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Caudicus Is a Red Herring: An Inept Arcanist, Not the Maer's Poisoner

plausible identity · popularity 56 · 1 source thread

Caudicus is a sub-par arcanist faking competence, incapable of the careful work a years-long poisoning would require.

About: Caudicus

Also involves: Maer Lerand Alveron, Vintas, The Arcanum, Sygaldry, Kvothe

The theory§

Caudicus, the arcanist who serves as physician at Maer Alveron's court in Severen, secured his comfortable post in Vintas precisely because the region's superstitious fear of magic leaves him a big fish in a small pond, free of meaningful rivals. This theory holds that he is a mediocre arcanist who fakes competence rather than possessing the careful precision a deliberate, years-long poisoning would require: he brews the Maer's medicine over candles burning with a blue show-flame, displays meaningless symbols and unlabelled ingredients, and measures by a careless 'pinch' even with a scale at hand. On this reading Caudicus is a red herring planted to draw attention away from the Maer's true poisoner, perhaps even a dupe handed a formula by another party. The counter-reading is that Caudicus is in fact a capable alchemist who knowingly doses the Maer with lead, adjusting the amount to keep him chronically ill but alive while Kvothe, by his own admission ignorant of alchemy, simply misreads the work; he flees the moment Kvothe demonstrates he understands what acid is.

Evidence§

  • Caudicus is a sub-par arcanist and a victim of Kvothe impetuousness. He's shown he's not capable of the accuracy required to commit to a 12 year poisoning by not following any of the basic rules of chemistry and alchemy.
    OP's core thesis: an inept arcanist, not a precise long-term poisoner. — u/SalvatoreParadise
  • Caudicus uses this to his advantage to secure a court position as almost anything he could do would be viewed as powerful.
    Big fish in a small pond: superstitious Vintas lets a weak arcanist look powerful. — u/SalvatoreParadise
  • He uses candles with a blue flame for show when brewing the Maer's medicine … His equipment has symbols on it, that dont appear to do anything
    Window dressing: show-flame and meaningless symbols fake competence. — u/SalvatoreParadise
  • He doesn't measure twice, he doesn't label anything, as Kvothe had to guess what the ingredients are. In fact, he uses a 'pinch' at one point when he has a scale
    Sloppy method: a deliberate poisoner would dose with precision, not a careless pinch. — u/SalvatoreParadise
  • The biggest pitfall here is that Kvothe knows nothing about chemistry/alchemy … All of Kvothe's accusations are based on what he thinks he witnesses Caudicus doing, chemicals he cant read, a process he doesn't understand.
    OP concedes Kvothe's ignorance of alchemy undermines his accusation. — u/SalvatoreParadise
  • I suspect someone else gave him the “medicine” formula, told him it was to keep the Maer in bad health but not dead, thus making him always needed.
    Refinement: Caudicus as a dupe handed a formula by another party. — u/vercertorix
  • I think Caudicus is a very capable alchemist while Kvothe is completely ignorant about alchemy. There are multiple examples of Kvothe articulating how little he knows about Alchemy to the point that he even verbalizes that he knows nothing about it.
    CounterCounter: Caudicus is a master alchemist; Kvothe simply misreads the work. — u/Sandal-Hat
  • he adjusts the dosage to suit his own needs, when he wants to travel he reduces the lead so the maer gets better allowing him to leave for a while, and then gets it back in him when he returns. And when he realizes kvothe knew what acid was he knows the jig is up and gaps it.
    CounterCounter: deliberate lead dosing and flight when caught prove intent. — u/admiringfemaleform

Book refs: WMF

Tier reasoning§

tier confirmed: reasonable reading of Caudicus's sloppy methods

Contributors§

Source threads§