Iona by Chrysalis

Iona is a high fantasy rock opera told in 20 songs, first conceptualized in 2021 and completed in late 2025.

Plotline:

In the Kingdom of Iona, a plague has fallen on Io, the capital city. The corrupt and decrepit King Roland is powerless to take meaningful action against the sickness, famine, and extreme weather events befalling the populace. Iona is a centralized serfdom, wherein its workers are solely paid by the throne, which has not paid out a full week’s wage in over two years, and hasn’t paid anything at all in two months. The sickly Queen Annabelle, a mystic, claims that a whirlpool in the Western sea is causing these extreme weather events, a centuries-long curse from a powerful witch, not a human mystic like herself, but an ancient being which she refers to as a siren. Some think it is a punishment from God and put all of their hopes into praying for salvation, others still hitch their hopes to Roland and the royal family. Princess Jezebel, Roland and Annabelle’s only daughter, has grown alienated by her father’s brutality and her mother’s apathy. Jezebel is highly religious, but hates her father’s authoritarian invocation of religion to hold onto power.
Meanwhile, the Werkspartie (Communist Party), led by the revolutionary Damien, think that rigorous protest and worker democracy is the only way to fairly distribute the resources remaining in Iona. He claims that the famine is due to poor farming practices, and seeks to undo a generations-old deal with the crown, reclaiming the land for the farmers so they can use it as they wish. The party stages a huge demonstration, during which time Annabelle dies of a heart attack. King Roland blames the party and orders for Damien to be publicly executed. However, Damien’s right hand, Violet, a former sex worker who has long advocated for violent overthrow, concocts an assassination plot against the king. When Damien rejects her plan, she carries out the plot herself, successfully killing Roland. This causes a huge revolt against the communists, and Damien is killed by a pro-royalist mob. However, Jezebel’s first action as queen is to stay Violet’s execution. Believing her mother, Jezebel determines that the kingdom of Iona must make a voyage out to the western sea in order to confront the witch directly. The only man insane enough to lead such a voyage is Captain Ulysses, whose ship has seen better days. Ulysses, Jezebel, Violet, and Kai, an unlucky crew members, set sail to the heart of the hurricane. After rough sailing and a confrontation with the witch's pet, the Kraken, Ulysses and Kai are lost to the sea and presumed dead. Jezebel and Violet somehow wind up on the shore of the witch's cave, and finally confront the ancient siren, who is taking revenge on the kingdom of Iona because a king’s troupe captured and raped her 500 years ago. Roland’s ancestor had placed a binding spell on the witch, but she managed to free herself from it in the centuries since.
Jezebel offers herself as a sacrifice to atone for her ancestor’s sins, but Violet steps in to do it instead, making Jezebel promise to dismantle the kingdom of Iona upon her return. Jezebel agrees, and Violet and the witch disappear in a shockwave. Finally, Jezebel drifts back towards the coast, reflecting that once she gets back, everything will be different.

Chrysalis is a hard rock band and artists' collective featuring several instrumentalists, vocalists, and visual artists.

All music and lyrics composed by Thom Hood.