KKC Theory Wiki

Master Lorren Might Be a Chandrian Steering Kvothe From the Seven

fringe identity · popularity 82 · 1 source thread

Lorren's recognition of Arliden and his blocking of Kvothe's research suggest he is a Chandrian or hidden agent.

About: Master Lorren, The Chandrian

Also involves: Arliden, Kvothe, The Archives, The Amyr, Skarpi, Haliax, The Cthaeh, The Adem

The theory§

This theory proposes that Master Lorren is secretly a Chandrian, or at least a hidden agent steering Kvothe away from the Seven. Its strongest hooks are Lorren's unexplained recognition of the name Arliden — calling him "the bard" and asking which troupe he played with, knowledge Kvothe finds suspicious and which the narrative never resolves — and Lorren's repeated obstruction of Kvothe's research, including barring him from the Archives for months. It sits inside a larger frame in which many figures Kvothe meets are covert Amyr or Chandrian agents nudging him toward some foreseen future event, possibly because the Cthaeh seeded a prophecy of his importance. The reading runs hard against the simpler explanations: Lorren's caution about fire near the Archives protects irreplaceable books rather than betraying Chandrian fear of flame; his knowledge of a travelling bard needs no sinister source; and the Chandrian sign of a blue flame could never hide in a fire-free library. The prevailing counter-view places Lorren among the Amyr — guardians of the Archives, perhaps of one of the Doors — rather than the Seven.

Evidence§

  • I am a big fan of the theory that many of the characters kvothe encounters are agents of either the amyr or the chandrian, silently nudging kvothe one way or the other with some master plan in mind.
    OP's framing: hidden agents steer Kvothe, setting up Lorren as one of them. — u/AIDSRiddledLiberal
  • For one, he recognizes the name Arliden, and this is never resolved. Does he remember killing him, hence referring to him as arliden the bard and asking kvothe which troupe he was in?
    Core claim: Lorren's unexplained recognition of Arliden hints he killed him. — u/AIDSRiddledLiberal
  • Lorren is a constant barrier to kvothe and his quest for info on the 7. When he first hears of kvothe researching them in the library he is QUICK to come and discourage him, and then later he keeps kvothe out of the archives completely for months.
    Second claim: Lorren obstructs Kvothe's Chandrian research. — u/AIDSRiddledLiberal
  • Maybe there is another reason he doesn't want fire anywhere near the Archives?
    Comment adds: fire-aversion could betray Chandrian fear of flame. — u/-Yuri-
  • Not to mention he has a small army of scouts scouring the Four Corners for rare books, and basically owns the biggest, most poorly organized library in the world. I’m sure if certain important books pertaining to the Chandrian were to go missing off the face of the Earth, no one would be any the wiser…
    Adds means/motive: Lorren could quietly suppress Chandrian books. — u/No-BrowEntertainment
  • If Lorren happened to be Cyphus... he wouldn't have any flames to turn blue in the library.
    CounterCounter: fire-free library means the blue-flame sign could never appear. — u/chainsawx72
  • If Lorren was with that group it could explain how he knew of Arliden (if he had no prior knowledge of him at that point, there would be plenty of evidence for him to conclude Arliden was a bard). It also wouldn't be far fetched for Lorren to have come across Arliden's troupe performing somewhere
    CounterCounter: Amyr or mundane encounter explains Arliden knowledge without Chandrian link. — u/hamr84
  • I can't imagine being immortal and choosing to shackle myself to a mortal job that requires my continued presence in a building.
    CounterCounter: a Chandrian would not bind himself to a fixed mortal post. — u/Kit-Carson

Book refs: NOTW

Tier reasoning§

tier confirmed fringe: evidence equally fits the Amyr reading

Contributors§

Source threads§