Trolls

The Trolls of Wyrlde are leftover madness, half sentient, extremely removed from what may once have been a human start, Trolls are varied and terrifying creatures.

Many names have bubbled up over the ages for them, but they are abominable, man shaped, seven- to eight-foot-tall human shaped beings with massive hands and large feet, covered in thick mated hair over a skin-like hide that often earns them their name. Their eyes are sunken, and smoke or steam wafts out of the dark eye sockets in which there resides an ember like glowing mass. They smell atrocious, and they will eat anything, their breath far worse than the rest of them.

Trolls are also sometimes called Things, because it is the best someone can come up with at the time. They all have a certain quirk that varies from one to one. Trolls tend to fit into their environments. They are described as seven to nine feet tall, bipedal, with overly long arms and large feet, covered in thick fur, usually matted, that helps them blend into the region they occupy. They can be found in Frigid, Wooded, Grassland, Scrubland, Desert, Wetland, Riparian, and underground biomes.

Stone trolls cannot stand the light of the sun – it causes them to harden and freeze into immobility. For Wood trolls, they are extremely susceptible to fire, but they also recover quickly from it when the fire is out. River Trolls cannot move far beyond the river or stream they have taken as home, waiting in the depths for the unwary, demanding tolls to cross a ford or bridge. Snow Trolls, sometimes called Yeti, become white and depend on the cold. Sand Trolls can rest beneath the sands for weeks and draw down their victims. Swamp Trolls can summon the very roots and vines to do their bidding, and at least one is said to cause burns on those who fear it when touched.

Oh, yes, they can talk, they can demand, they can beat the unwary and unprepared to death and later add their ground bones to flour for vitamins. Trolls are not inherently good or bad, orderly or chaotic – they can vary. But trolls are often said to be like children.

If you come across an Arch Sage named Telomere in your travels, ask him about trolls. He knows a lot about them and even then, tends to speak on their behalf.

Trollkin

Trolls are an especially pernicious problem, perhaps more common than some of The Foe that appear at inopportune times. In my past life, they were a children’s story told in bits and pieces, either friendly or hostile, small or large, and they were generally cute. Not here. No, here, they remind me of something in what we called a “comic book”, stories to entertain, but in this case brought to life in a horrible, disgusting, terrifying way. They are very dangerous to encounter, though all have a peculiar weakness that can render them immovable and allowing for a hasty escape.