Ballad of Roshone's Revenge-Rise of the Trolloss (Battle Scene Posted)

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

Welcome back to Monster Melee, also known as "The Ballad of Roshone's Revenge."

 

In this thread, we discuss battles between various monsters, and then I, using your suggestions and input, write a battle scene with the results voted on by the 17th shard. The battle is staged between Hearthstone's own Roshone and his eternal enemy (yes, I know that could mean anyone who has met him) the Whitespine

This week, we have a very special installment. The Rise of the Trolloss! If you've been tuning in weekly, you remember the major events from last week. If you haven't, you really should get caught up before reading this week's story portion.

 

Across the field, Roshone could easily make out the towering figure in slate and cobalt.  The thing seemed to grow bigger every day, though Roshone was not sure that was possible. It had been weeks since his last defeat, and he had been preparing. A small war camp had sprung up around him, basic fortifications in place, though none would hold if that thing decided to attack, but it hadn’t yet. Roshone was more than relieved that hadn’t happened yet.

 

There was something important about this place, he could feel it, especially in his phantom limb. He had adjusted quickly in the weeks since it had pierced him, and it made him feel powerful. Every step shot jolts of pain through him, but that only served to remind him that he was alive. He felt more confident, more secure in his footing, and even more alert. Something about that spike made him feel a new man, and it was a feeling he had relished.

                                        

The creature still remained inside that small town, but it had been busy. The crumbling walls and buildings had been ransacked in order to build some sort of bestial fortress-at the Whitespine’s prompting, Roshone was sure. There’s something in there it wants to protect, something important. That’s where the pulses were coming from. He could feel them reverberate through the spike and up his leg. It washed over him, almost calling out, but first, he had to get through twenty massive feet of monster.

 

He turned around and looked over his troops. They had trickled in slowly at first, but their numbers grew until he had an army. Strangely, all of them had come from the direction of the town. It doesn’t matter where they came from, all that matters is they’re mine now. He looked them over, rows and rows of them, their white features reflecting the afternoon sun. Roshone didn’t understand where they had come from, or how they could exist, but they listened to orders, and that’s all that mattered to Roshone.

 

They each were identical, down to the razor sharp tips of every single bone, from their teeth to their fingers. They looked fearsome, especially assembled en mass. Each one of them bore a red seal on their foreheads. Row upon row, their wickedly sharp bones glinted, and they stood erect, each one identical to the one next to it. Except for one. At the very front of the pack, stood another skeletal form. That of a large, fearsome wolf.

 

It had shown up last, the very hour Roshone had planned his original attack. He recognized it immediately. It was the skeleton of the beast he had ridden into battle so long ago. He wasn’t sure how he knew just from the bones, but he did. He walked over to it, and with a powerful leap, launched himself onto its back, a saddle mounted to prevent himself from being cut to ribbons on its too sharp bones. The spike in his leg seemed to hum as he landed, as if responding to the creature underneath him.

 

As he turned to face his army, they all came to attention. Roshone smiled wickedly, drawing his side sword. He pointed towards the giant monstrous creature across the way, and, as one, Roshone’s army marched to war. It was time to face the Trolloss.

 

So for this week, I'm going to be running things a bit differently. The match up this week is an army of skeletals (size TBD) against the insanely scary Trolloss! Since we're dealing with a creature of our own devising, we'll have to have an extensive debate to decide on exactly how uber powerful this thing is. As such, I won't be opening the polls until a good sized debate has ensued. 

 

So, as a group, we need to discuss the capabilities of the Trolloss, and come up with a number for the Skeletal Army that could actually pose a fighting chance against this great beast. Once the voting dust has settled, I'll start writing up a battle scene using the mechanics we discuss in the fight.  

 

Skeletals:http://coppermind.net/wiki/Skeletal

 

These things are puny! We're going to need a lot of them to even put up any sort of fight. There's not much information on them in the coppermind unfortunately, but they'll be perfect for an epic showdown with the Trolloss.

 

Trolloss: As we discuss, I'll try to add everything we decide on here. Needless to say though, this is one major baddie. 

 

A few things to keep in mind: 

 

• If you join the discussion late, try to read all the posts, that way you don't miss out on any battle parameters that have already been suggested.

 

• I'm very open to any ideas! I started this thread intending to just have battle scenes each week, but suggestions from 17th Sharders have inspired this thread into its large scale state its in now.

 

• The more we debate, and the more ideas you submit, the more material I'll have to pull from for the battle, throw those ideas out there!

 

• Finally, enjoy yourself! I've been having a blast creating this thread with you guys, and I hope you're having as much fun reading and participating.

 

Let's have some fun! 

 

Edit: I'm posting the battle scene here, as well as in the post later in the forum, for ease of reading in the future. 

It was a massive hoard that marched across the field, three columns, fifty abreast. At the front of each column was one of the troll skeletals, somehow scavenged from the bloody battle that Roshone had barely survived. The last two skeletons were true marvels. The largest of the blue beasts, having been flayed, one by the hand of the Trolloss, had also risen for Roshone’s cause. Somehow it seemed to make sense in Roshone’s mind. Why shouldn’t they serve me?  He grimaced, riding forward on his macabre steed.

 

They had barely crossed half the distance when it began. As if thrown from a highstorm, a stone rocketed through the air, windspren following in its wake, giggling. Roshone tracked it with his eyes, and swore, prompting the creature beneath him into speed he wasn’t sure it had. He felt the air of it passing behind him, and the weight of it sent the creature beneath him stumbling to keep its footing. It can’t have actually aimed at that range, can it? Roshone shivered.

He called for the march to break into a charge as earth rained from the sky. Chunks of buildings, chimneys, doorways, fountains, all crashed down around them. Roshone didn’t bother to count casualties, but he pressed on determined. The smell of dust clogged his nose and mouth, choking him. The sounds of stone on bone and the roars of the great thing echoed in his ears, as if it were only feet in front of him.

They covered the distance quickly, and Roshone quickly surveyed his troops. Among the columns, two were mostly intact, the third was sufficiently routed. He estimated at least thirty casualties, and one troll. The debris stopped flying as they closed in on the former town turned stronghold. There was a gate, Roshone stopped himself short of it, and shoved on the door. It was secured, but between himself, and his remaining large skeletals, they forced the thing open. Roshone was growing stronger by the day, his body growing leaner and tough, yet more powerful than even at his prime.

 

The army charged in through the open gate, and into damnation. By the Almighty’s tenth name! I thought the town was destroyed before. The last remnants of the city had been thrown out at the army, because nothing was recognizable. Streets were pulled up in odd places, and no buildings remained standing, only the outside wall, and another, circular wall, in the far back. In front of it stood the Trolloss.

 

Roshone looked at what had been barring the door. It was a pile of bones. They had all cracked by the force of opening the gate. Damnation, the thing wanted us to get in. He set his face in a determined grimace, and continued on. He got his first good look at the thing.

 

It stood at least seventeen feet tall. Its muscles were massive, as if it was struggling to get as much flesh into the space as possible. Yet, its skin was baggy, loose on its body. It pooled in placed, deep blue, each distinct patch seemed fixed in place somehow. It radiated strength, and Roshone thought he could feel a distinct pulse coming off the creature, along with the larger one coming from behind. He felt raw fury, hatred, and above all, power.

 

The thing bellowed again, grabbing a small chunk or rode from the rubble, and throwing it at their ranks. To Roshone, it seemed as if that last moment stood still. The rock, gracefully gliding across the desolated town square. The skeletals, gleaming white, sharp, and menacing, dancing across. Even in their lumbering, the larger creatures seemed majestic. His familiar mount bounding elegantly, dodging the missile. That moment was frozen in his head, the wind, the sound of the creatures yell, and bone running across stone. The constant thumping from in front of him. Then they closed the gap.

The stone had crashed into a troll and a Koloss skeletal, bouncing across the field taking down another handful of the bony things. Rohsone’s blade found his hand, and he roared back, feeling terrified and alive and enthralled. The thing had picked up two of the massive swords from the previous battle. His own Koloss had come back with smaller blades. It towered over Roshone, eyes fill of hatred, and it swung.

 

Both arms swung forward in a cross chop, Roshone and the Warg rode forehead, ducking. They passed under its legs and Roshone swung for the back of its ankle. The cut took a chunk of flesh off the thing, but it might as well have been a toe nail for all the difference it made. The Trolloss didn’t even seem to register the hit, and the skin just sagged down to cover the wound, now that that space had been freed.  His army crashed on beast, an ocean of white crashing against the blue cliffs.

 

Bones rained from the sky. Roshone couldn’t avoid taking cuts to his face and body as the various bits of creature streamed down around him. The remaining large beasts were engaging the things swords as the smaller skeletals swarmed the legs. Roshone led the Warg in a wide turn, surveying before coming in for another attack.

 

There were dozens of cuts all over the things body, but it still showed no signs of noticing. It started to work into a frenzy, each blow not parried took out groups of smaller skeletals. But the thing was losing ground. Pushed by the fury of the attack, it continued to stumble back further and further. Roshone came in for another pass, scoring a hit on its right arm, side, and heel, all at once. Behind him, the other Koloss fell, leaving just one troll.

 

The creatures surged on it all at once, dozens jumping and gaining purchase in the loose folds of its skin. It stumbled back, flailing madly at the creatures on top of it, scatterings bits of skeleton left and right in an explosion of deadly bone shrapnel. It hit the interior wall, and it crumbled beneath the four ton cobalt and white wrecking ball.

 

They poured inside over it hacking away, and for the first time, the roar showed a hint of pain. It picked itself off the ground, still struggling to scatter the things off its face and back. Inside the wall, at the very center, was a small shallow pool. It glowed effervescently, pale silver, and viscous. The Whitespine stood at the other side of the oasis, stooping and lapping up the strange liquid. Its eyes glowed strangely, dangerously. Roshone’s spike hummed in his spike, and a feeling of familiarity washed over him, as if a part of that pool was inside Roshone as well.

 

The Trolloss’s roar brought Roshone back to reality. Stormfather! I’m a blustering idiot. The other troll had fallen. Roshone figured he had less than three dozen skeletals left, and the Trolloss, though injured, still appeared to be holding strong. Roshone rode in for a third strike at the things heel. His sword connected with a satisfying thump, and the Trolloss roared in pain again, this time more desperately. It stumbled backward.

 

The skeletals reacted as before, swarming over the things again. The stumble regressed into a full fall, its roar echoing in the sky around. It tumbled backward, all the remaining skeletons hacking away. It landed with a crash, sending a shockwave through the area. Roshone sucked in a breath, dismounting from the Warg, which proceeded to pace nervously, bones clacking in the motion.

 

The Trolloss seemed to stop for a moment. Roshone let his breath out and relaxed, turning to face the Whitespine. Is it smiling again? Roshone heard a noise and turned back to the Trolloss. It brought its arms up, and then slammed them back down, propelling it to its feet. The skeletals scattered off it at the motion, all scattering to nothing. The Trolloss bellowed again, in defiance.

 

The Warg rushed forward, jumping over the swings of the things fist, both swords lying forgotten. It connected against its chest with its front paws, its teeth digging in deeply to the creature’s throat. The beast roared again, and Roshone found himself running towards it. He arrived right when the things hands crashed through the Warg’s skeleton.

 

Roshone jumped, propelling himself through the air in a mighty leap. He kicked out with his spiked leg, aiming for the heart. The thing struck out at Roshone, but he deftly deflected the blow with his sword, and his spike struck true, sinking into the monster’s heart. Roshone felt a rush, as if he and the beast were connected. He understood the creature, and all the fight left the creature, suddenly docile, as Roshone separated his foot from it, flipping back and landing gracefully.

 

The Trolloss fell back on its bad heel. It plummeted into the pool, sending the liquid spraying into the air. It tossed its arms and flailed, spreading the strange substance in every direction. The pool was very shallow, yet the thing kept sinking in, swallowed into it, even as the pool itself disappeared. As the last piece of the Trolloss disappeared into the now dry pit, Roshone felt a sudden loss in the back of his mind, as if he had lost his foot all over again.

 

He turned, but the Whitespine was no longer anywhere to be seen. His spike no longer thumped, but he could tell in which direction the blasted creature had gone somehow. Roshone set his jaw, and strode back to his makeshift camp to pack up. It was time to leave Jah Keved.

Edited May 24, 2014 by EMTrevor

[TheArcanist he/him]

Well, first you'd need to figure out how exponential the growth from Man to Koloss is. They are pierced with four Iron Spikes, granting them the strength of four men, effectively the equivalent of two Thugs constantly keeping Pewter on a slow burn. They also cause the growth to increase exponentially. Now, an elder Koloss is roughly three times taller than the human they were made from, and when you double in size you increase mass by a factor of four. Ergo, a full-sized Koloss on the verge of heart failure weighs roughly nine hundred pounds and stands between 12 and 14 feet tall. Coincidentally- or perhaps not so coincidentally - these are also upper thresholds of what your average human-sized heart can handle in terms of weight and height.

 

A full-sized Olog-Hai is about 9 feet tall, and probably 750 pounds. So if the Koloss' spikes have the same curve on Trolls as they do on humans, then a Trolloss on the verge of heart failure would be just around 20 to 22 feet tall weighing 4,500 pounds, or 2.25 tons. What it would do to their intelligence, I have no idea.

 

Trying to kill this thing would require Stormfather knows how many skeletals. Dangerous a skeletal may be, but we're talking about a construct that collapses with any major bone damage; and the Trolloss is effectively an elephant. An angry, magically strengthened elephant with armour and a ludicrously huge sword. So, make that maybe two or three elephants. I'd say you'd need no less than twenty skeletals just to slow it down. Skeletals carrying weapons.

Edited May 16, 2014 by TheArcanist

[PorridgeBrick he/him]

And a trolloss may be able to grow to even greater sizes, if their anatomy is different enough. These are creatures that turn to stone in sunlight– who knows if their biology is similar enough that heart failure would occur at the same ratio to their normal size. You need armies for these things.

[TheArcanist he/him]

Whole armies just for one. A few Shardbearers might, might, be able to take one down. I mean, they can take on chasamfiends and live- but a Trolloss would be a whole lot faster, dexterous, and clever than any greatshell. Trying to kill a Trolloss would probably be akin to trying to kill a hill.

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

I was thinking we'd need at least a hundred skeletals to even annoy the trolloss.

[TheArcanist he/him]

That sounds about right to me, but the annoyance wouldn't last long. Each swing would eliminate half a dozen skeletals- absolutely obliterating them.

[Shaggai]

Really, if we're going to be going up against trolloss, the only thing that would really be a challenge would be a chasmfiend against two or three trolloss.

[TheArcanist he/him]

Or a couple of Shardbearers, but I think we're just doing non-human creatures in these.

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

That sounds about right to me, but the annoyance wouldn't last long. Each swing would eliminate half a dozen skeletals- absolutely obliterating them.

Yes! When I imagined this, I was thinking hundreds of skeletals falling on it wave after wave, bones exploding out and shooting with every swing. It's not so much I think they'll be a challenge, but having an army against it will be a battle of incredibly epic proportions.

[ccstat he/him]

Nice touch on the Warg! This is going to be interesting.

 

Important: Blood!

The major point that comes to mind is that Koloss (and Trolloss) are made and sustained by Hemalurgy, which crucially focuses on blood. Remember how Zane would bleed himself to lessen Ruin's effect through his spike? Presumably, blood loss will also incrementally decrease the other Hemalurgic effects, including the Trolloss' strength, speed, stamina, etc. After enough blood is lost, the Trolloss may even be unable to enter the rage state that makes Koloss so unpredictably and devastatingly powerful. When fighting an army of razor-sharp bones, blood loss is inevitable.

 

That brings up the next interesting interaction: Skeletals are also animated/powered by blood! Granted, that animation requires unspecified action by a skilled bloodsealer, but their construction and repair necessarily involve blood. While Shai's blood didn't have any apparent effect on the skeletals she fought, it was also a very short fight and her blood is pretty normal. Hemalurgically charged blood, with its added investiture, could have invigorating effects on intact skeletals, possibly even restoring those that had been partially damaged. 

 

Skeletals can pursue a designated prey for 24 hours, at which point the blood is no longer fresh enough. So each time a skeletal makes contact with fresh Trolloss blood, that could conceivably renew its "mandate" to hunt/fight the monster.

 

These various effects combine to give the skeletal army a serious edge in a protracted battle: The more damage the Trolloss takes, the less powerful it is (beyond the direct effect of the damage) and the surviving skeletals get an added boost. 

 

 

 

Other thoughts: The Trolloss is substantially bigger than any of the trolls. That means none of the armor from before will fit. Even if it wears some, there will be lots of exposed skin (maybe already ripping skin? ew.)

 

Each spike carries the strength of a person, not a troll or koloss (in the previous scene there was one troll left, and the spikes were being reused without additional charge). So however many spikes the Troll got (one of eight Koloss survived, and Roshone got one spike, so up to 7x4-1=27), that is the additional strength/vitality it received on top of what it started with. So, yes, it is a behemoth, but not quite so unbeatable as all that. I think it would have serious trouble fighting more then two chasmfiend at once.

 

You definitely need dozens of skeletals, if not hundreds, but thousands is far too many.  Plus, if Roshone (or the dead Warg, at least) is smart enough to start pulling out spikes when opportunity presents, the power of the Trolloss can be substantially reduced.

 

Edit: Fixed spike count

Edited May 20, 2014 by ccstat

[Pathfinder]

so here is a thought. Skeletals are made from......skeletons! A LOT of things have skeletons, both real and fictional. If we are creating a new monster in the form of the trollos, then why not a different kind of skeletal? I thought a dragon skeletal would be pretty bad chull to throw against the trollos. Hell you could say its Smaug's skeleton to keep it in line with the mistborn/lord of the rings theme. 

[Shaggai]

I think it would have serious trouble fighting more then two chasmfiend at once.

Have you seen how absolutely massive chasmfiends are? If anything, it would take a couple Trolloss to fight a single chasmfiend. Unless you give them Shardblades, but that's just OP.

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

so here is a thought. Skeletals are made from......skeletons! A LOT of things have skeletons, both real and fictional. If we are creating a new monster in the form of the trollos, then why not a different kind of skeletal? I thought a dragon skeletal would be pretty bad chull to throw against the trollos. Hell you could say its Smaug's skeleton to keep it in line with the mistborn/lord of the rings theme.

You bring up a good point that I was going to suggest, but the 48 hour shift I was on didn't even allow me time for the latest GoT episode!

There's been a lot of consternation about the skeletals just being too wimpy, so I was thinking maybe we throw in a few koloss and troll skeletald for good measure. Maybe 150 skeletons, 3 troll skeletals, 2 koloss skeletals, and then Roshone and the Warg? I personally feel like that's enough to give the Trolloss a run for its money.

Ccstat, I had never made that connection before, between blood and hemalurgy, that's fascinating. I had wondered why Brandon had added that snipped about Zane, anf I had assumed it was just to highlight his mental instability. Any chance you know of a thread where I can read more on that?

Edited May 20, 2014 by EMTrevor

[ccstat he/him]

Ccstat, I had never made that connection before, between blood and hemalurgy, that's fascinating. I had wondered why Brandon had added that snipped about Zane, anf I had assumed it was just to highlight his mental instability. Any chance you know of a thread where I can read more on that?

I made the connection when reading the annotations for Well of Ascension. Brandon mentions it briefly in the chapter 27 annotation.

When I searched 17S, there are two hemalurgy threads that mention Zane, but neither of them bring up that point. However, there are a few discussions in the old TWG archives that do. This one in particular has a good compilation of hemalurgy theory by Chaos (from before HoA, so it is missing some important pieces).

 

Have you seen how absolutely massive chasmfiends are? If anything, it would take a couple Trolloss to fight a single chasmfiend. Unless you give them Shardblades, but that's just OP.

I'm not so sure. Yes, the chasmfiend is massive, but the Trolloss is both stronger and faster than its size would suggest. I see a one-on-one fight with a chasmfiend going to the Trolloss 8 times out of 10. He can crack legs and bash heads with the best of them. Yes, taking down two chasmfiends is probably unlikely--when I wrote that I was thinking there were more spikes available than there actually are.

[18th Shard he/him]

A troll skeletal. Hmmm....

[Shaggai]

I made the connection when reading the annotations for Well of Ascension. Brandon mentions it briefly in the chapter 27 annotation.

When I searched 17S, there are two hemalurgy threads that mention Zane, but neither of them bring up that point. However, there are a few discussions in the old TWG archives that do. This one in particular has a good compilation of hemalurgy theory by Chaos (from before HoA, so it is missing some important pieces).

 

I'm not so sure. Yes, the chasmfiend is massive, but the Trolloss is both stronger and faster than its size would suggest. I see a one-on-one fight with a chasmfiend going to the Trolloss 8 times out of 10. He can crack legs and bash heads with the best of them. Yes, taking down two chasmfiends is probably unlikely--when I wrote that I was thinking there were more spikes available than there actually are.

Chasmfiends are also faster and more dangerous than their size would suggest, thanks to their gemhearts. Trolls are 9 feet tall or so, so let's assume that a Trolloss is twice as tall as a human and about, oh, three times as wide. It's still tiny in comparison to a chasmfiend. 

It's stronger than the size would suggest, so let's assume that the chasmfiend can't just stomp it into the ground like it could a human of equivalent size. Still, look at the mandibles on the chasmfiend. Even a Trolloss would probably get bitten in half with ease. It might be able to break some of the back legs, depending on how strong it and the legs are, but chasmfiends are agile and might be able to keep the Trolloss away from the potentially vulnerable bits.

The real question here is: what terrain are we on? In a chasm, the chasmfiend has a massive advantage. Even on rocky or mountainous terrain it will have an advantage, because of how many legs it has and how big it is. On flat terrain, however, it's at a bit of a disadvantage, since it's heavily adapted to chasms. 

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

Chasmfiends are also faster and more dangerous than their size would suggest, thanks to their gemhearts. Trolls are 9 feet tall or so, so let's assume that a Trolloss is twice as tall as a human and about, oh, three times as wide. It's still tiny in comparison to a chasmfiend.

It's stronger than the size would suggest, so let's assume that the chasmfiend can't just stomp it into the ground like it could a human of equivalent size. Still, look at the mandibles on the chasmfiend. Even a Trolloss would probably get bitten in half with ease. It might be able to break some of the back legs, depending on how strong it and the legs are, but chasmfiends are agile and might be able to keep the Trolloss away from the potentially vulnerable bits.

The real question here is: what terrain are we on? In a chasm, the chasmfiend has a massive advantage. Even on rocky or mountainous terrain it will have an advantage, because of how many legs it has and how big it is. On flat terrain, however, it's at a bit of a disadvantage, since it's heavily adapted to chasms. 

 

Trolls start at about 9 feet, wheres humans can be as short as 4 foot six inches, which makes a small troll already twice as tall as a human. Koloss can grow up to 13 feet, which is twice as tall as uncommonly tall people. (I'm 6 ft one myself, and taller than a great portion of the people I meet.)

 

The troll in the narrative was as tall as the large Koloss, making the beast 13 feet to start with, well over twice that of a normal human. Combine with the excess of skin and spikes laying around, there's a lot of room for growth. At 13 feet, the trolloss is going to have baggy skin, with the potential for growth. If we apply the same sort of physiology, then this thing is going to grow to at least 26 feet. But adding in the alarming amount of spikes, and the already magical nature of the troll, considering it was bred by Sauron, much in the same way a Koloss was crafted by the Lord Ruler, from older trolls. 

 

Given all of this, I'm inclined to say that this thing could grow upwards of maybe 35 to 40 feet, which is almost as tall as a chasmfiend. Their hearts are already sustaining a much larger body size and mass than that of a human, so if magically infused, I'd say it would have much greater propensity to sustain growth than a Koloss would. Heartier stock to begin with. 

Edited May 20, 2014 by EMTrevor

[PorridgeBrick he/him]

I think you're underestimating the size of a trolloss– someone above did the scaling and came up with something 20-22 feet tall. But still, it's a mouse compared to a chasmfiend.

Edit: Ninja'd.

Edited May 20, 2014 by PorridgeBrick

[Shaggai]

Trolls start at about 9 feet, wheres humans can be as short as 4 foot six inches, which makes a small troll already twice as tall as a human. Koloss can grow up to 13 feet, which is twice as tall as uncommonly tall people. (I'm 6 ft one myself, and taller than a great portion of the people I meet.)

 

The troll in the narrative was as tall as the large Koloss, making the beast 13 feet to start with, well over twice that of a normal human. Combine with the excess of skin and spikes laying around, there's a lot of room for growth. At 13 feet, the trolloss is going to have baggy skin, with the potential for growth. If we apply the same sort of physiology, then this thing is going to grow to at least 26 feet. But adding in the alarming amount of spikes, and the already magical nature of the troll, considering it was bred by Sauron, much in the same way a Koloss was crafted by the Lord Ruler, from older trolls. 

 

Given all of this, I'm inclined to say that this thing could grow upwards of maybe 35 to 40 feet, which is almost as tall as a chasmfiend. Their hearts are already sustaining a much larger body size and mass than that of a human, so if magically infused, I'd say it would have much greater propensity to sustain growth than a Koloss would. Heartier stock to begin with. 

It's only got human spikes, though. They added about seven feet or so to the koloss. And the Trolloss, presumably, won't have had time to grow to full size, given that it only got the spikes last fight. So let's assume that it's around seventeen feet tall or so. It's still much, much smaller than a chasmfiend. 

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

There will be a chasmfiend battle, proabably mulitple ones, so don't fret! We'll come to that debate. 

 

 

It's only got human spikes, though. They added about seven feet or so to the koloss. And the Trolloss, presumably, won't have had time to grow to full size, given that it only got the spikes last fight. So let's assume that it's around seventeen feet tall or so. It's still much, much smaller than a chasmfiend. 

 

I'm ok with that size...for now *Snickers mischievously*  

 

 

So a 17 foot tall trolloss without armor against 150 skeletals, 3 troll skeletals, two full sized koloss skeletals. Any objections?

[ccstat he/him]

What about weapons? 

 

For the trolloss there are improvised ranged weapons (i.e. rocks to throw) from all the rubble, which also serve admirably as close-quarters bludgeons (i.e. boulders for bashing). Considering his strength and the nature of the skeletals (break/remove a major bone and it's toast), those should have good effect. However, the improbably-large koloss swords should be about the right proportions for the trolloss. That metal, edged weapon should have greater durability and equivalent-to-greater bashing power. There were two large koloss, so he might be able to double-wield.

 

Skeletals are themselves razor sharp, but would doubtless benefit from an increase in reach, so giving some of them swords seems like a good idea (especially the ones made from troll and koloss skeletons, since they can use the ginormous blades and we like awesomeness).

 

 

Also, what is the verdict on trolloss intelligence?

With koloss the ability to reason decreased after spiking, but we never saw different numbers of spikes. Inquisitors didn't lose intelligence even with lots of spikes, but their bind points were specially selected. Do two dozen spikes make the trolloss super-dumb? Even smarter than before because of all those people-essences roiling around in its veins? I think the power-levels in this matchup are about as close as we are going to get, and the fight will probably come down to how smart this opponent uses its super strength.

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

I'm alright with those weapons, all sharp, and duel wielding trolloss. I too, am a fan of awesomeness.

 

As for intelligence, the Olog-Hai are supposed to be very intelligent. I think a lot of the madness might be negated in this situation. Along with the hemalurgic changes, IMO it was the melding of five different minds that truly created the madness. The troll is already a pretty similar beast, and has been bred to have that sort of mindset similar to a Koloss, but with the intelligence added. 

 

On the other hand, we're adding a huge amount of different minds to the thing. Would that work similarly to compounding the humanity in the spikes as happens with the later trolloss, or would it drive the thing even more insane?  I know it would also depend on the placement of the spikes, but I don't think we can account for that unless Brandon or Peter decide to get in on the debate. 

 

Also, I think we've sufficiently debated and defined the battle to open the poll! Start your voting!

Edited May 20, 2014 by EMTrevor

[PorridgeBrick he/him]

Sorry, I'm definitely not buying the size of the Trolloss here. That's only a four foot gain. That's nothing, when humans gain nearly one and a half times their height, which would be another 19 feet for a trolloss, and the trolloss have many more spikes than them. Each spike means more power, more height, more growth. 20 feet at least.

[Shaggai]

Sorry, I'm definitely not buying the size of the Trolloss here. That's only a four foot gain. That's nothing, when humans gain nearly one and a half times their height, which would be another 19 feet for a trolloss, and the trolloss have many more spikes than them. Each spike means more power, more height, more growth. 20 feet at least.

Normal koloss only reach twelve feet after quite a while of growth. The trolloss will probably get bigger. Also, it's not using troll spikes, so it won't gain equivalent troll height.

[Baine he/him]

I don't think that the human-ness of the spikes makes a difference with the height gained; Koloss just keep growing till their hearts fail. A Trolloss would have a much higher limit, like 30-40 feet as stated before.