History Characters / GenshinImpactAkademiya

[[Characters/GenshinImpactFontaine Fontaine]] ([[Characters/GenshinImpactCourtOfFontaine Court of Fontaine]])\\

* NiceGirl:
** Layla is far more polite and humble than most of her Akademiya colleagues (made all the more remarkable by the fact that she shares the same Darshan as ''Azar''), provided that you don't catch her in "Star's Blessing" mode. In the "Fabulous Fungi Frenzy" event, she joins the Traveler in trying to teach Haniyyah the importance of treating her fungi with love, and her match with them is treated as a friendly spar compared to the Traveler's opponents.
** Her third character story explains that, unlike the conservatives in the Akademiya, she respects and admires the arts and the trades of people who work on the streets for a living.

* TokenGoodTeammate: Especially contrasting Rhatawaist, whose Darshan's leader is the head of the Akademiya and ArcVillain [[BigBadEnsemble Ensemble]] alongside Il Dottore and Scaramouche. Compared to the villainous son of a gun that is Azar, Layla is a [[NiceGirl sweetheart]] and a heroine.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Layla hates bugs. Not because she's afraid of them, but because they're always buzzing around her room at night and making it difficult for her to sleep or concentrate on her work. And since the eastern half of Sumeru is basically one giant rainforest, winter isn't coming to drive the population away anytime soon.

->"Art... Dance... Aren't you ashamed of pursuing such frivolous and meaningless activities in this land of knowledge and reason? Our Archon created the utopia that is Sumeru City for all scholars who sought validity, verity, and truth... while people like you wish to defile it."

* TreacheryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: His [[spoiler:attempt to replace Kusanali with Scaramouche as the new God of Wisdom cannot be seen as anything except treachery]]. [[spoiler:Nahida also reveals in ''All Senses Clear, All Existence Void'' that Azar likely planned to betray the Fatui once Scaramouche became the new God of Wisdom.]] Alhaitham's words during his [[spoiler:fake]] SanitySlippage said it best:
-->'''Alhaitham:''' Azar... [...] Traitor... you traitor... '''AZAR!!'''

* PosthumousCharacter: By the time Tighnari and the Traveler found him, he had already been dead for quite some time.]]

'''Introduced:''' November 18, 2022 (v3.2 "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises" [second half])

'''Rarity:''' 4★\\
'''Birthday:''' December 19\\
'''Element:''' [[AnIcePerson Cryo]]\\
'''Weapon:''' Sword\\
'''Model:''' Medium Female\\
'''Constellation:''' Luscinia, the Nightingale\\
'''Specialty Dish:''' Extravagant Slumber (Rose Custard)\\
'''Normal Attack:''' Sword of the Radiant Path\\
'''Elemental Skill:''' Nights of Formal Focus\\
'''Elemental Burst:''' Dream of the Star-Stream Shaker\\
'''Utility Passive:''' Shadowy Dream-Signs (10% chance to craft Character Talent Materials twice)\\
'''Affiliation:''' The Akademiya\\\

A student of the Rtawahist Darshan who specializes in theoretical astrology and draws star charts tirelessly in order to write her thesis even at the cost of being often sleep-deprived. Born to a family of Sumpter Beast ranchers north of Sumeru City, her intellect has caught the attention of the Akademiya, only to find its culture exhausting; nevertheless, she pushes on, even to the detriment of her wellbeing, to make her family proud.\\
\\
Sleepy as she is, Layla is far from defenseless, with her fighting style simultaneously providing defense and slowly whittling down the opposition. Her Elemental Skill, ''Nights of Normal Focus'', blows away surrounding enemies with a burst of cold wind and summons a "Curtain of Slumber" around the active character, a Cryo-elemental shield that accumulates "Night Stars" either gradually or whenever the character uses Elemental Skills, which will then turn to "Shooting Stars" that home in on enemies once four Stars have been gathered. Her Elemental Burst, ''Dream of the Star-Stream Shaker'', summons a "Celestial Dreamsphere," a phantasmal device consisting of a sphere surrounded by four stars which launch "Starlight Slugs" that home in on surrounding enemies, with successful hits generating Night Stars if the Curtain of Slumber is also active.\\
\\
As Layla continues to work hard in her thesis, the Curtain of Slumber gains stacks of "Deep Sleep" in conjunction with Night Stars, which increase the active character's Shield Strength percentage, and Shooting Stars gain a damage boost based on a fraction of Layla's Max HP. Once she learns to overcome her weaknesses, Layla gains the ability to conjure a less potent form of the Curtain of Slumber on her allies at the same time she casts one on herself, in addition to a boost to their damage absorption; Shooting Stars gain the ability to restore some of Layla's Energy whenever they hit enemies, as well as bestow upon the party the "Dawn Star" effect to increase the damage potency of their normal and charged attacks based on a fraction of Layla's Max HP, in addition to a boost to its damage potency (as well as of Starlight Slugs) and accerated charging of Night Stars.\\
\\
Layla can be obtained from any banner.

'''Introduced:''' December 7, 2022 (v3.3 "All Senses Clear, All Existence Void" [first half])

'''Rarity:''' 4★\\
'''Birthday:''' August 20\\
'''Element:''' [[BlowYouAway Anemo]]\\
'''Weapon:''' Bow\\
'''Model:''' Medium Female\\
'''Constellation:''' Flosculi Implexi, the Entwined Flowers\\
'''Specialty Dish:''' Traditionally-Made Charcoal-Baked Ajilenakh Cake (Charcoal-Baked Ajilenakh Cake)\\
'''Normal Attack:''' Parthian Shot\\
'''Elemental Skill:''' Wind Realm of Nasamjnin\\
'''Elemental Burst:''' The Wind's Secret Ways\\
'''Utility Passive:''' Tomes Light the Path (25% increase in rewards when dispatched on an Expedition in Sumeru for twenty hours)\\
'''Affiliation:''' The Akademiya\\\

\\
Faruzan's proud reputation as an ambitious professor and a glimpse of the Akademiya's past glories belies a capable fighter with her trusty bow and an ability to rein in her enemies from a safe distance. Her Elemental Skill, ''Wind Realm of Nasamjnin'', damages surrounding enemies as well as endows her the "Manifest Gale" state, wherein Faruzan's next fully-charged shot turns into a "Hurricane Arrow" that, upon landing, triggers ''Pressurized Collapse'' which, after a short delay, deals Anemo damage to surrounding enemies and sucks them in. Her Elemental Burst, ''The Wind's Secret Ways'', damages surrounding enemies and summons a "Dazzling Polyhedron," an icosahedron made of Anemo energy that travels along a triangular path, which then triggers ''Whirlwind Pulse'' whenever it makes a turn, dealing Anemo damage to surrounding enemies and inflicting "Perfidious Wind's Bale" on them that reduces their Anemo resistance, in addition to bestowing her allies with the "Prayerful Wind's Benefit" effect that increases their Anemo damage potency.\\
\\
Drawing from Faruzan's vast knowledge honed by decades of experience grants the Manifest Gale state a sharp reduction to the charging time of her aimed shots as well as the ability to inflict Perfidious Wind's Bale on enemies hit with ''Pressurized Collapse'', and the Prayerful Wind's Gift state gains the ability to let affected allies deal Anemo damage with all kinds of attacks, as well as the "Hurricane Guard" effect, which provides a sizable boost to the first Gift-enhanced attack based on a fraction of Faruzan's Attack stat. Once Faruzan becomes free to show the full extent of wisdom she gathered through the decades, the Manifest Gale state can now let her fire two Hurricane Arrows at once; the duration of the Dazzling Polyhedron increases; ''Pressurized Collapse'' can now restore Faruzan's Energy depending on the number of enemies struck; and the Prayerful Wind's Benefit gains the ability to boost the Critical Damage of the active character's Anemo-aligned attacks, as well as trigger ''Pressurized Collapse'' with them.\\
\\
Faruzan can be obtained from any banner.

* TheGovernment: The Akademiya, as the official government of Sumeru, is a technocracy headed by six of the most learned individuals of each Darshan.

Star alumnus of the Amurta Darshan, now working as leader of the Avidya Forest Rangers. See his entry [[Characters/GenshinImpactSumeru here]].

An alumnus of the Spantamad Darshan, now working as leader of the Matra. See his entry [[Characters/GenshinImpactCyno here]].

Star alumna of the Spantamad Darshan, now working as the Librarian of the Knights of Favonius. See her entry [[Characters/GenshinImpactKnightsOfFavonius here]].

-> See his page [[Characters/GenshinImpactKaveh here]].

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler: In the end the Traveller admits they feel sorry for him even if he's getting what he deserves]].

->See his entry [[Characters/GenshinImpactCyno here]]

* AcademicAlphaBitch: The Akademiya expresses great pride in their sense of wisdom and look down on anything they consider illogical or childish, such as dreams and the arts, and will use their authority to bully and browbeat those who practice them. Many of the researchers you encounter are outright {{Jerkass}}es who look down on anyone they deem sufficiently uneducated, with several outright saying that laypeople don't even have the right to raise arguments with Akademiya scholars due to their intellectual inferiority.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: As long as you call her "Madam", Faruzan's sassy nature doesn't get in the way of kindness. She can be a caring teacher and is kind to her "juniors," as she plans to take Kaveh to a meal after learning of his financial difficulties, and she is openly concerned about Collei's health and how Tighnari treats her. In her Hangout, she creates a course to educate Collei on how to read.

->See his page [[Characters/GenshinImpactWanderer here]]

->See his page [[Characters/GenshinImpactAlhaitham here]]

[[Characters/GenshinImpactInazuma Inazuma]] ([[Characters/GenshinImpactAratakiItto Arataki Itto]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactRaidenShogun Raiden Shogun]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactTriCommission Tri-Commission]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactWatatsumi Watatsumi]])\\

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the FishOutOfTemporalWater. Faruzan was trapped in ruins where she could not age for over a century, enough time that when she finally managed to escape, she could barely recognize Sumeru and almost every aspect of her old life was gone. All of her loved ones were dead, the Akademiya has long since presumed ''her'' dead, and when she tries to return to her previous work, she finds it's long since become obsolete and she's become better known for advancements in mechanical engineering that were basically an afterthought to what she primarily studied, with the fellow members of her Darshan now considering her just as much a relic of the past as the ruins she studies. She tries to brush off what she's been through with a brash streak, but ocassionally the mask slips and it's shown that she's bottling up a lot of trauma and that getting flung into the future was the worst thing to ever happen to her, leaving a harsh reminder that the future isn't ''always'' brighter.

[[Characters/GenshinImpactKhaenriah Khaenri'ah]] ([[Characters/GenshinImpactAbyssOrder Abyss Order]]) | [[Characters/GenshinImpactHilichurls Hilichurls]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactMonsters Monsters]]\\

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the FishOutOfTemporalWater. Faruzan was trapped in ruins where she could not age for over a century, enough time that when she finally managed to escape, she could barely recognize Sumeru and almost every aspect of her old life was gone. All of her loved ones were dead, the Akademiya has long since presumed ''her'' dead, and when she tries to return to her previous work, she finds it's long since become obsolete and she's become better known for advancements in mechanical engineering that were basically an afterthought to what she primarily studied, with the fellow members of her Darshan now considering her just as much a relic of the past as the ruins she studies. She tries to brush off what she's been through with a brash streak, but ocassionally the mask slips and it's shown that she's bottling up a lot of trauma and that getting flung into the future was the worst thing to ever happen to her, leaving a harsh reminder that the future isn't ''always'' brighter.

[[Characters/GenshinImpactFontaine Fontaine]]\\

[[Characters/GenshinImpactArchons Archons]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactCelestia Celestia]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactOtherGods Others]]\\

[[Characters/GenshinImpactKhaenriah Khaenri'ah]] ([[Characters/GenshinImpactAbyssOrder Abyss Order]]) | [[Characters/GenshinImpactPrehistoricalCharacters Prehistorical]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactHilichurls Hilichurls]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactMonsters Monsters]]\\

[[Characters/GenshinImpactMondstadt Mondstadt]] ([[Characters/GenshinImpactKnightsOfFavonius Knights of Favonius]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactFourWinds Four Winds]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactFischl Fischl]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactMondstadtHistorical Historical]])\\
[[Characters/GenshinImpactLiyue Liyue]] ([[Characters/GenshinImpactQixing Qixing]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactAdepti Adepti]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactXiao Xiao]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactZhongli Zhongli]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactLiyueHistorical Historical]])\\
[[Characters/GenshinImpactInazuma Inazuma]] ([[Characters/GenshinImpactTriCommission Tri-Commission]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactWatatsumi Watatsumi]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactAratakiItto Arataki Itto]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactRaidenShogun Raiden Shogun]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactInazumaHistorical Historical]])\\
[[Characters/GenshinImpactSumeru Sumeru]] ('''Akademiya''' | [[Characters/GenshinImpactAlhaitham Alhaitham]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactCyno Cyno]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactKaveh Kaveh]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactEremites Eremites]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactNahida Nahida]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactWanderer The Wanderer]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactSumeruHistorical Historical]])\\

* {{Sleepyhead}}: Much like Ganyu and Sayu but to an even greater extent, as she is perpetually tired due to what she describes as a "congenital sleep condition" that developed soon after she entered the Akademiya.

Snezhnaya ([[Characters/GenshinImpactFatui Fatui]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactHarbingers Harbingers]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactTartaglia Tartaglia]])\\

[[Characters/GenshinImpactInazuma Inazuma]] ([[Characters/GenshinImpactTriCommission Tri-Commission]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactWatatsumi Watatsumi]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactAratakiGang Arataki Gang]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactRaidenShogun Raiden Shogun]] | [[Characters/GenshinImpactInazumaHistorical Historical]])\\

--------
!Matra
The disciplinary body of the Akademiya, dedicated to the regulation and control of knowledge, specifically going after scholars who tread the fine line of forbidden research, academic dishonesty, and the misuse of the Akademiya's resources for malicious intent.

[[folder:'''Cyno''']]
->See his entry [[Characters/GenshinImpactCyno here]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Taj ('''Unmarked spoilers for Cyno's Story Quest''')]]
!!Taj Radkani

Cyno's former partner and a famed Matra, who has recently retired to a desk job after years on the field.

* AchievementsInIgnorance: Taj was unaware that it was the same smuggling ring he infiltrated that tempted his son Murtada into conducting forbidden research on the Court of Desolation by preying on his struggles with expectations, eventually leading to his downfall and suicide, which the ring then took advantage to tempt Taj into joining them by preying on his grief and regret over imprisoning his own son. By destroying the Court, he indirectly avenged his son, as well as punished the ring for leading him astray.
* BrokenAce: Taj is famed among the Matra (and the Akademiya at large) for his steadfast devotion to the rule of law. However, in his later years he has been haunted by his decision to imprison his only son Murtada for dabbling in forbidden research of the Court of Desolation, who later committed suicide in despair.
* BrokenPedestal: {{Subverted|Trope}}. His fellow Matra are shocked when evidence suggested that Taj may have leaked the existence of the Court of Desolation, a temple said in legend to contain the power over life and death, to a massive smuggling ring, believing he may have been driven by guilt over his son Murtada committing suicide after he had him imprisoned for illegal research. However, Cyno eventually discovers that he faked joining the ring in order to sabotage it from within.
* BuriedAlive: His final fate is to be buried in the sands as the Court of Desolation collapsed around him.
* DeathSeeker: His choice to be buried alive in the Court of Desolation is just as much a matter of him wanting to be together with his son in the afterlife as much as a self-imposed punishment for violating his vows as well as an act of sabotage against a massive smuggling ring.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: After he forces Cyno, the Traveler, and Paimon to leave him be as the Court of Desolation collapses around him, Taj calmly sits down and reminisces about his son.
* FakeDefector: He feigned joining the Canned Knowledge smuggling ring in order to slowly destroy it from within.
* HeroicSacrifice: At the end of Cyno's first Story Quest, he stays behind to be buried alive in the collapse of the Court of Desolation to destroy a major supply route of a massive smuggling ring he infiltrated.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: His only son, Murtada, committed suicide in prison.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: Towards the end of Cyno's first Story Quest, he challenges the latter to a duel to test the strength of his convictions, as well as to gauge whether the latter was smart enough to realize that Taj faked his defection to the smuggling ring.
* WalkingSpoiler: It's hard to talk about Taj without discussing his complicated relationship with his late son Murtada, or that he sacrificed his reputation and his life to take down a massive smuggling ring.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: After Cyno defeats him in a duel, Taj confesses that the smuggling ring approached him at a time when he was mourning for Murtada. And while he briefly considered genuinely joining the ring, he ultimately chose to stay true to his vows and instead joined the ring to sabotage it.
[[/folder]]

!Akademiya Robots
[[folder:In General]]
* AbsurdlyDedicatedWorker: Both Tamimi and Karkata carried out their programming at the expense of their own bodies.
* ArtificialIntelligence: Both are Type 2. Though they do not have human-like sentience like the Wanderer, they still have the capacity to make their own decisions and learn.
* BenevolentAI: Both robots only inadvertently caused trouble due to following their directions for a good cause.
* RobotBuddy: Tamimi was [[spoiler:Faruzan's]], while Karkata's was Abattouy's [[spoiler:until Tighnari took it in.]]
* TragicRobot: Both their backstories involve [[spoiler:dead people]].
* TheUnintelligible: Both are unable to speak in any human tongue, instead communicating through electronic noises.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Karkata]]
A mechanical robot with a crab-like mannerisms that the Traveler and Tighnari encounter in the Avidya Forest during the latter's story quest. It was created by Abattouy, a researcher from the Akademiya and Tighnari's junior.

* AbsurdlyDedicatedWorker: Karkata had been stealing mechanical parts [[spoiler:as it was attempting to repair Abattouy]] while neglecting its own draining energy and increasingly damaged parts.
* AmbiguousSituation: Whether or not it's a "true" mechanical lifeform. Though Karkata certain acts as if it's alive sometimes, demonstrating emotions like happiness and sadness, the hallmark of a true artificial intelligence is the ability to make its own decisions, independent from any pre-programmed instructions. [[spoiler: On the one hand, its desire to repair its owner, to the point of forgoing the self-maintenance protocols that Tighnari and the Traveler know are built into it, suggests that it created its own priorities. On the other hand, Tighnari points out that they have no idea how many commands Karkata has been programmed with, and for all they know [[AIIsACrapshoot this could just be due to conflicting program.]] It's also worth pointing out that this behavior is technically ThreeLawsCompliant, as the first law regarding "preserving human life" supersedes the third law regarding "maintaining robot functionality". Ultimately, Tighnari decides to give it the benefit of the doubt, [[DeclarationOfProtection declaring it to be his duty to protect all lifeforms in the forest]].]]
* BenevolentAI: Though Karkata had been causing trouble by stealing mechanical parts from passing merchants when the Traveler and Tighnari catch him, he has never attacked anyone and even ends up performing some tasks that makes Tighnari's investigation into the source of the contamination of the forest easier. [[spoiler: It is also eventually revealed that Karkata was stealing mechanical parts to try and repair Abattouy, who had passed on.]]
* CuteMachines: Despite its large size, it is quite harmless, and Tighnari describes it as "a giant mechanical crab on the outside and a fluffy little hamster on the inside."
* FlawedPrototype: Abattouy considered him one because he couldn't speak and show emotion. While it isn't 'perfect' like he wanted, Karkata is actually far more intelligent and rational than he believed and showed genuine love for his creator. The implication is that if he had noticed that despite not being able to speak, then everything would have been fine because it was pretty much exactly what he wanted.
* GrewBeyondTheirProgramming: Played with, as it's ambiguous whether [[spoiler:Kartata truly did so in its desire to "repair" Abattouy or the commands his creator programmed into him clashed and caused it to act the way it did.]]
* PleaseWakeUp: Its theft of mechanical parts is based on its flawed desire to [[spoiler:try and 'fix' its deceased creator. It's just heartbreaking to see it place its gathered parts on Abattouy's body, and poking him around to see any reaction. And it breaks down crying after seeing that it's all for naught.]]
* RobotBuddy: Was first this to Abattouy [[spoiler: and then to Tighnari after he decides to keep him in the Pardis Dhyai as his research assistant.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: Karkata looks like a Ruin Defender and fights like one on first encounter, but its behavior is completely different from the rest of the Ruin Machines and is open to co-operation with the Traveler and Tighnari. Even when it attacks the caravans for mechanical parts, it does so for pragmatic reasons rather than just for the sake of it. [[spoiler:This is justified because it was created by Abattouy and is not a remnant of Khaenri'ah]].
* TragicRobot: [[spoiler:Abattouy created Karkata in an attempt to continue with his research on creating true mechanical lifeforms after the study was banned by the Akademiya, and as such, it formed a bond with its master. After Abattouy passed away as a result of his reckless tampering with the Ley Lines, Karkata tried in vain to "repair" its master by stealing mechanical parts, unaware of the concept of death, to the point that it ignored its own self-maintenance programming to ensure its survival for the sake of bringing Abattouy back]].
* TheUnintelligible: [[spoiler: PlayedForDrama since his inability to speak or understand the common tongue means that neither of them are unable to understand each other, especially after he asked Karkata to shut off the Ley Line Extractor.]]
* UniformityException: It has the model of a Ruin Defender, except with white plates and gilded edges instead of the usual brown plates and light brown edges.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tamimi ('''Unmarked Spoilers for Faruzan's Hangout!''')]]
Faruzan's mechanical lifeform that takes the model of a Ruin Cruiser.

* {{Determinator}}: Spent nearly 100 years looking for Faruzan following her disappearance, continuing its search for her long after Faruzan was presumed dead and its creators had also passed on. After finally locating her and fulfilling its purpose, Faruzan gives it permission to rest and salvages its parts to fix Karkata, though she promises to repair it someday when she understands and is able to replicate machines used by ancient technology.
* RobotBuddy: It was one to Faruzan, as it was designed by her colleagues to deliver letters and documents to her while she was out researching in ruins. Her colleagues later reprogrammed it to be able to self-learn and fix itself after she failed to respond to their letters and went missing so that it could locate Faruzan in whatever ruin she had found herself stuck in and bring her home.
* UnintentionalFinalMessage: Tamimi carried several letters from Faruzan's now long-deceased friends and teachers who were looking for her at the time of writing them, in addition to the one from Faruzan's mother, who knew she didn't have much time left when she wrote her letter.
* WalkingSpoiler: It's hard to discuss anything about it without mentioning how it controlled the giant "Ruin Wanderer" that Faruzan and the Traveler encounter in one route of her Hangout quest, or that it was modified by Faruzan's now-deceased teacher and associates from the Akademiya to search for her in the years she went missing, all to bring her their last letters.

!Miscellaneous Personnel
[[folder:Alrani]]
!!Alrani

A rather unfortunate scholar from Sumeru Academia trying to write her term paper only for things to keep going wrong. She ends up crossing paths with the Traveler several times throughout their journey.

* ButtMonkey: All she wants is to write her term paper but every attempt is met with trouble. Write about life in Mondstadt? Dvalin is on his rampage. Write about life in Liyue? Sees the death of Morax and later gets captured by Treasure Hoarders. Rescued by the Traveler and writes about them (a Visionless element user) instead? Her paper gets harshly rejected. Take pictures of local Inazumans? Almost gets reported to the authorities. Goes to Watatsumi Island to gather research materials? Nearly gets arrested (again) and has to help make fertilizer as payment for causing trouble.
* CassandraTruth: Her academic paper on the Traveler is harshly rejected, despite the Traveler being a very real person who can control the elements without the need of a Vision.
* MsExposition: At the end of her second quest she fills the Traveler in on the Vision Hunt Decree ongoing in Inazuma.
* SkewedPriorities: She claims that even when she was being held hostage by the Treasure Hoarders she was still less stressed than when writing her paper.
* SmartPeopleWearGlasses: Wears black rectangular glasses as a sign of being a scholar.
* YankTheDogsChain: After her misadventures at Watatsumi Island, Alrani finally puts together a well-written and polished paper and submits it to the Akademiya... only to learn that someone submitted a paper on the exact same topic before she did because she was trapped in Inazuma by the Sakoku Decree, causing her paper to be rejected. This on top of the deadline having passed [[DespairEventHorizon crushes her utterly]], and out of despair she begs a bunch of Treasure Hoarders to lock her in a cage just so she can get away from it all.

%%[[folder:Anisa]]
%%!!Anisa Purbiruni
%%A Researcher from House of Purbiruni with a particular interest in oceanography. She is a friend of Kumi, a Watatsumi %%islander in Inazuma.
%%----
%%[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ilyas]]
!!Ilyas / [[spoiler:"Siraj No. 36"]]

An amnesiac scholar who tries to report to the Matra about his senior Siraj attempting to experiment on him.

* AssimilationBackfire: [[spoiler:After bringing Alhaitham to the Hive, Ilyas reveals himself to be TheMole and willingly returns to Siraj's HiveMind. However, his new experiences (Alhaitham showing him decency, and Ilyas questioning his assigned number) are subsequently uploaded to the HiveMind, which causes it to break down, just as Alhaitham planned.]]
* CoolBigBro: Ilyas is a doting brother to his kid sister and are in good standing with one another regardless of his actions in the Akademiya. Using Nahida's skill on him to read his mind reveals that the first thing he wants to use his paycheck on is to buy his sister a new dress.
* HiveDrone: [[spoiler:He was tasked to lure Alhaitham to the Hive, and returns as "Siraj No. 36" after he manages to do so.]]
* MemoryGambit: [[spoiler:As part of his and Siraj's plot to lure Alhaitham to their base, Ilyas wiped his own memories to convincingly serve as TheMole, as he knew that Alhaitham was so perceptive he would be able to see through him otherwise. In the end, though, it was all for nothing, as Alhaitham figured out that Ilyas was TheMole from the moment he saw him.]]
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler:Ilyas's friend Raju was being forced to have his work plagiarized by their instructor, Jani, doing most of the hard work and pulling numerous all-nighters for a measly 20,000 Mora and none of the credit. While Ilyas stayed quiet at his friend's request, Raju ultimately being DrivenToSuicide was his last straw, forcing Ilyas to blow the whistle on the whole affair, resulting in Jani's arrest. While he did get some commendation from his professors for fighting academic fraud, all he got from his peers involved in Jani's project was ostracism, being more upset at the setback to their graduation than the fact that someone died, which they treat as a minor inconvenience (and having the gall to blame Raju for not having enough patience). This in turn reduced his own prospects of graduation for sheer dearth of peers willing to admit him into mandatory group projects, with his professors unwilling to pull any strings. This, combined with what's implied to be disapproval towards his actions from even his own parents, is what ultimately allowed Siraj to manipulate him into joining his HiveMind as "Siraj Number 36."]]
* OneWayVisor: [[spoiler:Ilyas puts one on when Siraj orders him to return to the HiveMind as "Siraj No. 36".]]
* ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming: The name "Ilyas" (إلياس) is the Arabic transliteration of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah Elijah]], a 9th-century-BC prophet in both ''Literature/TheBible'' and ''Literature/TheQuran''. Just as Elijah/Ilyas defended the worship of the God of Abraham/Ibrahim and denounced social evils even at the cost of being hunted down by the authorities, [[spoiler:this Ilyas defended the sanctity of academic integrity and decried Jani's plagiarism that led to the suicide of his friend Raju, even at the cost of being ostracized by his more compliant peers]].
* RepressedMemories: He could barely remember anything about himself at the start of Alhaitham's story quest, and as the story went on he starts to suffer severe headaches when events happen that trigger his memories, [[spoiler:especially after Alhaitham tells him about his role in reporting academic fraud, as well as the fact that he had long acceptanced his role as "Siraj No. 36" and his responsibility in luring Alhaitham to Siraj's Hive to be assassinated.]]
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: "Peer pressure," to be precise. Ilyas is a man of strong principles and would brook no corruption, even among his peers. [[spoiler:This is the reason he blew the whistle on Jani's plagiarism that led to the suicide of his friend Raju, even if it meant being ostracized by his more compliant peers. While this brought him immense self-doubt, by the end of Alhaitham's Story Quest he felt vindicated in his choices and grew to admire the Scribe, even aspiring to be as unwavering as him.]]
* TrojanHorse: [[spoiler:Used as one by both Siraj ''and'' Alhaitham. Alhaitham was quick to realize that Siraj intentionally wiped Ilyas's memory and sent him out to report him to lure Alhaitham to the Hive to kill him. In response, Alhaitham went out of his way to help Ilyas and question Siraj's imposed pecking order by questioning the number he was given, both to override [[ThePowerOfHate Siraj's hate that empowered the system]] and encourage the independent thinking of the other scholars in the project, causing Siraj's HiveMind to malfunction, override, and shut down.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Alhaitham's Story Quest introduces you to him while he's suffering from amnesia after being kidnapped. Naturally, there's quite a bit you learn about him as the Story Quest progresses.
* YouAreNumberSix: [[spoiler: He was "Siraj No. 36" in Siraj's HiveMind.]]
----

[[folder:Rifaet]]
!!Rifaet
A scholar seen by many as a candidate for the position of Grand Conservator, putting him into competition with Vikram.

* TheGhost: Has yet to appear despite being mentioned by [=NPCs=].
* RedOniBlueOni: Just by reputation, he's seen as the blue to Vikram's red, with his projects consistently producing remarkable academic results.

[[folder:Setaria]]
!!Setaria
->'''Voiced by:''' Cat Protano (English)

Azar's secretary and one of the few desert-dwellers accepted into the Akademiya for her genius.

* TheCameo: She appears in the "Blueprint for the Future" ending of Kaveh's Hangout route to discuss and assist in planning out the construction of the Aaru Village library.
* {{Gaslighting}}: After she lets slip that [[spoiler:rumors about King Deshret's resurrection was a misinformation campaign orchestrated by the Sages to manipulate the radical Eremites]], the Traveler and Nahida concoct a plan to [[spoiler:force her to heed her conscience and turn on the Sages by manipulating her into believing that the rumors are ''real'', through the Traveler, with Nahida's aid, possessing several of her acquaintances in Sumeru City]].
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Just when she is about to turn on the Akademiya for their [[spoiler:LotusEaterMachine experimentation, she gets put into confinement on orders from Dottore. Fortunately, she is set free at the end of the arc, and she chooses to leave the Akademiya and become a scholar in the desert.]]
%%* MeaningfulName: Her name likely derives from Sitara, which translates to "star," befitting her [[spoiler:(now former) association with the Rtawahist Darshan.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: Despite serving directly under Azar and [[spoiler:being involved with the mass dream harvesting project as one of its designers]], it's clear that Setaria is guilt-ridden over her involvement and doesn't fully support his project, even being wary of [[spoiler:Dottore]]'s involvement. Combined with lingering feelings over leaving her homeland and potentially betraying her kindred for the Akademiya, this left her with uncertainty over which side she should choose, which the Traveler, Paimon, and Nahida take advantage of to [[spoiler:turn her against the sages]]. At the end of the Archon Quest, [[spoiler:she decides to leave the Akademiya and become a teacher to the desert people, and asks the Traveler to pass on her sincere apologies for what she said to Nilou.]]
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in a strange way. She shares her name with a group of characters mentioned to be the "dancers of Setaria" in ''The Tale of Shiruyeh and Shirin I''. It is unknown if she is named for this group or if having the same name is entirely coincidental.
* SatelliteCharacter: She (or at least [[spoiler:a copy of her within the Sabzeuz Samsara]]) is often seen by Azar's side throughout the second Act of the Sumeru Archon Quest. It isn't until the first half of the third that she (that is, [[spoiler:the actual Setaria]]) is seen on her own, conversing with some of her acquaintances.

[[folder:Shalmar and Banu]]
!!Shalmar and Banu
A duo consisting of a Spantamad researcher, Shalmar, known as the writer of "Fifty Things Every Traveling Scholar Should Know", and his biological daughter, Banu.

* BumblingDad: If Banu is anything to go by, Shalmar can be quite a clumsy airhead who can't even cook. He is however a skilled engineer which makes him closer to an AbsentMindedProfessor.
* CallingParentsByTheirName: Banu calls her father, Shalmar by name rather than "dad/pops/father" and talks with him casually. He's more akin to a friend than a parent.
* MenCantKeepHouse: According to Banu, Shalmar cannot sweep floors and refers to him as one of those terrible adults.
* PantheraAwesome: Apple is a Rishboland Tiger who serves as a family pet to them, and is a strong fighter to boot. She seems to be more loyal to Banu though.
* ParentsAsPeople: While Shalmar is Banu's biological father, the former views the latter as his co-worker rather than a daughter of his. Not that Banu minds though, and she even prefers it that way.
* StrangeSyntaxSpeaker: When the Traveler and Paimon first speak to Banu, she has a habit of saying the word "bracket" at the start of every sentence. She later drops it after the duo accept her quest and stops reciting it from a book Salma wrote.
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Banu is far mature compared to the other kids of her age.

[[folder:Sharif]]
!!Sharif
->'''Voiced By:''' Kojima Hideki (Japanese)
A researcher of the Akademiya and father of Inayah.

* AbusiveParents: He treated Inayah very badly. No matter how hard Inayah tried to please him, he would always berate her. It's even established that his attempt to shut down the theater is partly because she joined it. While they begin to reconcile at the end of Nilou's Story Quest, Nilou confides in Paimon and the Traveler that it's probably better for them to take it slow and stay apart for awhile, as too much has happened for them to just let bygones be bygones, though she hopes that they do make up for real one day.
* CharacterDevelopment: Being challenged to disown Inayah for good to prove he had no room for sentiment in his heart made him realize he couldn't do it, which finally broke through his stubbornness and caused him back down. Later, the Traveler finds him waiting to see one of Zubayr Theater's performances. Though he admits he still doesn't understand the arts, since he volunteered to be [[TheScapegoat scapegoated for Akademiya's highly public loss of face]], he's decided to use his new free time to better understand where Nilou and Inayah are coming from. He also offers a handmade gift to Inayah as a way of apology, which calls back to the time he dashed aside a handmade gift she made for him when he was at his worst.
* EducationPapa: He heavily pressured Inayah to become his academic successor, not accepting anything from her except the absolute best even when it was clear she was suffocating under his expectations. Once, in stereotypical Education Mama fashion, when Inayah told him she had the third-highest score on an exam in the hopes of getting even a tiny bit of approval from him just once, he instead berated her for not getting first, which caused her to cry for a long time.
* FunHatingVillain: Much like the Grand Sage Azar, he views the theater as a waste of time and that people should exclusively focus on studying. [[CharacterDevelopment He grows out of this]] after being defeated by Nilou and Inayah, impressed by their resolve to the point that he's now actually curious about the arts, or at least about the kind of environment that instilled such strength in the two.
* GracefulLoser: When Nilou and Inayah challenge him to put his money where his mouth is, to disown Inayah for good and prove that there's no room in Sumeru for sentimentality, he finds he cannot and ultimately concedes the debate, which puts Zubayr Theater's defense officially on the record and prevents Akademiya from shutting it down for the moment. He later visits the Grand Bazaar to watch a performance, and when asked admits that while he still doesn't understand the arts, Nilou's passionate defense impressed him.
* {{Jerkass}}: Demanded the theater to shut down all of a sudden with intent to punish those working there further, and is made clear to have been a terrible father to his own daughter to the point that she rebelled. He is willing to bend the rules to get what he wants as well even when boasting about following them, further showing his hypocrisy. He doesn't care about personal relationships at all, either, seeing them as transactional and transient.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: When Inayah joins in on the debate, he is unable to argue when the rest of the audience sides with them, prompting him to walk away.
* PetTheDog: As awful as he was acting, believe it or not, he could have done ''way'' worse. During the debate, he reveals that Akademiya has the power to unilaterally revoke Zubayr Theater's performing license, and probably a number of other technically legal ways to do damage without them being able to contest. In hindsight, that he chose to debate the point at all is showing mercy, [[GracefulLoser to say nothing of standing down once convinced that he's beaten]], which protects Zubayr Theater from further reprisals and causes Akademiya a highly public loss of face.

[[folder:Soraya]]
!!Soraya
An Akademiyan Researcher who studies the history of Liyue and focusing on The Legacy of Guizhong in Guili Assembly.

* MeaningfulName: Soraya (Persian: ثریا Sorayyâ) is a name of Persian origin, meaning "good queen" or "Pleiades." The name is derived from the Arabic name for the [[StellarName Pleiades star cluster, ثريّة Thurayya.]]

[[folder:Ufairah]]
!!Ufairah [[spoiler:Hindi]]
One of the researchers hired by the Eremite faction Thutmose to investigate the legends and the secrets of The Scarlet King. She was Jebrael's wife and Jeht's mother.

* PosthumousCharacter: She was killed by Samail before the main events of the game.

[[folder:Vikram]]
!!Vikram
A charismatic and persuasive individual whose research focuses on King Deshret's Legacy, seen as a candidate for the title of the next Grand Conservator alongside Rifaet.

[[folder:Faranak]]
!! Kaveh's Mother
-> See her entry in the [[Characters/GenshinImpactFontaine Fontaine Character List]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jazari]]
!!Jazari
A Kshahrewar researcher who follows the footsteps of Pir Kavikavus.

* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Jazari likely takes his name after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismail_al-Jazari Badi az-Zaman Abu al-Izz ibn Ismail ibn ar-Razaz al-Jazari]], a twelfth-century Arab polymath and artisan, best known for writing ''The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices'', where he described fifty mechanical devices, as well as how to construct them. This association with robotics is alluded to with the game's Jazari prominently featuring in a World Quest where the Traveler helps him investigate the [[HumongousMecha Ruin Golem]] of Devantaka Mountain.
* MirrorCharacter: To [[PosthumousCharacter Pir Kavikavus]], his late-predecessor. Like Kavikavus, Jazari also befriends an Aranara named Ararycan who accompanies him in the research of the Ruin Golem.

[[folder:Moseis]]
!!Moseis/Beynuni
->'''Voiced by:''' Talon Warburton (English)
A scholar of the Kshahrewar Darshan who specialized in creating dreamscapes.

* JerkassRealization: While he initially treated Jebrael with disdain, he felt an immense guilt after seeing [[spoiler:Jebrael sacrifice himself to protect his daughter, Traveler, and Tirzad.]]

** This is especially true for Kshahrewar, although for different reasons, as the Darshan has been unable to make any new academic breakthroughs since the death of their greatest scholar, Pir Kavikavus, who died with much of his research, and has thus essentially become the black sheep of the Akademiya, which frequently neglects it when it comes to funding compared to the other Darshans. The Darshan itself is only kept afloat these days by Dori, who struck up a deal with many of its scholars. Kaveh, who graduated from Kshahrewar several years ago, appears to be an exception to this, however, as he is described as their greatest scholar in decades and has made numerous significant improvements and discoveries in the realm of architecture.