Trull Sengar
Also known as: Trull Sengar the Shorn | Race: Tiste Edur | Warren/Affiliation: Kurald Emurlahn (Shadow — Tiste Edur path), Shorn (outcast)Summary
Trull Sengar is a Tiste Edur warrior of the Hiroth tribe and the most morally clear-sighted member of the Sengar family. While his brother Rhulad is consumed by the cursed sword of the Crippled God and his other brothers fall to ambition or despair, Trull alone maintains his moral compass — and is punished for it. His crime is speaking the truth: that the path his people have taken under Rhulad's mad emperorship leads only to ruin. For this, he is Shorn — his name taken from him, cast out alone into the flooded fragments of Kurald Emurlahn.
Trull's story is one of the series' most poignant explorations of moral courage. He does the right thing at every juncture, and at every juncture he suffers for it. His shorning — an exile worse than death for the communal Tiste Edur — costs him everything: his family, his people, his identity. Yet he never compromises his principles, never agrees that what is wrong is right simply because his kin demand it.
His partnership with Onos T'oolan in the fragment of Kurald Emurlahn, where two outcasts find companionship, and his later romance with the Tiste Andii woman Seren Pedac give his story moments of warmth amid the tragedy. His death — sudden, unheroic, and unjust — is one of the series' most devastating moments, underscoring the theme that good people often die without glory.
Arc by Book
Book 5: Midnight Tides
Trull's story is told in flashback as part of the Tiste Edur narrative. He is one of the Sengar brothers — alongside Rhulad, Fear, and Binadas — as the Edur are drawn into war against the Letherii. He participates in the expeditions and battles but grows increasingly disturbed by his brother Rhulad's transformation after claiming the cursed sword. He witnesses the corruption of his people's culture as they are manipulated by the Crippled God through Rhulad. He speaks out against the madness and is ultimately Shorn for his dissent.
Book 6: The Bonehunters
Trull appears in the fragments of Kurald Emurlahn, where he has been cast out. He encounters Quick Ben and other travellers in the shattered warren, and his story begins to intersect with the broader narrative of the series. His survival in the hostile fragments demonstrates both his martial skill and his resilience.
Book 7: Reaper's Gale
Trull plays a significant role in the invasion of Letheras and the events surrounding Rhulad's empire. He allies with the Bonehunters and fights to bring down the corrupt Edur-Letherii empire that his brother rules. His romance with Seren Pedac provides a rare moment of tenderness. His death at the hands of a minor antagonist — sudden, pointless, and brutally unheroic — is one of the series' most shocking moments, a deliberate subversion of the expectation that important characters die important deaths.
Key Relationships
- Rhulad Sengar — his brother; Trull loves Rhulad but cannot accept what the cursed sword has made him
- Fear Sengar — his brother; shares some of Trull's doubts but acts differently
- Binadas Sengar — his brother; a mage of the Edur
- Seren Pedac — romantic partner in RG; their connection is genuine and deep
- Onos T'oolan — companion in exile within Kurald Emurlahn; fellow outcast
- Quick Ben — encountered in the shattered warren; develops mutual respect
Notable Quotes
"I am Shorn. My name was taken from me. But I remember who I am." — BH
"What my brother has become is not what my brother was. The sword took him from us." — MT
"The truth is the most dangerous weapon in the world. I spoke it, and was destroyed for it." — RG
Appearances
| Book | Role |
| 1. Gardens of the Moon | Absent |
| 2. Deadhouse Gates | Absent |
| 3. Memories of Ice | Absent |
| 4. House of Chains | Minor (prologue/framing) |
| 5. Midnight Tides | Major |
| 6. The Bonehunters | Major |
| 7. Reaper's Gale | Major |
| 8. Toll the Hounds | Mentioned |
| 9. Dust of Dreams | Mentioned |
| 10. The Crippled God | Mentioned |