“Trolls are small giants, but you should not be afraid of them. Despite their fearsome appearance, most trolls have gentle hearts. Trolls grow up to 16 feet tall, have shaggy hides, and speak in a rumbling language. Often they speak a little Garethi, too, making it possible for most people to communicate with them. If you anger a troll, it can work itself into a rage. Trolls almost always act friendly towards people bearing sweets — as long as you are willing to share, you and the troll will get along quite well.” — from the memoir of Narla Hamletstetter, an adventurer with romantic notions of heroic life, modern
Trolls have lived in Aventuria since ancient times. Their ruins can be spotted in almost every mountain range on the continent, proof of their past successes. Their advanced culture came to an end during the so-called Troll Wars fought by Belen-Horas in the years 873 to 858 bFB, when almost all the trolls were killed. These immense creatures most resemble humans of great size and thus are sometimes counted among the giants. Their skin texture ranges from leathery to barky, and male trolls grow huge beards. Trolls typically live for 300 to 400 years, but some individuals are known to have reached a much greater age. Trolls use simple tools and usually wear simple clothes made of leather and furs. Wall paintings from the age of Belen-Horas depict heavily-armored trolls using huge axes to fell countless human warriors. It is said that trolls are eccentric, moody, and easily enraged. Due to their somewhat barbaric demeanor, they appear more stupid than they really are.
Distribution
Most of the 1,000 or so trolls who remain in Aventuria now live in the Troll Teeth, a mountain range named for one of their prominent features. Some trolls live in other mountains of the north, sometimes even close to human settlements. For unknown reasons, some trolls began to wander recently to visit the ancient sites of their culture. It is while undertaking these travels that they sometimes make homes under bridges and demand gifts and sweets from travelers.
Way of Life
Trolls live in small family units and prefer to make their homes in caves or the ruins of old troll fortresses built from huge blocks of stone. In ancient times, trolls built fortresses, standing stones, and even the so-called troll tables, which usually indicate the presence of ley lines and magical nodes. According to legend, some of these structures serve as portals that lead to the fairy realm or connect the old fortresses along magical paths. According to rumors, trolls know that their magic is somewhat similar to druidic magic, but some scholars claim that trolls are so strongly connected to stone in their mind that they are able to cast magic through rock paintings and crystals. It is possible that the many standing stones and troll tables now scattered across Aventuria once belonged to a magical system so enormous that the human mind is incapable of grasping its scale.
Dealing with trolls is not easy, as they have a well-earned reputation for stubbornness and obstinacy. You can sometimes bribe trolls with sweets, but don’t be fooled by their somewhat awkward demeanor and often crass humor. Trolls are shrewd and pay close attention to those with whom they interact. If they get the impression that you intend to cheat or insult them, trolls can fly into a frenzied rage.
When merely angered, they swing their fists and treetrunk-sized clubs in fits of passion. In the worst case, a troll in a rage can be a merciless opponent — it retrieves its ancient, heirloom weapon and devises a complex plan for bloody revenge.
Besides sweets, fruit, sugar beets, and troll pears (their absolute favorite), many trolls seem to like music even though they do not build instruments themselves. Some trolls like to collect figurines and carved items. The giant fellows are surprisingly fastidious regarding their collections.
Trolls that have lived near humans for a while usually come to know some Garethi, but most Trolls speak the primal language of all troll-kind. It consists of complicated humming and grunts, and its three-dimensional written form involves the placing of rocks. It is very difficult for outsiders to grasp the complex written history of the trolls.
Troll names reoccur often, as they prefer to name their children after ancestors. For example, Drollgomp son of Durlatsh from the Drolldarsh tribe would likely name his son Durlatsh son of Drollgomp from the Drolldarsh tribe.
Female: Bagosha, Durshanna, Garlesha, Knopphild, Krashta(r), Illksha, Mursha
Male: Bagsh, Bombatsh, Drollgomp, Durlatsh, Gumbalodsh, Kerbhold, Knopphold, Murdlatsh, Staumpff, Trolltatsh, Tumpatsh, Wungwatsh, Ylkholt
Tribe names: Bumbartosh, Drolldarsh, Malmartash, Mulmartosh, Tarpatsh, Thautorkatsh, Tolpatash, Tragatsh
