User:Jofwu/Trell

{{character
|world=Scadrial
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[Mistborn Era 2]]
}}

For the building foreman from Dayside on Taldain, see Trell (Taldain).

“She looked down at the small spike in her hands, and heard a name from a year ago, spoken by Miles Hundredlives as he died. The name of a god from the old days... Who, or what, was Trell? ”

—Marasi begins researching Trell in earnest

Trell is a mysterious entity in opposition of Harmony on Scadrial. Trell is also the name of the deity worshiped by followers of Trelagism and Trellism, though it is unclear to what extent these are related to the actual being.

Nature

Trell is related to one of the sixteen Shards of Adonalsium. The identity of that Shard is unknown, though some are more likely candidates than others. It is possible that Trell is not itself a full Shard, but rather an avatar, or some other lesser being, which is merely related to a distinct Shard.

Harmony used a vast, red haze around Scadrial to represent Trell when meeting with Waxillium Ladrian, and Wax described a sensation of "dread and destruction" choking him upon observing it. The use of red suggests that the entity is co-opting or corrupting the Investiture of another Shard.

History

The onset of Trell's activity in the Scadrian System is uncertain, though the spread of Trellism, particularly among the Set, suggests Trell may have been quietly influencing events on Scadrial for at least several decades. Beyond Trellism, the first sign of Trell's involvement came in the form of a mysterious Hemalurgic spike used by Paalm to hide from Harmony's sight. Between the activities of Trellists, including Miles Hundredlives and the Set, and Paalm's use of Trell's metal, it seems likely that the actions taken by these parties conform to Trell's own plans. Broadly speaking, this seems to involve issues of social inequality paired with disapproval of Harmony's influences. According to Harmony, Trell had surrounded the planet of Scadrial and was laying seige to Harmony's defenses sometime around 340 PC.

Associated Magic

A silvery metal with distinctive, dark red spots is associated with Trell. This metal has been utilized as a Hemalurgic spike in several ways. First and foremost is the strange way that such a spike blinds Harmony to the recepient of the spike. Additionally, the spike may also be used to steal mysterious attributes previously unknown to the kandra. MeLaan theorized that Paalm was able to utilize stolen Allomancy and Feruchemy by means of these attributes. Lastly, the use of such a spike in Rian appeared to cause, if nothing else, a level of psychological distress. It is possible that Miles was spiked with this metal as well.

There are red-eyed Faceless Immortals which appear to act as agents on behalf of Trell. It is unclear who these beings are and how similar they are to typical kandra.

Theories & Speculation

{{theory}}

Given the limited set of Shards which Trell may be related to and the fact that many of these Shards are Shattered or otherwise preoccupied during the time of Trell's involvement on Scadrial, Trell is most often believed to be associated with Autonomy or Odium.

There is some reason to believe that the Daysider man named Trell is associated with the entity in some way. Given the man's connection to Autonomy, as a resident of Taldain, some have concluded that the man himself may have been transformed by Autonomy into Trell. Others have supposed that Trelagism has roots which can be traced back to Trell of Taldain, as evidenced by the emphasis that the religion places on day and night, which has led to speculation that a Shard later co-opted this religion for its own purposes. This is again consistent with Autonomy's observed nature.

Trivia

Brandon's plans for Trell in future books were not outlined until after he finished writing the original Mistborn trilogy. As the Mistborn Era 2 books were not planned at the time, it comes as no surprise that Trell will have a much more prominent role in the Mistborn Era 3 trilogy.

Notes

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[[category: religion]]