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Continue reading “Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 13”Tag: long reads
The Well Below the Valley, Episode 13: Daybreak
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
KURT Cross, private investigator who has already seen too much. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, who still remembers how to use a sword. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
Father John WHITNEY, slayer of sacrifices and summoner of monsters. Male, early 50s, Northern English accent.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, who always comes prepared. Female, mid 20s, posh British accent.
Three or more CULTISTS and residents of Whitmoor. Male or female, 30s or 40s, Northern English accents.
Sheriff Norbert OAKS, unofficially the second in command of the cult. Male, mid-40s, Northern English accent.
MARIE Campbell, not quite sacrificed. Female, early 20s, Northern English accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, determined rationalist. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
JASMINE Indrani, staunch defender of the women’s shelter and its residents. Female, late 20s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
JONATHAN Martel, butler and caretaker of the Westmont estate. Male, mid-50s, Northern English accent.
MARJANI Kaur, physician and practical optimist. Female, early 30s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
CLAIRE Cooper, holy vessel. Female, late teens, Northern English accent.
Scene 1: Ext. Fields outside Whitmoor – Night
MUSIC: OPENING THEME.
The music fades into the howling of the wind over Whitmoor’s dry fields. In the distance, a copse of dead trees shake and rattle. Underneath the noise, a drone is present, steady and pervasive.
Something enormous and heavy is coming into being among those trees. A heavy footfall shakes the ground, and a dry branch snaps.
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 13: Daybreak”The Well Below the Valley, Episode 12: Sundown
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, former Ottoman cavalry officer. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
JASMINE Indrani, practical ex-academic. Female, late 20s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
KURT Cross, reluctantly courageous private eye. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
MARJANI Kaur, director and doctor of the women’s home. Female, early 30s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
VIOLET, a resident of the women’s home after her house was lost in a fire. Female, 50s, Northern English accent.
BELLA, the young daughter of a women’s home resident. Female, four years old, Northern English accent.
WINIFRED, Bella’s mother and a war widow. Female, mid-30s, Northern English accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, who far prefers the boring routines of his lab. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
JONATHAN Martel, defender of the Westmont estate and its young mistress. Male, mid-50s, Northern English accent.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, who wants to keep her past and present lives separate. Female, mid 20s, posh British accent.
AURELIA Westmont, less than blissful in ignorance. Female, late teens, posh English accent.
JAMES MacDonald, refugee from the ransacked bookshop. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Sheriff Norbert OAKS, cult enforcer. Male, mid-40s, Northern English accent.
Richard LESTER and Charles PICK, Whitmoor police deputies. Both male, mid-20s, Northern English accents.
Father John WHITNEY, Whitmoor cult leader. Male, early 50s, Northern English accent.
MARIE Campbell, unwilling cult sacrifice. Female, early 20s, Northern English accent.
Scene 1: Int. Whitmoor Area Women’s Home – Night
MUSIC: OPENING THEME.
The music fades out quickly, leaving the tense, empty quiet of the house. A floorboard creaks above; MARJANI and the residents are upstairs, while JASMINE waits by the front door. We can hear her breathing softly. Distant, muffled shouts indicate the activity in the town.
The loud, rapid pounding of a fist on the outside of the door breaks the quiet. JASMINE draws in a breath.
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 12: Sundown”The Well Below the Valley, Episode 11: Dust to Dust
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
Father John WHITNEY, leader of the Whitmoor church and all that entails. Male, early 50s, Northern English accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, botanist and semi-voluntary investigator. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, protective older cousin. Female, mid 20s, posh British accent.
KURT Cross, veteran of the French Foreign Legion, among other things. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, who has seen this before. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
AURELIA Westmont, sheltered heiress. Female, late teens, posh British accent.
A pair of Whitmoor CULTISTS, searching for a particular text. Both male, ages can vary, Northern English accents.
JAMES MacDonald, oblivious citizen and book enthusiast. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Scene 1: Int. Whitmoor Parish Church – Day
MUSIC: OPENING THEME.
Father WHITNEY approaches the investigators at a casual pace. The floorboards creak, and his steps echo; the church is a tall, narrow building.
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 11: Dust to Dust”The Well Below the Valley, Episode 10: All Who Have Ears to Hear
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
KURT Cross, actor, private investigator, and former skeptic. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, Metropolitan police detective and raging caffeine addict. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, skeptic enough for the whole group. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Eloise “ELLIE: Westmont, returned home at last. Female, mid 20s, posh British accent.
JASMINE Indrani, haunted by the ghost of her mentor. Female, late 20s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
A Whitmoor FARMER, unwelcoming to outsiders and unphased by recent events. Male, middle aged, Northern English accent.
Constable Ben COREY, who learned not to ask questions. Male, mid 20s, Northern English accent.
MARIE Campbell, post office attendant and dreamer. Female, early 20s, Northern English accent.
Robert SANGFORD, telegraph operator and de facto postmaster. Male, early 40s, Northern English accent.
Father John WHITNEY, Whitmoor parish priest. Male, early 50s, Northern English accent.
Scene 1: Int. Westmont estate, third floor – Day
MUSIC: OPENING THEME.
KURT wakes, shaking off a dream; to represent the dream lingering, the sounds of a drone, a steady drip of water into a metal sink, and the rattle of an old radiator fade in after the music and fade out as he narrates.
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 10: All Who Have Ears to Hear”The Well Below the Valley, Episode 9: Green Grows the Lily
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
CLAIRE Cooper, harbinger of the new world. Female, late teens, Northern English accent.
Dr. MARJANI Kaur, caretaker of the women’s home. Female, early 30s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
JASMINE Indrani, no longer an academic. Female, late 20s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, torn between horror and scientific curiosity. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, heir to ancient secrets. Female, mid-20s, posh English accent.
KURT Cross, who has accepted the occult but doesn’t like it. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, believer in a better world despite all evidence to the contrary. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
The voice of Professor Emundr RAGNARSSON, speaking once more from beyond the grave. Male, late 50s, Icelandic accent.
JONATHAN Martel, long-serving butler of the Westmont estate. Male, mid-50s, Northern English accent.
AURELIA Westmont, sole resident of the Westmont estate and Ellie’s favorite cousin. Female, late teens, posh English accent.
Sheriff Norbert OAKS, Whitmoor gatekeeper. Male, mid-40s, Northern English accent.
JAMES MacDonald, friendly neighborhood bookbinder. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
The voice of ESTRILDA de Westemond, witch in captivity. Female, early 20s, Northern English accent.
Scene 1: Int. Whitmoor Area Women’s Home, upstairs bedroom – Day
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 9: Green Grows the Lily”The Well Below the Valley, Episode 8: And In the Lowest Deep, a Lower Deep Opens Wide
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
FREYDÍS Emundrsdóttir, in search of closure. Female, late 20s, slight Icelandic accent.
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, torn between following orders and pursuing the truth. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
Chief Superintendent Winston PEMBROKE, Sr., determined to put this whole affair behind us. Male, early 60s, English accent with audible mustache.
KURT Cross, former actor and perhaps current believer in magic. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
William “WILL” Grey, bartender and gatekeeper of the Cross and Coin. Male, late 20s, London accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, botanist and believer in rationality. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Professor Frederick HALE, another of Milton’s victims. Male, early 50s, posh British accent.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, descendent of a long line of occultists and eccentrics. Female, mid-20s, posh English accent.
JASMINE Indrani, interim director of the Whitmoor Area Women’s Home. Female, late 20s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
MARJANI Kaur, resident doctor of the Whitmoor Area Women’s Home. Female, early 30s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
CLAIRE Cooper, the chosen one. Female, late teens, Northern English accent.
Scene 1: Int. Scotland Yard – Day
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 8: And In the Lowest Deep, a Lower Deep Opens Wide”The Well Below the Valley, Episode 7: The Souls of the Heathens
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, probably the best investigator of the group. Female, mid 20s, posh English accent.
Detective Chief Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, lender of a small degree of official authority to the operation. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
KURT Cross, actor, veteran, and car-haver. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
The FIRST CULTIST at the scene, Milton’s enforcer. Male, any age, London accent.
The SECOND CULTIST at the scene, perhaps one with more focus on the magic and mysteries. Male, any age, London accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, a logical person about to be plunged into an illogical world. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Sebastian MILTON, custodian of arcane lore and hidden mysteries. Male, mid 50s, London accent.
JASMINE Indrani, the late professor’s missing assistant. Female, late 20s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
Henry CARLTON, Ernest’s longtime friend and practical grounding influence. Male, early 30s, London accent.
EMILIA Niyazova, one of the only people in this Godforsaken city who can make a good cup of Turkish coffee. Female, early 20s, slight Russian (actually Kazakh) accent.
NIGEL Blackthorne, believer in magic. Male, early 30s, posh British accent.
Scene 1: Ext. South Bank market – Night
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 7: The Souls of the Heathens”The Well Below the Valley, Episode 6: The Birth of the World to Come
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
KURT Cross, the face of Sunset Investigations. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
Detective Chief Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, erstwhile believer in a just world. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
Chief Superintendent Winston PEMBROKE, Sr., an authority figure more interested in results than process. Male, early 60s, English accent with audible mustache.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, private investigator and avid photographer. Female, mid 20s, posh English accent.
A local SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR, brief and professional. Female, probably 20s or 30s, London accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, intellectual out of his element. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Sebastian MILTON, dealer in rare books and rarer secrets. Male, mid 50s, London accent.
The FIRST CULTIST at the scene, an all-around ruffian. Male, any age, London accent.
Scene 1: Int. London tenement – Day
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 6: The Birth of the World to Come”The Well Below the Valley, Episode 5: And There Is Nothing Green That Remains
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, a man of reason caught up in an unreasonable set of circumstances. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
FREYDÍS Emundrsdóttir, a woman with questions. Female, late 20s, slight Icelandic accent.
KURT Cross, an actor and detective perpetually unlucky in love. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
Detective Chief Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, a stranger in a strange land. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
William “WILL” Grey, bartender and host to several of London’s strangest characters. Male, late 20s, London accent.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, private investigator, photographer, picker of locks, and actress in her own right. Female, mid 20s, posh English accent.
NIGEL Blackthorne, established ranter on a particular street corner. Male, early 30s, posh British accent.
Constable John TAYLOR, a useful tool for an unseen force. Male, early 20s, London accent.
Scene 1: Int. University of London laboratory – Day
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 5: And There Is Nothing Green That Remains”
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