Trolls

The trolls call themselves the Uz. They are the People of Darkness and one of the oldest of the Elder Races, second only to the dragonewts. They were born in the Underworld, which they call the Wonderhome, but were forced up to the Surface World when Yelm died and brought his hated light with him. They ruled the world during the Great Darkness and continued to control much of it after the Dawn. The trolls were one of the races who opposed the creation of Gbaji. They were foes of the Bright Empire, and for this they were stricken with the Curse of Kin. Trolls used to give birth to litters of dark trolls, but now they only give birth to one if any, and are more likely to produce a litter of the inferior trollkin. For this, trolls are sworn enemies of Chaos.

Trolls are constantly hungry. Since Darkness precedes the creation of all other Runes, trolls can eat anything and everything. Their favourite food is raw meat, especially from an elf or dwarf. But they can live off of dirt, plants, rocks, ice, metal or even the air. Elves are a juicy combination of plant and meat, and some quirk of biology gives trolls a euphoric buzz when they eat a dwarf. By comparison, humans are merely ‘tasty’ if they’re not too old, so trolls and humans can occasionally cooperate.

Since the Curse of Kin there are numerous different types of Troll. Some, like the Bearded Trolls, are totally extinct while others, like the Midget Slashers, have changed so much that they no longer seem to be the same species. The most well-known types of trolls are as follows:

Mistress Trolls: Uzuz. The oldest and most powerful race of trolls. They are physically strong and magically powerful. Many of them are immortal, and they are revered as demigods by the other troll races. Females often have multiple breasts, a sign of being close kin to Kyger Litor. They are so rare that many believe them to be extinct.

Dark Trolls: Uzko. The basic troll stock. They are adapted to living on the surface, with decent vision and a keen sense of smell. They make up around 30% of an average troll commune.

Great Trolls: Uzdo. Cragspider the Firewitch tried to cure the Curse of Kin. She was unsuccessful, but came close, and now troll births occasionally produce Uzdo. They are taller and stronger than dark trolls, but have very limited intelligence. They are always male and are used as slaves and bodyguards.

Trollkin: Enlo. Product of the Curse of Kin. They are the least of the troll races, stunted both physically and mentally. However, they make up the majority of an average troll community. They are treated as slaves by other trolls and ranked in terms of worth: Value (trollkin who have a neat talent or feature that is prized by its owners), Warriors, Workers and Food.

Jungle Trolls: Muri. Also called hot trolls, these trolls live in the jungles of Pamaltela. They do not suffer the Curse of Kin, but they have lost the great bulk of dark trolls and seek to regain it. They are quite thin and adapted for tropical climates.

Snow Trolls: Uzhim. These are the trolls who live on, around and underneath Valind’s Glacier. They are physically similar to dark trolls, but have a lifestyle adapted to their extremely cold environment.

Troll society is matriarchal. Female trolls have a closer link to Kyger Litor, the mother of all trolls, and are revered for this. Troll clans are always led by the strongest and oldest female trolls. Trolls possess a unique ‘darknsense’ that functions similar to echolocation. This allows them to navigate their surroundings even in total darkness. When trolls fight, they prefer to ambush their opponents at night time, sending in waves of trollkin before dark troll warriors and slipping away if they start to lose. For the same reasons, troll merchants travel at night, often in great caravans pulled by giant insects.

Trolls live in conditions that would be seen as squalid or even dangerous to people. They prefer to live underground, or in houses that lack human contrivances such as windows. They rarely concern themselves with anything except their immediate needs; they eat when hungry, sleep when tired and fight when angry. Hunger is the predominant struggle most trolls face in their night-to-night lives.

Trolls are the ancient foes of elves and dwarves, but they have no particular animosity or appetite for humans. While they are certainly as dangerous to humans as they are to everything else, there are many places in Glorantha where troll and human are able to meet peacefully. The trolls of the Shadow Plateau are one of the six nations of the Holy Country, for example. One of the aspects of Arkat is Arkat Kingtroll, and the trolls believe that he was actually a troll all along.