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Caudicus May Be Poisoning the Maer for Infertility, Not Death

plausible motive · popularity 147 · 1 source thread

Caudicus's poison aims to leave Alveron alive but heirless, breaking the Lackless bloodline to advance the Jakis succession.

About: Caudicus, Maer Lerand Alveron

Also involves: Meluan Lackless, Kvothe, Ambrose Jakis, Severen, Vintas, Stapes

The theory§

Maer Alveron is being slowly poisoned through the medicine Caudicus prepares for him, and the Maer himself is genuinely puzzled why, given the poison is not killing him. This theory proposes the aim is infertility rather than death: to leave Alveron alive but heirless, ending the union of two ancient houses before he can father a child on Meluan Lackless. Kvothe's cover story in Severen-low, that he is a rude gentleman seeking impotence cures, is read as one of his unwitting naming slips, his sleeping mind brushing the truth he then fails to consciously grasp. A complementary reading holds that years of recorded ill health serve a longer game: when a lethal dose finally comes, the death of a chronically sick and childless Maer surprises no one and reads as illness rather than murder, smoothing the distant Jakis claim to the throne and consolidating power toward King Roderic. The chief objection is chronology: the poisoning predates and pauses before Alveron courts Meluan, so blocking that specific match cannot be the original motive, though preventing any heir at all remains consistent.

Evidence§

  • "Why? Why poison me if not to kill me?" … "Why poison me at all?" The Maer sounded genuinely puzzled.
    OP's starting puzzle: the poison isn't killing the Maer, so why poison him at all? — u/un_acceptable
  • We know that Caudicus is responsible for poisoning the Maer through the "medicine" that he concocts for the Maer. … However, **my theory is that Caudicus is aiming to cause** ***infertility*** **and prevent the Maer from having an heir.**
    Core claim: Caudicus aims at infertility, not death. — u/un_acceptable
  • I awkwardly made inquiries with the owner **about what a man might take if he was...having certain troubles...in the bedroom**. … he would be quick to tell the story of a rude gentleman interested in **impotence cures**.
    Kvothe's impotence-cure cover story read as an unwitting naming slip toward the truth. — u/un_acceptable
  • The Maer is courting Meluan Lackless, who is of a very important family line. Also, Caudicus is aware of the history of the Lackless family and intimate details of their family history.
    Motive link: Caudicus knows the Lackless line; preventing an heir breaks it. — u/un_acceptable
  • It's always been my belief that the Maer was being poisoned to establish a history of poor health and illness for him. Then when it comes time to remove him from the line of succession, he can be given a lethal dose and it doesn't look suspicious.
    Complementary reading: chronic illness disguises an eventual lethal dose as natural death. — u/the_spurring_platty
  • It would be much less suspicious if the last piece of the puzzle (the death of the Maer) falls into place to nobodies surprise, as the Maer had been sickly for years. This plan requires the Maer to have no children, which could well be an intended side effect of the poisoning.
    Ties Jakis succession to a childless, sickly Maer dying unremarkably. — u/SerLaron
  • Kvothe takes a herb (silphium), spelling might be wrong, that temporarily makes him infertile. … it would be easier and safer for caudicus to dose him with that if infertility were the only goal
    CounterCounter: a simple contraceptive herb would achieve infertility more safely than slow poisoning. — u/satin_worshipper
  • The Maer *wasn't* courting Lady lackless until Kvothe got there, so Caudicus poisoning him for that reason wouldn't make much sense, unless he didn't want the Maer to have any offspring whatsoever
    CounterCounter on chronology: poisoning predates the Meluan courtship, so blocking that match can't be the motive. — u/frankitox16

Book refs: WMF

Tier reasoning§

tier kept: reasonable motive fit, not stated in text

Contributors§

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