Troll

Submitted by Daniel H. on Wed, 1/18/2017 at 2:11pm

Trolls were one for the first races to walk Orn. Spawned from the leftovers of creation, their bodies reflect the highly tumultuous nature of the early days of Orn. Trolls have incredible regenerative abilities as a whole, but share a fear of the sun and light.  Troll-kind come in a selection of natural colors from stony greys and blues to vibrant greens and earthy browns. They also have an innate ability to disrupt and re-forge magic and as a result are talented enchanters and craftspeople. Because of this, many Trolls seek ancient baubles and items of great magic, either for hoarding or to learn from them.

Costuming

Trolls must have backwards, skull hugging horns, long pointed ears, as well as stony or earthy hued areas of skin, such as on the tops of hands, arms, and brow ridges.  It is strongly suggested that players also include geometric scars.

Nature

Trolls are heavily tied to the Shards of Orn. They are hardy creatures who live in tune with the innate energy of the Nexus and lay lines. They horde the magical artifacts that hum with the energy of the other planes that tie themselves with the physical world.

Each bloodline of Troll behaves differently, but as a whole they are curious and cooperative if they have something to gain in the end. Deals and agreements with Trolls are written in clay. They will continue with a bargain until a better one comes along, or if they can change the original agreement to better benefit them. As a race, they mold themselves to what is needed for them to thrive.

Trolls love stories and rumors as well. If you are lucky enough to meet a friendly one, they will most likely want to hear your story and any rumors you know. Even the more hostile ones will sometimes let you go if you can tell it something it doesn't know.

History

Surprisingly, considering the value they place on stories, histories, and rumors, not much is known about the Troll-kind itself. A few rumors have bubbled up over the years.

 

Trolls were once one of the most common races in Orn, at least from a population standpoint. Living primarily underground and away from the sun did keep them out of the sight of the other races and out of history tomes for the most part. Troll-kind took a major hit when the Shattering transpired. When the energy of that catastrophe hit the world, it also shattered thousands of Trolls due to being made of the same stuff as the planet itself. Many Troll cities and markets were built on lay lines, so when the world separated into the shards we now know, the denizens simply fell into the void.

 

Rumors say that a few markets survived the Shattering. Their locations are a tightly held secret, and even unknown by many Trolls. It is said that any bridge can take you to them, but only trolls know how.

 

Soon after the shattering, a group of Trolls tried to regain standing in the world at large and bolster their might by making deals with demons and dark spirits of the wounded world. They did this by stealing what few artifacts survived the Shattering and trading them for power and ritual knowledge. When this plot was discovered, the surviving population of Trolls banished the conspirators. These are what became Bog Trolls, as the great canopies of swamps offered the same protection as caves and other underground lairs.

 

It is believed that all Trolls evolved from the dim witted Rock Trolls. The Deltordo Trolls are those who took a keen interest in gathering more magical baubles to eat, and eventually started to make their own.

Bloodlines

Deltordo Trolls: The most common and more sensible Trolls, Deltordo Trolls have stone-like skin and live in deep underground markets. While talented craftspeople themselves, these Trolls hunt and study ancient magic artifacts. They, as a race, are obsessed with long forgotten history and tales of ancient heroes; so much so that they value these stories just as much as a fine blade or magical bauble, and will trade such things for them. These are the Trolls that still inhabit the underground Troll markets of legend. You can find just about anything in a Troll market, if you can find the market.

 

Bog Trolls: All Bog Trolls are descendants of Deltordo Trolls who's bodies have adapted to their new homes over thousands of generations. They tend towards dark arts and shamanism, and are most well known for their penchant for eating people as part of various dark rituals. They are more green in color from the moss and algae that clings to them from their swampy homes. Bog Trolls are what most travelers are familiar with, as they are known to hide under bridges to snatch people both for sacrifices and for their treasure.

Rock Trolls: Rock Trolls are best characterized by their backs, which appear to be hewn directly from great boulders. By far the dimmest race of trolls, they inhabit high caves in mountains and spend most of their time eating whatever they can catch. Sometimes, this means simply chewing on rocks, which is a bit of a status symbol among Rock Trolls. Chiefs of Rock Troll tribes are said to regularly enjoy granite. It is also said that they crave magical items as a form of recreational drug, as they gain excessive energy and hallucinations  from digesting the magic within.

Organization

Organization differs for each bloodline of Troll. The culture for each heavily affects how they organize themselves and interact with the world.

 

Deltordo Trolls operate in a loosely managed capitalist republic. They live in bazaars and massive markets underground near meeting points of lay lines. Each Troll has a say in it's government, although a council of elders generally has the final say on any laws that go into effect. As a standard, very few economic laws come into effect, as far as what can be sold and traded in Troll markets. As a whole, Deltordos are very social, enjoying the company of other Trolls and sometimes even other races.

 

Bog Trolls are normally lead by the most powerful of the group. It is a temporary position at best, as the vying for power in these groups is rampant. Bog Trolls are also territorial to a fault, as a Bog Troll's land is it's hunting grounds.

 

Rock Trolls are more often than not solitary. If they do meet up, it often ends in a fight or for mating purposes. Rock Trolls do mate for life, and are oddly enough very dedicated to their mates. Groups of Rock Trolls don't normally get bigger than three or four members, and are lead by a chief.  Rock Trolls are sometimes bribed or enslaved by other Trolls as brutes or laborers.

Culture

While the different bloodlines differ greatly, there are a few things that bind all of Troll-kind together.

 

Light: Being nocturnal and subterranean creatures, Trolls dislike light. If they spend a extended amount of time in direct sunlight, it is said they will turn into stone. Troll eyes are also so evolved for picking up light in the dark and dim light that direct or bright light causes them to go momentarily blind.

 

Bridges: All Trolls have some kind of a connection to bridges. For most, they simply offer a convenient escape from the sun. For others, they offer great places to stage ambushes for the collection of their hordes. It is whispered that the ways to Troll markets are found under bridges, but this is hard to confirm as Trolls won't normally allow non-Trolls into the markets

 

Eating: Trolls will eat almost anything. This is not limited to rotted food items or vile concoctions, but extends out to the plates they are served on and the table the Troll is seated at. While primarily a Rock Troll trait, all Trolls can eat magic items for a high similar to Dryft. A wise traveler will keep their rotted food while in Troll infested lands, as it can be used as a distraction to escape.

 

Fire: Flames hold a similar fear as light for trolls, but with the added horror of nullifying their regenerative properties. Rumors say the fleshforged arms of Huel Vor were originally gifts from Troll-kind as they pioneered the practice from having to replace their warrior's cauterized limbs.

 

Scarification: Trolls as a whole will burn geometric patterns into their flesh as a kind of storytelling feature or form of identity. The practice started as a way for Trolls to show their connection to the Lay lines of Orn, but eventually became a coming of age ceremony.

 

Hoarding: Trolls are known hoarders. They are often covered with rings and piercings, creating an often entertaining contrast of beautiful jewelry with gross, ugly Trollflesh. Trolls also love secrets and rumors. Unlike the Urodeq, who use them for generally nefarious means and politics, Trolls collect the things they hear from under bridges, at markets and in the shadows to use as a currency and to gossip about in taverns. As a result, Trolls aren't the best at keeping secrets, as any good secret demands being talked about with one's cohorts. Trolls hoard physical treasures, knowledge and stories with equal ferocity, as they are all valued the same in Troll culture.

Relations

Because the world has mostly been in contact with Bog Trolls, the greater opinion of trolls is not terribly positive. They are viewed as horrid monsters that will eat people and steal babies that are also incredibly hard to kill. While all of the above is true, these are rare cases. 

 

Dwarves: Trolls actually have a lot in common with dwarf kind. Deltordo Trolls often have good relationships with the Dwarven communities they share mountains with. However, because Rock Trolls often prey on Dwarves, they are viewed with a certain level of distrust and hostility by Dwarves. This view goes both ways in some cases, as some clans cant see the differences between the different bloodlines, and as a result they raid Troll markets for treasure and glory. 

 

Gnomes: Though Dwarves and Gnomes have a healthy relationship with each other, this does not carry over in regards to Trolls. Among their rumors and stories, Gnomes are almost exclusively depicted as thieving little glory stealers. This is largely due to their competition in the creation of great feats of enchanting and engineering. Many Trolls credit the Gnome's cuddly or cute nature as to why they gain more recognition.

 

Bog and Rock trolls view the other races as food sources and sacrifices more than Deltordo trolls. Deltordos that would talk to outsiders would rather trade with them than eat them. As time wears on and artifacts become harder to find, some Trolls have established above ground trading posts to bring in new wares to the markets below.

Immortals

Secronus: Due to the secret and information collecting tendencies of Trolls, some choose to follow Secronus in hopes of learning new secrets and where to find more ancient artifacts. 

Etejeril: Bog Trolls specifically follow the Immortal of Death. Many offer the people they snatch and consume to Etejeril, in hopes he will grant them the power they need to get back at the Deltordo trolls. 

Imphalios: Being talented craftspeople as a whole, the Deltordo often revere and offer praise to the stand in immortal of crafts. They also hope that he will bless them with new methods of making that will give them an edge in the Troll markets

Brodix: Brodix is held with the same respect as Imphalios by Deltordo, and for similar reasons. The community had a resurgence when he re-appeared in the more recent years. Other Trolls however view the Gnome with the same hostility as any other.

Being the previous immortal of craft and closely tied the world, Trolls once held Espidrel in the highest respect and devotion. This lasted until he created the Dwarves. A small number of Trolls felt slighted by this creation, as they felt they should be the chosen race of the creator immortal. This is the same group of trolls that went on to steal artifacts after the Shattering and later became Bog Trolls. 

Adventurers

Troll adventurers normally start out as treasure hunters or shrewd merchants. Others are born as a kind of changeling, and live lives similar to that of the race they were planted with until they come in contact with Troll-forged iron. 

In a party, Trolls normally act as front line combatants due to their tenacious nature. But, being Trolls, they almost always have some kind of trick up their sleeve, be it training in magic or some artifact or treasure they heavily rely on to ensure their survival and effectiveness. Trolls generally won't go into fights they are sure they can't win.

 

Parlance

Rockbiter: A term spawned from Rock Trolls, generally used to refer to an idiot or fool. 

Under the keystone: Referring to the keystones found in most bridge arches, this term can be used to allude to a sneaky plan or finding a place to hide. This is most often used by Deltordo and Bog trolls, as Bog Trolls are especially prone to ambush tactics and Deltordo trolls can escape to Troll markets via bridges. 

Tight between the horns: Used to describe an irritated or angry Troll. 

Stoned: Used to describe the unfortunate fate of a Troll thought to have been killed by the sun. 

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Abilities