KKC Theory Wiki

Alar

concept · importance 72 · 11 theories

“The riding-crop belief that lets a sympathist bend reality with the mind”

also known as belief, mind like a riding crop, the riding-crop belief

Appearance§

Alar is an abstract mental faculty rather than a visible object, described only through metaphor. It is imagined as a blade: Kvothe's like a bar of Ramston steel, hard and gleaming but brittle, against Devi's, described as the ocean in storm. Its exercise manifests outwardly only in the sympathist's intense focus, in mental states such as Heart of Stone or the spinning leaf, and in the physical strain of overreaching.

Description§

Alar is the discipline of belief that powers sympathy: a sympathist must hold an unshakeable conviction, classically imagined as a mind 'like a riding crop,' holding something to be true so firmly that it shapes reality. A trained Alar can be split into partitions, letting a sympathist sustain multiple contradictory beliefs at once, which is necessary for advanced sympathy, sygaldry, and alchemy alike. Abenthy first teaches it to a young Kvothe and warns him of its dangers, training him with the exercise of believing a dropped stone will not fall. An eleven-year-old can learn to harness it. Kvothe's Alar is famously likened to 'a bar of Ramston steel,' hard and keen but brittle, the best knife one has until it breaks under sudden pressure; Devi, by contrast, describes her own as 'the ocean in storm,' a strength that bends rather than shatters. Mental states such as Heart of Stone and the spinning leaf are used to strengthen and focus the Alar. When part of a sympathist's Alar must be committed to defense, as in Kvothe's confrontations with Devi and Ambrose, it can leave them unable to form additional links.

Relationships§

  • Wielded By Kvothe — Kvothe's Alar is likened to a bar of Ramston steel, hard but brittle
  • Powers Sympathy — Alar is the focused belief that powers sympathy
  • Defends Against Ambrose Jakis — Kvothe uses a divided Alar against Ambrose's malfeasance
  • Contrasted With Devi — Devi describes her Alar as 'the ocean in storm,' bending not shattering
  • Required By Sygaldry — Sygaldry relies on a trained Alar
  • First Taught By Abenthy — Abenthy first teaches Kvothe to use Alar and warns of its dangers
  • Required By Alchemy — Alchemy relies on a trained Alar
  • Likened To Ramston Steel — Kvothe's Alar is described as a bar of Ramston steel
  • Focused By Heart of Stone — Heart of Stone is a mental state used to strengthen Alar
  • Required By Gram — Forging a gram requires an Alar like a blade of Ramston steel

Established facts§

  • Alar is the focused belief or will that lets a sympathist impose their mind on reality, holding a thing to be true so firmly that it shapes the world.
  • Abenthy first teaches Kvothe to use Alar and warns him of its dangers, training him with the exercise of believing a dropped stone will not fall.
  • A trained Alar can be divided, allowing a sympathist to hold multiple contradictory beliefs at once, which is necessary for advanced sympathy.
  • Sympathy, sygaldry, and alchemy all rely on a trained Alar.
  • An eleven-year-old Kvothe can learn to harness Alar, and Alar can be learned by ordinary people, not only trained arcanists.
  • Kvothe's Alar is repeatedly described as like a bar of Ramston steel, very hard and keen but brittle and prone to break under hard or sudden use.
  • Devi describes her own Alar as 'the ocean in storm,' a strength that bends rather than shatters.
  • Heart of Stone and the spinning leaf are mental states Kvothe enters to strengthen or focus his Alar.
  • As a child, Kvothe trains his Alar by splitting his awareness and hiding objects from one part of his mind so another can seek them.
  • Against Devi, part of Kvothe's Alar is committed to defending against her blood magic, leaving him unable to form an additional sympathetic link.
  • Kvothe uses a divided Alar to defend himself against Ambrose's malfeasance.
  • Forging a gram requires proper equipment, a schema, and an Alar like a blade of Ramston steel.
  • Losing control of a link strains the practitioner, and breaking a link can be harmful.
  • An Alar maintained over a long period becomes ingrained and hard to let go.
  • Ambrose's window is warded shut with sygaldry, an effect that can be undone by eliding the runes or opposing the maker's Alar.

Theories§

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