Faithience


Legends of Onile



Legends of Onile: Dayo



By Nadjib Adebola Assani

As her mythic powers rise, young outsider Dayo must face a vast evil before it engulfs the disparate, warring realms in the land of Onile.

Naruto in Game of Thrones, set in African Yoruba lore.
20‐25 minute episode. 2D animation


STORY
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Intelligent and a bit temperamental, teenage Dayo lives as a quiet outsider under the eye of an overprotective mother Kayin… until their village is brutally assaulted and Kayin trusts a mysterious woman with Dayo. While escaping, the woman quickly reveals that Dayo is the descendant of a powerful line of River Spirits: beings created by the river goddess Oshun to protect the world. Feeling betrayed by her mother’s secrecy, Dayo voyages to her ancestral world of Onile to uncover the full scale of her powers as a magical artist who can bring anything she creates to life, be it drawn or sculpted with clay—laaye (living) designs.

However, the Woman has intentions of her own, and deceives her to an ancient, malevolent force called the Akala. Now alone, on the run, and unable to trust anyone, Dayo begins a vast quest to reclaim her lost legacy, develop her mother’s River Spirit abilities, reveal her father’s warrior abilities, unite warring peoples and bring balance to the realm. Soon joined by the charming and always‐ravenous fire warrior Adisa, and Kalu an ever‐wise space warrior, Dayo must uncover ancient secrets from kingdoms across Onile, including the drum (llu), sword (Ida), fire (lna), space (Aye) realms… who each have their own intentions for Onile, and for Dayo’s growing powers.

Despite help of Master River Spirit Fola and the drum king Lekan, Dayo is hunted across Onile by a growing number of enemies, the Akala, and her own upsetting past. A massive, multi‐year story set against tremendous odds, Dayo’s success is set on the edge of a knife, and one wrong move could mean the end for everyone. Yet, by facing wave after wave of these fears, both personally and alongside her companions, the adult Dayo will find a way to bring all kingdoms together, both for war, and more importantly, for lasting and real peace.


Dayo

The story begins as a confused, temperamental teenage Dayo runs for her life and is assisted (or not) in one location after another while being hunted by the invading Akala. However, once her mother chooses to serve as the seal that locks the Akala armies out of Onile, Dayo vows to save her and grow her own powers while helping to rally the destabilized kingdoms of Onile. Eventually, as she grows in power and overcomes sometimes terrible obstacles, her mission shifts from only her mother to uniting everyone in Onile against the evil force of Akala as an adult.


Season 1

A surprise attack, the Akala assault her quiet remote village, and mother Kayin must send her daughter Dayo into the depths of Onile. Yet, there Dayo discovers the great and endless war between their ancient evil and the river‐spirits. Realizing the violent scope of this war, Dayo accepts the tutelage of Fola the Master River Spirit and Lekan the drum king to regain her powers and help the realm. However, nowhere is safe and Dayo also meets Adisa and Kalu to form a three‐man team. To regain Dayo's lost abilities while on the run, Fola requires Dayo to overcome a range of obstacles while teaching her the artistic riverspirit practices and unlock her dormant power. As the season progresses, Dayo will come to see just how brutally the Akala have terrorized each kingdom, and she'll vow to become the strongest riverspirit monarch in history to protect the realm. The season will also explore the themes of creation and protection, rather than using brute strength and destruction… even in the face of tremendous, painful personal betrayal.

Each episode unravels more of the mystery behind Dayo’s lineage and power, and explores a different, highly‐political faction in Onile as Dayo and her comrades move from one bastion of power to another. Most critically, we will watch as a rebellious, sometimes volatile Dayo faces intensely difficult, even impossible decisions each time, and then be forced to live by these decisions going forward. By doing this though, she becomes in many different ways more thoughtful and mature… and eventually capable and deeply compassionate as an adult.


Following Seasons

As Dayo grows, she awakens to her riverspirit powers and explore how the different, once‐peaceful kingdoms of Onile have had their cultures warped by the Akala’s terrible subjugation. She and her friends will meet the great monarchs, gods and wonders of Onile, and reveal a troubling connection to the Akala, as well as discover why her father died when she was only a baby. Each of her relationships will be tested to their very limits, though often bonds will be too strong to ever break.
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Finally, the means to finally end the Akala will require overcoming painful personal growth for an adult Dayo, making terrible choices, travelling across realms of magic into worrying, unknown lands, and capturing the Onile Crown, a powerful item with its own story… and agenda.


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