The Wise Man's Fear characters

Also known as Kote

Appears from the start

The famous, now-hidden hero, living quietly as the innkeeper Kote while recounting the true story of his life to a scribe. Brilliant, proud, and haunted, he takes up the second day of his tale, resuming from his youth as a gifted but poor and troublesome student at the University who is searching for lost knowledge of the mythical Chandrian who killed his family.

Appears from the start

Kvothe's charming, mischievous young student and companion at the inn, secretly one of the fair folk of the Fae. Fiercely devoted to his master, he grows increasingly worried by Kvothe's melancholy and works quietly, in his own schemes, to reawaken the man's old fire.

Also known as Devan Lochees

Appears from the start

The traveling scribe who has drawn the hidden Kvothe into telling his life story, now settled at the inn to record the second day of the account. Educated and patient, he serves as the audience and recorder for the tale.

Appears from the start

The beautiful, sharp, and elusive young woman Kvothe loves, who continues to drift in and out of his life without ever fully explaining herself. Independent and guarded, always slipping away and reappearing under new circumstances and a mysterious patron's influence, she remains just out of Kvothe's reach.

Also known as Ambrose Jakis

Appears from the start

Kvothe's wealthy, arrogant, and vindictive rival at the University, heir to a powerful baron. Their long, bitter feud continues, with Ambrose using his money and influence to make Kvothe's life difficult at every turn.

Also known as Master Elodin

Appears from the start

The eccentric, unpredictable master of the University and one of the few who understands the deep, half-legendary art of naming. Given to riddles and strange methods, he reluctantly guides Kvothe toward the elusive discipline of calling things by their true names.

Also known as Wil, Sim

Appears from the start

Kvothe's two closest and most loyal friends at the University: Wilem, a solid, dry-witted young man from a distant land, and Simmon, a good-natured and open-hearted one. They remain his steadfast companions through his studies and troubles.

Appears from the start

A clever, fearless young moneylender and former University student, a skilled arcanist who runs a private lending business on hard terms. Charming and dangerous by turns, she remains one of Kvothe's creditors and an uneasy sometime ally.

Also known as Maer, Alveron

First appears in chapter 55

One of the most powerful lords in the kingdom of Vintas, a proud, shrewd, and exacting nobleman who takes Kvothe into his service at his seat in Severen. Careful of his dignity and quick to test loyalty, he becomes an important patron whose favor could make Kvothe's fortune, and whose displeasure could ruin him.

First appears in chapter 82

A quiet, formidable mercenary of the Adem, a reticent people renowned as the finest fighters in the world, who joins the small company sent to hunt bandits. Sparing with words and bound by strict custom, he unexpectedly begins to teach Kvothe the rudiments of the Adem fighting art and their guarded way of life.

First appears in chapter 100

A being of legend from the Fae, a faerie woman of overwhelming beauty said to take mortal men as lovers and leave them either dead or forever broken by longing. Kvothe encounters her when he strays into the Fae, and few who meet her are believed to survive with their minds intact.

First appears in chapter 118

A skilled and no-nonsense teacher among the Adem people, assigned to instruct Kvothe when he travels to their distant homeland to learn their martial art and philosophy. Demanding, wry, and exacting, she judges whether the reckless outsider is fit to be trusted with her people's secrets.