DISCRETION ADVISED
SOULTRIAL contains several content warnings, including but not limited to mental health topics (depression, grief/loss, trauma responses, PTSD, survivor's guilt), gore, blood, injuries, screams/noises connected to injuries, brawls, battles, vomiting, profanity, supernatural/paranormal phenomena and noises, mention of Norse torture methods, mention of animal and human sacrifice, suggestive material (connected to romantic dynamics).
ᛋᛏᛅᛁᚾᚦᛅᛋᛁᚱᛁᛅᛋᛏᚱᛅᚠᛏᛁᛦᚦᛅᛁᛘᛁᛅᛋᛁᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᛅᚢᚴᛅᚠᛏᛁᛦᚠᚢᛚᚴᛁᚢᚱᚢᛘᚼᛅᛋᛅᛚᚢᛘᚼᛅᚾᚢᛅᚱᚦᛅᛚᛏᚢᛒᛚᚢᛋᛏᚱᚼᛅᚾᛁᚱᚢᛏᚬᛏᛁᛘᛅᚢᚴᛏᛅᚢᚦᛋᛅᛋᛏᛅᚦᛁᛅᛋᚼᛅᚾᚢᛒᛏᛁᛚᚠᚢᚱᚴᚢᚾᚢᛘᚢᛁᛦᛁᚴᛁᚾᚬ
PRESS
In an interview on June 7, 2026, the SOULTRIAL crew was given the opportunity to exchange with All Ages Of Geek about SOULTRIAL, the process/making of, creativity in the age of GenAI and how indie (solo) developers can take initiative to create their own original projects.
NEWS
CAST ANNOUNCEMENTS HAVE BEGUN!
To showcase the talent on SOULTRIAL, we would like to take this moment to give everyone the attention and spotlight they deserve. Find all cast announcements compiled in our YouTube playlist.
June 17, 2026
SOULTRIAL DAY 2026
We are celebrating one year of SOULTRIAL development ever since its name change with previews of three of the songs of our OST. Find all previews below or on our YouTube channel.
April 30, 2026
OFFICIAL ART
Art & DESign by lavinia duval
CHARACTER CONCEPT ART
Art & DESign by lavinia duval
ABOUT
ABOUT SOULTRIAL
SOULTRIAL is an original audio series created, directed and written by Lavinia Duval (born: Lavinia A.) with the support of a team of 30 creatives, including composers, vocalists and voice actors that have gathered from all over the world to realise the vision. Since the project's establishment in 2023, SOULTRIAL (formerly Project CAELAR), has developed into a unique world of its own, flooding the centre with gritty storytelling and shattering character growth in a fictional setting combining Swedish culture with elements from Norse mythology, folk and mental health topics.
DAGSTRAND CREW (EUROPE)
LAVINIA DUVAL (DE)
Project administration (management, development, production), creative direction, art & design, casting direction, voice direction, social media management, content creation & PR, screenwriting/script, voice acting, audio editing, sound mixing/mastering, episode assembly, singing (kulning)...JOSH COOKSON (GB)
Script editorial, consistency check, Discord server administration, community support, moral supportMARCUS J.D. (SE)
Translation, Nordic language support (Swedish, Norwegian, Old Norse), runic translation
ADDITIONAL CREW
KEVIN ALGIERS (US)
Audio editing, support and feedback in audio and soundJESSE BOWLING (US)
Sound design, trailer video editing
FAQ
Q: WHAT MEDIUM IS SOULTRIAL?
SOULTRIAL is an original dark fantasy audio series (or podcast; audio drama; film without screen) and independent production created, directed, written and illustrated by German creative and voice actress Lavinia Duval (born: Lavinia A.). It was born from an art and passion project originally established in 2023. First sketches and artworks for the previous concept were done in the succeeding years with the audio series officially being established in March/April 2025.
Q: WHO IS SOULTRIAL DEVELOPED BY?
The project is directed, developed and produced independently by German creative, graphic designer and voice actress Lavinia Duval who is also the artist and author of the project.
Q: HOW BIG IS THE TEAM OF SOULTRIAL?
Next to Lavinia, the project’s core involves Josh Cookson (script/text editorial) and Swedish linguist Marcus J.D. (Nordic linguistics and culture, runic translations) as well as ~30 collaborators from all over the world including voice actors, composers and vocalists.
Q: WHAT IS THE PLOT OF SOULTRIAL?
SOULTRIAL is set in a dark fantasy world inspired by Scandinavian cultures (primarily Sweden) and West Germanic cultures (UK, Germany) as well as Norse mythology in which every individual must undergo a trial. In a realm called Striga, the barrier between the Abyss, the realm of the souls, and physical reality, the Here and Now, is thin. We accompany the two Strigalv brothers Velasan Helviarn (protagonist) and Vhaelin Helviarn (deuteragonist) on their trials.
Q: WHICH GENRE IS SOULTRIAL IN?
Adventure, Drama, Dark Folk and Dark Fantasy. Underlying themes include Mystery, Paranormal, Swedish and West Germanic Culture (primarily UK & Germany), Norse mythology, Mental Health, Spirituality and Philosophy.
CAST
COMPOSERS
VOCALISTS
VOICE TALENT
| ROLE | VOICE TALENT | SOCIAL | REFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|
| The First Seer | Stefan Rudnicki | Bluesky | Website |
| Velasan Helviarn | Adam Schneider | Website | |
| Vhaelin Helviarn | Daniel Denova | - | |
| Venesir Helviarn | Alex Safford | Linktree | |
| The Mask Maker | Sebastian Christopher | Website | |
| King Alrik II | David Wamala | Website | |
| Eldin Engelhard | Dan Zsolt | Bluesky | - |
| Solveig, the Golden | Lavinia Duval | Bluesky | Website |
| Leiv | Dylan Howe | Bluesky | Linktree |
| Eir | Maxadrian Burton | Website | |
| High Druid Eivor | Sophia Cymone | Website |
SPECIAL GUEST: STEFAN RUDNICKI
Stefan Rudnicki (he/him) was born in Poland, and lived in Sweden and Canada as a child, before settling in New York City. He was educated at Columbia University and Yale School of Drama.As an actor and singer, he has appeared in dozens of dramatic and musical stage productions in the northeast, as well as directing and producing nearly a hundred plays, and directing two feature films and several shorts. Stefan currently resides in Los Angeles, where he has established a career as a voice actor, narrating over 1,500 audio books, and producing thousands for multiple major publishers and his company, Skyboat Media.His accolades include a Bram Stoker Award, a Ray Bradbury, dozens of Audies and Earphones awards, two GRAMMYs for Best Spoken Word, and two Hugos. In 2012, he was acknowledged a Golden Voice by AudioFile Magazine.The past few years have seen Stefan’s emergence in gaming, as the voice of Warframe’s Albrecht Entrati.