The Serpent's Cry

**The Serpent's Cry** is a 3865 A.A. independent fantasy-horror-drama directed by Päiviö Selänne, produced by Sini Nykänen. Written by and starring all five members of Our Fragile Echo, it is based on an original screenplay by Päiviö Selänne and Sini Nykänen.

Independently released by Our Fragile Echo's film branch of Fragile Echo Records, the short film grossed $20,892,504 against a budget of $3 million. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the film for its plot, writing, pacing, acting, and music.

The short film received an R-Rating from the MPAA for “a brutal killing of an entire family, nudity throughout, and for brief strong language”.

## Plot

The film follows Khairiya binti Naazim (portrayed by Päiviö Selänne) during wartime in Eastern Asia. A team of rogue troopers from the Organization of Rift Seekers killed and burned her entire family, stripped Khairiya of all her clothing, and sent her out to freeze to death in the wilderness. To make matters worse, she is caught in the middle of the worst blizzard in history.

Not even an hour into her ordeal, Khairiya accepts her fate as she collapses into unconsciousness. An unspecified amount of time later, Khairiya, still nude but alive, awakens deep in a cavern wrapped in animal skins near a warm fire. She sits up, but an unseen voice tells her to rest, and that she is lucky to be alive. When Khairiya asks to see who saved her so that she can thank her, a massive nāga appears from the shadows.

Khairiya learns that her name is Hrakya and that she saved Khairiya from the elements because Nāgas serve as protectors from invisible forces, deities, or those with malicious intention. After learning the fate of Khairiya's family, Hrakya states that she knows all about the global war and had been hoping it would spare Eastern Asia. Hrakya decides that she will not allow her new companion to leave her cavern unsupervised, for she has seen futures where the troopers will slaughter Khairiya if they find her. She forces Khairiya to swear that she'll never put herself in harm's way.

A month passes by as Khairiya and Hrakya bond further and learn more about each other. Hrakya reveals that her kind is part of a long line of divine creatures that pre-dates the alternation. The Nāgas were unaffected by the destruction of the entire multiverse, and assisted the other gods and goddesses with recreating everything.

[Plot is a work-in-progress...]

## Cast

* Anya Starveil Castella as the voice of Hrakya:

A female benevolent Nāga and the title character. In the short film, she rescues Khairiya binti Naazim from freezing to death in the wilderness after rogue troopers murdered her entire family. Khairiya is over 1,000 years old, and stretches to over 40 meters (132 feet) long while weighing 3,330 lbs (1.65 tons).

Speaking on her design inspiration and casting Starveil, Päiviö explained that after spending an entire evening listening to Stargazers' music, that they “just had to” cast Starveil as the title character of their first film. Once Starveil was officially cast as the voice of Hrakya, Päiviö and Sini Nykänen worked closely to design a character that remained accurate to traditional representations of the Naga, while also taking inspiration from the appearance of Starveil herself.

Speaking on why they believed Starveil would be the perfect voice for the character, Päiviö explained: “We wanted somebody with a gentle but powerful voice, and Starveil fits that bill perfectly. It's like we were writing the entire role for her before we'd even heard of her, but I'm glad we discovered her. Starveil is so fucking talented, well ahead of her time. Her band is going to go far in life.”
* Päiviö Selänne as Khairiya binti Naazim:

A young Malaysian crow whose entire family was murdered by troopers from the Organization of Rift Seekers Saga when they attacked her village. She was stripped and sent out to die in the worst of extremely rare blizzards that the country had faced, but a benevolent Nāga called Khairiya saved her life, and they formed a strong friendship over the months that followed.

Päiviö explained that, to prepare for the role, she studied Malaysian culture and language intensely, and mastered an accent that would give the role an authentic flare. (She would have cast a Malaysian actress if anybody in her circle knew one, though.)
* Sini Nykänen as Trooper #1
* Kullervo Venäläinen as Trooper #2, Khairiya's Husband
* Heljä Ketola as Trooper #3
* Hellä Karttunen as Trooper #4
* TBD ... Khairiya's Mother
* TBD ... Khairiya's Father
* TBD ... Khairiya's Daughter
* TBD ... Khairiya's Sister
* TBD ... Khairiya's Brother