KKC Theory Wiki

Cinder's Cold Sign May Have Triggered the Fishery Bone-Tar Fire

plausible identity · popularity 68 · 1 source thread

Cinder's chill 'sign' could explain why the bone-tar container froze and exploded, tying Master Ash to Cinder.

About: Cinder, Master Ash, The Fishery

Also involves: Denna, The University, The Eolian, The Chandrian

The theory§

This theory adds a piece of evidence to the identification of Master Ash with Cinder by linking the fire in the Fishery to Cinder's cold sign. Each of the Chandrian bears a telltale sign, and Cinder's is associated with cold: Adem lore names him 'Ferule, chill and dark of eye,' and the vase Nina paints from her vision of the Chandrian shows him standing in water surrounded by snow. The Fishery fire begins when the metal canister storing bone-tar grows so cold that it shatters like glass on the stone floor, an unexplained chill the theory attributes to Cinder prowling near the University in search of Denna. That same night Kvothe arrives late to the Eolian and learns Denna has left with a white-haired man, widely taken to be her first meeting with Master Ash, placing a cold-signed Cinder in the vicinity at the right moment.

Evidence§

  • as a result of the fire in the Fishery, Kvothe arrives late to the the Eolian and finds out that Denna has left with a white-haired man. This is almost universally considered to be Denna's first meeting with Master Ash.
    OP sets up the scene: the Fishery fire delays Kvothe, and Denna leaves with the white-haired man. — u/Hairy_Caul
  • the detail about the man's hair *does* technically match a description of Cinder's hair, its pretty weak without any other information
    OP concedes the hair match alone is weak evidence, motivating a stronger link. — u/Hairy_Caul
  • each of the individual Chandrian has a "sign" that is specifically their own … from the information Kvothe gets from Ademre we learn the following about Cinder: >...Ferule **chill** and dark of eye...
    OP establishes Cinder's personal sign is cold, per Adem lore. — u/Hairy_Caul
  • Nina's recollection/drawing of the vase describes Cinder as: >Standing in water **surrounded by snow**.
    Second source for Cinder's cold association: the painted vase shows him amid snow. — u/Hairy_Caul
  • The fire in the Fishery happens because the container that stores the bone tar *gets too cold* and explodes.
    Core link: the fire's trigger is unexplained cold, matching Cinder's sign. — u/Hairy_Caul
  • I propose that the bone-tar container got too cold because of Cinder's presence in the area.
    OP's central claim tying the cold container to Cinder being nearby. — u/Hairy_Caul
  • in WMF when they attack the bandits, Kvothe says he felt a strange/uncanny chill even with the rain, which is probably Cinder again as the spooky bandit leader
    Commenter adds corroborating evidence: a similar unexplained chill near Cinder elsewhere. — u/DangerousBar2245
  • Rothfuss has already said that the name Ash is in reference to the tree. … Master Ash as in Ash tree, not the by product of fire. Ash is not Cinder. It is a (incredibly shallow) red herring.
    CounterCounter: author allegedly confirmed Ash means the tree, so Ash isn't Cinder. — u/Smurphilicious

Book refs: NOTW, WMF

Tier reasoning§

plausible: builds on well-supported Master Ash = Cinder, this link is suggestive

Contributors§

Source threads§