It's pretty clear that this is what Kellhus does to the thing called Sarcellus during the gandoki match. The fact that Sarcellus also has involuntary responses, notably sexual excitement for all things violent, makes it pretty likely that Kellhus could classically condition it to respond completely involuntarily to certain conditioned stimuli.
I think this is a bit too liberal an application for "conditioned" as its been employed by our Dunyain friend. Kellhus was classically conditioning it sure, but I doubt there was any lasting effect. Why would Moe chain and wire his captive skin-spies if he figured out some way to condition them in a useful way?
At best, like you mentioned later on, he
might be able to make them act erratically.
I think Moenghus could definitely condition any sranc and wield them to his end.
The sranc are all basically like Cnaiur when he is all bloodlusty. Kellhus can on just barely keep him under control when he is there to control him.
I think the far more idiotic sranc would pose a similar challenge. I feel like as soon as the Dunyain influence was gone, they would revert back to their old ways (like the humans in Kellhus' own court). Any conditioning of these idiot creatures would need constant reinforcement.
I think Moe might have been able to condition his way out of captivity, but I don't accept that he left some kind of secret bene-gesserit-esque protection trigger. Actively keeping them away from Kellhus, maybe, though I still think he was sitting in Shimeh. Like Moe himself said, he had very little influence when he left the room. He didn't have the clout or prestige to take a sabbatical whenever he wanted.
I don't think Moenghus was special.
Interestingly, there's also a suggestion that the Dunyain have genetically engineered all the plants in the Ishual valley to be identical clones, Kellhus looks at a twig and is shocked, because he thought there was only one way a twig could grow, or as he put it, only one way a twig could grasp the sky. All leaves are identiclal. If that is the case, there's a subtle suggestion that Kellhus is a clone of Moenghus as well. Cnaiur repeatedly reinforces this notion. It would play well with Tleiliaxu parallels from Dune (which would make Kell/Moe the Duncan Idaho figure).
Thats an interesting catch with the plants. Also, if cloned, then that also suggested collaboration between the Dunyain and the Consult. Wouldn't it be ironic if Kellhus was actually destroying the past 2000 years of Dunyain planning?
For Moenghus, simply getting a few bands of sranc to stay away from Ishual while Kellhus heads south seems like child's play.
I agree, but have a caveat. Moe's departure from Ishual was 30 years previous to Kel's. Any conditioning imposed by Moe on the sranc would had to have lasted that long, which I personally find implausible. Also, it implies that Moe was aware of the fact he needed to condition the ground for Kel in the future, right from the very beginning of his journey. If that were the case, it then becomes a conspiracy by the dunyain at large to 'exile' Moe to pave the way for his son. Which begs the question: were the dunyain privy to the Celmomian prophecy, and working to bring it about? But that's probably a discussion for another thread...
Big Dunyain conspiracy, hell yes. Though I don't think Moe was in the know. I just don't think he was special enough.
Lmao. Kelmomas is about to get a bunch more badass. If the Thousand Thousand Halls is a dark labyrinth where the Dunyain literally fight for survival among themselves a la Cannabalized Battle Royale, then Kellhus has recreated a mad experiment with his son...
Hell fucking yes. Thousand Thousand Halls = Kellhus' secret passages. This is now one of my favorite nerdenals. Thank you.
What if the Celmoman Prophesy is yet to be fulfilled? Perhaps Kelmomas is the Last Scion:
Kellhus murdered all the Dunyain in Ishual to extinguish the Anasorimbor bloodline. His family is all that remains. All those capable he took, to their death, in the Great Ordeal. Kelmomas will murder those that remain, starting with his idiot brother. Once the NG is resurrected, Kelmomas will emerge from his hiding place, returning to the Three Seas as the true Harbinger.