Koloss
| Koloss | |
|---|---|
| |
| World of Origin | Scadrial |
The koloss were a bestial race of creatures on Scadrial, featured in the Mistborn trilogy, created by the Lord Ruler through the use of Hemalurgy.[1][2] During the time of the Lord Ruler, koloss served as a powerful, fiercely loyal army to him, thanks in no small part to the fact that they could be controlled through the use of Allomancy by any powerful Mistborn or group of brass mistings. [3][4][5].
Appearance
The koloss were physically very large and very powerful. A full sized koloss could grow to be as tall as twelve feet. A young koloss had as much skin as it would come to have in its later life. Because of this, the younger a koloss was, the fatter they looked due to having too much baggy skin covering themselves. The skin itself didn't hold terribly firmly to the koloss' body.[6] As the koloss grew taller, their skin would tear and fit tightly to them. When a koloss reached about twelve feet, their hearts could no longer sustain their bodies, and they would die shortly thereafter.
Creation and reproduction
Similar to Steel Inquisitors, the creation of a koloss was very brutal. To create a koloss, 4 humans were stabbed with individual iron spikes through their heart, and these spikes were then placed strategically on to a fifth person. The addition of four spikes containing the strength and a portion of the spiritweb of four other people causing them to grow in physical strength far beyond human limits as well as making it possible for them to continue growing in size until they can no longer physically support their own bodies and their hearts give out. The four spikes also had the effect of reducing their intelligence to almost that of a basic animal. These spikes could be reused, however the power of the spikes decreases with re-use. Meaning less hemalurgic charge in each spike, equaling a lessening of the attributes and allowing more room for each Koloss's own original humanity to remain.[7] The spiking, however, only affected them in the Physical Realm. When they appeared in the Cognitive Realm after death, they look exactly like the humans they were before being spiked. When a koloss dies, other koloss in the vicinity would attempt to collect and reuse the spikes from the dead one. This resulted in the koloss being able to reproduce in a manner of speaking, provided that they had someone to stick the spikes into. The koloss were periodically supplied with fresh spikes and skaa captives to produce more koloss, but after the death of the Lord Ruler, they learned how to reproduce on their own, via harvesting the spikes from their dead brethren and re-using them.[8] Because of this, after the Lord Ruler's control over the koloss ended, many of the koloss would attack nearby human inhabitants in an attempt to make more Koloss. When Vin visited a Koloss camp, they requested for her to give them more Koloss. She did not know how, but they expected a human to be able to provide them with more Koloss. In Era 2 of Mistborn, Koloss become self reproducing species. When two koloss reproduce, the child is born koloss-blooded. This means that they are physically strong, with a mottled granite-like complexion.[9] A semi-offensive term for them is kig [10]Furthermore they continue to grow taller throughout their lives. They heal quickly, and are often less intelligent than average. They become a full koloss once they accept the spikes.[11]Wax estimates Tarson to be young purely by his short but stocky frame.[12]
Powers
The only real powers in a koloss' arsenal were superhuman strength, and increased size. However, this came at a price. Koloss in the Final Empire were nowhere near as intelligent as they were as a human. However, they still retained the faint ability to reason, and the ability to communicate, and the re-use of spikes from dead koloss to create more resulted in koloss that retained more of their former humanity.[8]
Culture
Because of their diminished intelligence, the Final Empire-era koloss lived in barbaric tribes. Usually, social standing was determined by age, because as the koloss ages, they got larger and more powerful.
Koloss were said to have two emotional states: boredom and rage. Because of this, their day to day lives were filled with milling about and fighting. When there was nothing else to fight near them, the koloss would turn to in-fighting. Their blades are distributed as a means of population control, as well as weaponry. If a koloss didn't have a sword, they would have to kill another koloss and take theirs. If there was an extra, they could make a human into a koloss. Most of the killing within a tribe was done solely on a whim, usually to get something the other koloss owned, or because some random glance or act had enraged one of the koloss.[6]
After the Ascension
After Harmony's Ascension, however, the koloss were transformed into a tribal race that could breed, which lived in the Roughs. [13] As a true breeding race, Koloss turn their koloss-blooded children into full koloss by holding a coming-of-age ritual where they choose to accept the requisite spikes or not. Those who do not accept the spikes leave. Additionally, outsiders can choose to become koloss through this ritual.[11]
Notable Koloss
See Also
Notes
- ↑ The Hero of Ages chapter 37#
- ↑ The Hero of Ages chapter 40#
- ↑ The Well of Ascension chapter 54#
- ↑ The Hero of Ages chapter 3#
- ↑ The Hero of Ages chapter 21 epigraph#
- ↑ a b The Well of Ascension chapter 19#
- ↑ The Hero of Ages chapter 40 epigraph#
- ↑ a b The Hero of Ages chapter 42 epigraph#
- ↑ The Alloy of Law chapter 5#
- ↑ The Bands of Mourning#
- ↑ a b This reference is missing a transcription.
Beaverton, OR signing - spoiler-free segment
— Kogiopsis tumblr - 2014-03-07# - ↑ The Alloy of Law chapter 19#
- ↑ What happened to the koloss?
— Theoryland - 2009-07#