- "Yes, I fight like a woman."
- ―Tempi[1]
Tempi (PR: /tɛm'piː/)[2] is a male Adem mercenary who Kvothe meets while working for The Maer in Vintas.
Description[]
Tempi is a quiet man, who rarely makes eye contact. He is very fair complected, lean, and sleek. He has pale grey eyes and sandy hair. Though his Aturan is poor it slowly improves as he travels with Kvothe. Tempi is a relatively young and inexperienced mercenary by the standards of the Adem, but he easily defeats three "barbarian" mercenaries when challenged in unarmed combat.
In The Chronicle[]
Tempi is the first to teach Kvothe about the Ketan and the Lethani, two practices followed by Adem Mercenaries. He travels with Kvothe in The Wise Man's Fear when he is hired by Maer Alveron to stop bandits in The Eld.
At first Tempi seems distant and unresponsive, however his reasons are explained later when Kvothe learns that the Adem communicate and show their emotions with gestures.
When Kvothe expresses his interest in Ademic customs, Tempi agrees to teach Kvothe the Ketan in exchange for music lessons. Unfortunately, by doing so Tempi faces rebuke and possible banishment when his unauthorized instruction is discovered. Kvothe insists on accompanying him to Ademre, where he stands trial and judgement for his misdeeds. When Kvothe arrives in Haert he discovers that, compared to other Adem, Tempi is considered to be a poor teacher and barely skilled enough to take the red. Despite this, Kvothe is still accepted as a student and is instead instructed by Vashet.