Character from The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
The last Queen of Speer — a Phoenix shaman who ruled the Speerly people before their destruction, proof that the fire god's power could be wielded with sovereignty rather than self-destruction.
Tearza was the Queen of Speer and a Phoenix shaman — one of the few who channeled the fire god with authority rather than being consumed by it. She represents the road not taken: a version of Speerly shamanism that was disciplined, sovereign, and self-directed rather than weaponized or self-destructive. Her existence proves that the Speerly connection to the Phoenix didn't have to end in Altan's burning or Rin's genocide. There was a time when Speerlies governed their own fire. Riga and Mugen destroyed that possibility — and the woman who embodied it — because they feared what a nation of fire shamans could do if left free.
A Speerly queen — dark-skinned with the golden eyes that mark Phoenix shamans. Regal bearing, warrior-queen presence. She belongs to Speer's past, encountered primarily through legend and historical accounts rather than direct appearance in the trilogy's present.
Also known as: Tearza, Mai'rinnen Tearza, Queen Tearza, The Speerly Queen