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| Official Name: Troll. | ||
| Common Nicknames: Hunchback, Mountain Monster. | ||
| Classification: Mammal. | ||
| Habitat: Cold climates with mountainous, rocky terrain. | ||
| Domesticated: No. | ||
| Current Status Common. |
The Troll, a smaller and more reclusive cousin of the Ogre, is a monstrous beast to be found in southern Ellador and some of its neighboring states. Known to live solitary lives on their own, attempts to study Trollkind have been all but unsuccessful for the researchers, given the ferocity and violent nature of Trolls. Due to their murderous habits, the only relevance Trolls have to the sentient races of Aloria today is as prey in dangerous hunts.
First Recorded Encounter
Trolls were first found in roughly 50 AC at the same time as the Ogres when Dwarves ventured to the Tribelands of High Trollar for hunting. Although the Ogre race was discovered first, further expeditions to the island High Trollar lead to the discovery of Trolls when a band of Dwarves stumbled into a Troll lair, with only two of the original six party members leaving alive. From that point on, visitors and hunters in High Trollar came home to their Dwarven holds with tales of fearsome Ogre-like beasts who emerged from their caves and holes to attack any who came near.
Current Status
Trolls are common and thrive in large numbers, yet most people tend to think they are endangered as they are so rarely seen near civilized areas. This is because Trolls are antisocial, unpleasant beasts who much prefer hunting on their own and will confine themselves to their own caves away from threats, and kill anything which comes near their territory.
Characteristics
Trolls are hunched versions of Ogres, supporting their upper body with their large arms which tend to be equal in length to their entire body. They tend to stand from 6 to 8 feet (1.82 to 2.43 metres) in height, but this manner of leaning on their arms has given them the nickname “Hunchbacks”. Trolls tend to be limber creatures capable of commendable strength. Facially, Trolls have bulky, thick heads with flat noses, sunken yellow eyes, and jutting jaws in which teeth sharp enough to slice flesh can be found.
Notable Physical Traits
Trolls are usually shades of light to dark grey, most often found with an ashy complexion. Some scholars theorize that this range of dark skin tones can be attributed to living underground in caves, but this has never been proved, for no firsthand research into Trolls has ever been provided. Trolls also have a thick layer of fat on their bodies which insulate them during the freezing winters, and help them stay warm through the coldest of blizzards.
Origin and Diversity
First originating in the valleys and mountains of southern Ellador, the Trolls commonly migrated to nearby islands so to find appropriate homes in caves and crevasses. By 30 BC, they could be found in High Trollar and Trollstigel, and a few other small islands off the frozen shores of Ellador. Trolls are suited to wintry, bitter conditions and have adapted over many decades to survive through snow and ice, which means locations in the north of Aloria are preferred.
Life Span and Development
Living up to thirty years of age, Trolls are not creatures of longevity. Their lives are more often than not cut short before their thirtieth year from wounds, sickness, or as a result of Troll hunting. Despite this, Trolls develop quickly and will usually have reached their full height by the age of ten, and can access their full strength no more than two years later. Being a mammal, the Troll is born naturally from the womb of its mother, but these bestial brutes are rumored to eat the mother as soon as they are born. This is not true, for the mothers actually eat the young if they prove to be weak or stillborn.
Mental Overview
Trolls are wild, uncivilized beasts who dislike contact with others and have a naturally aggressive demeanor. Any effort to come close to one has resulted in the Troll lashing out and attacking fervently without care for its own safety. They seem to be incredibly antisocial creatures who only convene with other Trolls during mating seasons, and even then they tend to be hostile to Trolls which they aren’t breeding with. It is unknown why Trolls are so pugnacious, as their closely related Ogre counterparts tend to be cordial towards the sentient races of Aloria. From the very few observations of Trolls in Aloria, it has been revealed that they are cannibalistic and will eat their own kin to survive.
Territory and Groupings
Trolls are completely isolated and withdrawn, unwilling to work with other Trolls to the worrying extent that they attack ones which come too near to their caves. Once they are old enough to fend for themselves, they will leave the cave of their mother and venture out to seek their own ones, though some are known to have already killed their mother and claimed the cave for their own. There is only one known time of the year when Trolls convene, the mating season from April to May, and even then the convocation normally ends with a bloodbath should the other Trolls stay on the breeding ground for too long.
Trivia
- It is not known why Trolls don't attack Ogres, yet the Ailor scholars at the High Trollar Regalian Landing think that it’s to do with the close relation between the two beasts.
- People flock to Troll-populated areas like the Federation of Trollstigel in hope that they might kill a Troll, given its reputation as a ruthless monster. These men are either brave or foolhardy, because many never return alive.
- Unwary travellers can recognize a Troll cave by the gnawed bones littered about, and the stench of rotting flesh which lingers at the entrance.