Troll

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Trolls are a hulking race of stone-skinned warriors. They average 9’ tall and several hundred pounds in weight. They have a thick leather hide which secretes a fluid that hardens into a calcified stony armor across their body. They have hard translucent milky white membranes protecting their eyes, no external ears, and pronounced brow ridges. They are supernaturally strong and tough, but have limited ability with magic.

Racial Modifiers

• Favored Template: Adept, Channeller
• Favored Stat: Strength
• +6 Speed
• +7 Health
• +7 Resistance (-1 Magic)
• +1 Melee Damage (large weapons)
• -2 Max Dexterity
• -3 to Swim checks
• Trolls with a non-Favored Template start play with a single Rank 1 power.

Personality

Trolls are loud, and brash, with bellowing voices and thunderous shoulder claps that bring smaller races to their knees. They enjoy large amounts of liquor and a good fight. Despite being commonly perceived as slow witted, most trolls are actually quite intelligent. They value close companionship forged through battle, personal strength, and stories of valor. They have a reputation for fearlessness and the vast majority of the race would rather die fighting, than from illness or age.

Relations

Trolls fill a valuable role in many societies as hired mercenaries, guards, and soldiers. They were designed to be perfect warriors, and many cultures and races utilize them in this role. However, their history of conquest and the bitter taste of the God War and subsequent Cataclysm has left the Trolls without an empire, or even a home. While they are used for their fearsome combat prowess, none of the other races truly trust them, and often treat them as second class citizens, constantly judged for the crimes of their race in years past.

Religion

The trolls were created by the Blessed God, Kao, as perfect warriors to form his mortal army. The creed of his church was "Survival of the Fittest" and although many trolls no longer serve a god, that creed has informed the growth of the race throughout the ages. For the thousands of years that Kao was banished from Lorithandar by his brothers and sisters, some trolls continued to worship the God of Chaos in secret forming the Cult of Kao. When Kao's Herald; King Taaz'rokhol returned the god to the world, he re-established the ancient church, opening a new home for thousands of Trolls and demi-humans and returning Kao worship to the mainstream. Many across the world are concerned about these changes, seeing the seeds for another God War for domination of the world.

History

In the last days of the Elari War, Kao used his powers to form a new race to unite the world, not in peace, but in conquest. A race that internalized the magic all beings had inside, the Trolls were not gifted with spells, but impossibly strong, and resistant to wounds. Their empire grew as they allied with the Black Dragon Goddess Sudreth, and her children became mounts for Adept Troll warriors known as the Fearguard. They began practicing special Adept arts known as the Discipline of the Dragon.

Region & Society

General

Trolls may be found on all of the continents except for Elarum in decent numbers. In most lands they have no home of their own, living among humans, often as warriors for hire. They regularly join Troll Guilds that act as unions to ensure fair payment for their members. Most large cities will have at least one "Troll Bar" sized for its unique clientele and serving the types of potent liquor preferred by the massive fighters such as the ominously named "Troll Piss" a caustic and extremely strong ale.

Shatteredholm

While the Trolls have had no homeland to call their own for thousands of years, the new King of the Trolls (and Herald of Kao) has established a new Troll Kingdom in the wild reaches of Karn. A proclaimed safe place for all trolls and demi-humans, Shatteredholm is dedicated to Kao's service and ruled by the Herald and his mate, Alorn the High Priestess of Kao. Shatteredholm has few alliances, and many of the other races eye its creation and expansion with nervous anticipation.

Arvendor

The inner reaches of Arvendor known as "The Interior" are prohibited to all without elven blood, so while trolls occupy the same mercenary roles on the borders of the elven kingdom, they are not welcomed with open arms into the innermost cities.

Dakor

A surprising number of Trolls have joined the Dakoran Empire's vaunted military taking on roles of enlisted men, as well as some few officers. While the common citizens may cast a dubious eye on them, their fellow soldiers rarely begrudge their presence in the heat of battle.

Equipment

Trolls are not particularly dexterous, but have immense strength leading them to favor Heavy Armor, and Two-Handed weapons or Large Shields. Ordinary mounts are too small for Trolls to ride, so they rarely train in mounted combat, and their difficulty swimming makes them poor sailors. They are most commonly found on dry land, wearing heavy armor day and night as it proves no great impediment to their usual mobility.

Magic & Lore

Trolls were created by internalizing their natural magic, and making them conduits for their dark creator. This unique construction has made them struggle to master even the basics from Magecraft, Sorcery, and Shamanism. Of those powers, Sorcery is most likely, perhaps because it's brute force approach caters to the Troll mentality moreso than the subtler manifestations of Magecraft and Shamanism. Trolls have an above average number of Adepts among their race, far and away the most common manifestation of magical power. With the return of Kao to Lorithandar, Troll Channellers have become more common again, as the church swells with new members. There are some Trolls who have renounced their creator and sworn their service to another Patron, most frequently Septimus the young God of War and Valor.