KKC Theory Wiki

Master Lorren Is a Secret Amyr or Their Supporter

plausible identity · popularity 56 · 1 source thread

Lorren personally suppresses Kvothe's Amyr research, suggesting he is an Amyr protecting their secrecy.

About: Master Lorren, The Amyr

Also involves: The Archives, Kvothe, Arliden

The theory§

This theory holds that Master Lorren, the University's Archivist, is an Amyr or one of their supporters. Books documenting the Amyr's historical presence are being quietly removed from the Archives, and the moment Lorren learns Kvothe is investigating the Amyr he personally intervenes, warning the boy off under the guise of protecting his reputation from looking childish, an unusually direct act for a man who shows little personal interest in students. His single-minded devotion to preserving knowledge above all else mirrors the Amyr's focus on greater causes, and Rothfuss has Kvothe explicitly explain why he never brings his later Amyr theory to Lorren, signalling that Lorren is to be kept ignorant of it. Most tellingly, Lorren confiscates Gibea's journal immediately after Kvothe announces the hidden detail revealing Gibea was a concealed Amyr, fitting the pattern of Amyr material vanishing from the shelves. Lorren also asks at Kvothe's admissions interview whether he is the son of 'Arliden the Bard,' implying prior knowledge of Kvothe's parents and an interest in him. Each master keeps a private library of the most dangerous works of his discipline; Lorren's would naturally hold the texts on the Amyr, the Chandrian, and the true history of the Creation War. A complication is that Felurian's claim that there were never any human Amyr would require Lorren to be either no Amyr or not human, and an Amyr in hiding shutting down a first-year's inquiry so conspicuously is arguably the opposite of staying in the shadows.

Evidence§

  • The Amyr are established as still existing, but in secret. Someone is ensuring that books on their historical presence are removed from the archives.
    Premise: Amyr survive secretly and someone purges Amyr books from the Archives. — u/Dan_Felder
  • The moment Lorren gets wind of Kvothe investigating the Amyr he shuts it down personally.
    Core claim: Lorren personally intervenes to halt Kvothe's Amyr research. — u/Dan_Felder
  • he noticed the new kid was reading about the Amyr and went out of his way to tell him it might make him look childish, and to stop investigating such things just for the benefit of his reputation? And rothfuss has Kvothe specifically explain why he isn’t bringing his theory on the Amyr he develops in WMF to Lorren - to ensure we know Lorren isn’t going to be made aware of it any time soon.
    Lorren's reputation pretext plus Kvothe pointedly withholding his theory signals Lorren must stay ignorant. — u/Dan_Felder
  • Lorren also exemplifies the peculiar dedication of the Amyr to be focused on greater causes. Banning a student from the archives is a minor problem compared to the greater good of protecting the books as a store of knowledge.
    Lorren's greater-good devotion mirrors the Amyr ethos. — u/Dan_Felder
  • He also takes Gibea’s journal away under the guise of punishing Kvothe for speaking in Tomes. He does so immediately after Kvothe discusses a hidden detail that reveals Gibea was a hidden member of the Amyr.
    Adds evidence: Lorren confiscates the journal right after the Amyr revelation, fitting the purge pattern. — u/Thursday-42
  • upon Kvothe's initial admissions interview, Lorren asks whether Kvothe was son of "Arliden the Bard." … Lorren clearly knows something of Kvothe's parentage and takes an interest in him because of it.
    Refines: Lorren's parentage question shows prior knowledge of and interest in Kvothe. — u/taborlyn13
  • Felurian tells us that there were never any human Amyr. So either Lorren isn't Amyr, or he isn't human.
    CounterCounter: Felurian's claim forces Lorren to be no Amyr or not human. — u/taborlyn13
  • If you wanted to remain in the shadows, immediately shutting down a first year's silly investigation personally would be a terrible move.
    CounterCounter: conspicuously intervening contradicts an Amyr trying to stay hidden. — u/Naefindale

Book refs: NOTW, WMF

Tier reasoning§

tier confirmed plausible: pattern of behavior gives reasonable support

Contributors§

Source threads§