STORMERE
Season 1, Episode 2: "Legends & Nightmares"
EXT. FOREST RIDGE – NIGHT
The injured MAN from last episode (20s, haunted, sharp-eyed) lies by the fire. His wounds are bound. The group watches him uneasily.
SOREN: You’ve got a name, stranger?
KAEL (hoarse, bitter): Kael. That’s all you need to know. Not really a trusting guy.
HUNTER: And what were you running from? You said someone's coming.
Kael hesitates. His eyes flick to the dark treeline, as if the woods themselves might be listening.
KAEL: They call themselves the Ashen Veil. They live out there… just beyond the valley across from the woods. You saw me bleeding? That was their welcome gift.
LYLA: I've heard about them. They're a crazy-ass cult. That's one of the main reasons people "suggest" not to travel beyond the valley.
KAEL: And they don’t worship a normal God. They worship someone worse.
The fire pops. Everyone leans in.
KAEL: A man named… Nox.
The name seems to scare even the forest itself.
ARIADNE (tense): I’ve read about that name. When I was learning how to star-see, my old mentor mentioned of a man corrupted by an unthinkable force. No one has heard of that man for decades.
LYRA (rolling her eyes, but uneasy): Great. A nightmare god and a murder cult. Just what we needed to have extra fun on this trip.
Hunter fixes Kael with a stare.
HUNTER: So you were trapped by this cult. So when you escaped, why run to us?
KAEL: To be fair, I didn't know there would be people here. But when I saw light, I had to rush here cause I needed help.
HUNTER: Alright. But why were you imprisoned by them?
KAEL: Because I heard something I shouldn't.
ALERIC: What?
KAEL: That Nox is after the same thing everyone wants. Stormfall. And trust me, you don’t want him to get there first.
SMASH TO TITLE: STORMFALL
EXT. FOREST TRAIL – MORNING
The group walks. Soren lingers by Kael, studying him.
SOREN: So… prison escapee, huh? That sounds fun.
KAEL (dry): If you think being captive with little to no food or water is fun, then you're clearly someone with quite a few issues... Someone like you wouldn't survive a day in that prison.
SOREN: Maybe. But the difference between you and me is that I wouldn’t have been caught in the first place.
Lyra laughs. Ariadne smirks. Hunter scowls.
HUNTER: Stop being a jerk, Soren. Kael's been through enough.
SOREN: Oh, what a surprise. Hunter always takes the side of everyone except his own brother!
LYRA: He kinda has a point, Soren. You could be like... 46% less of a jerk. Then, you'd be funny.
They continue, banter bouncing. For the first time, the group starts to feel less like strangers, more like a weird ass group.
EXT. RIVERBEND CLEARING – AFTERNOON
The crew pauses to rest. Ariadne kneels, tracing patterns in the dirt with a shard of stone.
ARIADNE: The camp of the Ashen Veil is near. The stars tell me as much.
ALERIC (grumbling): Can you stop star-seeing during the day? You know that drains your magic much quicker.
A rustle in the undergrowth. The group snaps to attention. Nothing. Just silence.
KAEL: I think Ariadne was right. They’re watching us. Let's keep moving. The edge of the forest isn't far from where we are.
EXT. EDGE OF THE FOREST – SUNSET
The trees thin. Ahead, torches burn in the twilight, an unnatural circle of firelight. Shapes chant low and rhythmic.
The camera pulls back, revealing a sprawling encampment of bone-carved idols, shrouded banners, and hooded figures swaying in unison.
ARIADNE (whisper): The Ashen Veil.
Kael’s jaw tightens.
KAEL: Back to hell I go.
The group exchanges nervous looks. Soren grips his blade tighter.
HUNTER: It’s not too late to turn back.
SOREN: No. We’ve come this far. And the path, clearly continues beyond their camp. We just need to be quiet. They don't look to be that many as well, so I think we're good.
They step forward, the chanting growing louder, stranger. The cult’s symbols glow faintly in the firelight, warped like shadows bent out of place.
The camera rises, showing the scale of the camp, dozens, maybe hundreds of cultists and constructions.
FADE OUT