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Maika's Party

Maika

Maika Halfwolf

The daughter of Moriko Halfwolf and the man known as the Lord Doctor, granddaughter of the Queen of Wolves, direct descendant of the Shaman-Empress and host of the Old God Zinn. Not that she knows she's related to the Queen of Wolves. She's also the subject of a dangerous prophecy...

Abusive Parents: In her personal thoughts, Maika wonders if her mother only saw her as a weapon to be used. A flashback shows that the elder Halfwolf forced her to learn how to kill as a young child, and was none-to-gentle in her methods (literally choking Maika to show how a common scarf can be improvised as a garrote). A later flashback does suggest, however, that she may have later mellowed out and become a relatively more nurturing parent.
Alliance with an Abomination: Has an uneasy agreement with the Old God inhabiting her body, and which many factions seek to weaponize.
Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Black hair. Relatively pale skin. Extremely abrasive and cold after an extremely hard and difficult life.
Anti-Hero: Is not above using threats of violence, actual violence, theft, torture and other questionable methods to get what she wants. Her overall personality is quite abrasive as well.
Apocalypse Maiden: That prophecy about her hints that she might become this...
An Arm and a Leg: Gradually loses her entire left arm, having lost everything to just above the elbow before the beginning of the comic.
Artificial Limbs: She had a removable magitek wooden limb that she left behind when she headed off to Zamora. She receives a new mechanical arm after being brought to the Lord Doctor's stronghold.
Body Horror: Maika has a monster-god living inside her body, which usually shows itself in the form of tentacles bursting out of the stump of her severed arm.
Broken Bird: One of the main themes of the series is her struggle to overcome a lifetime of abuse and trauma.
Bruiser with a Soft Center: Though she doesn't like to show it, she clearly cares for the individuals most close to her. She also puts enormous effort to avoid harming innocents or bystanders from the Monstrum possessing her, even when it would ensure her own physical well-being.
Dark and Troubled Past/Cynicism Catalyst: Maika has some pretty horrible things in her backstory, including being a child slave, being hungry enough to eat a dead boy when she was small and the loss of her arm. It leads to a pretty dark outlook on life.
Deadpan Snarker: After everything she's been through, her main setting is snark.
Death Seeker: Maika casually and repeatedly threatens to kill herself to get rid of the Monstrum, and actually follows through in Issue #8 when it threatens Kippa. Tuya mentions that she's attempted suicide before. By Issue #19, however, her narration states that she's moved past this mindset.
Determinator: She fits this trope to a T. She's burned down Cumaea compunds and left no survivors while barefoot and wearing a torture shock-collar, travelled vast distances, faced down Inquisitrixes, given lip to both an agent of the Dusk Court and the ancient god occupying her body, and she's still going. She's not going to stop until she finds answers, and she won’t care how many corpses she leaves strewn behind her.
Disability Superpower: Maika's missing forearm is more empowering than disabling in extreme circumstances as it's the channel through which the Monstrum manifests, but in less extreme circumstances it's just a disability.
Everyone Has Standards: Despite her hatred of humans, she would never wish being attacked by a mob on anyone after having nearly been lynched for being Arcanic.
Fantastic Racism: Expresses hatred for humankind for having been enslaved by them, and especially loathes members of the Cumaea witches.
Grin of Audacity: Maika, when ordered around by an agent of the Dusk Court.
Had to Be Sharp: The justification for Maika's unnatural resourcefulness and Badass-ness.
Handicapped Badass: Lost her left hand, and later the whole arm, as the result of incidents involving her Enemy Within. She goes without any sort of prosthetic for the first three volumes, having left her original prosthetic behind when she left Tuya to go to Zamora before the beginning of the story. Still one of the most dangerous people around even before she gets a new prosthetic from the Lord Doctor.
He Who Fights Monsters: She is constantly on the edge and sometimes slips over, like when she allows her monstrum to eat a rescued child.
Hime Cut: The cut fits Maika's "official" social standing in the Arcanic Empire, but not her personality, lifestyle or upbringing at all. Especially since she doesn't even know she's related to the Queen of Wolves.
Horror Hunger: Her craving for meat is intense enough that at one point, she kills and eats a hyena, and on another occasion, does the same to a number of sheep. She doesn't bother to cook any of it first.
Kill It with Fire: Does this to the Cumaea researcher Sophia in the first issue. The latter only survives due to Lilium treatment.
Lack of Empathy: A mild case, but Maika is extremely out of touch with normal emotions and often describes herself as "empty on the inside".
The Lad-ette: Was fond of wrestling other Arcanics for fun. She also on one occasion declares she needs to pee, then does so right in front of her companions despite Ren's protest that she could have just found a bush.
Madden Into Misanthropy: Maika can be pretty accurately described as a misanthrope, and with good reason.
Made a Slave: Has happened to her at least twice. The first time ended with the destruction of Constantine. The second time, which she's in at the beginning of the series, is part of a ploy to infiltrate the Cumaea compound.
Made of Iron: She survives a lot, probably due to her unique heritage.
Mama Bear: Despite repeatedly denying caring for her at all, Maika is not a nice person when Kippa is threatened.
Mark of the Beast: Bears a God-Eye mark on her chest.
Missing Mom: Her mother, Moriko Halfwolf, was killed prior to the start of the series.
Noble Fugitive/Impoverished Patrician: Maika, though she was orphaned and cast into slavery at a very young age and has little or no memory of better times. She also isn't especially aware of her noble status.
Noodle Incident: Multiple characters refer to a disaster which occurred at the city of Constantine, which resulted in more than a hundred thousand deaths, mental and/or physical scarring of the survivors, and the complete destruction of the city itself. The event has not yet been shown and the exact cause is still unknown, but Maika is all-but-confirmed to have been the catalyst for it.
Perpetual Frowner: Maika is famous for this, to the point that it's lampshaded by Kippa. "I think that's her happy face!"
Person of Mass Destruction: Maika could be one if her monstrum ever unleashed its full power.
Race-Name Basis: Calls Ren "Cat".
Rebellious Spirit: Maika appears to practically incapable of following directions from any authority, even those few who actually want to help her.
Revenge Before Reason: One of Maika's defining traits is that she's unable to let go of her rage for the people who have hurt her. Tuya, her much-less-damaged best and only friend, thinks she's insane. She's probably right, as even Maika herself says.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: She's quite vulgar to say the least.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Mostly ice at this point, but Maika's become a sort of reluctant big-sister figure to Kippa, and she shows a few deeply suppressed signs of having some sugar under all that ice.
Super-Strength: She's incredibly strong, likely due to being an Arcanic and her unique heritage from both sides of her family, and can do things like easily defeat a sumo wrestler over twice her size and punch a stone wall hard enough to crack it.
Trauma-Induced Amnesia: She starts the series unable to remember what happened before losing her mother.
Trojan Prisoner: Pulls this to get into the Cumaea compound at the start of the series.
Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Despite her brutal life, she won't hurt kids.

Maika's Monstrum

Zinn

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vinn.png

One of the so-called "Old Gods", associate of the Shaman-Empress, her lover and, if the Guardian and the Lord Doctor are to be believed, her betrayer...

Always Someone Better: In the fight against Inquisitrix Gull, Maika found herself losing despite assistance from Zinn. He then tells her it's because the Monstrum possessing Gull had always been stronger than them.
Combat Tentacles: Fights using these.
Cosmic Entity
Eldritch Abomination
Eye on a Stalk: More like Eye on a Tentacle, but he frequently uses these to look around.
Hermaphrodite: Like all of the Old Gods, who call each other "sister-brother".
In the Hood: Wears a black hooded robe in Pontus to avoid attention.
Laser-Guided Amnesia: Is missing large chunks of his memories, possibly due to having been dormant for centuries. The Lord Doctor's theory is that Zinn chose to suppress his memories of betraying and killing the Shaman-Empress.
My God, What Have I Done?: As his memories start returning, he becomes increasingly horrified by his past transgressions.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Was known as "The Ruiner-Proxy", "Destroyer of Spheres", "Greatest Destroyer", "Master of Woes" and "Lord of Endless Shadows". Welp.
Odd Friendship: He was friends with Marium and essentially the Shaman Empress as well, though Marium claims she's actually his only real friend.
Race Traitor: The god that possesses the Mother Superior accuses Zinn of betraying the other gods. This is correct.
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: He was lovers with the beautiful Shaman Empress and the two would beget a bloodline. He also has memories of being with Marium, the founder of the Cumaea

Kippa

A young fox Arcanic who decides to tag along with Maika on her one-woman rampage through the Cumaea compound in Zamora, and continues to do so.

Badass Adorable: A cute, kind-hearted and idealistic girl who also manages to survive her way through all kinds of dangerous situations with her idealism kept intact.
Cheerful Child: Kippa — surprisingly, and betraying a surprising bravery for what she's been though — can be upbeat at times.
The Glomp: Gives one to Ren when she sees him again after the first Inquisitrix attack.
Good Is Not Dumb: The most idealistic and nice character in the series by far. She's also very clever, which helps her through various dangerous situations.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: No matter the horrors she witnesses, her optimism and kindness never waver.
Magical Eye: When her Arcanic gift begins coming in, it develops that she can apparently see people's true selves.
Morality Pet: Most prominently with Maika. Also serves as one to Ren, and eventually Corvin.
Multiple-Tailed Beast: Post-timeskip, Kippa has grown a second tail.
The Nose Knows: She has an extremely good sense of smell, being able to sniff out a key that had been sealed in a concrete wall for years.
Super-Senses: As a fox Arcanic, she has a heightened sense of smell and can see in the dark.
Touched by Vorlons: Blessed by a mysterious Ancient when she was a baby, with this being the possible source of some of her mysterious powers.
Undying Loyalty: Despite often being terrified of her, Kippa is utterly devoted to Maika.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: In stark contrast to virtually every other character in the series, she hopes for the best in people and always advocates for treating others with compassion.

Ren

Ren Mormorian

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ren_62.png

A nekomancer with various conflicting loyalties, many of which require him to watch Maika Halfwolf.

Badass Boast: Delivers one to the Inquisitrix Flay in the second issue.
Ren: Inquisitrix! Be warned: I am commander Ren Mormorian, apprentice nekomancer to the great and ancient Two-Faced Zorian of Whiteclaw House! I have raised the ancient dead! I have fought the wraithmen of the forsaken forests! Cross me at your own peril!
- Unfortunately, it's a No-Sell.
Ren: You can't blame a cat for trying. Flee!
Big Bad Friend: He starts off as this, with his varying allegiances that culminate in the Lord Doctor. He finally turns on his former employer when the man sends people to abduct Kippa.
Cats Are Snarkers: Though if you’re around Maika for long, you would be, too.
Cat Folk: He is a member of a race of sapient, talking cats.
Double Reverse Quadruple Agent: He's an agent of the Dusk Court, but also required to keep tabs on them for his cat superiors, except he also works for the Lord Doctor. He eventually grows a conscience and decides to stop working for any of them, helping Kippa and Maika for real.
Everyone Has Standards: Though he spends a good chunk of the story feeding information on Maika to other parties, he's unwilling to let any harm come to Kippa, a child.
Interrogating the Dead: His job as a Nekomancer.
Multiple-Tailed Beast: Has two tails.
Necromancer: A nekomancer, able to interact with spirits.

Arcanic Empire

The Dusk Court

Corvin

Corvin D'Oro

An Arcanic Lord of the Dusk Court, initially sent to capture Maika, but who eventually decides to help her because he believes that her power is the key to saving the world.

Eye Scream: He wears a half-mask because he lost his left eye when he momentarily turned back to look at the destruction of Constantine.
Facial Horror: Part of his face had the life sucked out of it when he glanced back at the destruction of Constantine.
Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: As the child of an Ancient in full power, he has an energetic shield which stops attacks from Cumaea witch-nuns, and even a newly awakened Zinn.
Meaningful Name: He's a crow Arcanic whose name is Corvin.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Starts on this very early on, claiming to Tuya that Maika and company stole his personal swift (small airship) to escape while he was unconscious after we saw that he gave it to them personally.
Self-Made Man: He claims that he was an impoverished orphan who climbed the ranks into being an agent of the Dusk Court — however, the fact that he is, according to the Monstra, a direct child of an Ancient shows he's lying and it's later revealed when he is reunited with his younger sister Bettina that they're an aristocratic family.
Winged Humanoid

Tuya

Tuya, Baroness of the Last Dusk

Another one of the few completely human-looking Arcanics, an old friend of Maika's and one of the eight survivors of Constantine. Unbeknownst to Maika, who hasn't seen her since she left for Zamora, she's also a member of the Dusk Court, holding the position of Baroness of the Last Dusk.

Altar Diplomacy: She enters into a marriage with Maika's aunt the Sword of the East in order to bring peace between the Dawn and Dusk courts for the moment, since she does not trust the Warlord as far as she could throw her.
Big Bad Friend: Not a villain technically, but she's been ordering efforts to capture and or kill Maika.
Bond Creatures: The eagle that constantly accompanies her.
Clone Angst: She's the second-to-latest of a long, long series of clones into which the mind of the original Baroness (and the cumulative memories of her many, many incarnations since) is implanted. Tuya desperately wants to avoid being subsumed into the whole.
Dramatic Irony: Maika has no idea of Tuya's rank and position in the Dusk Court, even cutting off Ren when he appears to be about to tell her because she's very angry with the cat at the time.
The Spymaster: One of her responsibilities as Baroness of the Last Dusk.
That Thing Is Not My Child!: When her fellow-clone Ayut calls her her mother, Tuya retorts that they don't have mothers. Ironically, she herself called the previous Baroness "mother", though she seemed to be doing it to annoy her.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Wants her best friend captured and/or killed to try and save the world.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Is given one by Ren, after she quite hypocritically calls him out on his double dealings:
Tuya: and you're dying to see her again?
Ren: No. But I didn't pretend to be her best friend, either - then try to murder her, and marry the aunt who's hunting her. The Halfwolf might kill me, Tuya. But as the poets say: you're fucked.

Tanno

A cat warrior and agent of the Dusk Court.

Armor-Piercing Question: To Tuya when she first became the Baroness.
"The ghost has you in her jaws now. You're living on borrowed time. What will you do while you still have yourself? What will Tuya do?"
Cats Have Nine Lives: Is apparently on his fifth.
Dual Wielding: He carries two swords and wields them both in combat.
Eyepatch of Power: Wears an eyepatch over his left eye, which is missing.
Fantastic Racism: He's not fond of foxes, saying you can never trust them.
Kick the Dog: When he comes across a greviously wounded Kippa during the siege of Ravenna, he kills the people who noticed she was still alive, takes the insignia Maika and Corvin gave her, and leaves her for dead. He later shows Corvin the insignia as proof that Kippa died in the invasion.
The Mentor: He trains the elite youth of the Dusk Court in combat, and is still a mentor to Tuya and Corvin.
Multiple-Tailed Beast: He has five tails, though two have had the ends severed.
Rugged Scar: Has multiple over his face and body, indicating he's seen his fair share of battles.

Ayut

A young girl who is Tuya's "daughter"—the latest of a long line of Baroness clones.

Polar Opposite Twins: Her personality is very different than her fellow-clone Tuya's—where Tuya loved learning to fight as a child, Ayut hates it and runs crying for a lesson. She also sees merging with the Baroness as "coming into her power", while Tuya views it as a Death of Personality.
Sdrawkcab Name: It's "Tuya" backwards.

The Dawn Court

Sword of the East

The Sword of the East, Warlord of the Dawn Court

Younger twin sister of Moriko Halfwolf, daughter of the Queen of Wolves and aunt of Maika.

Arranged Marriage: Is married off to the Baroness of the Dusk Court, much to her chagrin.
BFG: The Sword of the East isn't someone who disdains human technology, so one of her weapons in the battle of Ravenna is an oversized machine gun that'd be a support weapon for a squad.
BFS: Her weapon of choice is a large two-handed sword with a long curved blade.
Cain and Abel: Ultimately averted with Moriko, but during their youth, this was the expected outcome. Moriko was smarter, more able, and was their mother's favorite child; but the Sword was confident and decisive, and had the lion's share of popular support, in part because Moriko was human-appearing and the Sword had three tails and appears to have been publicly known by the Wolf mask she wore. It was expected that the sisters would feud, dragging the Dawn Court into a civil war as they vied for control, but Moriko decided that pursuing science and archeology was a more worthwhile use of her time, leaving the Sword as the uncontended Warlord of the Dawn Court.
Dumb Muscle: Downplayed. While she's not a complete idiot, she has no intellectual leanings unlike her sister Moriko. She also tends to think in terms of brute force as the answer and other solutions come as a surprise to her. That's how limited her thinking is. But in a fight, few can withstand her inhuman strength and speed.
Establishing Character Moment: She's first seen brutally executing a human would-be graverobber, calmly countering his pleas in that she was not overreacting. She then goes on to detail that their "allies" need to be protected if only from the Cumaea harvesting their bones, and to privately criticise her commander (and mother). Then she has some words with the Monkey King before committing an atrocity to gain valuable and much needed intel on the mysterious explosion that ended the last war.
Evil Aunt: Moriko told a young Maika to never, ever trust the Sword of the East or go to her for help, without telling Maika of their blood relation.
Hair-Trigger Temper: She is quick to anger and will hold a grudge, she has these negative traits to such a detrimental degree that it greatly clouds her judgement and tactical sense. It's these traits that threaten her suitability to remain the Sword of the East, as her mother and some other Ancients are considering removing her from office.
In the Blood: She appears to share Maika's Super-Strength.
Little Bit Beastly: Looks human aside from her tails.
Locked Out of the Loop: Her mother, the Queen of Wolves, bought her spies and prevented her from discovering the existence of Maika.
Long-Lost Relative: To Maika. She didn't even know she existed until the events of the series.
Multiple-Tailed Beast: She has three tails.
Only Known By Her Nickname: She's only known by her title of Warlord of the Dawn Court and epithet of Sword of the East. Her real name has yet to be revealed.
Pragmatic Hero: To the Arcanics. When her underlings are mulling over the Federation invading Arcanic lands, they are vindictively appreciating the thought of the "rival" Dusk Court being slaughtered as the Federation has to get through the Dusk Court to get to the Dawn Court. The Sword shuts down this line of discussion pretty quickly, saying that they will fight on the behalf of the Dusk Court no matter the circumstances. Not out of solidarity, but that the mutual enemy will harvest a huge profit in Lilium if the Dusk Court is defeated in open warfare.
Red Baron: Her title as "Sword of the East".
Red Oni: Seems to have been this to her sister Moriko's blue.
The Un-Favourite: It turns out that the Sword of the East was not originally chosen to be the Dawn Court's Warlord. The Queen of Wolves had selected her favourite daughter Moriko first. However, others of the court favoured the younger twin sister who has animalistic features and "goddess" markings, while Moriko was indistinguishable from a human. With Moriko running off to do her research, the Warlord position defaulted to the younger twin.
Would Hurt a Child: She will not hesitate to murder innocent Arcanic children if it suits her purposes.

Queen of Wolves

The Queen of Wolves

One of the most powerful living Ancients, de facto leader of the Dawn Court, mother of the the Sword of the East and Moriko Halfwolf, and Maika’s grandmother.

Hero of Another Story: She ended the thousand-year war of the Ancients by slaying the great bear king, Bahru.
Multiple-Tailed Beast: She has nine tails.
The Older Immortal: She's the oldest surviving Ancient.
Only Known By His Nickname: Her name hasn't been revealed.
Wolf Man: A humanoid, multiple-tailed wolf.

Monkey King

Aku

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aku_3.jpg

An Ancient of the Dawn Court.

Black Bead Eyes:
Killer Rabbit: He's only about the size of a cat and has a heart-shaped marking on his face. But don't be fooled, he's an Ancient and none too benevolent.
Maniac Monkeys: He shares the same superiority complex as the other Ancients and is deeply involved in their scheming. He also delights in taunting people out of spite.
Meaningful Name: In Japanese, aku means "evil", "wickedness" or "(the) bad guy".
Slasher Smile: Tends to flash quite a nasty one.

Others From the Arcanic Empire

Moriko Halfwolf

Maika's late mother, daughter of the Queen of Wolves and twin sister to the Warlord. She was her mother's first choice to become Warlord, but left the Dawn Court to pursue her own interests as a scholar. She was particularly fascinated by the Shaman-Empress.

Adventure Archaeologist: She studied the ruins of the Shaman-Empress's time, and died on one of her digs.
Cruel to Be Kind: Her harsh treatment of Maika was intended to prepare her for what was ahead.
Face Death with Dignity: When she realized that her daughter was about to accidentally kill her, she calmly told her not to be afraid.
Family Portrait of Characterization: In Thyria, it's revealed she kept a framed photo of herself and her sister smiling together.
Posthumous Character: She was killed prior to the start of the series, but set a lot of later events in motion. She appears frequently in Maika's memories.
Red Baron: Was known as "The Blade of Dawn."

Bettani

Bettani D'Oro

Corvin's estranged sister, a healer who lives in the border city of Ravenna.

Thyria

Seizi

Seizi Imura

A semi-retired pirate who now rules the Thyrian underworld along with his brother Kenzi, Seizi is also Maika's goddess-father.

Parental Substitute: He's the most loving parental figure Maika has. (He's also technically her stepfather, but Maika doesn't find out about his marriage to her mother until she's in her late teens.)

The Federation of Man

The Cumaea

An order of witches who augment their natural Psychic Powers with lilium refined from Arcanic bodies. Unbeknownst to most of the order, their leadership has been infiltrated by a small group of Old Gods.

Mutant Draft Board: In the Federation, any human girl with Psychic Powers is sent to the Cumaea. No exceptions.
Psychic Powers: Telepathy, telekinesis, and precognition are known.

The Mother Superior

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/destria.jpg

The leader of the Cumaea—secretly possessed by an Old God. She, or rather her host body, is named Destria.

Cool Mask: She wears an elaborate half-mask to hide her Extra Eyes.
Rapid Aging: Undergoes this temporarily after fighting Maika and Zinn and losing.
Third Eye: She has three eyes, all perpendicular to the usual orientation. (Prior to being possessed, Destria had two eyes, both in the usual positions.)

Gull

Needle and Hammer

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hammerneedle1.jpg

Two high-ranking Inquisitrixes.

Bash Brothers: They kick ass as a team.
Knight Templar: Will do whatever it takes to advance Cumaean interests, even if that means staging coverups and killing allies.
Villainous Friendship: They like and respect each other.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: They are merciless killers, but true to the cause. It's this that causes them to notice the order has been infiltrated.

Needle

Fantastic Racism: She's disgusted by the lilium-enhanced Cumaea, regarding them as more demon than human.
Repeating So the Audience Can Hear: How she talks to Hammer.

Hammer

Facial Horror: Her face has yet to be revealed to the audience, but it's been basically destroyed by the Constantine event.
Hammer of the Holy: Part of a religious order of warrior nuns and wields a huge hammer.
Hand Signals: How she communicates.
Masking the Deformity: She wears a cloth covering over her disfigured face.
Never Bareheaded: Her face and head are always covered.
The Voiceless: She is unable to speak and uses Hand Signals to communicate.

Yvette

Yvette Lo Lim

A former research associate of Moriko Halfwolf, and a member of the fateful expedition who was permanently altered by what happened there. She's the mother of Sophia Fekete.

Affably Evil: She's always pretty good-humored, even to enemies.
Ambiguously Human: Claims to have been "changed" during the calamity that happened during the expedition.
Back from the Dead: Maika kills her in the first arc, but the Mother Superior swiftly resurrects her, as she's still useful.
Evil Is Hammy: She is fond of waxing lyrical about the mask and making over the top, maniacal facial expressions to the point of Nightmare Face.
Evil Matriarch: At the start of the series she's sequestered in her rooms, making her daughter send her Arcanic body parts to eat.
Evil Old Folks: An unhinged, sinister old woman.
I'm a Humanitarian: She eats Arcanic children. It's not clear if she needs to eat Arcanics in particular, or if it's just easier for a member of the Cumaea than eating humans.
Misplaced Retribution: Maika initially believes Yvette killed her mother and wants revenge. Turns out that wasn't exactly what happened...
Nerves of Steel: Creepily unflappable at all times, no matter how dangerous the situation is to her personally.
Perpetual Smiler: Is almost always grinning broadly.
Sanity Slippage: She went mad from years of using a mask fragment.
Slasher Smile: Frequently flashes one.
Wicked Witch: As a member of the Cumaean order, she's frequently referred to as a witch. She also embodies this trope in the sense of being an evil old woman who eats people.

Sophia

Sophia Fekete

A member of the Cumaea who survived Constantine and is currently researching resurrection. Yvette's daughter and Atena's lover.

Cassandra Truth: She insists that the Arcanics found a way to summon a Monstrum into the world, based on what she saw at Constantine. No one believes her.
Disease Bleach: After Maika's flamethrower attack, she has to be healed with lilium, which turns her hair white.
Stoic Spectacles: She wears glasses and has a cold, matter-of-fact personality.
Uncertain Doom: She's in Aurum when the bomb goes off.

Atena

Lady Atena

A member of the Cumaea who spies on the order on behalf of the Prime Minister of the Federation. She is Resak's sister and Sophia's lover.

Brother–Sister Team: She works with her Arcanic half-brother, Resak.
Disease Bleach: Her white hair is apparently due to a severe injury prior to the series—lilium healed the scars, but also bleached her hair.
The Glomp: Gives one to Resak upon finding him safe and sound.
Military Brat: Her family is highly placed in the Federation navy.
The Mole: Loyal to the Prime Minister and spying on the Cumaea on her behalf.
Token Good Teammate: She and her brother are loyal to the Federation, but they're also some of the most idealistic characters in the story.

Zortia

Others From the Federation

Resak

Atena's Arcanic half-brother. First encountered posing as Sophia's slave, he's actually a former Federation commander who was forced out of the military due to his Arcanic heritage and now acts as a diplomat and sometime spy.

Establishing Character Moment: The same page that reveals his status as Atena's brother also reveals that he risked their plans and his own life to save an Arcanic child slave from certain death.
Heroic Bastard: He's illegitimate and one of the most straightforwardly heroic characters in the series.

Brito

Admiral Brito

The head of the Federation navy.

Reasonable Authority Figure: She doesn't want to go to war with the Arcanics.

Pontus

Vihn

Vihn Nem, Royal Engineer of Pontus

The Blood Court

Lord Doctor

The "Lord Doctor"

A direct descendant of the Shaman-Empress, former host of Zinn, and the father of Maika Halfwolf. Leads an organization known as the Blood Court.

A God Am I: He says this to Gull and the Mother Superior:
Despite all appearances, you and I share one thing in common. We are gods. I just happen to be the superior one.
Archnemesis Dad: He's a ruthless wannabe God-Emperor. He and Maika do not see eye to eye on this.
Artificial Limbs: Both of his legs are prosthetics beginning at the knees.
The Dreaded:
- To his subordinates. Any disobedience is a good way to end up in pieces, according to Yafaela.
- To Maika, which says a lot.
Gadgeteer Genius: He installs an advanced prosthetic arm on Maika, and gave his other daughter the Beast her cybernetic body.
I Am a Humanitarian: Regularly eats the flesh of humans, Arcanics and other sentients, which he claims to Maika is a necessity of their bloodline as marked descendants of the Shaman-Empress. She's disgusted.
I Am What I Am: Says he had to come to accept his Horror Hunger in order to survive and become strong.
I Have Many Names: Claims to have had many in his long existence.
Long-Lost Relative: Maika didn't even know he existed until he has his soldiers capture her.
Mark of the Beast: Like Maika, he bears a God-Eye mark on his chest.
Only Known By His Nickname: Only known as the Lord Doctor (or sometimes the Ghoul Killer), with his real name unmentioned.
Really 700 Years Old: Claims to be over 500 years old thanks to having hosted Zinn.
Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Says as much to Maika of all people, when she voices opposition to his methods and philosophy.
Visionary Villain: The Lord Doctor claims that he wants to Take Over the World so that he can then restore the long-lost golden age of the Shaman-Empress' time, when Arcanics had such technology as space travel and time manipulation. Maika shoots back that despite all his justifications, all he really wants is to be a god.

The Beast

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beast_3.jpg

^{Click here to see her full appearance}

The Lord Doctor's other daughter, whose wolfish appearance suggests that she's Maika's full sister.

Cyborg: Aside from her head and tails, she's entirely cybernetic.
In the Hood: Wears a hooded robe most of the time.
Long-Lost Relative: The other daughter of the father Maika had no idea existed. According to Tuya, the Beast is actually Maika's twin.
Multiple-Tailed Beast: Has three tails.
No Name Given: Unless her name is literally the Beast, it hasn't been mentioned yet.
Strong Family Resemblance: She looks a lot like her grandmother, the Queen of Wolves.
Unknown Rival: She greatly resents Maika, who has no idea who this robed person yelling at her even is when they first meet.

The Spice Islands

Sauri

Sauri Imura

A hundred years ago, Commander Sauri Imura was the first queen consort to rule alongside a siren queen of Thyria. Now, she rules in the distant Spice Islands, a haven untouched by the conflicts of the mainland... for now. She's the mother of Seizi and Kenzi Imura, as well as at least three daughters.

Honorary Uncle: She tells a young Maika to call her auntie if they ever meet again. On waking in the Spice Islands, teenage Maika instantly takes her up on it.

Old Tooth

A formidable shark Arcanic, daughter to an ancient of the Wave Court. Old Tooth is first seen as a crew member of one of Seizi's ships, but before and after, she works for his mother Sauri.

The Mentor: Teaches Kippa to swim, and has a soft spot for her thereafter.

Areka

Arekanara'el

Areka is Maika's childhood friend, and a member of the expedition on which Moriko Halfwolf died. As an adolescent, they've become a scholar focusing on the Shaman-Empress.

All of the Other Reindeer: Areka may be a member of the royal family, but they're disregarded because they have legs instead of a siren's tail.
Homosexual Reproduction: Both of their mothers are sirens, which means Areka's lack of a tail can't be blamed on human blood.
The Runaway: In Talk-Stories, Maika and Areka ran away together because they didn't want to go to a Federation military school. After the disastrous expedition, Areka ran away from Thyria again because their relatives cared only about the power of the mask fragment they'd brought with them, and not Areka themself.

Historical Figures

Shaman-Empress

The Shaman-Empress

The very first Arcanic, ancestor of Maika Halfwolf and, apparently, the lover of Zinn. She was the most powerful Arcanic to ever live, and an unmatched scientific genius.

Did You Just Romance Cthulhu?: Was the lover of one of the Old Gods themselves.
Emperor Scientist: She was a brilliant scientist, responsible for technological wonders that make the current setting look like the Dark Ages in comparison. Unfortunately, she took her knowledge to the grave.
Have We Met Yet?: Maika has a vision of sorts of her where she mentions having previously met an older Maika.
Hidden Eyes: Has almost always been depicted with a mask, visor or goggles covering her upper face, although there's evidence that she looks identical to Maika.
Identical Stranger: She looks very much like Moriko Halfwolf, although they lived centuries apart and as far as we know they aren't related.
The Lost Lenore: To Zinn.
Mask of Power: Created the series' primary MacGuffin, a broken mask of power that allows the opening of gates to where the Old Gods are imprisoned.
No Name Given: Her real name has never been mentioned; she is known only by her title.
Posthumous Character: She has been dead for a very long time, but this hardly stops her or her inventions from having a role in the plot.
Uncanny Family Resemblance: Is identical to her distant descendant Maika, with the implication that supernatural genetics and prophecy play a role in this.

Shaman-Princess

Akiami

The firstborn daughter of the Shaman-Empress and Zinn, first to bear the mark of the eye, and Maika's distant ancestor. She appears as a little girl in Zinn's flashbacks and Maika's visions of the Shaman-Empress.

Posthumous Character: Whatever happened to her, she's long dead by the present day.
Strong Family Resemblance: She looks just like Maika did as a child.
Uncertain Doom: Nothing good happened to the Shaman-Empress's children and their descendants after her death, but Akiami's exact fate is unknown.
Uneven Hybrid: Daughter of an Old God, granddaughter of an Ancient and a human.

Marium

The psychic human scientist who discovered Lilium and inspired the founding of the Cumaea. She was an apprentice of the Shaman-Empress and may have had a hand in Zinn's betrayal.

Crystal Dragon Jesus: Her name is Marium, she was from a region called Galilea, and she had thirteen apostles who founded the Cumaea after her death. Does This Remind You of Anything?
Only Friend: She (or Zinn's memory of her) claims to have been their only friend.
Posthumous Character: Like the Shaman-Empress, she died a long time ago.
Stop Worshipping Me: Professor Tam Tam believes that Marium would disdain the Cumaea's worship of her, as she was a woman of science.

Adara Farclaw

A cat, and the first worldwalker.

Founder of the Kingdom: Founded the Empyrean Dynasty.
I Owe You My Life: Zinn saved her life long ago, and she fully intends to repay that debt.

Other Characters

Professor Tam Tam

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tamtam_0.jpg

Former First Record-Keeper of the Is'hami Temple and learned contemporary of Namron Black Claw. The Professor's in-universe lectures to her kitten students provide extra information about the world at the end of many issues.

Multiple-Tailed Beast: Has four tails.
Unreliable Expositor: While Professor Tam Tam isn't knowingly misleading, she's an in-universe character with her own biases, sometimes working off limited information. For example, she regards stories of an Old God in search of redemption falling in love with a great queen as flights of fantasy, even though the reader knows that's at least somewhat true of Zinn.

Characters / Monstress

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