Kinzi

Kinzi
Name
Full name	Lady Kinzi of Knorth
Epithets	Keen-eyed Kin-singer
Roles
Occupations and titles held	Knorth Matriarch
Affiliations	Women's World Matriarchs' Council
Origin
Died	Spring 54, 2993, Knorth Massacre (see calculations)
People	Kencyrath
Race	Highborn
House	Knorth
Origin	Riverlander
Books
Novel appearances	To Ride a Rathorn Bound in Blood
Short story appearances	"Hearts of Woven Shadow" "Lost Knots"
Novel mentions	Seeker's Mask Honor's Paradox The Sea of Time
Short story mentions	"Among the Dead"

Ganth had always thought of his grandmother as a fine-boned sparrow. […] [G]rowing up, he had only felt safe in her shadow. Greshan had jeered at him for that, but never in front of Grandmother herself. No one laughed at Kinzi Keen-Eyed. […] She was his dear, tiny Gran, who sang at dawn as sweet as any bird and loved riddles. He had smiled at rumors that the Highlord did nothing without her advice and had dismissed whispered stories of her fabled rage, which he had never seen.  He saw it now. – Ganth's narration, Blood and Ivory: A Tapestry, "Hearts of Woven Shadow"

Lady Kinzi Keen-eyed was the last Knorth Matriarch. She was sister-kin to Adiraina; mother to Telarien; grandmother to Greshan, Ganth, Tieri, and Aerulan; and great-grandmother to Jame, Torisen and Kindrie. Kinzi rode the whinno-hir Bel-tairi, who was devoted to her.

Biography

As young girls in the Women's Halls of Gothregor, Kinzi became sister-kin with Adiraina of Ardeth. When they were older, they were separated for many years, each serving as consorts. Kinzi had a daughter, Telarien. Kinzi and Adiraina both went on to become matriarchs of their houses, and then they were together in the Women's Halls again.

When her grandson Greshan was a young man, Rawneth tried to seduce him with the goal of contracting to him and having a half-Knorth son, the next Highlord. Kinzi, seeing Rawneth's intentions, forbid the match, and banned Rawneth was banned from Gothregor and the Women's Halls. Greshan was furious at his grandmother, and as revenge, branded her Whinno-hir Bel-tairi on the face and blinded her. Kinzi's chambers in the Knorth family quarters at Gothregor, later known as the Ghost Walks, overlooked her Moon Garden where she grew many potent healing herbs. Five days after Greshan death, she witnessed Rawneth make love to the Changer Keral there. Kinzi had the window overlooking the garden bricked up after that.

Ten years later, after the old Lord Randir died, Rawnth turned to the Highlord—Ganth, at the time—to have him confirm her son Kenan as the next lord. Kinzi couldn't be sure who Kenan's father was—and therefore, whether or not his claim was legitimate. So she summoned Rawneth and her child to Gothregor to have Adiraina read the boy's bloodlines, planing to advise Ganth whether or not to confirm Kenan on that basis. Rawneth knew her son was by the changer, and to prevent Kinzi from learning this, Rawneth took out a contract with the Bashtiri Shadow Guild against the Knorth women, resulting in the Knorth Massacre.

Kinzi's death banner is one of only twelve remaining after Jame took the torch to any of the ones who wished to be freed at the end of Bound in Blood.

Shanir

Like all lords and matriarchs, Kinzi was Shanir with the power to bind Kencyr to her.