Bast

A prince of the Fae working as Kvothe's assistant at the Waystone Inn.

Bast is Kvothe's assistant and student at the Waystone Inn in Newarre, and a prince of the Fae. He helps the innkeeper Kote, who is Kvothe living under another name.

Lore & Background

At the end of the first day of the story, Bast enters Chronicler's room, reveals that the scribe's arrival was part of his plan, and threatens him: he wants Chronicler to steer Kvothe toward the heroic parts of his tale so that Kvothe might leave his apathy behind. In The Wise Man's Fear Bast pushes two soldiers into robbing the inn to stir Kvothe, and it is implied that he kills them afterwards. Bast is also the centre of the novella The Lightning Tree, later revised and expanded as The Narrow Road Between Desires (2023).