KKC Theory Wiki

Kvothe's Quest for Vengeance Will Turn Him Into a New Chandrian

plausible prophecy · popularity 473 · 1 source thread

Kvothe's pursuit of revenge against the Chandrian will corrupt him into a fall mirroring Lanre's, binding him as one of the Seven.

About: Kvothe, The Chandrian

Also involves: Haliax, Edema Ruh

The theory§

This theory holds that Kvothe's hunt for vengeance against the Chandrian will corrupt him into a fall mirroring Lanre's, ending with him bound as one of the Seven — the very thing he swore to destroy. The framing borrows the line 'the cut flower man who waits to die will be reborn into the thing he swore to destroy,' casting present-day Kote, the defeated innkeeper waiting out his days, as a man poised for that dark rebirth. His massacre of the false Edema Ruh troupe is read as a foreshadowing of deeper corruption, paralleled to Anakin Skywalker slaughtering his mother's captors. The theory runs against real obstacles within the story: Scarpi's telling implies one becomes Chandrian by following Haliax, an unlikely allegiance for a man whose parents the Seven murdered, and Kvothe's evident remorse and desire to have his true story recorded fit poorly with a fate that would demand he be forgotten. The Seven are already named and numbered, so any addition would require a vacancy or a redefinition of what the Chandrian are.

Evidence§

  • What do you think will be Kvothe’s “fall” after he gets revenge that will bind him as one of the seven?
    Frames the core theory: revenge leads to a fall binding Kvothe as a Chandrian. — u/RonPaul_TV
  • Scene where Anakin murders his mom's kidnappers? Scene where Kvothe murders the false Edema Ruh.
    Offers the parallel evidence: Kvothe's massacre mirrors Anakin's turn to darkness. — u/stave
  • This would explain some of the strange lack of progress in parts of the story. It's all going to shit for Kvothe.
    Argues the theory explains Kvothe's stalled decline in the frame story. — u/espaulsen
  • Kvothe can’t “turn” into a villain, he already is one. … He murdered a troupe of Edema Ruh he “claimed” were criminals and talked two traumatized survivors into backing up his story.
    Refines: Kvothe already shows villainous corruption, supporting a dark fall. — u/Randvek
  • except there are already 7 of them, hence the name.
    CounterCounter: the Seven are already named and numbered, leaving no vacancy. — u/Sublyte
  • According to Scarpi, Kvothe would have to start following Haliax to become one of the Chandrian. It seems like it would take a lot for Kvothe to follow the leader of the group that killed your mom and dad.
    CounterCounter: becoming Chandrian requires following Haliax, who murdered Kvothe's parents. — u/mayotte2048
  • by why would Kvothe want his story pass around through Chronicler if he was one of the seven? … If Kvothe was a Chandrian he would want to be forgotten I’d think bc he seems so regretful currently.
    CounterCounter: his remorse and desire to be recorded clash with a Chandrian fate. — u/skapuppet

Book refs: NOTW, WMF

Tier reasoning§

tier kept: speculative but reasonable arc-based fit

Contributors§

Source threads§