KKC Theory Wiki

Abenthy Was an Amyr Sent to Investigate Arliden's Chandrian Research

fringe identity · popularity 155 · 1 source thread

Ben uses a greystone to contact the Amyr and joins the troupe to learn how much Arliden knows about the Chandrian.

About: Abenthy, The Amyr, Arliden

Also involves: The Chandrian, Master Lorren, The Archives, The Arcanum, Kvothe, Edema Ruh

The theory§

This theory holds that Abenthy did not join Arliden's troupe by chance but was planted there as a human agent of the Amyr to gauge how much Arliden's research into Lanre and the Chandrian threatened to expose secrets the order has spent centuries burying. Its foundation is Kvothe's own conclusion that the Amyr scrubbed the Archives clean of records about both themselves and the Chandrian, and the inference that Master Lorren, who controls those Archives and dispatches acquisition teams to hunt down rumored books, is himself an Amyr emissary tracking dangerous knowledge. Arliden had openly been collecting stories of Lanre and the Chandrian for over a year, and the year Kvothe spent under Ben's tutelage was, in Kvothe's words, the best of his life, framing Ben's arrival and timing as suspiciously convenient. The theory further proposes that Ben used a greystone near the troupe a span before he was lured away, treating the waystones as a means of contacting the order. The University's close alignment with the Amyr, the recurrence of the lone-Amyr-with-bloody-hands motif in Viari and in Kvothe's own later attack on a troupe, and Lorren's pointed recognition of Arliden the bard are all read as confirmation.

Evidence§

  • Kvothe believes the Amyr have removed information about themselves from the Arcanum library. … The Arcanum library is also absent of information about the Chandrian. Surely the Amyr are hiding this information too.
    Foundation: the Amyr scrub Archives of records on themselves and the Chandrian. — u/chainsawx72
  • Because Lorren controls the library, it's likely that he is an Amyr. Lorren's acquisitions team tracks rumors *of books...* but they are also likely to be tracking rumors of secrets about the Amyr and the Chandrian
    Infers Lorren is an Amyr emissary tracking dangerous knowledge. — u/chainsawx72
  • Lorren knows Arliden who has been travelling the commonwealth asking questions about Lanre and the Chandrian, so he might send someone to investigate. … *Did you say your father’s name was Arliden?.... Arliden the bard?*
    Lorren's pointed recognition of Arliden flags him as a target to investigate. — u/chainsawx72
  • Just before Abenthy and Kvothe's parents have their fireside talk about the Chandrian, Kvothe says his time training with Ben was "the best year of (his) life". And after the mention of the Chandrian, Kvothe says the whole troupe knew Arliden had been "collecting stories of Lanre and the Chandrian for more than a year." So it seems Abenthy was planted into the troupe because Arliden was researching his song.
    Comment adds timing evidence linking Ben's year-long arrival to Arliden's research. — u/melinate
  • Months later, just before Ben is lured away from the troupe for good, Kote specifically describes Ben parking his wagon on the opposite side of a greystone from the troupe. … ***Ben guided Alpha and Beta into a spot on the far side of the stone, away from most of the other wagons.***
    Core claim: Ben isolates by a greystone to report to the Amyr. — u/chainsawx72
  • Very soon after using the graystone, Ben is lured away from the troupe. … Kvothe describes the situation as the perfect snare for Abenthy, an offer he couldn’t refuse. … As you can see, I don’t think anyone could have built a better snare for Ben if they had tried.
    The convenient widow snare is read as the Amyr removing Ben. — u/chainsawx72
  • Can Ben or the Amyr actually use the waystones to travel? It isn't crazy to think it's possible, but we have so few clues that anyone is doing that in Kvothe's day. Any chance someone just met him in the woods?
    CounterCounter: no evidence anyone uses waystones to travel; a simpler meeting fits. — u/Katter
  • According to Felurian, there were never any human Amyr, meaning the Amyr you're talking about aren't the ones fighting the Seven
    CounterCounter: Felurian says no human Amyr, undercutting human-agent Ben and Viari. — u/michellanger

Book refs: NOTW, WMF, NOTW ch 36

Tier reasoning§

tier kept: speculative chain resting on inference, not text

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