Longevity as a Koloss

[Trusk'our he/him]

A weird musing I had- basically, you know how turning into a Koloss generally shortens your lifespan greatly, because Koloss die around 20-ish years after their transformation from growth related issues?

Well, what if you had a very elderly person, maybe in their eighties who accepts spikes from a Koloss tribe and becomes one of them? Their new bone density and muscle growth should easily offset the deterioration from old age, and Koloss are extremely resistant to disease (considering that they have practically no protection from skin yet are never mentioned having infections).

So, would turning your grandparents into Koloss let them live an extra two decades, and with a boost of strength and vitality to boot?

[alder24]

11 hours ago, Trusk'our said:

A weird musing I had- basically, you know how turning into a Koloss generally shortens your lifespan greatly, because Koloss die around 20-ish years after their transformation from growth related issues?

Well, what if you had a very elderly person, maybe in their eighties who accepts spikes from a Koloss tribe and becomes one of them? Their new bone density and muscle growth should easily offset the deterioration from old age, and Koloss are extremely resistant to disease (considering that they have practically no protection from skin yet are never mentioned having infections).

So, would turning your grandparents into Koloss let them live an extra two decades, and with a boost of strength and vitality to boot?

No, I think their heart would just pop. Heart attacks are a major issue for "elderly" Koloss. Making someone old, who most likely already has a weakened heart on top of many other age related diseases (which doesn't go away), into a Koloss would most definitely end up with their fast death. You would kill them faster than if you were to just leave them alone. Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania:

Quote

There were more koloss here, of course. Some were so ancient that they had burst their skin completely; these sat wrapped in leather to contain the slow seeping of blood from their flesh. If you have never seen a koloss ancient, consider yourself lucky. Their immensity of size is only matched by the strangeness of their features, lacking noses or lips, their eyes bulging from faces of red flesh. Most koloss die of heart attacks before reaching this state. These would continue to grow, even after losing their skin, until that fate claimed them.
In ancient times, ones such as these would be killed. In modern days, however, elderly koloss are revered—or so I had learned, but only through stories. [24] I suspect that the locations where all tribes keep their elders are as holy as this one.