Iona (film): epic/action/adventure - A cursed ancient mythological Celtic warrior rises again after being discovered in seclusion, alerting her enemy and facing her toughest battle to stop her enemies path of destruction.

SYNOPSIS:

Long, long ago, a tribe known as The Gaiscíoch Tribe dwelled among the many mountains of Europe, where they faithfully and fearlessly defended the poor and the weak from the destruction of their lands by the tyranny that ruled. These warriors were not just any ordinary warriors, for they had powers that most other tribes did not inherit: they had magic. Lead by the honourable and the fair chieftain, Cathal, the tribe fought fiercely for justice and peace for one and all, moving from island to island, by sea and ocean, to be wherever they were needed.

Cathal was a strong man and very protective of his one and only daughter, Iona, a feisty young warrior who was kind, fair, and gentle. She inherited her father’s raven black hair and her mother Una’s dark eyes and milk-white skin, a beauty that became legend and left in awe those who gazed upon her. It was a beauty that enraged the bitter hearts of other tribal-warrior maidens. No more than that of Livia, a Nordic warrior of terrifying reputation for the pain she so mercilessly inflicted upon those she seen as weak. Livia, with her cold ice-blue eyes and shock white hair, too was the daughter of Chieftain, a spoilt child who grew to be a ruthless and cruel young woman who was once said to have turned the North Sea red with the blood spill of a whole town. She was the very opposite of Iona in every way.

With her unearthly dark eyes, ink-black hair and affinity for ravens, Iona became known as the legend that is ‘The Raven’. She travelled with her tribe and healed the wounded and sick, cleared storms from the skies, calmed the rough seas for the safe passage of sailors, and produced rain for withering crops. Every act of kindness only enraged Livia more.

Hearing of the evil that Livia inflicted upon the people of her land, Cathal assembled his tribe and travelled to Tonsberg where they engaged in a vicious battle that lasted five days and nights. Warriors on both sides were slain, those that survived were weak and wary. The Gaiscíoch Tribe drove back Livia and her tribe from the town of Tonsberg, to the boarders in the country. Livia swore a revenge so heartless that legend has it the sun failed to shine for one whole month because her rage was so strong.

The Ravens hand in marriage was in demand and Cathal chose very carefully who should wed his only daughter. For this, he chose a charming Irish prince by the name of Cormac, a strong and fair soldier who ruled the land with a kind hand and a loyal heart. One the eve of the wedding, The Raven and her tribe moved into the east wing of Bally Castle, a place that would become home to The Raven. In her flowing white evening gown The Raven wandered to the pebble beach at the castles edge, soon fearing she would become devoured by the heavy fog that rolled in from the sea. The fog curtained a dangerous threat, for the bows of many large ships appeared, and before she could turn on her heels she was captured by rogue sailors at Livia’s command. Upon her neck, they placed a very rare gemstone of Zilinica, a gem that would render the most powerful of magic moot. Bound and helpless, The Raven screamed a warning to the castle of the brutal arrival of Livia’s tribe, the fog quickly disappearing to reveal the town was ablaze.

Emerging from the light of the flames, Livia smiled at her deathly work. The Gaiscíoch Tribe rushed from the castle, Cathal leading and ready for battle, though they could have not anticipated an ambush so fierce. Tribe against tribe, magic against magic, a bloody battle waged. The Raven was forced to watch and endure each of her tribe falling, a tear falling for each warrior.

At last, there were three left standing; Cathal, Una, and Cormac. Holding her hands out towards the three, Livia used her own powers to make it impossible for them to move. They were frozen to the spot. The Raven screamed, she pleaded to no avail, for every sorrowful sound only served to please Livia more. The rage and sorrow turned The Ravens eyes as ink black as the feathers of a raven, as all three of her beloved were slaughtered before her very eyes.

Livia brought down Bally castle around them, the dust mixing with smoke from the flames which glowed in the darkness of The Ravens eyes – and her heart. Pulling aside the cloth covering the chest of The Raven, Livia marked an ‘X’ on her heart with her finger, singeing and scarring her skin. She whispered ‘’I have claimed your heart. Only I can bring about your death. But first you will suffer!’’.

The fog again rolled in and out, taking with it Livia and her tribe, leaving The Raven sobbing into the ashes. What happened next, no one knows. Legends and tales have it that The Raven, so broken with sorrow and vowing to never love again, sought solace and peace with the suffering bestowed by Livia, though no one is quite sure where. It is thought that for centuries Livia has roamed the earth in search of The Raven to take what she had once claimed – her heart.

Now, 500 hundred years later, a young man by the name of Ben believes he has discovered The Raven in the mountains of Glenbarach and ignited a deadly battle once again…