Don't get it twisted—this book is named after the awkward magician Tilja meets on the road, the one who saves her life and those of her friends. Needless to say, he's called the Ropemaker. Not only is he the most powerful magician in the book after Faheel dies, but he also has a lot to do with Tilja's journey as a magician.
Time's like a rope, says Ropey himself. And while Faheel says this too, it's Ropey who illustrates it for Tilja when he reverses time to save Alnor, Tahl, and Meena. He manages to do it carefully enough that nothing bad happens… but barely. By observing him, Tilja realizes just how dangerous magic can be—and how careful she has to be with her newfound power in the future.
The Ropemaker also finds his greatest powers by traveling with Tilja—it's thanks to our heroine that he even gets Faheel's ring, after all. Both Tilja and the Ropemaker travel parallel roads of learning about their powers. The Ropemaker works to escape the Watchers and understand his magic, while Tilja starts the journey ignorant of her own magic and ends up learning a lot along the way about just how powerful she is. By the end of the book, she's in her full glory as a magician, as is the Ropemaker.