Locke Lamora

Locke Lamora

Locke Lamora

Biographical Information

Real Name

Pel Acanthus (Grey name) - disputed

Aliases

Locke Lamora, Leocanto Kosta, Orrin Ravelle, Lucas Fehrwright, Mordavi Fehrwight, Sebastian Lazari, Lamor Acanthus, Pel Acanthus

Titles

Thorn of Camorr, Captain of the Red Messenger Priest of the Crooked Warden, Black Amaranth, Archedon Providence

Age

28 (+30)

Nationality

Camorri, Therin

Current Status

Alive

Physical Description

Gender

Male

Height

Medium

Body

Skinny

Other

Previously a Bondsmagi known as "Pel Acanthus"

Personal Information

Profession

Thief, Scam Artist, Clever Idiot

Weapon of Choice

Stiletto

Affiliation

Gentlemen Bastards

Allies

Jean Tannen

Calo Sanza

Galdo Sanza

Bug

Father Chains

Sabetha Belacoros

Enemies

Gray King

The Falconer

Patience

Maxilan Stragos

Chronological Information

First Mentioned

tLoLL

First Appeared

tLoLL

Last Appeared

tRoT

Locke Lamora (not his true name) is the main protagonist of the series and a young thief from Camorr and was the garrista of the Gentlemen Bastards for a time. He is a master thief, confidence artist and false-facer, having been trained from a very young age in the art of deception and thieving by Father Chains. He is known by the Camorri nobility as The Thorn of Camorr, a legendary thief who violates the Secret Peace of Camorr by bringing Camorri nobles into his confidence and duping them out of vast sums of their gold. He is also known by many other aliases, depending on what confidence games he and his associates are running at any given time. His true name is unknown to even himself, and was confused for his grey name.

History

Pel Acanthus was a renowned Bondsmagi who attained the rank of Archedon Providence at a very young age. His wife, a redhead Karthani woman, died far too young. Acanthus began researching about the soul, hoping to revive his wife. He ran away from Karthain and hid in Camorr, and was renamed by his fellow Bondsmagi "Lamor Acanthus". After his research reached a certain degree, he transferred his soul into the body of a child in order to give himself more years to hone his magic*. However, the spell backfired and his memory was fragmented - all that remained were memories of a seamstress, his gray name "Lamor Acanthus," and his love for redheads. The strong magic from transferring his soul created the Black Whisper plague.

*although this is disputed- it is possible to be a fabrication by the Bondsmage Patience

As a supposed orphan, he survived on the streets for a time before being taken in by the Thiefmaker, a garrista of Camorr's criminal underworld who specializes in the training of child thieves, following an outbreak of the Black Whisper plague. He renamed himself Locke Lamora.

Shade's Hill

Taken to Shade's Hill, the lair of the Thiefmaker's gang, which is a network of burrows beneath a disused graveyard, Locke quickly establishes a reputation for reckless skill as a thief. On the night he is taken in, not understanding the rules of the Secret Peace, he lifts a purse from a Yellowjacket (city watchman), which is discovered by the Thiefmaker and returned, with apologies. New thieves under the hill are assigned to be Teasers, who are tasked with creating distractions that the older children take advantage of to perform their theft. Unlike most such children, even though he is already a skilled pickpocket, Locke prefers working as a teaser, designing and performing elaborate acts as distractions, to the point where his calling attention to himself is reprimanded by the Thiefmaker.

While the act of thieving gives him pleasure, he is miserable when actually at Shade's Hill, desultory and perpetually friendliess. The worst of the bullying comes from older children, specifically Veslin and Gregor.

After some time, Locke arranges what becomes the biggest score in Shade's Hill's history, instigating an exodus from a tavern by applying makeup approximating that of Black Whisper and walking into the common room. In the resultant chaos, several orphans loot the tavern under Locke's direction. However, the ensuing panic brings the City Watch, who burn the tavern to the ground and are on the cusp of burning down the entire Narrows district of Camorr before they realize there is no real Black Whisper outbreak. Because the owner of the tavern paid protection money to Capa Barsavi, which should have prevented any such mischief from the city's thieves, and because he was responsible for nearly having an entire city district burned to the ground, despite the profit from the score, the Thiefmaker punishes Locke harshly for his actions, making him drink Camorri ginger oil.

While under the Hill, Locke briefly meets and becomes infatuated with Sabetha Belacoros, whom he only knows as "Beth". An older girl, she is assigned as his Minder for a ritual in which the Shade's Hill orphans observe a hanging, and are tasked with stealing something from the crowd. Not long after, word spreads through Shade's Hill that Sabetha has suffered an accident and drowned to death. Locke is devastated by the news.

Some time after, miserable from the constant abuse at the hands of Gregor and Veslin, Locke arranges to steal a White Iron Crown from a Vadran merchant and plant it in the room his tormentors share, then spreads a rumor that Veslin was talking with a Yellowjacket. Upon hearing the rumor, the Thiefmaker searches the room and finds the coin. His reaction is far more drastic than Locke predicted: he kills the two older children immediately, likely believing that the vast sum of wealth represented by the White Iron Crown could only mean they were behind something very big that would mean trouble for the entire hill. Eventually, however, the Thiefmaker realizes that Locke was likely behind the scheme, and seeks permission to have Locke killed from Capa Barsavi. At the last minute he relents, reasoning that while Locke is far too much of a troublemaker to stay at Shade's Hill, he has profitable skills that could justify his being sold to a gang. That night he sells Locke to Father Chains, the leader of the Gentlemen Bastards, who takes Locke under his wing.

The Gentleman Bastards

Artist's impression of Locke Lamora drawn by Lilia Anisimova (Source)

Father Chains, who is known even to Locke as an eccentric and flamboyant blind priest of Perelando, takes Locke in, and Locke quickly discovers that Chains is not actually blind, not actually a priest of Perelando, and doesn't actually live in the bland temple but rather in an Elderglass burrow of apartments located just below the temple. There he leads the Gentleman Bastards, a specialized gang of thieves in training that Capa Barsavi believes to be sneak thieves. Already in the gang are Calo and Galdo Sanza, a pair of mischiveous twins, and Sabetha, who is away for several months at the start of Locke's time with the gang. He doesn't realize until she returns that Sabetha is the same girl as Beth, the girl he became infatuated with at Shade's Hill and who he believed to be dead.

Father Chains educates his wards on all topics imaginable, except actual theft. He teaches them languages, mathematics, cuisine, culture, and sees that they are made familiar with the basic rites of each of the temples of the twelve official Therin gods. He also reveals that he himself is a priest of the heretical nameless Thirteenth god, the patron of thieves.

He takes Locke to meet Capa Barsavi. Locke impresses Barsavi at their meeting, and develops a friendship with Barsavi's daughter Nazca. Chains has explained to Locke the intricacies of the Secret Peace, through which the thieves of Barsavi's empire are forbidden from stealing from nobles, soldiers, or the city watch, in return for which, the Duke does not make any coordinated moves against Barsavi's gangs. After the meeting, Chains confesses to Locke that it should be obvious to Locke by now that he intends the Gentleman Bastards to be "Nothing less than a fucking ballista bolt right through the heart of Vencarlo Barsavi's precious secret peace."

Locke flourishes under Chains' tutelage, and outdoes himself when arranging the theft of a corpse, commanded by Chains as a means to repay a debt he owes a black alchemist, arranging an elaborate scheme involving a staged pickpocketing of Locke as a religious "Acolyte" to draw from a fountain of charity of the merchants of the prosperous Vedanza district.

Shortly after Jean Tannen joins the gang. After some initial tension, the two become fast friends.

The Don Salvara Game

The Don Salvara Game was an elaborate plan to rob Don Salvara and Doña Salvara of their fortune through a plan to ship Austershalin Brandy to them through illicit galleons. Of course, the money the Salvaras paid "Lukas Fehrwight" (Locke Lamora) actually went straight to the Elderglass cellar underneath the Temple of Perelandro. Later, Lamora, dressed as a Midnighter, entered the Salvara household with the help of Calo (disguised as a second Midnighter), disabled the Salvara's bodyguard, the ex-soldier Conté, and told Don Salvara about the plan with the Lukas Fehrwight persona, but told Salvara to continue pouring his money into the project. Later on, Doña Salvara informs Doña Vorchenza, The Spider (leader of the Midnighters) about the crisis they were in. Vorchenza later informs her second in command that, when Lucas/Locke attends the dinner the Salvaras invited him to, atop Raven's Reach, she wanted him captured and brought to her. "Unmasked," Don and Doña Salvara drop their pretense of trust and the game comes to an end.

War Between The Capa And The Gray King

Barsavi has locked himself in his ship because the mysterious Gray King is killing Barsavi's most trusted Garristas.

The Gray king meets Locke and threatens to uncover the Don Salvara game unless Locke pretends to be the Gray King at a meeting with Capa Barsavi. The Gray King promises to keep silent about the Don Salvara game as well as to give Locke the protection of the Bondsmage "The Falconer."

During the meeting the Gray King delivers Barsavi's daughter Nazca to the meeting dead and pickled in a barrel. Barsavi beats Locke severely and leaves him to drown in the barrel his daughter was killed in.

Later, as Barsavi is celebrating the Gray King's (false) death, Barsavi's bodyguards, the Berengias sisters turn on Barsavi and kill him. The Gray King, who is revealed to be the brother of the Berengias sisters, appears and announces himself as Capa Raza.  

Locke vs The Gray King

Locke is saved by Jean and Bug who then head off to their secret hideout. Here Bug is killed and the Sanza twins are found murdered. Locke and Jean swear revenge on the Gray King.

Jean finds out that Capa Raza is loading all of his wealth onto a quarantined plague barge. Before he can get to Locke to tell him, Jean is attacked by the Berengias sisters. Jean kills the Berengias sisters but is severely wounded.

Locke needs resources and therefore needs to finish the Don Salvara Game. The Duke's Spider, Doña Vorchenza has deduced Locke's scheme and lures Locke to the Duke's annual celebration, from which he barely escapes.

When Locke returns to meet Jean, Jean is under the control of the Falconer, who knows Jean's true name. Killing a Bondsmage results in every other Bondsmage coming after you until you are dead. Locke decides not to kill the Falconer, he cuts off his fingers and tongue, leaving him unable to cast spells and therefore freeing Jean.

Meanwhile, Capa Raza is planning on getting revenge on all of the nobles of Camorr. Capa Raza gives the Duke Nicovante four sculptures, which are time bombs in disguise. Inside the bombs is a substance which upon contact would turn everyone into 'gentled' mindless creatures. Locke races back to the celebration which he has just escaped from and convinces Vorchenza to let him defuse the bombs. He tells the Spider that Raza's money is on a waste barge in exchange for his freedom and convinces her to sink the plague ship as Raza will use it to infect the city.

Next, Locke fights Raza. Locke is outmatched and nearly killed. Locke distracts Raza for a second and is able to land a fatal blow.

When the Spider finds no treasure, she realizes that the treasure has been sunk. Locke uses the sunken treasure as an offering to the Goddess of Death for Calo, Galdo, and Bug.

The Sinspire Game

Locke devices a plan to rob the wealthiest man in Tel Verrar, namely the master of the famous gambling house The Sinspire, Requin. The preparations for the game takes two entire years during which Locke and Jean cement their false identities of Leocanto Kosta and Jerome de Ferra.

Personality

Locke is a thief, a con man extraordinaire, a false facer; indulging in confidence games so proficient and discreet they evade detection from crime lords and noblemen alike. His daring, assertive nature – aided by cunning, wit and an infuriatingly silver tongue – are his most lethal weapons as his light build leaves him somewhat disadvantaged in combat. However, this audacity frequently blossoms into uninhibited arrogance that appears to peak during his early teens. This, combined with his stubbornness, leads him to make decisions that have a negative impact on anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in his line of fire.

Locke is fluent in several languages, he reads and writes like a scholar, has extensive knowledge of history, mathematics and literature and is more than proficient in the art of etiquette, including dining with any manner of company and preparing ornate cuisine. Yet this gentlemanly façade is quickly replaced with ruthlessly clever insults when Locke is provoked.

Relationships

Locke views his fellow gang mates as brothers, a bond that transcends blood and oath. Chains is nothing short of a father to him.

Jean Tannen

Jean Tannen is Locke's best friend, brother by oath if not by blood. He is the only other surviving male member of the Gentlemen Bastards, other than Locke.

When Jean initially joined the Gentlemen Bastards, Locke was hostile to him, refusing to accept a merchant's boy as a fellow thief. However, upon admonishment from Chains, and some self-reflection, Locke realised his childishness, and made efforts to befriend Jean. Their friendship eventually grew to become stronger than any other bond within the Bastards, with Sabetha referring to Jean as Locke's "particular friend".

Although they have had their differences, Locke would do anything to ensure Jean's survival, even at the expense of his own life. In their confidence games, Jean is the brawn to Locke's brains.

Sabetha Belacoros

Locke has harboured a deep crush for Sabetha since the moment he laid eyes on her back when they were children in Shade's Hill. He was particularly enraptured by her red hair, which she constantly kept alchemically dyed brown, and hidden away under hats. This infatuation never went away, and he was heartbroken when he thoughts that she had drowned while on a job. This was however not the case, and she'd in fact gone to live under Father Chains' tutelage in the Temple of Perelando.

When they were reunited and part of the Gentlemen Bastards, Locke's feelings for Sabetha never waned, despite Father Chains' prediction that he would come to care for her 'like a sister'. For her part, Sabetha was not blind to Locke's adoration of her (and neither were the rest of the Bastards), but she did her best to keep an emotional distance between them.

During the Moncraine game, Locke (after much prodding by Jean) finally confronted Sabetha on the roof of Gloriano's Inn, and overtly confessed his love for her. Sabetha, although more hesitant, also admitted her affections for him. There, in a small hidden room of the inn, they became lovers for the first time.

An unknown number of years later, Sabetha left the Gentlemen Bastards. Locke was heartbroken by her absence. He refused to speak her name, or let anyone else speak her name or mention her in his presence. Even though he still kept to the Bastards' ritual of a glass poured to air, he did so begrudgingly. Such was Locke's devotion to Sabetha that he was never able to become intimate with another girl, red-headed or otherwise.

Five years after Sabetha disappeared, the two of them met again in Karthain, when the Bondsmagi of Karthain pitted Locke and Jean against Sabetha in their Five-Year Game. Despite their roles as opposition, Locke and Sabetha courted each other again on multiple dates around the city, rekindling their childhood love.

However, at the end of the Game, the Archmagi Patience showed Sabetha a painting of Locke's presumed previous incarnation and his wife, which has caused Sabetha to run away and disappear from Locke's life once more.

Trivia

• It is known that Locke Lamora is not his real name; his true name is currently unknown. Lamora means shadow in Throne Therin. Locke himself is as of yet unaware of his true, or 'Red', name.
• Locke Lamora’s character is loosely inspired by Locke Cole from Final Fantasy VI. He is a thief, but prefers to be called a "Treasure Hunter." Lynch said: ‘Locke's first name is a homage to a character in SquareSoft's Final Fantasy VI, also known as Final Fantasy III in the United States. This game had a huge influence on me when I was in my mid-teens; I think it's one of the most brilliant and heartbreaking console roleplaying games ever created, a real work of art.’
• The moniker "The Thorn of Camorr" came from an idea Sabetha had regarding figures of mystery and legend. She coined the name "The Rose of the Marrows" for herself, and in response, the Sanza twins came up with "The Thorn of Camorr" for Locke. The twins were also likely responsible for spreading the rumours and stories that made The Thorn of Camorr infamous amongst the Camorri.