The Illearth War - Chapter 19

[wayfriend]

I think it would be wrong to say that Troy discovers an incapacity or inability for action. What Troy discovers is that his actions have a cost more fearsome than he ever anticipated. And that the hero business is a lot harder than he imagined. I'd like to think that, in the end, he understood why Covenant was less than enthusiastic about it.

[Cord Hurn]

As I see it, there are three moments in The Illearth War where Hile Troy is plunged into complete despair. The first time is in the close when he realizes that Manethrall Rue's information about the location of Lord Foul's army comes five days later than he would like, a moment of despair that brings up Rue's scornful question to Elena, "Is this the man who leads your warriors?" The second time is on Kevin's Watch when he sees the size of Lord Foul's army, after already hearing the extremely demoralizing tale that Tull has brought.

And now, in this chapter, after being emotionally overwhelmed by beholding the Vortex of Trepidation, Troy's spirit hits rock bottom once again.

For one lorn moment, Troy wished High Lord Elena were with him, so that he could tell her this was not his fault. Then, abruptly, he realized that he had made another mistake. If he were killed, no one would know how to save the Warward. His final plan would die with him, and every man and woman of his army would be butchered as a result.

The realization seemed to push him over the edge. He plunged to his knees. The sirocco and the dust were strangling him.

Ruel shouted, "Warmark! Corruption attacks!"

At the word Corruption, a complete lucidity came over Troy. Fear filled all his thoughts with crystalline incisiveness. At once, he perceived that the Bloodguard was trying to undo him; Ruel's impenetrable fidelity was a deliberate assault upon his fitness for command.

The understanding made him reel, but he reacted lucidly, adroitly. He took one last look around him, saw one or two figures still surging back and forth through the livid anguish of the dust. Ruel was moving to capture him. Overhead, the dark birds dropped toward the ruins. Troy picked up a rock and climbed to his feet. When Ruel touched him, he suddenly gestured away behind the Bloodguard. Ruel turned to look. Troy hit him on the back of the skull with the rock.

It is not easy for me to forgive Troy for doing this to loyal Ruel, even when taking into account the incredible strain Troy is under. Yet he seems to recover when he is in the dire situation of being trapped by three of Foul's creatures (humans warped by the Illearth Stone, I'm guessing). He is thinking clearly enough to play dead until he can kill the last of them, and is mentally lucid enough to remember calling his Ranyhyn. And there is even an unexpected moment of humor for the reader, when one of those creatures tries to kill Troy by kicking him in the chest and breaks his own foot on Troy's breastplate. It's grim humor, granted, but humor nonetheless for me, as I usually feel pretty tense when reading this chapter. Something about that moment briefly breaks up the tension for me!

[wayfriend]

It's a Vortex of Trepidation. And Trepidation is Fear.

"Creator preserve us!" Mhoram replied. The yowling wind whipped his voice from his lips, and Troy barely heard him. "It is a vortex of trepidation."

Troy tried to thrust his words past the wind to Mhoram's ears. "What will it do?"

Shouting squarely into Troy's face, Mhoram answered, "It will make us afraid!"

I have always considered this moment, fear filled all his thoughts with crystalline incisiveness, to be the moment when Troy falls under the spell of the Vortex. It will make us afraid. He's a mere non-Haruchai non-Giant human, and so he succombs to this magick easily. Donaldson often describes falling under a spell as a "sudden clarity". Suddenly the victim knows what he must do ... because the spell tells him. (Morn described the affects of Gap sickness as "everything was clear. Like a vision. It was like the universe spoke to me." Other examples from the Chronicles would be spoilers.)

Why else would Troy suddenly believe that the Bloodguard was trying to undo him? It was a spell. (On the other hand, Covenant always takes what the Bloodguard do as a personal affront, so it's hard to tell.)

Perhaps Troy succumbed to despair here. Or perhaps he might have succumbed to despair had the spell not taken hold. On the other hand, I consider the events in chapter TWENTY to be as laden with despair as it gets.

[Cord Hurn]

There is indeed the similarity in the clarity of madness between Troy and Morn, wayfriend. I thank you for pointing this out to me!