Locke Lamora

Locke Lamora
Biographical Information
Aliases	The Thorn of Camorr Leocanto Kosta Orrin Ravelle Lukas Fehrwight Mordavi Fehrwight Sebastian Lazari Lamor Acanthus Pel Acanthus
Age	Unknown
Gender	Male
Status	Alive
Personal Information
Nationality	Camorri
Profession	Thief Con-Artist
Affiliation	Gentleman Bastards
Book Information
First Mentioned	The Lies of Locke Lamora
First Appeared	The Lies of Locke Lamora
Last Appeared	The Republic of Thieves

"Someday, Locke Lamora,” he said, “someday, you’re going to fuck up so magnificently, so ambitiously, so overwhelmingly that the sky will light up and the moons will spin and the gods themselves will shit comets with glee. And I just hope I’m still around to see it."

―Father Chains, to Locke Lamora.

Locke Lamora 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.

Biography

The Lies of Locke Lamora

Early Life

Locke Lamora was an orphan of the Camorri district of Catchfire following a plague that wiped out a sizable portion of the population. Surviving on his own for a time, Locke eventually escaped the district along with a large number of other orphans into the care of The Thiefmaker, a Garrista that resides within the crypts of Shades' Hill, who trains children to become thieves and steal for a living.

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, which is discovered by the Thiefmaker and returned. Having been warned to leave the city guard alone, Locke begins to work under the Thiefmaker as a Teaser, tasked with creating distractions that the older children can take advantage of to perform petty theft like pickpocketing. Locke, naturally talented at theft, demonstrates an uncanny skill for creating elaborate and risky cons which catch the notice of the Thiefmaker, leading him to be reprimanded and forced to reign in his ambition.

While living at Shades' Hill, Locke learns that the hierarchy of the Shades' Hill orphans leads the oldest children to bully the younger ones. When not working, Locke is quiet and withdrawn, mostly friendless and often bullied by the older children of the hill. In particular, two boys named Gregor and Veslin repeatedly give Locke a hard time and steal his earnings to turn in as their own.

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 resulting 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 Gentleman 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.

Warning - This section contains plot spoilers.

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.

Red Seas Under Red Skies

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

• Father Chains - The former Garrista of The Gentleman Bastards and Locke's Fatherhood figure and mentor. Chains is consistenty tough but fair on Locke and his other Gentleman Bastards, pushing them to be good aherants to 'The Nameless Thirteenth' as well as take care of one another.
  
  
• Jean Tannen - Jean Tannen is Locke's best friend, brother by oath if not by blood. 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.
  
  
• Calo & Galdo Sanza - Despite joining the Gentleman Bastards before Locke, Calo and Galdo respect his talent for larceny and follow his every command willingly. As the jokesters of the gang, they have a playfully antagonistc relationship with Locke but their bond runs deep.
  
  
• 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 woman. 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.
  
  
• Bug - The newest addition to the Gentleman Bastards and Locke's apprentice. Locke harbours nurturing feelings towards Bug and feels great weight of responsibility for his wellbeing. Locke recognises Bug's skills and trusts him empatically, despite his young age.

Gallery

[To be added]

Quotes

• “There’s no freedom quite like the freedom of being constantly underestimated.”
• "Nice bird, Asshole!"
• “I can't wait to have words with the Gray King when this shit is all finished," Locke whispered. "There's a few things I want to ask him. Philosophical questions. Like, 'How does it feel to be dangled out a window by a rope tied around your balls, motherfucker?”

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.