The Chandrian

The Chandrian are a group of seven beings, possibly Ruach, known in myth, folklore, and children's stories throughout Temerant. They are also known as the Nameless, Rhinta, and the Seven. They are led by one known as Haliax, who is known to be formerly called Lanre and is known to the Adem as Alaxel. The others serve Haliax in part through fear, as Haliax protects them and also holds power over them, using them "as tools." They do not always travel together, and Haliax seems to do so in order to maintain order within the group.

While they have a purpose, it is unknown, adding to their air of mystery and making them more terrifying, for none known why they do what they do.

Description

Little is known about the Chandrian, other than that they are universally seen as evil and have signs associated with them. They go by many names, though "Chandrian" is one of the most common. What these signs are is subject to great debate. In most cultures, they are seen as mythological beings, and it is often accepted that seven people or beings make up this group, though some sources claim there to be ten. It is believed they root out and destroy all mentions of themselves, possibly because they are on the run from the Amyr, who may know their weakness.

Who keeps you safe from the Amyr? The singers? The Sithe? From all that would harm you in the world?

– Haliax to Cinder

They are widely feared as cruel creatures with unknown purpose behind their evil actions, though Haliax appears to hold disdain for cruelty. In an Adem poem he is referred to as "sane," which may suggest that the others have succumbed to madness, possibly the cause of their cruelty.

You are too fond of your little cruelties. All of you.

– Haliax to Cinder & the Chandrian

Etmology

Their name comes from the Temic word "Chaen-dien" meaning "seven of them," which is one of the strongest arguments for there to be seven beings in the group.

Signs

Kvothe's father, Arliden, and later Kvothe uncover several signs that are to signal the presence of the Chandrian. It is wildly suggested that blue-flame indicate their presence, but others are more circumspect, and blue-flame can be recreated chemically, as Arliden and Laurian have Abenthy do to use in plays. Arliden and Laurian disagree on several accounts of the signs; Laurian suggests that each Chandrian has their own sign, explaining why there are disagreements in what the signs are; if different Chandrian are present, different signs will be seen. Many of these are considered to be "accelerated entropy." Kvothe personally experiences these in his early life, to include blue flame, rusted metal, blight, and darkness. He may have experienced others but not attributed them to the Chandrian. These others include madness and silence, though these may be circumstantial rather than actual signs.

Signs may or may not be external effects with a purpose; darkness around Haliax appears as an intense shadow that can even keep sunlight or firelight from reaching him; his cowl is visible, but his face s totally obscured.

Confirmed Signs:

• Blue flame (Sign of Cyphus)
• Decay and rot (of wood) (Sign of Usnea)
• Complete rusting of iron and steel (Sign of Stercus)
• Cold (Sign of Ferule)
• Dark Eyes (Sign of Cinder, aka Ferule)
• Shadow like a dark fog (Sign of Haliax, aka Alaxel), appears to be capable of teleporting those who enter it.

Possible signs:

• Blight (Sign of Alenta)
• Madness / Shock
• Darkness / Moonless Night
• Silence (Sign of Dalcenti)

The Adem have a poem assigning each of the Chandrian to their sign:

       Cyphus bears the blue flame. 
       Stercus is in thrall of iron. 
       Ferule chill and dark of eye. 
       Usnea lives in nothing but decay. 
       Grey Dalcenti never speaks. 
       Pale Alenta brings the blight. 
       Last there is the lord of the seven: 
       Hated. Hopeless. Sleepless. Sane. 
       Alaxel bears the shadow's hame. 

Of these, based off of Kvothe's experience , it is strongly believed that one referred to as "Cinder" is the poem's "Ferule" and Alaxel refers to Haliax; Haliax exercises his power over Cinder by speaking his name; "Ferula."

These signs are also described in children's songs. The only other descriptions Kvothe has uncovered were from Nina, a girl from Trebon, who described and later drew a relic. However, she only saw one side of the vase, and so was only able to describe three of the eight figures; the seven Chandrian and a member of the Ciridae. Kvothe believes these three to be Cinder, Halifax, and an Amyr. In the drawings Cinder is depicted with black eyes, standing in water surrounded by snow. Haliax is shown with a waxing moon and two candles, one bright and the other shrouded in shadow. She also remembers additional figures in less detail, a nude woman, a broken sword, and a fire.

It has been suggested that the Chandrian may be able to at least partly mask the signs that reveal their true nature using the fae magic known as glamourie.

These attributes are confirmed further through a series of stories: We are introduced to the frame-story's patrons of the Waystone Inn with Old Cob's telling of Taborlin the Great, trapped in a stone room with no way out - he places special emphasis to note that the lamps were burning blue to strike fear into his listeners, indicating the well-known Chandrian early on in the Frame Story; the sign of Cyphus.

This Cyphus is likely the same Scyphus found in Marten's story of Taborlin, where he tells of Sorcerer-King Scyphus, who had trapped Taborlin in a room of stone whereupon he escapes by the power of naming and in both stories he is initially deprived of his tools. While Marten's story does not mention blue-flame, likely lost due to the "childish" relation to the Chandrian, and Old Cob's story does not mention Sorcerer-King Scyphus, likely due to Newarre's general lack of knowledge of outside locations, nobility, and history, they are most likely the same. These stories, coupled with the above Adem poem, gives credit to the tales of the Chandrian and their signs, also suggests that Taborlin was one of their great enemies. This is further propagated by Taborlin's use of a copper-sword; copper may be nameless, but it would also withstand the sign of Stercus, who rusts iron.