Thyria is a city which is considered sacred by the ocean cultures in the alt fantasy of Marjorie Liu’s and Sana Takeda’s Monstress. The Wave Empress, the goddess of the ocean and the oldest of all the Divine, first sent an embassy to the land dwellers to Thyria and so Thyria is inextricably linked with the ocean. This connection is born out by the strength of its naval war ships and the numerous pirate operations based in the port such as the one headed by the Imura Brothers.
Thyria is ruled by two queens, colloquially referred to as the Blood Queens. Alaya, also called the Wave Empress and the Goddess of the Deep, is a Siren Arcanic. As the name alludes to the sirens of Greek mythology, the Sirens of Monstress are Arcanics whose physical traits may manifest as fully adapted for underwater life as with Alayna or much more simply as with her sister whose ears mimic amphibian qualities. The other Blood Queen seems to be unnamed or more likely that I’ve overlooked her name. In any case, this queen may be more visible to Thyrian citizens since she walks on land.
Thyrians love their queens who are fiercely protective of them and their city nation. The queens are certain the Federation of Man will initiate a war on Thyria to procure Lilium, a powerful substance distilled from the bodies of dead Arcanics in a process invented by Cumaean witches. The queens’ time is primarily focused on finding the best strategies for staving off such a war and meet with Seizi Imura to consider the possibility of taking Maiko Halfwolf, the powerful daughter of Moriko Halfwolf and granddaughter of the Queen of Wolves, who believes she has successfully snuck unnoticed by the Queens into the city as a bargaining chip. As protective as the queens are of their people and city, they do not extend the same privilege to all, as is the case with the growing population of Fox refugees whose hope for asylum go ignored.
If the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, the same can be true for Blood Queens as is the case when three of the four Inquistrixes, a special “black ops” unit of the Cumaea, arrive unexpectedly.
Please read the profiles for Maika Halfwolf and Tuya and Captain Syryssa.
Monstress is an ongoing series which has been collected in three volumes to date. Look for them at your local comic shop or book store or find them on Amazon.
The Blood Queens created by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda. Art by Sana Takeda. The unnamed Queen first appears in Monstress #7 and Alaya first appears in Monstress #9 which is also the issue which confirms their relationship.
All rights reserved Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda.
