Re: Arkat and troll illumination

From: boztakang <daniel.mccluskey_at_apollogrp.edu>
Date: Mon, 27 May 2013 19:21:08 -0000

>
> boztakang:
>
> > To make matters worse, I am not personally convinced that the
> > trollish brain is susceptible to Illumination at all.
>
> Mistress Race Trolls, maybe, but even then I doubt it.
>
> The Secret of the Light Within is a Xiola Umbar story about Rashoran that hints that Xiola Umbar might herself be illuminated.
>
> Gbaji tricked his way into the body of Korasting, so there is no reason why he couldn't have tricked his way into the mind of trolls. After all, trolls traditionally have little defence against light. Argan Argar and Zorak Zoran do, as they both conquered deities of Light and Fire, which is interesting as they were the other participants of the Secret of the Light Within.
>

In fairness, there is a post somewhere in the digest archives where Sandy agrees with you that trolls can be illuminated. Which may make my argument stillborn in the opinion of many, but I'll go ahead and make it anyways... :-)

It is worth noting that Xiola Umbar, Zorak Zoran, and Argan Argar are all not technically trolls - not having been born of Kyger Litor. They are usually depicted as trolls, and may be involved in the ancestry of certain trolls, but not in the all-important direct matrilineal line to the Mother. Consequently, their mythology is not necessarily definitive to the capabilities and weaknesses of uzko. (though certainly not irrelevant either)

I would draw attention to what happened once Gbaji "got inside" Kyger Litor. Instead of creating some further deception or an "enlightening" revelation, he tore her up. Korasting, the biological source of Uz, was mortally wounded by the presence of light.

Perhaps it is not correct to say that trolls are "immune" to illumination, but instead to say that it is so inherently alien and destructive that at troll is vanishingly unlikely to survive it.

> Light is so dangerous precisely because trollkind can be harmed by it. If they were immune to Illumination, they wouldn't be too concerned about it. Trolls treat Gbaji as Enemy Number One, mainly because he caused the Curse of Kin, but also because they know that he can slip inside them and change them.
>

I would argue that that change Is the Curse of Kin - illumination manifested as physical and spiritual Damage, rather than "altered awareness."

In practice, it probably doesn't matter all that much. 99% of player scenarios won't be affected one way or the other by troll illumination in 99% of gloranthas. Just about any effect of illumination could be as easily explained by "trolls are dark and mysterious, with strange powers beyond the ken of human thought"

In parting, though, I'd like to mention the example of "Mistress the Last" from Dorastor. If ever there was a troll who ought to be illuminated, it would be her, and yet, she is trapped in Dorastor by a promise she made to Kyger Litor, which she refuses to break. Which strikes me as singularly "non-illuminated" behavior. Being uzuz, her example may well not apply to lesser uzko, but it always struck me as interesting.

(the rest of the discussion, i agree with)