: All our knowledge of the Callieach comes from the back of
: the myth manuals. I think, after some piecing
: together, I have kind of figured out their
: affiliations and such. The first thing I have noticed
: are the Trow's following of powerful evil beings. They
: are drawn to their service so much that they would
: serve one who previously nearly destroyed them,
: (Connacht), who had become a being of "furor
: poeticus".
Actually, I believe the Trow empire was brought down by the wars against the Oghres and the Callieach, although obviously the Trow did better than their enemies. "Furor poeticus" refers only to The Deceiver, and it just means "poetic madness," the phenomenon when a bard starts foaming at the mouth and uncontrollably and unintentionally composes some great epic on the spot. The Trow respect The Deceiver for his poetic and oratorical abilities (it's not just magic that allows him to charm his foes, it's also his skill with words.), not because he's evil. Balor certainly didn't have any "furor poeticus," to hear him talk.
: Why would they destroy the Callieach,
: a race of powerful sorcerors? Well, I think I have the
: answer. I think the Trow are The Leveler's mortal
: minions, and that is why they allied with the light
: against soulblighter, because he was a wannabe
: leveler. I think, the Callieach were so powerful that
: the leveler wanted to enlist them all as some bizarre
: undead mage monster. Rather than give themselves up,
: they destroyed themselves, and a great number of trow
: along with them. Maybe some live presently in the
: world of myth, hiding themselves from the leveler's
: sight.
Personally, I don't think the Trow are really allied with anyone. They're too civilized to serve the Dark; unlike the Fallen Lords, the Trow want to conquer and not to destroy. However, they'll stomp on any race which refuses to be conquered, like the Callieach and the Oghres. They were a waning power long before Balor arose, and they followed him because he offered to restore their empire. However, after his destruction they figured out that a) it's not a good idea to fight on the same side that got half your people killed last time and b) the aims of the Fallen Lords are, in the long run, incompatible with their own. So they didn't follow Soulblighter. And they allied with the Light because The Deceiver, whom they respect, asked them to. If they were going to do it out of hatred of a wannabe Leveler, they would have come to Alric and offered themselves as allies toward the beginning of the game, since they didn't know The Deceiver was going to be revived.
--SiliconDream
