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Cinder

character · importance 82 · 40 theories

“The white-haired Chandrian who killed Kvothe's troupe”

also known as Fe, Ferula, Ferule, Lord Haliax's lieutenant, White-haired

Appearance§

Cinder is a creature of winter's pale, cold and sharp and white, with chalk-white skin and hair the color of frost. His eyes are black and irisless like a goat's, reflecting neither firelight nor the light of the setting sun. He carries an unnatural chill, and frost spreads in his presence as his Chandrian sign. He wields a distinctive sword, pale and elegant, that cuts the air with a brittle sound and likewise absorbs light, reflecting neither fire nor sun; it reminds Kvothe of the quiet that settles on the coldest days of winter, when it hurts to breathe and everything is still. He appears as an imposing, graceful figure in chain mail.

Description§

Cinder is one of the Chandrian, a pale, white-haired figure who serves under Lord Haliax and answers to the true name Ferule, rendered Ferula in the telling of the troupe's massacre. He led the band of Chandrian that slaughtered Kvothe's troupe and killed his parents, questioning the hidden child about the songs his parents had been singing and toying with him cruelly before Haliax rebuked him for his little cruelties and addressed him by name. Kvothe remembers his face clearly and counts him chief among the Chandrian against whom his vengeance is aimed. Years later Cinder leads a band of bandits in the Eld who raid the Maer Alveron's tax collectors; Kvothe and his companions ambush and destroy the band, and Cinder, shot through the leg with an arrow, escapes. The Cthaeh later confirms the bandit leader was Cinder and reveals an old grievance between them. Under the alias Master Ash, Cinder courts Denna and acts as her patron. His Chandrian sign is the cold: fire turns blue and gutters in his presence, water grows still, and frost spreads where he stands.

Relationships§

  • Killed Parents Kvothe — killed Kvothe's parents and toyed cruelly with the hidden child; Kvothe's chief target of vengeance
  • Member Of The Chandrian — one of the Chandrian who slaughtered Kvothe's troupe
  • Patron Of Denna — under the alias Master Ash, Cinder courts Denna and acts as her patron
  • Serves Haliax — serves under Lord Haliax, who rebukes him and names him a tool in his hand
  • Exposed By The Cthaeh — the Cthaeh confirms the bandit leader was Cinder and reveals an old grievance
  • Wronged Laurian — the Cthaeh reveals Cinder did terrible things to Kvothe's mother
  • Raided Maer Lerand Alveron — leads bandits in the Eld who raid the Maer Alveron's tax collectors
  • Alias Master Ash — under the alias Master Ash he courts Denna
  • Killed Arliden — led the Chandrian who killed Kvothe's father and questioned the child about the songs
  • Operated In The Eld — leads a band of bandits in the Eld, ambushed by Kvothe and companions

Established facts§

  • Cinder is one of the Chandrian and serves under Lord Haliax.
  • His true name is Ferule, rendered Ferula in the account of the troupe's massacre, and Haliax addresses him by it.
  • Cinder killed Kvothe's parents and led the Chandrian who slaughtered his troupe, toying cruelly with the hidden child.
  • He questioned Kvothe about the songs his parents had been singing, the troupe having sung of Lanre and the Chandrian.
  • Haliax rebuked Cinder for his little cruelties and named him a tool in his hand.
  • Cinder wields a pale, elegant sword that cuts the air with a brittle sound and reflects neither firelight nor the setting sun.
  • Cinder has chalk-white skin, frost-white hair, and black, irisless eyes like a goat's that reflect no light.
  • His Chandrian sign is the cold: fire turns blue and gutters near him, water grows still, and frost spreads where he stands.
  • Cinder later leads a band of bandits in the Eld who raid the Maer Alveron's tax collectors.
  • During the ambush in the Eld, Cinder is shot through the leg with an arrow and pulls it free without apparent harm.
  • Cinder pauses and holds perfectly still as if listening during the attack, having heard Marten's prayer in Tehlu's name, just as he did at the troupe's killing.
  • Cinder escapes the encounter in the Eld while his bandits are killed.
  • The Cthaeh, who speaks only truth, confirms to Kvothe that the bandit leader was Cinder.
  • The Cthaeh reveals that Cinder once did it a wrong turn, establishing an old grievance, and that Cinder did terrible things to Kvothe's mother.
  • Under the alias Master Ash, Cinder courts Denna and acts as her patron.
  • Haliax claims to keep Cinder safe from the Sithe, who hunt those who treat with the Cthaeh.
  • Among the Adem, Cinder is named in song as 'Ferule, chill and dark of eye.'
  • Nina's recreation of the Mauthen vase depicts Cinder as a black-eyed, white-haired man standing before a bare tree on a circle of water amid drifts of snow.
  • Kvothe deliberately avoids using real names in his retelling, taking care not to speak Cinder's.
  • Kvothe counts Cinder chief among the Chandrian against whom his vengeance is aimed.

Theories§

Appears in theories§

Top contributors§

People on r/KingkillerChronicle who built the theories above.