Tigers

(*Panthera tigris*)

An Example of a tiger. Pictured: Leader Tristram Tigre.

The tiger was the largest cat species before chi evolution, most recognizable for its pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter underside. The species is classified in the genus Panthera with the Lions, Leopards, and Sabertooth Tigers. It is an apex predator, and a very warrior-like animal. It takes pride within how it fights and how it battles. It is territorial and generally a solitary but social predator, often requiring large contiguous areas of habitat that support its Warrior Training requirements. This, coupled with the fact that it is indigenous to some of the more mountainous regions of Chima, it has been awoken after a long sleep.

The tiger is among the most recognizable and popular of Chima's charismatic anthropomorphic fauna. It featured prominently in ancient mythology and folklore and, despite being forgotten by the southern inland tribes for possibly hundreds of years, the Tigers recently revealed themselves (due to being reawakened by a Mysterious Voice...), and thus continue to be depicted in modern films and literature, appearing on many flags, coats of arms and as mascots for sporting teams.

## Leaders

* Emperor Tenebrae (999-992 BR; Overthrown)
* King Tristram Valhalla Tigre (Around 600 BR-PR; "Missing")
* King Titus (PR)

## Technology

The tigers were the creators of the Tiger Mobile Command vehicles (also known as Tiger Strikers), the first non-Phoenix vehicles designed to be fire chi-powered. The Tigers gave some of these to their allies, the Leopards, who repainted them and duplicated their design to create the Leopard Mobile Commands.

## History

Like the other species of the planet, the tigers evolved from microscopic organisms over the course of two million years. The tigers had the same evolutionary ancestors as the sabertooth tigers, but diverged from them at some point. In the year 1,000 BR, the First Great Illumination brought about the creation of the magical chi, which the tigers drank, evolving into more humanoid and intelligent beings, who, like the other evolved Chimians, formed a tribe. During the tribe's early barbaric state, the tigers were in constant physical competition for leadership. In the year 999 BR, a young tiger named Tenebrae won out, claiming leadership of the tribe, and creating the title of "Emperor" for himself.

### Tiger—Lion War

Emperor Tenebrae was angered that another feline tribe, the Lions, had claimed Mount Cavora itself as their territory. Wanting to claim the source of chi for his species, Tenebrae militarized the Tiger Empire, preparing to seize Mount Cavora by force. The Tiger—Lion War began in the year 995 BR when Emperor Tenebrae launched an attack on the Lion City, and lasted through 992 BR. (Excerpted from the Complete Timeline) In response, Lyron reformed the Lion Guard into a Lion Army. The Peacocks, an ally of the lions, were nearly wiped out by the Tiger Empire. Tigers created a rebellion to end Tenebrae's tyrannical reign; with the help of the Lions and remaining Peacocks, the tigers overthrew the Emperor, ending the Tiger—Lion War; Tenebrae escaped execution and disappeared. The leader of the tiger revolutionaries, the first of the Tigre bloodline, became the King of the Tiger Tribe. The Tigers, now having established a monarchy of their own, signed a peace treaty with the Lions, who maintained their territory claim at the foot of Cavora, but moved off the mountain itself, as per the treaty's requests.

### Ensuing Centuries

At some point after the Tiger-Lion War, the tigers were the first mainland tribe to discover the Phoenix Islands, and earned fire chi from the Phoenix. Deciding to use fire chi as their primary power source instead of chi, so as to definitively prevent another war for chi with the lions, the Tigers allied with the Phoenix, becoming one of the Fire Tribes. The Tigers moved their HQ, the City of Orange and Black, also known as the City of El Tigre, into a secluded valley in The Iron Mountains, south of the future Valley of Balance.

The last addition to the Tigre dynasty, Tristram Valhalla Tigre, self-employed himself as a jester during his time as a prince, He was loved and enjoyed by all audiences watching the King's son act like such a loveable fool, they wanted him to be their King as soon as possibly, thinking a new renaissance may happen before becoming just that, the Legion Leader, sometime over six hundred years BR. At some point between 122 and 100 BR, after the events of the Sabertooth Tiger—Lion War, the Second Great Illumination, and the Icebear—Leopard War (which the Tigers didn't take part in directly, but gave the Leopards - who'd joined the Fire Tribes - mobile command vehicles to help their allies win the war), the Phoenix and Tigers went into a form of hibernation, for Reasons as to say that they were to crown their new King, being Tristram, whom has ordered this kingdom be put "*in a seclusion so alone, Time will have forgotten us...*"

### Fire—Ice War

The tigers were awoken from their sleep at the time of the Roleplay, shortly before the beginning of the Crawler—Ice Hunter War. King Tristram Tigre's roar upon being awoken alarmed King Leodus, who sent leopards to check on the tigers. However, the tigers blamed the leopards for the damage done to the Iron Mountains on account of the Icebear-Leopard War, and wanted to terminate their alliance in a haste of sleepy "crankiness". The tigers eventually changed their mind, and aided the Leopards, reawakened Phoenix, and southern inland factions in the war with the Ice Hunters. Wanting to pursue his olden comedy once more, Tristram decided that being a king wasn't suited for him, so he relinquished the throne to his second-in-command in the best way he knew how, was through getting back to his roots as a Court Jester, the one whom ascended the throne after a rather bad mishap was Titus. Soon after, in a rather spectacular act, Tristram blew himself into the sky while performing a dangerous stunt involving loads of TNT, and was presumed dead by the tigers. However, he survived, and crashed in the Valley of Balance, where he was found by the leopards. The Tiger Tribe is currently under King Titus' leadership, and fighting in the Fire-Ice War.