"KNEEL BEFORE YOUR QUEEN, AND RECEIVE THE CURSE OF QUILLS!"
― Queen of Quills
Monk, also known as the Queen of Quills, is a character in The Messenger. As the Queen of Quills, she is the fourth boss of the game and is fought at the end of Quillshroom Marsh.
Before the events of The Messenger, Monk was a promising Messenger who restored Rivière Turquoise by bringing the Butterfly Matriarch. She also defeated the Primal Fear that once ruled Quillshroom Marsh. However, as the Primal Fear died, it cursed Monk and transformed her into a Fallen known as the Queen of Quills. As the Queen of Quills, she transforms trespassers in Quillshroom Marsh into mushrooms.
Monk had the power to travel back to the past, unlike Ninja who has the power to travel to the future.
Monk is a human woman with long brown hair and brown eyes. Queen of Quills, on the other hand, has long brown hair and yellow eyes with no visible pupils. Other features exclusive to the Queen of Quills are her green skin covered in thorns and a round orange gem on her forehead.
The Tower of Time statue, "QUEEN OF QUILLS." Monk is depicted uncharacteristically wielding a staff instead of a whip.
Both the Queen of Quills and Monk wear orange clothes with yellow accents. She wears a low-cut orange vest with short sleeves, an orange loincloth, an orange mouth balaclava, orange shoes, yellow lower-arm bands, and yellow lower-leg bands. However, while Monk's clothes are intact, the Queen of Quills's clothes are mostly in tatters, at least partly due to the thorns growing out of her body; only her balaclava remains intact.
On the top of both the Queen of Quills and Monk's head are two yellow segmented cone-shaped horns pointing upward, surrounded by her long brown hair. It is unknown if these are real horns or decorations. Both the Queen and the Monk have parted bangs, and pigtails that end with yellow and orange hair decorations, but the Queen of Quills's pigtails are constantly in motion, moving up and down like snakes.
Monk's choice of weapon is a brown whip, while the Queen of Quills wields a green prickly whip. Her Tower of Time statue depicts her wielding a tall staff.
Personality[]
The Queen of Quills admits she lost the duel but continues to threaten Ninja with her Quillshroom.
The Queen of Quills is intimidating and evil. She threatens Ninja with her Quillshroom army. Despite being evil, the Queen of Quills show honor; she is initially antagonistic towards Ninja in the first half of the game, fighting him in a duel, but in the second half of the game, Ninja can speak to her (provided he doesn't have the Magic Firefly), and she concedes that she lost the duel and does not make any attempts to attack Ninja again. Though, she still threatens Ninja, saying that her Quillshroom will still try to attack him.
When Monk first awakens, she is panicked and frantic, since from her point of view, she was just pulled out of the Primal Fear fight. But even in her confused state, she cares about her friend, the Butterfly Matriarch, immediately asking Ninja's Magic Firefly about the Matriarch's well-being. Monk has a good conscience, as shown when she shows regret over what happened to the marsh and questions what she did as the Queen of Quills.
Boss Fight[]
There are four metal rings total, two on a lower tier and two on a higher tier. Queen of Quills transfers back and forth between the metal rings of a specific tier and hangs from them during the battle.
The Queen of Quills performing a "flurry attack" in the middle of the arena.
Queen of Quills's whip uncharacteristically deals 2 damage instead of 1 damage.
After reaching or passing the 29 HP threshold for the first time, the Queen of Quills will hop to a metal ring, then hop back to the center ground level to perform a "flurry attack." She'll then return to her standard attack pattern. The same deal happens with the 14 HP threshold but she follows the "flurry attack" with a guaranteed "jumping-whip attack."
Whirlybird Seeds: 2 Wallaxers on the side of the arena close to Queen of Quills, a short one and a tall one, leading up to the Queen of Quills like a staircase.
Whirlybird Seeds: 3 Wallaxers: 2 of them are on the side of the arena close to Queen of Quills, a short one and a tall one, leading up to the Queen of Quills like a staircase. The remaining 1 is a small Wallaxer on the opposite side of the arena.
Phase 6[]
The Queen of Quills gives up.
1 HP
The Queen of Quills is invincible until she leaps to the center ground level of the arena to perform 1 final "flurry attack." She becomes dizzy and doesn't move for the remainder of the fight, performing a "flurry attack" once every few seconds.
Attacks[]
Parachute Seeds[]
The Queen of Quills releases parachute seeds from the sky.
If the Queen of Quills is not already hanging from a metal ring, she'll hop over to one. The Queen of Quills then hops to the opposite metal ring, releasing a wave of parachute seeds that rains down from the sky. The parachute seeds sway left and right across the screen in large sweeps as they fall downward, and the seeds disappear upon contact with the ground. The Queen of Quills jumps back to her original metal ring, releasing another wave of parachute seeds.
Ninja transformed into a mushroom and the Queen of Quills approaching.
If a parachute seed touches Ninja, it does no damage, but Ninja transforms into a helpless mushroom creature and cannot move. Any Wallaxers that were active will disappear from the arena. The Queen of Quills jumps down to ground level and walks slowly towards Ninja with her whip at the ready. If she reaches Ninja, she'll whip Ninja, which deals damage and snaps Ninja out of his mushroom form. Ninja can also spam jump/attack in order to break free and return to his normal form; the number of times required to spam the button increases each time, going 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, then capping out at 27 times total. Breaking free from mushroom form makes Queen of Quills return back to her standard attack cycle.
Whirlybird Seed(s)[]
If the Queen of Quills is not already hanging from a metal ring, she'll hop over to one. The Queen of Quills then hops to the opposite metal ring, releasing whirlybird seed(s) that drop straight down into the ground. When the whirlybird seed(s) touch the ground, they instantly grow into Wallaxer(s). Ninja can attack the Wallaxer(s) to Cloudstep and reach the Queen of Quills, where he can attack her to knock her off of the metal ring.
Flurry Attack[]
The Queen of Quills releases a wave of quills during her "flurry attack."
If Ninja attacks the Queen of Quills while she's hanging idly from a metal ring or while she's cartwheeling between two metal rings, she falls down to the ground level and becomes dizzy for 6 seconds or until 6 damage is dealt to her while she's on the ground. If 6 damage is dealt to her while she's on the ground, she follows up with a "flurry attack." The Queen of Quills performs a damageless pushback followed by a horizontal wave of many quills.
Jumping-Whip Attack[]
The Queen of Quills attempts to whip Ninja.
If Ninja fails to utilize the Wallaxers to reach Queen of Quills and knock her down to the ground, she'll jump down to the ground level and perform a jumping-whip attack three times in a row, where she homes in on Ninja's location and jumps slightly above Ninja, then as she descends, she attempts to whip Ninja. Ninja can duck at the moment she's about to whip him to avoid taking damage. (If Ninja ducks too early, then the Queen of Quills will account for this.) Alternatively, Ninja can run away before the whip strikes him.
There's also some sort of hidden mechanic where if Ninja does X damage during the later half of the battle, the Queen of Quills will perform the "jumping-whip attack" outside of her standard attack pattern.
Main Story[]
The Shopkeeper tells the legend of the brave monk.
As Ninja travels through Quillshroom Marsh, he can enter a shop and speak with The Shopkeeper. Ninja asks about the current area, and The Shopkeeper tells of the legend of the Primal Fear who used to rule the marsh until it was defeated by a brave monk. However, with the Primal Fear's dying breath, it cursed the monk forever, and the monk still roams the marsh, turning any trespassers into fungi. If Ninja enters the shop before the Queen of Quills, he can inquire about the upcoming boss fight. The Shopkeeper warns Ninja that she senses a Fallen up ahead and explains that Fallen are Messengers whose quest came to a tragic end, their power corrupted by demon magic. The Shopkeeper ponders if it's the same Monk she once knew.
The Queen of Quills speaks of her Quillshroom army.
Ninja enters the room of the Queen of Quills. Unaware that the Queen of Quills is evil, Ninja warns her to leave since the marsh is filled with monsters. The Queen of Quills reveals that she commands the Quillshroom army and that she plans to add Ninja to it. However, she is caught off guard by the fact that Ninja carries the scroll. She yells at Ninja to kneel before her and to receive the Curse of Quills. The two engage in battle, and Ninja emerges as the victor. Upon delivering the final blow against her, time freezes. Quillble appears to save her, teleporting the Queen of Quills away in a manner identical to how Quarble saves Ninja. If Ninja has encountered Quarble at least once earlier in the story, then Quarble appears, followed by Quillble revealing that she was exiled a long time ago when she was cursed along with her Messenger.
The Butterfly Matriarch recalls Monk.
After Ninja gains the power to freely time travel, he eventually travels to Rivière Turquoise. Ninja can enter a shop in order to speak with The Shopkeeper and ask about the area. She explains that the sacred grove used to be ruled by demons until a powerful Messenger drove the demons out and brought the Butterfly Matriarch so that the grove could heal and become lush again. Ninja is confused, since the 8-bit era is charred and the 16-bit era is lush, meaning that there would have had to have been a Messenger between his two time periods. The Shopkeeper tells Ninja not to think about it too much. After traversing though Rivière Turquoise, Ninja defeats the brainwashed Butterfly Matriarch, who gifts Ninja with a Magic Firefly. Before the Butterfly Matriarch leaves, she makes a passing comment that Ninja reminds her of the monk that once saved her, wondering what became of her.
The Magic Firefly removes Monk's corruption.
Ninja can return to 8-bit Quillshroom Marsh and encounter the Queen of Quills once again. This time, the Queen of Quills is not hostile. If Ninja does not have the Magic Firefly in his inventory, he can speak to her. The Queen of Quills mentions that, even though Ninja won the duel, her Quillshroom will still try to get him. If Ninja enters the room with the Magic Firefly in his inventory, a cutscene activates. The Magic Firefly flies out of Ninja's inventory and recognizes the Queen of Quills as the monk who restored Rivière Turquoise centuries ago by bringing the Butterfly Matriarch. The Magic Firefly volunteers to remove the Queen of Quills's corruption and flies around her while releasing a shower of magical blue sparkles. This cures Monk and restores her to her original form before she was cursed.
Monk wonders what she did to Quillshroom Marsh.
Monk gasps for air and exclaims about the Primal Fear, still in the same mindset as she was the moment she defeated the Primal Fear and became cursed. The Magic Firefly tells Monk to calm down, explaining that she fell victim to the Curse of Quills. Monk is still in alarm and asks why the Magic Firefly is here and if the Butterfly Matriarch is safe. The Magic Firefly reassures her that everything is fine. Monk questions what she did while she was brainwashed, then takes her leave to talk to The Prophet, jumping straight up into the air and out of sight. The Magic Firefly informs Ninja that Monk will be fine, and that there has never been a stronger Messenger.
Monk destroys the ice on the frozen lanterns.
Ninja returns to 8-bit Glacial Peak where he finds Monk waiting near some frozen lanterns. Monk explains that she spoke to The Prophet earlier, so she learned that Ninja has a real shot at breaking the curse upon the world. Ninja asks Monk if she was once a Messenger, and she confirms it, explaining that her power was to travel to the past, unlike Ninja whose power is to travel to the future. Monk continues on to say that The Prophet instructed her to help out Ninja so that he could save his friend. Monk proceeds to jump straight up into the air and whip the ice-encased lanterns, which breaks the ice away to make the lanterns usable for Ninja. Monk bids Ninja a farewell and takes her leave, jumping straight up into the air and away from view.
Monk asks how they should stop the Mask.
Monk is seen again during the ending sequence, waiting at the top of the Tower of Time with The Artificer and The Prophet. The trio are waiting for Ninja, The Shopkeeper, and Phantom to return back safely. Monk acts impatient, chiding herself for not going into the Music Box herself. But soon, Ninja, The Shopkeeper, and Phantom do return, and all seems well. However, the Mask arrives on scene, and The Prophet comments about the direness of the situation. Monk asks how the Mask can be stopped, but The Prophet and The Shopkeeper are discouraged that the group has any chance of stopping the Mask. In spite of The Prophet and The Shopkeeper's grim outlook, The Artificer reminds the group that everyone present is attuned to the scroll, so the six of them can "do the thing" to combat the Mask. The group each raise an arm into the air, teleporting away to form the Arcane Golem. The Arcane Golem and the Mask struggle in a laser beam duel, but the Arcane Golem ekes out a victory, shattering the Mask into many pieces.
Monk concludes that she and Quillble have reached one of the branching points described by The Prophet.
After Ninja and Quarble jump into the heart of Fire Mountain to chase after their dark counterparts, Monk drops from the sky, landing on the top of the volcano. She remarks that Ninja's outfit is identical to that of the clan that taught her how to Cloudstep. Quillble teleports to Monk's side, informing her that she found more information related to the cultists. Monk tells Quillble that the Primal Fear can wait, and that they have reached one of the branching points mentioned by The Prophet. She requests Quillble to watch over Ninja and Quarble, so Quillble obliges and teleports away.
In the official The Messenger Discord server, The Shopkeeper revealed a lore tidbit about Monk and Quillble.
#ninja-village
Doom Man
Quarble helping in fighting would be interesting Too bad in boss fights he just gets scared
The Shopkeeper
[deleted message: Greed Demons fighting alongside their Messenger?]
The Shopkeeper
[deleted message: (paraphrasing) "I said no more spoilers about the Monk"]
November 22, 2019[]
In the official The Messenger Discord server, during the 6th opening of #the-shop text channel, Rainbowdragoneyes entered the shop and showed off a preview of a unique music track for Queen of Quills.
#the-shop
The Shopkeeper
Oh and, before you leave...
The Shopkeeper
Would you mind passing the scroll to Rainbowdragoneyes? I need a word with him right now.
Vitto
Okay.
The Shopkeeper
Thank you, and godspeed, Vitto!
Rainbowdragoneyes
ugh so hungover
Rainbowdragoneyes
I attended the function last night
The Shopkeeper
Well, if it isn't the music man himself!
Rainbowdragoneyes
and had several glasses of whisky with my friends
The Shopkeeper
Ever the role model
Rainbowdragoneyes
oh hey
Rainbowdragoneyes
how did i get here
The Shopkeeper
Vitto snapped the scroll on your back
Rainbowdragoneyes
oh
Rainbowdragoneyes
thanks?\
Rainbowdragoneyes
i mean of course
Rainbowdragoneyes
Thanks!
The Shopkeeper
keyword "?"
The Shopkeeper
Hey so, there's something I've been meaning to ask and
Rainbowdragoneyes
hmm
The Shopkeeper
You know how we're seldom our best on Twitter
The Shopkeeper
You know, all the beeps and all the boops you made
Rainbowdragoneyes
its because you always pick a fight
Rainbowdragoneyes
its all your fault and not mine at all
Rainbowdragoneyes
oh right
The Shopkeeper
I'm sorry what?
Rainbowdragoneyes
Boops n such
The Shopkeeper
Oh right right
The Shopkeeper
And all the tunes, always chipped, you know
Rainbowdragoneyes
Hmm I think I know the one you mean
The Shopkeeper
Well they're not half bad
Rainbowdragoneyes
Ah thanks
Rainbowdragoneyes
Its good to be the king
The Shopkeeper
And you know since a definitive edition of The Messenger is happening...
The Shopkeeper
We're chipping in, no pun intended
Rainbowdragoneyes
I think I heard something about that
Rainbowdragoneyes
I downloaded it from a torrent
Rainbowdragoneyes
its great but i play with the sound off
The Shopkeeper
I'll be adding a special story to one of Sabocup's winners
The Shopkeeper
And I thought you know
The Shopkeeper
There just one boss in the game that never got her own music track
Rainbowdragoneyes
Let me stop you right there
Rainbowdragoneyes
What is a boss
Rainbowdragoneyes
Wait lets back up
Rainbowdragoneyes
Define "Video Gaem"
The Shopkeeper
It's when you jump over a pitfall but still fall and then blame the controller
Rainbowdragoneyes
Ah yes, those danged darn controllers
Rainbowdragoneyes
Dont neec em
Rainbowdragoneyes
need
Rainbowdragoneyes
I needa new keyboard
The Shopkeeper
It's as they say: if you can kill a king
The Shopkeeper
You can quill a queen
The Shopkeeper
Can she get her own track or what
Rainbowdragoneyes
Ah yes, the infamous "They"
Rainbowdragoneyes
always saying things
Rainbowdragoneyes
Umm
Rainbowdragoneyes
Sure
The Shopkeeper
Always getting quoted
Rainbowdragoneyes
I think I know what youre saying
Rainbowdragoneyes
Youre saying
Rainbowdragoneyes
Can she get her own track or what
The Shopkeeper
Not exactly
Rainbowdragoneyes
Is that what you are saying?
The Shopkeeper
I meant more like
The Shopkeeper
Queen of Quills music track when
The Shopkeeper
Also please
Rainbowdragoneyes
Music... track?\
Rainbowdragoneyes
Oh, MUSIC track
The Shopkeeper
And since you're here, outside of time, couldn't you just compose it instantly right now?
Queen of Quills's beta talk portrait icon from promotional footage.
The "Devolver Public Access: The Messenger-Sneak Peek" video depicts a beta talk portrait for the Queen of Quills.[2] The beta talk portrait icon was a highly-detailed close-up of the upper half of the overworld sprite, while the final talk portrait icon is a highly-detailed close-up of the Queen of Quills's face.
In the beta version of The Messenger, The Shopkeeper was originally too upset to tell a story in Searing Crags due to the events involving the Queen of Quills.[3]
Ninja: Do you have any stories to share?
Shopkeeper: Of course I do, but I'm not in the mood.
Ninja: ...
Shopkeeper: This Queen of Quills business really got to me, I need a break. Try me again in the next stage.
In New Game +, you can reach Manfred's ice block in 16-bit using the Windmill Shuriken, so you do not need to cure Monk in order to reach Elemental Skylands. However, even if you do not cure Monk, she still appears in the ending.
There was major speculation by fans in the official Discord whether or not Monk was the "particularly gifted Messenger" who managed to obtain two of the Music Notes before Ninja. Thierry Boulanger, the main director and writer of the game, revealed that it's not clear if Monk was the most skilled Messenger, but she was definitely the strongest Messenger.[4]
However, in the "Live Messenger Q&A," Thierry refers to the Messenger who obtained the two Music Notes as a "she."[5]
The "Live Messenger Q&A" revealed more information about Monk.[5]
Monk got the scroll from The Artificer at first.
Everyone who was turned into a Quillshroom was cursed forever. Monk was the only one with a strong enough will where she was able to embrace the curse, preventing her mind from completely succumbing. That's why she's not a monster but rather a monster version of herself. Her true self is still alive and is able to break free after being cured by Ninja's Magic Firefly.
The Rope Dart was originally intended to be the Queen of Quills's bramble whip, obtained after defeating her, but it would have been too uneven to have some bosses give upgrades and others not, so it was kept to the shop. She was also intended to use a staff rather than a whip after being cured, which she would have used to break the ice off of the lanterns in Glacial Peak. Monk does wield a staff in her Tower of Time statue, though, which reflects this initial intention.[6]
In New Game +, attempting to Rope Dart the metal rings in the Queen of Quills boss room has no effect. The Rope Dart simply passes through the ring, rather than pulling Ninja toward it at a fast movement rate.
Rainbowdragoneyes, the game's music composer, created all of the sound effects in the game. His ex-girlfriend, Mithrin Design, voiced the Queen of Quills laugh that occurs whenever Ninja gets transformed into a Quillshroom.[7]
