10 things we need to see in The Doors Of Stone, Kingkiller Book 3

6. A showdown with the Chandrian

The Chandrian are a group of seven mythical figures who serve as the long-game antagonist of The Kingkiller Chronicle. For most of the people of Temerant, the Chandrian are legendary figures of evil, but for Kvothe they represent a very real and present enemy: it was the Chandrian who killed Kvothe’s parents along with their entire traveling troupe of Edema Ruh bards and performers, all seemingly because Kvothe’s father was collecting stories about the Chandrian to write a new song about them.

Finding and exacting revenge on the Chandrian was one of the motives that drove Kvothe to study at the University. It’s also been something that’s caused him to go off on adventures so he can chase hints and rumors of them to far-flung corners of the map. Yet for all their importance to the story, the Chandrian are a very behind-the-scenes sort of enemy. We simply have not had that much page time with them yet.

Or have we?

The Chandrian have what seems to be an aversion — maybe even a need — to keep stories about themselves from spreading. This is what led to the death of Kvothe’s troupe. They also killed an entire wedding party because of one piece of pottery that bore their image. Then there’s the time that Kvothe attacked a bandit camp only to later discover that the bandits were being run by none other than the Chandrian Cinder.

If there’s one consistent idea that follows the Chandrian wherever they go, it’s that they are actively shrouding themselves in mystery. It’s extremely likely that they’ve operated under the radar throughout the first two books already, with revelations about their identities awaiting in Book Three.

If things are going to get bad enough that Kvothe starts to blame himself for starting a war, goes into hiding, and tries to turn his back on his old life, he’ll have to face his oldest enemy. Moreover, it’s been speculated that the Chandrian are connected to his love interest Denna and her mysterious patron. And that means that the chances are good that whatever does go down between Kvothe and the Chandrian, it’s going to be really messy.