KKC Theory Wiki

The Lackless Box

object · importance 70 · 32 theories

“An unopenable heirloom box of strange wood that holds the Lackless secret”

also known as Loeclos box, loeclos box, the box that holds the thing forgotten, the box that holds things forgotten, thrice-locked chest

Appearance§

A box of strange dark wood, reddish-black rather than fully coal-black, roughly the size of a book, smooth and sinuous in form, resembling roah but subtly distinct from it. It gives off a faint, maddeningly familiar scent that Kvothe likens to lemon, with notes of smoke, spice, and leather. Yllish story-knots are faintly etched into its surface, too subtle for the Maer to feel by touch. It has no visible lid, hinge, lock, or seam, though Kvothe can feel faint lines on its surface and senses something shifting inside when it is moved. The related thrice-locked chest at the Waystone is a separate vessel of roah wood bound with three locks, two of them keyed and a third hidden, which will not burn and resists being opened.

Description§

The Lackless box, also called the Loeclos box and 'the box that holds the thing forgotten,' is an ancient heirloom of the Lackless family, passed unopened down the line for generations. It is made of an unusual dark wood, reddish-black rather than fully coal-black, that resembles roah but is subtly distinct from it, and it gives off a faint, maddeningly familiar scent that Kvothe likens to lemon. Yllish story-knots are faintly etched into its surface, too subtle for the Maer to feel by touch though Kvothe can sense them. It has no visible lid, hinge, lock, or seam, yet something shifts and slides inside when it is handled, and Kvothe judges the hidden contents to be smaller than a saltbox and metallic by the way its weight moves. The Lady Lackless rhyme says it holds 'her husband's rocks.' Meluan Lackless keeps the box and shows it to the Maer and to Kvothe, who recognizes it as the twin of one his own mother possessed. In the frame story, a separate but related vessel sits in Kote's room at the Waystone Inn: a thrice-locked chest of roah wood that will not burn, bears an Yllish knot inscription alongside its keyed locks, and opens for no one, resisting even Kvothe's own attempts.

Relationships§

  • Recognized By Kvothe — Kvothe recognizes it as the twin of one his own mother possessed
  • Sought By The Chandrian — The Chandrian seek the Lackless box
  • Heirloom Of The Lackless Family — Ancient heirloom of the Lackless (Loeclos) family, passed unopened for generations
  • Holds The Moon — In the Jax tale, a part of the moon's name is sealed inside the Loeclos box
  • Scent Matches The Cthaeh — Its scent of smoke, spice, and leather matches the smell of the Cthaeh's tree
  • Twin Owned By Laurian — Kvothe recognizes it as the twin of one his mother Laurian possessed
  • Related To The Thrice-Locked Chest — A related thrice-locked roah chest sits in Kote's room and opens for no one but Kvothe
  • Kept By Meluan Lackless — Meluan Lackless keeps the box and shows it to the Maer and to Kvothe
  • Resembles Roah — Made of dark reddish-black wood resembling but distinct from roah
  • Described In Lackless Rhymes — The Lady Lackless rhyme says she keeps her husband's rocks in a box with no lid or locks

Established facts§

  • The Lackless box is an ancient heirloom of the Lackless (Loeclos) family, passed unopened down the line for generations, and is called 'the box that holds the thing forgotten.'
  • It is made of an unusual dark, reddish-black wood resembling but distinct from roah, and is roughly the size of a book.
  • It gives off a faint, maddeningly familiar scent that Kvothe likens to lemon, with notes of smoke, spice, and leather matching the smell of the Cthaeh's tree.
  • It bears Yllish story-knots faintly etched into its surface; the Maer cannot feel them, but Kvothe can.
  • It has no visible lid, hinge, lock, or seam, yet something shifts and slides inside when it is handled.
  • Kvothe judges the hidden contents to be smaller than a saltbox and metallic by the way the weight moves when the box is tilted.
  • The Lady Lackless rhyme says she keeps her husband's rocks in a box with no lid or locks.
  • Meluan Lackless keeps the box and shows it to the Maer and to Kvothe.
  • Kvothe recognizes the box as the twin of one his own mother possessed.
  • In the Jax tale, a part of the moon's name is sealed inside the Loeclos box.
  • The Lackless name descends from a family once called Loeclos, Loklos, or Loeloes, all meaning 'Lockless,' which drifted into Lackless, Lack-key, and Lacliths as the family branched across the map.
  • A thrice-locked chest of roah wood sits in Kote's room at the Waystone Inn throughout the frame story, sealed and unopened.
  • The thrice-locked chest will not burn, bears an Yllish knot inscription alongside its keyed locks, and opens for no one but Kvothe.
  • The chest has two visible keyholes and conceals a third, hidden locking point.
  • At the end of The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe is unable to open his own thrice-locked chest.
  • Even Bast cannot get into the thrice-locked chest.
  • Kvothe is good at untying knots and poor at tying them.
  • The Lady Lackless rhyme lists seven secret things, including a ring not for wearing, a sharp word not for swearing, a door without a handle, and the box with no lid or locks.
  • The Chandrian seek the Lackless box.

Theories§

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