HEED THE TIGER’S TONGUE, AND YOU WILL NOT BE LED ASTRAY.
Under the militant rule of The Tiger’s People, empowered by their animal familiars, the Claw is on the brink of war. At the precipice of adulthood, twin princesses Kelindi and Aridani hold the future of the Claw in their hands. Kelindi would sue for peace with The River’s People, those who were subjugated “to bring order,” while Aridani has never aspired to rule. But an ancient prophecy is revealed that’ll force fate’s hand for the sisters…
CREATIVE TEAM
THE Tiger's tongue
Here's What Critics Are Saying
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"A beautiful graphically told story. That is what this is. And the emotions, the deceit, the feeling of being rubbed up the wrong way? It’s tangible. Waiting in anticipation for issue 2!"
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" this first issue of The Tiger’s Tongue includes stunning art that helps flesh out a world I want to get lost in. I love the foundation of what I predict will be a fantastic narrative dealing with sisterhood, family obligations, and choosing your own destiny."
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"With just its first issue, there’s a whole lot of intrigue on how the overall plot develops. Between main characters readers come to love, being put in political situation sounds terrifying. There seems to be so much to enjoy with a fantasy world like few others."
GET TO KNOW
The Characters
Queen Kembri
The wife of King Oleandra, Queen Kembri died at the age of 26 while giving birth to their twin daughters, Kelindi and Aridani. There are whispers that her death could have been prevented, had the potent medicine of The River’s People not been outlawed as contraband. While Queen Kembri was well-known for her elegance, her daughters know little to nothing about her.
Sebic
The pet tiger of King Oleandra, Sebic died at the age of 41 while giving birth to her cub Karion–the same night that Queen Kembri died giving birth to Kelindi and Aridani. Her death compounded the king’s grief over losing his wife, and contributed to the dark, merciless turn his reign took in the years afterward.
Karion
The pet tiger of Princess Aridani, Karion was born on the same night as Aridani and Kelindi–as is typical of royal births for The Tiger’s People. Poised and utterly loyal to Aridani, Karion is always there when she needs comfort. He shares visions with Aridani, not only through speaking The Tiger’s Tongue, but through shared dreams and visions. These visions are hightened when Aridani makes physical contact with him.
Of the twin princesses, Karion favors Aridani, if only because she speaks The Tiger’s Tongue more fluently than Kelindi.
Phin
Phin is a talented blacksmith whose family operates the royal armory, also known as The Tiger’s Arms. Due to his profession and its proximity to the Tiger’s Court, Phin lives a more privileged life than most of the people of The River. This makes him a bit of an outcast amongst his peers, as they are less complicit in The Tiger’s Reign. Though he tends to be a bit timid, Phin is well-intentioned, and ultimately wants the best for the River’s People. His budding feelings for Princess Aridani are a source of conflict for him, as she frequently visits his workshop.
Skal
A proud woman of the River, Skal is Princess Kelindi’s secret best friend and confidante. Though her demeanor is a bit sarcastic, she does have a more affectionate side she shows in dire situations. After accidentally meeting in the forest as children, she opened Kelindi’s eyes to the true nature of her family’s reign. Along with her mother, she creates and distributes “contraband” medicine made with Old River sediment. Skal regularly meets Kelindi in secret in the forest that borders the palace and court. The two have been meeting this way for as long as they can remember. Despite their differences in circumstance, Skal truly cares for Kelindi and enjoys pushing her buttons in conversation.
Princess Aridani
Sweet and light-hearted, Princess Aridani is a social butterfly who likes to spend her free time exploring the streets and shops outside the palace. Though she and Princess Kelindi are twins, her playful disposition makes her seem younger and smaller than she really is. Aridani is also close to Phin, a skilled blacksmith who is contracted by the monarchy and harbors his own feelings for Aridani. Due to her deeply spiritual and absent-minded manner, King Oleander believes her unfit to rule, choosing instead to focus on preparing Princess Kelindi for the throne. Princess Aridani has never been able to manifest her own powers, but her average body temperature is a bit lower than average. Despite this, she is more fluent than her sister, Kelindi, in The Tiger’s Tongue. Because of this, she shares a deeper connection with Karion, her pet tiger with psychic abilities.
Princess Kelindi
Strong and self-assured, Princess Kelindi is favored by King Oleandra to take over the throne once she reaches 18. From a young age, Kelindi was personally trained by the King in countless private lessons in order to prepare for the throne. She is succinct and guarded to a fault– her manner wins her little favor within the boisterous social circles of the Tiger’s court. Her closest friend and confidante is Skal, a radically-minded citizen living in the shadows of the Claw. Skal opens her eyes to the atrocities committed by the Claw upon The River’s People, and the squalor that the Claw’s marginalized are forced to live in. As a result, Kelindi vows to improve the living conditions of the common people, and create meaningful change once she takes over the throne as Queen. Though Kelindi has a shorter fuse, she tends to resort to diplomacy in the end, preferring to lead by keeping the peace. Because of this, there are whispers of doubt amongst the Tiger’s Court that she may be too much of a pacifist to lead The Claw.
King Oleandra
Oleandra is a weary, embittered ruler who has all but left the actual ruling to his royal court, also known as The Tiger’s Court–a group of disconnected elites who only work to further enrich themselves. He lost his beloved wife Kembri in childbirth and has subsequently hardened his heart to nearly everything. Though he would never admit this, he quietly resents his twin daughters for the death of his wife–yet he still does show moments of genuine concern for them. Oleandra favors Princess Kelindi, however, grooming her to rule after him through private lessons to prepare her for the throne. Sebic, his pet tiger, died the same night as his wife while giving birth to her own cub, Karion.
Long ago, Oleandra possessed fire-like powers similar to his daughter Kelindi, but he has since grown too weak (or apathetic) to wield them.
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