Team Salmon #4: Whirlwind

This year I shared seven ideas I have for very distant TAPAS productions, most of them in the medium of animation - "Team Salmon" being the hypothetical animation division of TAPAS. The official additions to the blog will, effectively, be the third draft of these presentations, the most current and up-to-date version of the stories that exist right now. The September 2018 version for the historical record.

WHIRLWIND

Whirlwind is the animated adaptation of the Dungeons & Dragons campaign I've been playing with McKenzie and Nathalie. It's going to need to be licensed, or else we'll have to change the names of all the D&D gods and monsters... hopefully, we can both get the license and be given the creative freedom to keep it perfectly faithful to the campaign.

The Style

The best thing I can compare the aesthetic to is Sofia the First, which is CGI-animated with cel-shading and painted backgrounds so that characters from both 2D and 3D Disney films can fit seamlessly into the world. So, a Disneyesque look... but with all the gritty realism, gruesome injuries, and spectacular beefcake/cheesecake you'd expect from a D&D story.

The First Episode

The story of the first episode can be found here. I'm writing a novelization of the campaign and posting it on fanfiction.net; that will serve as the basis for our cartoon scripts. Following that link you can also find the rest of Whirlwind's story - four episodes of it, as of this writing - and, well, the rest of my fanfic career, which I'm varying degrees of ashamed of.

The Setting

The story begins in the city of Sheradon, a pseudo-medieval town with motifs both Greco-Roman and modeled after modern-day Greece and Italy. Someday soon, the entire rest of this magical world and universe, taking elements from every D&D setting I'm aware of. Exactly what's out there, I haven't fully solidified yet.

The Characters

Anwen Ma'Sijor: McKenzie's character, a half-elven ranger. Orphaned years ago, Anwen has grown up on the streets of the worst neighborhood in Sheradon, defending it from crime.

Pelora Newserge: Nathalie's character, a half-elven cleric. Daughter of religious pilgrims, Pelora has traveled to temples all over two worlds but seldom seen anything outside the walls of the family wagon.

Others: There are plans for at least four other player characters to join the party. Depends on the availability of whoever might play them.

The Further Story

Volume 0: The first four episodes, the part of the story we played a couple of years ago. Anwen and Pelora are shaken out of their daily routine by Semaj Oklahim, a mysterious and obnoxious investor who wants them to become a team of heroes called Whirlwind. After a battle with some giant bugs attacking the neighborhood and a few run-ins with a skull-faced gentleman known only as Bone Mask Guy, they begin to consider taking this step outside of their usual life.

Future: It's hard to say; at the moment, we're in the middle of playing the sixth episode. I plan for there to be another 30 volumes corresponding to the 30 levels of gameplay. And I've certainly got enough ideas to fill 30 story arcs, but as I am but the DM, who knows what direction it'll go?

Bonus Chapters: I intend to end every volume with a bonus chapter, a one-shot story set in the same world, nearby but only slightly connected to the main storyline, played by a revolving door of other friends and contributors and starring the characters they create.