Tighnari

Tighnari is the stern Chief Officer of the Forest Rangers and Collei's mentor. Despite his intelligence, he prefers to live a solitary life in the depths of Avidya Forest rather than in the ivory tower of Sumeru Akademiya.

Tighnari's role as the head Forest Watcher and one experienced in botany is that of a biologist and doctor, treating the many ill or injured that pass through Gandharva Ville, the Ranger outpost where he lives and works.

Sumeru is a region based off of the Middle East and tropical Asia. Tighnari speaks Arabic as well as English.

Tighnari is described by his colleagues as a young researcher well-versed in botany who currently serves as a Forest Watcher in Avidya Forest. He is a straight shooter with a warm heart — and a dab hand at guiding even the dullest of pupils.

Being a Forest Watcher, Tighnari is highly knowledgeable about various species of both plants and animals, particularly flowers and mushrooms, having grown an interest due to studying his parents' books when he was young. He spends a great deal of time in Sumeru's rainforests, studying various species of plants and ensuring that the ecosystem is healthy and balanced. As the Chief Officer of the Forest Watchers, he takes his job very seriously and offers advice to those willing to listen and sternly lectures those who don't. He is very loyal to those whom he considers his friends and cares about them very deeply.

Due to his Valuka Shuna heritage, Tighnari is particularly sensitive to weather, disliking the wind and thunder. While his kind used to live in the desert, Tighnari, having a darker shade of fur (which he attributes to his kind migrating to the forests), is notably unable to tolerate the desert heat, causing him to suffer from heatstroke faster than others. He acknowledges this as one of his weaknesses.

He serves as a mentor to Collei, who in turn sees him as a Master of some sorts and holds him with high regard. He places a lot of value on knowledge, and thus oversees her education seriously, ensuring that she understands the content to the best of her ability. While he is friends with Cyno, he does not appreciate his jokes, having been exposed to many unfunny jokes and considers them embarrassing.

Tighnari is around 5'5 in height, not counting his ears. He has fair skin, chin-length dark green hair with black roots and light green streaks at the front, and pale-pupiled eyes that fade from brown to green. He also possesses large, pointy black ears and a fluffy tail in two shades of dark green.

People who encounter misfortunes in the Avidya Forest are lucky to meet a Forest Watcher named Tighnari.

But if you land yourself in trouble due to foolish antics, you might have mixed feelings meeting Tighnari.

Tighnari resolves problems quickly and professionally, but at the same time, he will give the other party a stern lecture.

As the saying goes, those who underestimate the rainforest will get taught a lesson by it, and those who underestimate a Forest Watcher will eventually face the teachings of the "Wilderness Survival Skills Lecture."

These are all rumors, but in reality, there is no need to be too stressed when encountering Tighnari. Anyone with a clear head will be able to comprehend his easy-to-understand explanations.

As for those who are set in their ways, they will experience his sharp wit and sharper tongue firsthand.

He has large ears, a long tail, and a slightly delicate face. If a less discerning eye were to appraise him, he might even look like some kind of small, rare animal native to the forests.

But anyone who has even been acquainted with him will know that there is clarity to his words and steadiness in his bearing.

Other than the most basic of forest maintenance, the Forest Rangers will often encounter a great number of problems whose origins lie in human hands:

Arbitrarily occupied camps, shacks built by the destruction of vegetation, domestic waste dumps that may become sources of pollution, bonfire embers that have yet to fully be extinguished...

In response to such situations, they must not only solve the problem at hand but also try to admonish the perpetrators, and yet these exhortations are not always accurately communicated.

This would improve greatly after Tighnari joined the Forest Watchers.

Part of this is his scholarly rigor — the way in which he will unceremoniously "teach" the troublemakers.

But more importantly, Tighnari is able to communicate the correct way to act and the reasons behind that in a manner most comprehensible to those he teaches.

The way he sees it, these crafts of living out in the wilds are also knowledge, and that getting people to accept knowledge is an art in and of itself.

It is far more useful to be straightforward about the other part's errors and what is at stake as opposed to dryly giving advice.

This is also why Tighnari has disagreements with the Akademiya's purveying of the Akasha Terminal.

Knowledge is, in truth, the treasure of all living things. It should be passionately embraced by those who are curious about it as opposed to becoming a tool for survival, doled out in limited amounts.

Unfortunately, as a young researcher, Tighnari did not have anywhere near the clout to stand against the Akademiya, and even now he can only do what he can in a limited capacity.

At the same time, reality does not quite match up to one's ideals—

As such, some unlucky soul getting lectured by Tighnari is no uncommon sight in Avidya Forest.

When Tighnari first arrived at Gandharva Ville, he was still a normal member of the Forest Rangers, no different from any other Forest Watcher.

But he soon discovered that the Forest Rangers had significant problems of their own.

They were passionate about protecting the forest, yes, but the organization as a whole lacked rational structure and instruction with any measure of scientific rigor.

Alas, change could never come without any difficulty, and yet Tighnari was never good at leaving things to rot.

As such, the highly active Tighnari leapt into action to turn things around.

He created a rationalized forest patrol log, assigned tasks according to each person’s [sic] strengths, and regularly conducted natural history training for his fellow team members...

With the enthusiastic cooperation of his fellow rangers, the forest patrols around Avidya Forest grew ever more effective, especially around Gandharva Ville, where it could be said to be perfect.

Naturally, this knowledgeable and highly active researcher would become someone whom the Forest Rangers looked up to.

Beings of Tighnari's race are a rare and unpredictable sort, and usually give off the impression of being loners.

But Tighnari's circumstances appear to have been somewhat different.

Although he has spent much time meditating on his research and has spent comparatively little on cultivating relationships, he did wind up stumbling into a good number of comrades nonetheless.

Tighnari had excellent grades in the Akademiya early on, and many would come to him for help with their coursework. When his seminar courses would end, he would often go along with requests for group photos.

Not that he really understood them, but he agreed anyway. Even students from other Darshans would want to collaborate with him.

This went on till one day, when his popularity also attracted the attention of the General Mahamatra Cyno—

Forming factions and gathering forces... these were nothing if not the harbingers of academic corruption!

Yet with some time spent observing Tighnari, Cyno found that the former had only received people out of the goodness of his heart.

Tighnari himself only really had eyes for his work, and was dispassionate concerning the offers of others.

Certainly he would agree to collaborate, but only in the interests of furthering his research in the best way possible.

Ultimately, Cyno's judgment was as such: This is an upright and reliable talent who has no questionable dealings. Threat resolved.

It was perhaps due to this pure impression that the General Mahamatra, known for distancing himself from scholarship and scholars alike, would let down his guard and become friends with Tighnari in the days to come.

These factors would all culminate in yet another meeting with another comrade- his ward and student, Collei.

All who love research share the enjoyment of performing that research and a curiosity for the unknown.

This is also true of Tighnari, and indeed, his curiosity seems to have been with him since birth.

While children his age were still reading fairy tales, Tighnari was already flipping through crates and shelves in his parents' study.

From his father, who studied insects, he would take general textbooks, and from his paleontologist mother, he would borrow some images of fossils.

Thus did Tighnari absorb all this knowledge, whether he understood it or not, while hugging his tail.

Slowly, however, he found that as his knowledge increased, the unknowns that he wished to explore also grew more numerous.

For example, why were other people born without ears and tails like that of his family?

Flipping through all the ancient tomes he could find in his home, Tighnari discovered a manuscript left behind by an ancestor of his that concerned "Valuka Shuna."

As the records claimed, Valuka Shuna were a race subject to King Deshret, and who dwelled in the vast desert, mostly possessing light-colored fur and large ears that were excellent at dissipating heat.

Later, calamity would descend and destroy King Deshret's realm, with the Valuka Shuna only surviving due to the grace of the Dendro Archon, which turned their fur green.

Many years later, the ignorant child had become a reliable researcher, and this event had become a joke consigned to the past.

Nowadays, Tighnari not only knows why those little Aranara gave them this name, but also why he faints easily from the desert heat.

The former is simple. Foxes and dogs are, biologically speaking, both canines, so the Aranara might have viewed them as interchangeable.

As for the latter, though Tighnari is loath to admit it, it is that his fur is so dark he simply cannot handle the sun.

When little Tighnari would explore alone in the rainforest, he would carry a magnifying glass with him.

That was a gift from his mother. Light and cogent in design, it could immediately be recognized as a tool suited for children.

Thus did Tighnari use this device to see the veins on the back of leaves, the powder that hung off butterfly wings, and the trails of the rainforest snakes...

It was through this gradual observation, collection, and consideration that he was eventually admitted into Amurta early, beginning his official learning journey under the Sage there.

Tighnari placed the magnifying glass, scarred and weathered by many years of use, on top of his brand new invitation letter, placed his hands on his cheeks, and thought for a good long while.

Finally, he had this constant companion of his converted into an ornament that he might wear on his person.

He knew that once he entered the Akademiya, he would study more complex books and access more marvelous instruments, and that there was little place for this old beginner's magnifying glass.

However, it would always be his companion in his search for knowledge, and would follow him to see lands wider and vaster still.

Academic conferences are unavoidable at the Akademiya, no matter whether one is here to learn or work.

Those at the podium will wax lyrical, and those in the audience will give their support. This sight is most commonplace at such conferences.

But strictly speaking, what researcher, adrift amidst the vast sea of information, will not make mistakes in their investigations?

At one such conference that Tighnari attended, one speaker spoke of things that Tighnari knew to be untrue.

Then, he was just a bystander and a listener. Glancing around his surroundings almost subconsciously, he noticed that neither his classmates nor his teachers had said anything.

What should he do? Perhaps everyone indeed knew what the problem was, but did not want to make the speaker lose face.

Or perhaps he was the only one who had noticed the problem, and his silence now would cause misinformation to spread...

But Tighnari did not hesitate long before steeling himself.

Though both his status and the scene were obstacles in his path, the rigor of knowledge eventually won out.

After all, knowledge was like a star blazing through the night sky. Nothing would divert its path.

So thinking, Tighnari raised his hand—

"My apologies. If I may interject—"

The researcher onstage was at first a bit shocked to hear his gentle voice, but reacted swiftly and invited him to elaborate.

As it turned out, Tighnari had done the right thing.

The speaker, after having processed enough of the information, accepted his corrections earnestly.

And once their exchange had ended, other students and teachers in attendance would also speak in their turn, leading to new research angles opening up for the topics discussed at the conference. Tighnari himself would also receive namecards from some well-known researchers.

Once the whole incident was over, Tighnari would heave a sigh of relief.

That was a fortunate... No, indeed, a joyous thing that those who studied alongside him also accorded knowledge the gravitas it deserved.

But he had not yet counted on something still more fortunate and joyous to occur.

When the meeting ended and Tighnari stood to leave, he heard a crisp, clear "clink!"

—Lo and behold, a Vision rolled off his garments onto the chair below.