"The wild lands of Sauria are at war. They try to tame this land, it's people, it's beasts. No, Sauria is wild. They think of us animals. Without reason, without thought. But I can play that game."
— Taurox
Sauria is a three-part Anthology series created by animator David James Armsby, hot off the success of Dinosauria. Little is known about it so far, but what is known is that it takes place in a Dark Fantasy setting dominated by both sapient humanoid reptiles and a variety of prehistoric wildlife. As seen in the trailers, the many factions are at war, and every day is a fight for survival.
The official trailer was released in March of 2023, with the first episode, "Blood for Blood", being released on Patreon in July of that month. It became publically available on August 11, 2023. The second episode, "Winter Weathered", was released on April 5, 2024.
This series provides examples of:
- All There in the Manual: As the animation consists in three short stories, most of the lore concerning Sauria is discussed in separate videos in Armsby's channel.
- Anachronism Stew: While this is a fantasy story, most animals appearing are from the Late Cretaceous, but "Winter Weathered" also features several Pleistocene species as well as Diplodocus from the Jurassic, and according to the trailer the third episode will feature earlier Mesozoic animals.
- Animal Nemesis: "Winter Weathered" is a deconstruction of this, as Helionyx knows full well that the animal who killed his son can't be blamed for it, but it does nothing to help his grief and rage. When he finds the beast, he gives in to his anger and kills it, only to be overcome with remorse at seeing her die and orphaning her cub. He promises to raise the cub himself, which finally gives him closure for his son's death.
- Anti-Hero: The Kindred of the Tusk are a tribe of savage ceratosaur/carnotaur-like barbarians and pirates feared across the land of Sauria for their brutality and violent ways. However, as revealed in the first entry of the lore of Sauria, their ferocity and rebellious behavior make them the prime opposite of the despotic Bluesong Empire, causing many to label them as heroes against the oppression of those who want to conquer Sauria.
- Arc Symbol: The helix in "Winter Weathered", placed on Helionyx's home, the empty sheath of his son's knife, and the shoulders of the grown cub. It's not until the end that it's revealed that it means the helix of life and death, fitting the episode's themes.
- Artistic License – Biology: Given the time passed, it's highly unlikely that the knife in the Smilodon's shoulder would still be bleeding when she and Helionyx cross paths, but the dripping blood is what draws Helionyx's attention and his anger.
- Artistic License – Paleontology: Downplayed and deliberate. While there's obviously no way to make the Saurians accurate, as dinosaur people never existed, the Tusk barbarians' design draws from outdated paleoart to fit their "older and more primitive" look, while the Bluesong use more current designs as their inspiration to fit their refined and advanced empire.
- Ape Shall Never Kill Ape: Despite being quite brutal towards other sapient races, the Kindred of the Tusk has one holy rule that is considered an unforgivable sin to break: No killing your own.
- Audible Sharpness: Happens when the Therizinosaurus is on screen, or when Taurox drags his mace across the ground. In the second episode, the sabertooth's fangs get the same treatment when it's about to make a kill.
- The Beautiful Elite: How the Bluesong Empire seems to present itself, with their elegant forms and society in contrast with their more primitive and war-ready enemies, the Kindred of the Tusk.
- Big Bad: The Chancellor, who acts as the Bluesong Empire's leader.
- Bird People: The Bluesong are sapient dinosaurs resembling humanoid birds (or ornithomimid dinosaurs, depending on your interpretation).
- Book Ends: "Winter Weathered" begins with Helionyx offering a prayer before hunting, but is interrupted by a nanuqsaurus claiming the kill before he can. At the end, he hunts again, with the sabertooth cub at his side, and makes the kill, finishing the prayer.
- The Cameo:
- In "Winter Weathered", a group of Bluesong warriors, on Parasaurolophus walk by as Helionyx is hiding in the bushes, but unlike in "Blood for Blood", they play no role in the story. There's also a brief shot of two dead Kindred in the snow.
- The Troodon from Dinosauria makes a brief appearance in "Winter Weathered", looking over the bodies of dead poachers. A nanuqsaurus also appears in the beginning stealing Helionyx's kill, but it is a different model from Dinosauria.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: The four tribes seen in the trailers come in red-orange (Kindred of the Tusk), blue (Bluesong Empire), dark green (the Fell), and white (Arctic Saurians) respectively. Amusingly, the creatures that live in their domains follow the same principle (though
Word of God notes that the Bluesong's animals weren't always this way). - Cosmic Horror Story: As Armsby has stated, there's a bit of H. P. Lovecraft in this story. Sure enough, the main trailer features some very creepy-looking pterosaur people known as the Fell engaging in what can only be described as some sort of arcane ritual.
- Covers Always Lie: The thumbnail art of "Winter Weathered" depicts Helionyx defending the mammoth herd he befriended against a pack of Nanuqsaurus. This scene never happens in the actual short, where instead a single Nanuqsaurus frustrates Helionyx's hunt and he meets the mammoths shortly after.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Every time the Bluesong generals are pitted against Taurox, he wipes them out easily.
- Domesticated Dinosaurs: The tribes have all managed to tame the various prehistoric wildlife. And of course, it's mostly dinosaurs.
- Dying Race: The Arctic Saurians are the oldest of the races in Sauria and were once scattered across the continent. But between their reclusive and isolationist nature and the wars of the other tribes, they have been driven further north and become rare enough to be treated as almost mythical figures.
- Dramatic Irony: The Bluesong are seeking Arctic Saurians in the hope that they'll be able to tell them more about the Forefathers, who the Bluesong see themselves as the successors to. What they don't realize is that their expansion is driving the already isolated and reclusive Arctic Saurians even farther apart and driving them extinct.
- The Empire: The Bluesong Empire, a Roman-esque empire that is expanding throughout Sauria to tame its wilds and claim control, while the rest of Sauria is resisting.
- Evil Chancellor: The Chancellor of the Bluesong is cast in a creepy and very negative light, as she's the one who got Taurox locked up.
- Feathered Fiend: The people of the Bluesong Empire are birdlike saurians that seek to conquer all of Sauria.
- Gladiator Games: Taurox is pitted against Bluesong generals and domesticated animals in an arena, while crowds of Bluesong watch.
- Hidden Depths: The lore video about the Kindred of the Tusk reveals Taurox likes to breed Carnotaurus in his spare time, hinting a more gentle side in his otherwise ruthless character. It's even more reinforced by the borderline-brotherly bond shared between him and his former steed, a Carnotaurus named The Bull.
- Honor Before Reason: What ends up being a part of Taurox's gambit after he's locked up in a gladiatorial arena by the Bluesong Empire instead of just being killed. All in the name of dying "fairly". Due to how seriously outclassed the Bluesong are, all they really end up doing is just send their best warriors to die to him.
- Horse of a Different Color: The Parasaurolophus serve as the main steeds for the Bluesong army.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: Taurox used to be his tribe's greatest War Chief before getting defeated and captured to fight in a gladiator arena. This turns out to be a subversion, as he got himself imprisoned on purpose so that he could destroy the empire's finest warriors from the inside.
- I Have Many Names: The Arctic Saurians are described in various legends and fairy tales as the "Ice Keepers", "Spirits of the Snow" and most prominently, "The Eyes in the Mountains".
- Lizard Folk: The Solisaurians are a barbarian species who has two subspecies, one resembling a Ceratosaurus and another looking similar to a Carnotaurus. The trailers also include the pterosaur-like Fell. This is averted with the Avisaurians, who look more like Bird People, and the Arctic Saurians downplay this trope, having both reptilian and mammalian characteristics.
- Long-Lived: The Arctic Saurians have sparked numerous stories because of this. While Helionix is around 350 himself, sightings of his now deceased father are believed to have inspired legends of an impossibly old Arctic Saurian that knew the founders of all the major tribes and witnessed the rise and fall of the empire of the extinct pterosaurian Forefathers.
- Medieval Prehistory: It's a Dark Fantasy world in which both the sapient and non-sapient creatures are or at least based off of prehistoric life.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: Saurians are a mix between human, dinosaur, and occasionally other influences.
- The Bluesong Empire looks like a cross between raptor and ornithomimid dinosaurs. Some of them also have antlers.
- The Tusk appear to be humanoid Ceratosaurus, and the subspecies Taurox belongs to look like humanoid Carnotaurus.
- Arctic Saurians are primarily based on therapods, but they also have mammalian features to match the wildlife of their home, including fur, eyebrows, and horns.
- Monster Is a Mommy: In "Winter Weathered", the Smilodon who killed Helionyx's son is a parent itself, with a small cub. After killing the parent in a vengeful rage, Helionyx quickly regrets what he did even before seeing the cub, and decides to adopt and raise it.
- Mother Goddess/Mother Nature: The Great Maia, referred to by her worshippers as the "mother of Sauria" and the one that maintains the helix of life and death. She has followers in many nations, but Arctic Saurians are particularly devout, and part of Helionyx's story is his Crisis of Faith about her worship.
- Mutual Kill: In flashbacks, Taurox's Carnotaurus mount and a Torosaurus from the Bluesong died as they had just killed one another.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Helionyx breaks down in horror when he realizes that his desire for vengeance drove him to kill the Smilodon that ate his son, forsaking his usual respect for Sauria's wildlife in the process.
- Noble Savage:
- The brutish Kindred of the Tusk are fighting to protect and save their home from getting taken over by the Bluesong.
- Helionyx, the Arctic Saurian, is a hunter living in harmony with nature, only killing what he needs to survive. Of course, his case is more complex as his desire for revenge battles with and briefly overcomes his religious convictions, although he deeply regrets it.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Helionyx lost his son and his grief drives his actions through "Winter Weathered". A mammoth mother is also seen mourning her dead calf.
- Painted CGI: Similarly to the creator's earlier work Dinosauria, the short uses Cel Shading of flat colors over 3D CGI animation.
- Panthera Awesome: "Winter Weathered" features a powerful Smilodon as the main adversary to Helionyx. Her cub also grows up into a tough and deadly predator.
- Play-Along Prisoner: As it turns out, Taurox is counting on the Bluesong thinking that he's theirs. That way, he can kill their finest warriors in the arena and claim vengeance for himself and his tribe.
- Precursors: Ruins belonging to a pterosaur-like race known as the Forefathers are scattered across the land. Seeing themselves as their successors, the Bluesong are obsessed with discovering their secrets and have sought out Arctic Saurians for information as their longevity has fostered legends that one of them was old enough to have witnessed them.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: From what the trailers have shown us, the two main tribes of Saurians are this. The red-orange Kindred of the Tusk are burly and violent barbarians, while the Bluesong Empire presents a degree of nobility and elegance on the outside.
- Seldom-Seen Species: The giant, elephant-sized dicynodont Lisowicia makes an appearance.
- Shown Their Work: As befitting of a man who created Dinosauria, the prehistoric animals are designed to be as accurate as possible.
- Snowy Saber Tooths: Saber-tooth cats are featured in "Winter Weathered", which obviously takes place in Sauria's snowy northern regions.
- Team Switzerland: While the Bluesong, the Kindred of The Tusk, and the Fell are all part of the war for Sauria, Arctic Saurians aren't politically united and want nothing to do with the conflict, preferring to hide away in the remaining wilds even as their people die out. Helionyx is unusually proactive in that he kills Kindred poachers to protect his home.
- Terror-dactyl: The Fell, a race of swamp-dwelling witches, resemble menacing, anthropomorphic pterosaurs with atrophied wings. The forefathers also follow this trope from we can tell from their statues
- Thank Your Prey: A version. Helionyx and those that worship Maia apologize to her before killing their prey, addressing it as a needed sin and promising to make use of it. When Helionyx kills the Smilodon out of rage, he's horrified at having killed without necessity and pleads her forgiveness.
- Time Skip: "Winter Weathered" skips ahead a year for its epilogue, showing the seasons changing and the winter returning. Helionyx is back on the hunt, now accompanied by the grown Smilodon cub.
- Wham Line: From "Blood For Blood", we have this statement, when Taurox's would-be rescuer questions why he's refusing being saved:Taurox: You don't understand. Here, they pit me against their greatest warriors… and one by one, they've been slaughtered!
- Wham Shot: Taurox tearing open the door to his prison cell without issue, demonstrating once and for all that he is not the prisoner the Bluesong or his own army think he is…
