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The Amyr Keep Two Ancient Bloodlines Apart to Control the Doors of Stone

plausible connection · popularity 222 · 1 source thread

Kvothe carries both Iax's Lackless line and Illien's Ruh line, and the Amyr work to keep the two apart.

About: The Amyr, Kvothe, The Doors of Stone

Also involves: The Lackless Box, Laurian, Iax, Edema Ruh, The Chandrian, The Tehlin Church, Meluan Lackless, The Archives, Haliax, Illien

The theory§

This theory proposes that opening the Doors of Stone requires the union of two ancient bloodlines, and that the Amyr have laboured for millennia to keep them apart. The first is the Lackless line, held to descend from Iax — accounting for Kvothe's mother Netalia Lackless's dark, changeable eyes, his fae quality of being 'fae around the edges', and his god-touched gaze. The second is the Ruh line, held to descend from the legendary musician Illien — accounting for Kvothe's red hair, his musical genius, and his Edema Ruh identity, with characters openly naming him a possible 'next Illien'. To deny the Chandrian this combination, the Amyr are said to have slandered the Ruh into an untouchable caste, propped up the declining Lackless nobility, and engineered Tehlinism and the seizure of the libraries to suppress true history. Kvothe alone reunites both lines, placing him at the centre of whatever rite the sealed Lackless box demands — possibly requiring his blood as a key.

Evidence§

  • There are two bloodlines need to open the Doors of Stone, Lackless and Ruh. The Amyr are keeping those bloodlines separate to keep the doors of stone, spreading false rumors and keeping the Ruh an 'untouchable' caste of society while also keeping the Lackless line nobles despite their misfortunes.
    Core claim: two bloodlines open the Doors; Amyr keep them apart. — u/chainsawx72
  • Kvothe is descended from Iax on his mother's side. … Kvothe's mom is Netalia Lackless … Family traits are dark hair, dark eyes, changing eyes. This is also Kvothe's 'faen' blood, and being 'fae around the edges' … the root of Kvothe's eyes like 'an angry god's'.
    Lackless line traced to Iax, explaining his fae and god-touched traits. — u/chainsawx72
  • Kvothe is descended from Illien on his father's side. He has red hair, writes songs, plays lute, is a Ruh, and 'could be the next Illien'. With the other bloodline 'fae' and 'godlike', this bloodline is *human.*
    Ruh line traced to Illien, the human bloodline, explaining his music and red hair. — u/chainsawx72
  • I'm gussing that a drop of Kvothe's blood is required to unlock the Lackless Box, and may play a role in the side story about his blood. Note that Devi returns a list of items that we get in detail, and no blood is mentioned, and she just had a suspicious guest leave.
    Kvothe's blood as the key; Devi's unreturned blood as supporting hint. — u/chainsawx72
  • The Amyr seemed to have the most power under Tehlinism and in the Aturan empire, and this is the period that Kvothe mentions being the time Ruh were hunted by royal mandate. Attempted genocide to end the 'Illien' bloodline.
    Amyr suppression mechanism: Tehlinism and Ruh persecution to end the Ruh line. — u/chainsawx72
  • Netalia's joke to Arliden implies that Jax … _does_ have red hair, which is a recessive trait, and Kvothe has red hair despite neither of his parents having it. This means they are both recessive carriers, which makes total sense if they are both descendants of red-haired Jax, through the Edema Ruh & Lackless branch, respectively.
    Refines: both parents may descend from one red-haired source, not two lines. — u/Resaren
  • why not just END both bloodlines instead of preserving them separately? Seems like way too much work imo
    CounterCounter: Amyr could simply destroy the lines rather than preserve them apart. — u/danielsaid
  • it is already stated the Ruach Amyr's purpose is to confound the Chandrian, if confounding meant wiping out the ruh and/or the Lackless family they could have. … Not saying it's wrong, just potential plot hole.
    CounterCounter: stated Amyr purpose undercuts the keep-apart mechanism as a plot hole. — u/TacticalDo

Book refs: NOTW, WMF

Tier reasoning§

distinct theory; multi-step inference but anchored to Lackless line, plausible holds

Contributors§

Source threads§