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Why Kote Genuinely Fails at Sympathy: Trauma, Hidden Bindings, or a Curse-Device

plausible mechanism · popularity 337 · 1 source thread

Kote's inability to form sympathetic links may stem from mental trauma, secretly held bindings, an artificed device, or a fulfilled oath.

About: Kvothe, Sympathy

Also involves: The Chandrian, Alar, Bast, Chronicler, Waystone Inn, Skin Dancer

The theory§

When the skin-dancer attacks the Waystone Inn, Kote mutters bindings but fails entirely to establish a sympathetic link, despite once having an Alar likened to a bar of Ramston steel. This theory takes the failure as genuine rather than feigned and proposes candidate causes. The first is psychological: a trauma so severe it shattered his Alar even through the dulling of a Heart of Stone, leaving the Alar broken like the brittle steel it was compared to. The second is capacity: he may be silently maintaining many bindings at once, perhaps as many as seven, one for each of the Chandrian, so that any further binding fails as it would for a sympathist at his limit. The third treats his name as the lever, noting that he 'almost forgot who he was' during the fight and briefly slipped back into Kvothe, and that his oath sworn on his name, power, and good left hand may have been fulfilled and literally taken from him, manifesting as the loss of music, sympathy, and skill at arms.

Evidence§

  • He’s described as muttering bindings, but being unable to establish a link.
    Inciting observation: Kote's sympathy fails completely against the skin-dancer. — u/Defragmented-Defect
  • His mind was broken by trauma, and thus he cannot maintain the Heart of Stone or his Alar.
    First proposed cause: trauma shattered his Alar so sympathy fails. — u/Defragmented-Defect
  • he’s currently maintaining a crazy amount of bindings for some unknown purpose, perhaps as many as seven, one for each of The Seven … we’ve been shown that if you’re at your limit for bindings, any further bindings will fail.
    Second cause: he is already at his binding limit, so new bindings fail. — u/Defragmented-Defect
  • A gram is a device that prevents others from forming sympathetic bindings against you.
    Third cause: an artificed gram-like curse-device blocks his bindings. — u/Defragmented-Defect
  • that's consistent with him using sympathy earlier in the story to shatter a bottle of strawberry wine. … When he 'remembers who he is' he can't do sympathy because Kote can't do sympathy.
    Adds an identity-block cause: Kote cannot do sympathy because Kote is not Kvothe. — u/youmemba
  • I swear it on my name and my power. I swear it by my good left hand. I swear it by the ever-moving moon. … And now we see him without his name, without his power, and without his good left hand.
    Forsworn-oath cause: the oath stripped exactly name, power, and left hand. — u/zaphodava
  • Even a broken knife can cut sometimes. I think he has something of a power stroke and that is what shatters the bottle.
    Refines broken-Alar reading: residual power explains the unconscious bottle shatter. — u/Papa_Bear1024
  • he looks surprised when it happens if I remember, and I think if he had 7 bindings he would know he was at his limit.
    CounterCounter to the multiple-bindings cause: he seems surprised, not knowingly at his limit. — u/bobbyc94-
  • Bindings can still be placed against owners of grams, which is why Kvothes gram feels cold/tickly when Mola throws their practice mommet of Kvothe in the fire. … I dont think artificing/runes can affect peoples alars or mind
    CounterCounter to the curse-device cause: grams redirect energy, they cannot block one's own Alar. — u/Jezer1

Book refs: NOTW, WMF

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