Mythic Era, Age of Mist, Turn 6

Aerolch, Vilcth, Thaeron, Ffolth.

In my image they will rise.

Stone made flesh, and flesh made stone.

My children they are, these Lords of Stone.

To them, this land, dominion over I grant.

The first of the Trolls, but not the last.

Aerolch, Vilcth, Thaeron, Ffolth.

Arise.

From the earth, five pillars of stone rose. In sequence, the top of each pillar cracked open, and a stone head emerged, with diamond eyes and diamond teeth. The heads creaked and adjusted themselves, cracking off more debris as they did. From the middles of the pillars, diamond claws shattered their ways out, and stone arms with them.

One of the entities jumped, the base of its pillar shattering to reveal a set of stone legs with diamond toes. It made its ways towards the mountains, and climbed. Its name was Aerolch, the first of his tribe.

Another of the entities kicked its right foot, shattering its pillar's base. It ran northwards, towards the river canyon. Its name was Vilcth, the first of his tribe.

The third entity kicked its left foot, shattering its pillar's base. It headed south, into a great cave at the base of the nearest mountain. Its name was Thaeron, the first of his tribe.

The forth entity hunched over and clawed its legs free,shattering the base of its pillar from the outside. It went eastwards, into a rocky landscape of hills and outcroppings and valleys. Its name was Ffolth, the first of his tribe.

The final entity stood. It stood for a century, withering away. It had no name, and was the first of no tribe.

Names: The Trolls are most commonly and simply known as Trolls. When disambiguation is needed between them and other trollish creatures, the terms Greater Trolls, True Trolls, and Rock Trolls are all used. More poetically or ceremoniously they are sometimes referred to as the Stone Lords, the Children of Tholak, and the First Race.

Physiology: Unlike most living beings, made of flesh and blood, Trolls are composed of stone. They are vaguely humanoid in stature, but significantly larger and broader; newborns are about the size of an adult human, and full-grown adults are about the size of a bed or van. Their organs are made out of silicates, metals, and gemstones. Their brain and nervous system is mostly silicon and metal. Their eyes are made of crystals or gemstones, and are able to glow, allowing them to see in the dark far better than most. Their teeth are made of metals, gemstones, or hard rock, as are their claws and nails.

Trolls naturally prefer cooler temperatures and see well in the dark. They often live within deep caverns or on mountaintops, and are generally nocturnal. In warm temperatures Trolls become sluggish and lethargic, and eventually, in hotter temperatures, comatose. Comatose Trolls can survive for several days and will naturally reawaken if the temperature cools, but will otherwise die. Prolonged exposure to extreme cold is also lethal to Trolls, but their tolerance for the cold is nonetheless much greater than most.

Trolls are not stupid, at least not when compared to most sentient races. However, their sluggishness in warm temperatures considered comfortable and normal by many can make them appear dim. Older Trolls in their preferred cold can be as intelligent as any great mortal sage or scholar.

Diet: Trolls eat rocks, as well as minerals and gemstones. The age-old adage of "you are what you eat" applies to Trolls, as their bodies are directly made of whatever materials they eat. A Troll's diet can have an impact on their heath and hardiness. A Troll that eats mostly softer stone will be weaker and easier to injure, while one that eats an insufficient amount of gemstones and metals may see their teeth and claws fail to regrow after being ground down.

Reproduction: Trolls lack sexes and sexual dimorphism, and reproduce asexually. After growing to full size, a Troll that eats sufficiently more than they need to survive may have a growth on their body, looking vaguely like a stubby extra appendage. That growth is an early-stage Troll embryo. If the would-be parent continues to eat in sufficient quantities, and eats enough gemstones, silicates, and metals to form the embryo's vital organs, the embryo will eventually detach and fall off, becoming an egg. The Troll egg will slowly expand, absorbing rocks and minerals in its vicinity, until it "hatches" into a Troll whelp.

As with traditional biological reproduction, an embryo may prematurely detach, or an egg may fail to hatch, or other circumstances may result in a non-viable birth. In particular, if the parent does not eat the required minerals to form the embryo's vital organs, or if the egg fails to absorb enough nearby minerals to do the same, the result will either be non-viable or a deformed or disabled Troll. It is customary among Trolls to lay gemstones, metals, and other minerals in the beds of their eggs, both to ensure their health and to give them a more prestigious, shinier appearance.

The detached egg's absorption of nearby minerals also allows for a rough analogue of sexual reproduction. If two or more Troll eggs may be placed in close proximity to each other, they will likely envelop each other and form one egg. The Troll hatched by the egg, assuming a viable birth, will have characteristics of all parents, and will generally be larger than the average newborn Troll, although its eventual adult size will generally be standard. Birth abnormalities, such as twin heads and extra appendages, are often present in such multi-parent Trolls. These are usually non-fatal, and may even be advantageous.

Trolls spawn young rarely – an adult Troll may give birth only a few times a century or less. Combined with the Trolls' frequency of unnatural deaths and the propensity of many to combine their eggs into one, this makes the Trolls a race that is quite slow to grow in population.

Lifecycle: Newborn Trolls are about the size of an adult human, and about as intelligent as a dog. They are innately curious, in a way that leads them to jump into lava pits if not supervised. Newborn Trolls are born with scattered remnants of their parent's or parents' memories in them, and are generally capable of surviving on their own, assuming that they don't let their curiosity or naivete get the better of them. Trolls gradually grow as they eat and age, usually reaching physical maturity after a decade or two, and intellectual maturity after about a half-decade. They live long lives, several centuries or more, but they often die unnatural deaths well before their natural lifespan is up.

Society: Troll society is based on familial ties. All Trolls see Tholak as their ultimate progenitor, which forms the basis of Troll reverence of Tholak. In general Trolls revere their parents and ancestors, and see their siblings, cousins, and kinsmen as friends and allies. The basic units of Troll societal organization is the tribe: a collection of Trolls all claiming descent from a common, legendary ancestor. Tribes can be split into sub-tribes claiming descent from prominent junior ancestors, and all Trolls see themselves as part of one super-tribe with Tholak as the first ancestor.

Tribes traditionally have a territory, but they are not organized states with strict borders. A Troll that lives outside of his tribe's usual territory is still a member of his tribe, and over time tribal territory can disperse and overlap, and the territory of sub-tribes can become detached from each other. Trolls are social animals, and naturally congregate into bands of between a dozen and a hundred members, all inhabiting the same cavern, rock formation, or other localized, inhabitable space. Smaller bands are usually comprised of only one tribe, and led by the eldest and largest members. Larger bands may be comprised of multiple tribes, although most are dominated by one, and led by the eldest and largest members of that tribe in the band.

The tribal status of Trolls born from multiple Trolls of differing tribes varies; custom and opinion differs from tribe to tribe, band to band, and Troll to Troll. Most commonly they are considered members of only one of their parental tribes, which one wither being chosen by the Troll itself, by the tribe of his primary caregiver, by display of customary tribal characteristics, or through some other method. They may also be considered full members of all tribes of their parentage, or be considered members of none of them. Some bands exist that are made up of only multi-tribe Trolls, who have been ostracized or driven from their original band. These bands are often viewed with suspicion by more traditional-minded Trolls, and their members are sometimes referred to being of the "fifth great tribe"; i.e. the tribe that never was, as its would-be progenitor let itself wither away and die.

Trolls do not wear clothing nor jewellery as many races do, but personal adornment is nonetheless a large part of Troll culture. Trolls adorn themselves by eating. A Troll who eats many diamonds will see those diamonds become part of his surface, as will one who eats lots of gold, iron, or obsidian. Trolls have an appreciation for gemstones and rare metals just like many races do, and a Troll who has a significant portion of his body made of such substances is seen positively, both because he is shiny, and because he presumably had to work long and hard to find such quantities of gems and metals to eat. Exotic and less common rocks, the specifics of which vary depending on region, also add prestige to a Troll's looks. There is a nascent trade between Trolls of different regions for regional-specific rocks, gems, and metals for this purpose, as Trolls from one region seek to beat their fellows in fashion by importing their food.

Trolls often polish and literally sculpt their own bodies as well, and in some bands it is the fashion to apply pigments to their bodies, similar to how other races might paint caves or apply warpaint.

Trolls do use tools, recognizing the value of reach and leverage that their own appendages do not possess. However, for most Trolls their own body is their primary tool, as claws of gemstone and metal are quite versatile, and can be sharpened or shaped into blades, picks, and other useful forms. Only dedicated warriors or specialized craftsmen use external tools on a regular basis.

Trolls, although not unintelligent brutes, are nonetheless quite a physical race, and not averse to violence as a means of settling disputes, gaining prestige, or simple entertainment. Their hardy bodies mean that such fights are rarely fatal, unless of course the intent of the combatants is truly to kill. Strength and size are virtues in Troll society, and it is not without reason that size is a common attribute for band leaders to have.

Effect For 2 of his 11 points, Tholak uses Command (Divine) Avatar to create a new race of sentient Trolls, which are initially endemic to the western half of Tholak's recently raised rocky island.

For 8 of his 11 points, Tholak uses Command Race to give the Trolls a culture and organize them into tribes. The four great tribes are those of the four first Trolls: Aerolch, Vilcth, Thaeron, and Ffolth.