abstract
| - Count Dennais Threpe is a nobleman who is very fond of art. He acts as a patron, sustaining musicians and other artists as best he is able due to his love of the arts. Threpe first meets Kvothe at the Eolian, the tavern in Imre famous for musical performances where the best musicians can earn their talent pipes. Threpe performs right before Kvothe and is shown to not be especially talented as a musician, but nevertheless popular and highly respected for his sense of humor in song-writing. After Kvothe wins his pipes, Threpe is one of the first people in the audience to congratulate him. Threpe is a count, and despite his noble rank he interacts with Kvothe as an equal. Although he cannot bring himself to patronize Kvothe himself, citing the fact that he already has four other musicians (two are husband and wife) he is supporting as his reason, he searches for a patron for Kvothe, who he thinks is the best musician he has met in ten years. The search for a patron is made more difficult because Ambrose Jakis has launched a sabotage campaign against Kvothe, either bribing, cajoling, or threatening other potential patrons in an attempt to keep Kvothe from gaining any strong financial support for his musical pursuits. In retaliation, Kvothe and Count Threpe write a song heavy with innuendo about Ambrose, titling it 'Jackass, Jackass' which is a pun on Ambrose's last name. Eventually, Threpe sends Kvothe to Vintas to meet the Maer Alveron, who is looking for a man with a specific skill set to perform a sensitive mission for him.
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