Outpost: Isil Logo
The current machinima series from Treeskunk Productions that takes place on the Halo 3 map Valhalla and centered around the conflict between a human and elite base. The show is a remake of Outpost: Coagulation, a Halo 2 machinima, that features additional characters and a heavily modified storyline. The Human base is a combination of The Pit and Rat's Nest while the Elite base is filmed on Construct.
Story[]
Season 1[]
Episode 1: Rekindle the Flames
The pilot episode of Outpost: Isil. Shadow, who has just finished his latest recipe, goes out looking for Rico to taste test it. He asks Skippy, but he doesn't know where he is. Shadow goes outside the base and is nearly hit by a blast from a beam rifle. Rico arrives being chased by two Elites on ghosts and another giving sniper support. Rico explains that after they insulted his mother, he killed all but three of the Elites and stole a flag with the UNSC logo it. Rico once again fends off the Elites's attacks with Shadow's "help". The two ponder why the flag is so important and why the Elites had it. Rico then calls command for reinforcements in anticipation of the upcoming conflict between the two bases.
Episode 2: All Hail the Legally and Willfully Elected Leader of Nuevo Fairy Land
The Elites return to their base at the other end of the valley where they discuss their current status and what to do about replacements for their dead commanders. Dundo suggests that they have an election to see who will be their next leader. After an arduously long process that involves setting up a constitution, the three of them nominate only Freng, leaving him to run un-opposed. After the now unnecessary voting process, Freng is elected leader of the Elites.
Episode 3:Scotland the Very Brave
Viper and Fernando, the gangsta warthog, arrive in Valhalla and drive to the Human base. They are violently "greeted" by Shadow who tells him that all of the ranking officers, except for Rico, have died in various accidents. Viper reveals that he is a mechanic without any combat experience and that he can't even drive Fernando.
Episode 4: Close Encounters of the Violent Kind
Rico takes Viper and Shadow to the Pelican crash site to retrieve their hidden training videos. However, while they're there looking around, Viper runs into Grundar, who both start shooting at one another. The two have prolonged and ineffective fight that ends up with Viper cornered outside the Elite base. Shadow and Rico arrive in Fernando and crush Grundar with the warthog and rescue Viper.
Episode 5: L’Excursion Grande
Rico, Viper, and Shadow return from their victorious battle with the Elites. Skippy takes Viper on a tour of the base and reveals various qualities about the other characters. Back at the Elite base, Dundo and Freng wonder what their future holds with only themselves surviving. Suddenly the Elite's medical officer, Voldack, wakes up after being killed by Rico prior to the first episode during the mentioned attack on the Elite base. He examines Grundar, revealing he too is not dead, and the Elites once again find themselves no longer so outnumbered.
Episode 6: The Art-ish of War
At the Elite base, Voldack explains that the flag captured by Rico is the carrier of respawn, a power that can bring those wearing certain armors back to life, which explains why he and Grundar are not dead. Voldack takes the last Banshee and heads for the Human base to retrieve the lost flag. Meanwhile, Rico is training Viper and Shadow on how to use their new spartan laser and tests the weapon on the incoming Banshee, killing Voldack once again.
Episode 7: History
The Elites bring Voldack's dead body back to their base complaining about their lost Banshee. Meanwhile, at the Human base, Viper begins to build a Hornet from the various spare parts around the base. Rico tells Viper about how Shadow accidentally killed all the previous commanding officers of the base through his carelessness. Skippy, who claims to have laryngitis, appears asking for his medical charts. Rico tells him that they were in the same crate as the training videos that is now in the possession of the Elites.
Note: The different voice of Skippy is the result of swapping voice actors for the character. Freng's voice pitch was left unedited in the first version of this episode.
Episode 8: Pains of the Plan
The Elites once again find Voldack alive and well, proving the power and existence of respawn to the skeptical Elites. Meanwhile, the Humans spy on the Elite base in order to determine the location of their lost files and begin to plan an attack on the base to retrieve them. Rico reveals that he a cause of the lack of subordinate soldiers at the Human base having killed many of them for various reasons. Viper reveals that he has finished constructing a Hornet from the spare parts and put Fernando, the gangsta A.I., into the ship for its tactical benefit.
Episode 9: Full Frontal
Special ops Commander Halmat contacts Dundo claiming to have important info for Freng. Dundo mistakes him for a human telemarketer and hangs up on him. Voldack reveals to Freng that the flag is just a camoflauge for not only the respawn device, but also an ancient Forerunner Oracle. Later, the Hornet arrives shooting Voldack and scaring away Grundar. Rico gets caught in the middle of Grundar and Dundo. Dundo throws a spike grenade missing and hitting Grundar. Viper plants the explosives. Rico finds the box empty and Freng meets him. After the shootout Rico is cornered. Viper saves Rico in the last second. They fly away on the Hornet as the sound of the base exploding is heard as it fades to black.
Episode 10: Embedded
Two unknown male and female humans approach the human base. They go up to Skippy who is sitting on "Betsy." Skippy fires continuously at them as they run and hide behind a rock. There is a huge barrage of gunfire as Shadow and Viper join in. After they stop, Skippy admits that he thought they were clowns and reveals his strange hatred and paranoia for them. The two unknown humans act suspicious and claim they are reporters named Lauren and Cameron. Lauren tells Rico about something called project Green Lantern that she claims he's a part of. Rico orders Viper to lock them up. Viper is confused, but Rico agrees to explain everything later.
Characters[]
Humans[]
Shadow
VA: Zack Fester
A sarcastic and cowardly trainee who is essentially useless in combat. Wearing green armor, he carries a SMG and rocket launcher and killed the previous commanders of the Human base in various accidents through his clumsiness.
Skippy
VA: T.J. Baurain (ep.1-6), Rich Penna (ep.7-)
The medic of the Human base who uses his medical supplies to make drugs. He has an obsession with the turret on the base that he calls "Betsy." He has intense hatred and paranoia for clowns.
Rico
VA: Chris Gravitt
A short-tempered Texan, who is the acting commanding officer of the Human base. He brews moonshine in his quarters from various chemicals around the base and stores them in fusion core containers. He is the only Human with any combat capacity and single handily killed much of the Elite command prior to the first episode.
Viper
VA: Mike Owen
The Scottish mechanic who is sent to the base as a reinforcement alongside Fernando who has no actual combat experience. He rebuilds a Hornet from spare parts in the Human base in order to attack the Elite base.
Fernando
VA: Brandon Baus
The "Gangsta-A.I." warthog sent as a reinforcement alongside Viper to the Human base. He is very short-tempered and speaks in short, curse-word-filled responses.
Lauren
VA: Melissa D. Johnson
A mysterious female visitor to the Human base claiming to be a reporter sent to report on the state of the troops on planet Isil. She reveals that she has knowledge of a project "Green Lantern" that is somehow affiliated with the Human base on Isil and Rico.
Elites[]
Freng
VA: Isaac Harcourt
The elected commanding-officer of the Elite base who is very self-centered and wears gold armor following the first episode where he wore red.
Dundo
VA: Brandon Baus
A often clueless and intent follower of Freng who always has an optimistic attitude. He wears blue armor and chose to abstain from voting for the leader of the base as he "knew Freng too well."
Grundar
VA: Don Preuss
The Elite sniper veteran who ironically has an eye condition that prevents him from being very useful. While he tries to appear tough and "badass" he often whines about conditions or situations not to his liking.
Voldack
VA: Perry Whittle
The medical officer of the Elites who was killed by Rico in his attack on the Elite base. He finds himself revived in the Elite base and credits it towards the legend of respawn contained within the flag captured by Rico.
Filming/Editing/Distribution[]
Outpost: Isil is recorded using the Halo 3 game engine on the Xbox 360. Footage is captured using a Canopus ADVC 110 and edited using Adobe Premiere. Titles and animations are done using Apple LiveType and Final Cut Express. The final video is compiled in Final Cut Express and exported to high and low quality Quicktime (.mov) and Windows Media (.wmv) formats and an iPod compatible format for portable media players. All videos are uploaded to YouTube on two different accounts and many other flash video sites including Google Video, MySpace, MLG, and Machinima.com. Episodes 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 have been featured on Machinima's YouTube page.