senior Magister in the Sect, whose charge it to seek out and punish heretics. His past a mystery, as there is few who know his real identity. Herrick is charged in finding the whereabouts for Riese, though his intentions for her are not clear. Vicious and without conscience, he will stop at nothing to ensure his objective is complete.
*Trennan - Played by Patrick Gilmore. Trennan, a mid-ranking Sect member, is charged with serving as the liaison between Empress Amara and The Sect. Unlike most Sect members, much of Trennan's humanity and compassion is still preserved, though his confidence is weak. While his job is to prioritize Sect orders, his close relationship with Amara often clouds his judgment and obscures his true objectives. Feeling pressure from both Amara and the Sect, Trennan may eventually be forced to choose where his loyalties lie.
Other Characters & Organizations
*The Sect - This enigmatic group, now the official religion of Eleysia, is as powerful as it is merciless. Worshipping the Goddess Sonne, they believe the end of the world is coming, and the only path to salvation is eliminating all those who refuse to follow their path. Their reasons for orchestrating the coup against the previous rulers of Eleysia is unknown. As monasteries and indoctrination institutions rise throughout Eleysia, their grip over this world continues to tighten. Sect members are infamous for the strange relics that are affixed to both their clothing and skin. According to their lore, these holy artifacts bring them closer to their Goddess, Sonne.
*The Goddess Sonne - According to the Sakral Scrolls, the religious text of The Sect, the Goddess Sonne was the creator of the and world and its people. The people, however, grew jealous of her attention and turned on each other, refusing to hear her call. In one last effort to reach her people, she sought the help of her strongest believer, a man named Ritter. Affixing Ritter with her holy artifacts, she instructed him to lead the people back to her light.
*The Devil, Lune - According to the Sakral Scolls, the religious text of the Sect, when the Goddess Sonne reached out to Ritter, the people became resentful and hateful towards her. From this hatred was born The Devil, Lune. It is said that while Sonne wishes for prosperity to all her people, Lune lusts for all that the Goddess created to be destroyed.
*Ritter - Original founder of the Sect, supposedly chosen by Goddess Sonne herself. He was the first to have the holy artifacts of The Sect fused to his body. Is said to have perished centuries ago.
*Kara - Previous Empress of Eleysia. Was killed in the coup that was organized by her cousin, Amara, and The Sect.
*Ulric - Previous King of Eleysia. Was killed in the coup that was organized by his wife's cousin, Amara, and the Sect.
The Sect is Here - Alternate Reality Game
On September 20th, 2009, an Alternate Reality Game was begun at The Sect is Here, the companion site for Riese the Series. The game centers around The Sect, the villainous religious cult from Riese, existing in our world. Players must solve numerous online and location-specific puzzles in order to unravel the true objectives of the Sect.
*Puzzle 1 - This is Not the Path - When visiting The Sect is Here, numerous letters would occasionally flicker. Put together they spelled out a website - This is Not the Path. A message at this site, encoded in Base64, informed players that the 'line was not secure' and a new message would arrive Sept. 25, 2009.
Her past is shrouded in mystery as even Riese can’t recall the events of the tragic night when her entire family was slaughtered and she was forced to flee. On her journey, she’ll piece together her past and her destiny, in a struggle that will hold the fate of the world in the balance - and the once peaceful kingdom of Eleysia will be the battlefield. Despite the impending doom, Riese emerges as the sole beacon of hope.
Riese is co-created by Ryan Copple and Kaleena Kiff, and produced by Galen Fletcher and Nicholas Humphries. Production of the first five episodes has been completed, with the the next six beginning production in December. Episodes will begin streaming online this fall via YouTube and other video distribution channels.
Riese has been noted for its usage of the RED One. It is also one of the first live action sci-fi web series to feature the steampunk genre . Production-value wise, it has been compared to the web efforts of Sanctuary and features a cast of top Sci-Fi actors from a variety of shows. It is also one of the first dramatic web series to incorporate animals as one of their cast ensemble.
The Story
Imagine a crumbling world, a parallel universe. A world of anachronisms, full of archaic characters and conventions. This world once enjoyed a lasting prosperity, due largely to the influence of the monarchy of Eleysia.
Eleysia - the kingdom of the wolf, governed by Kara and Ulric, was a peaceful nation. This all changed when a mysterious and unexpected coup d’etat, orchestrated from the shadows by a religious cult, brought about a regime change.
Taking the throne was Amara, Kara’s cousin. A power-hungry tyrant, Amara immediately utilized Eleysia’s resources to begin colonizing this world, toppling nation after nation in order to unite the people under one banner.
Even as Amara assaulted the world, an ominous, enigmatic group clearly wielded power over her. Called The Sect, they purported themselves to be the official religion of Eleysia, and began to spread alongside Eleysia’s borders. Horrifying tales of their practices began to circulate, casting an even darker shadow across this war-torn environment.
Since then, this world has begun to change.
The land is dying, resources are dwindling, and compassion is fading. Distrust and anxiety have clouded the people’s minds, causing a regression to primitive ways of thinking. People have grown restless, almost feral. Rituals and mythology have resurged, and the darker side of mankind has begun to reveal itself. Some say the end is coming. Shadows have begun lurking in the hearts of men.
The true horror of the world is not in how it ends, but what will become of mankind as it fractures.
And yet, despite the impending doom, a single beacon of light shines in Riese, a mysterious wanderer. Traveling with her wolf, Fenrir, she journeys across this barren world. Within her lies the strength and resolve to stop the nefarious plans of Empress Amara and the Sect and restore the kingdom of Eleysia to its former prosperity.
Characters
*Riese - Played by Christine Chatelain. Androgynous, yet feminine, Riese is the embodiment of ingenuity and inner strength. Contemplative, cool, mechanical, she walks in this fallen world with firm determination. To most a seemingly random wanderer, Riese flees throughout Eleysia, her father's wolf Fenrir at her side. Riese is hunted by a mysterious religious cult, The Sect, and their mercenaries the Huntsmen. Riese has constantly stayed one step ahead of the vicious pursuers chasing her. Her desire to run, however, may about to change.
*Fenrir - Self-proclaimed guardian of Riese, Fenrir keeps an ever watchful eye over the child of his master. Branded as vile and corrupt by The Sect, Fenrir and his kind have been forced to hide themselves in the wild. This will not prevent Fenrir, however, from taking action to save Riese whenever necessary.
*Amara - Played by Sharon Taylor. Power-hungry, malevolent cousin of Riese, Amara is a brilliant tactician. She was a baroness until she aided The Sect in slaughtering members of the royal family, thus establishing herself as the ruler of Eleysia. In exchange for helping her orchestrate the coup d’etat, The Sect expects more and more of Amara and her puppet government. A power struggle is eminent, revealing just how strong a strategist Amara really is. Her hunger for the expansion fo Eleysia into neighboring lands is second on ly to her desire for Riese’s elimination.
*Herrick - Played by Ben Cotton. Masked and nearly inhuman, Herrick is the senior Magister in the Sect, whose charge it to seek out and punish heretics. His past a mystery, as there is few who know his real identity. Herrick is charged in finding the whereabouts for Riese, though his intentions for her are not clear. Vicious and without conscience, he will stop at nothing to ensure his objective is complete.
*Trennan - Played by Patrick Gilmore. Trennan, a mid-ranking Sect member, is charged with serving as the liaison between Empress Amara and The Sect. Unlike most Sect members, much of Trennan's humanity and compassion is still preserved, though his confidence is weak. While his job is to prioritize Sect orders, his close relationship with Amara often clouds his judgment and obscures his true objectives. Feeling pressure from both Amara and the Sect, Trennan may eventually be forced to choose where his loyalties lie.
Other Characters & Organizations
*The Sect - This enigmatic group, now the official religion of Eleysia, is as powerful as it is merciless. Worshipping the Goddess Sonne, they believe the end of the world is coming, and the only path to salvation is eliminating all those who refuse to follow their path. Their reasons for orchestrating the coup against the previous rulers of Eleysia is unknown. As monasteries and indoctrination institutions rise throughout Eleysia, their grip over this world continues to tighten. Sect members are infamous for the strange relics that are affixed to both their clothing and skin. According to their lore, these holy artifacts bring them closer to their Goddess, Sonne.
*The Goddess Sonne - According to the Sakral Scrolls, the religious text of The Sect, the Goddess Sonne was the creator of the and world and its people. The people, however, grew jealous of her attention and turned on each other, refusing to hear her call. In one last effort to reach her people, she sought the help of her strongest believer, a man named Ritter. Affixing Ritter with her holy artifacts, she instructed him to lead the people back to her light.
*The Devil, Lune - According to the Sakral Scolls, the religious text of the Sect, when the Goddess Sonne reached out to Ritter, the people became resentful and hateful towards her. From this hatred was born The Devil, Lune. It is said that while Sonne wishes for prosperity to all her people, Lune lusts for all that the Goddess created to be destroyed.
*Ritter - Original founder of the Sect, supposedly chosen by Goddess Sonne herself. He was the first to have the holy artifacts of The Sect fused to his body. Is said to have perished centuries ago.
*Kara - Previous Empress of Eleysia. Was killed in the coup that was organized by her cousin, Amara, and The Sect.
*Ulric - Previous King of Eleysia. Was killed in the coup that was organized by his wife's cousin, Amara, and the Sect.
The Sect is Here - Alternate Reality Game
On September 20th, 2009, an Alternate Reality Game was begun at The Sect is Here, the companion site for Riese the Series. The game centers around The Sect, the villainous religious cult from Riese, existing in our world. Players must solve numerous online and location-specific puzzles in order to unravel the true objectives of the Sect.
*Puzzle 1 - This is Not the Path - When visiting The Sect is Here, numerous letters would occasionally flicker. Put together they spelled out a website - This is Not the Path. A message at this site, encoded in Base64, informed players that the 'line was not secure' and a new message would arrive Sept. 25, 2009.
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