Trolls, Gentle Gods or Small Giants

The name Troll belongs to an extremely broad category of creatures including a variety of Spirits, Gods, Man and though rarely... Monsters. Inextricably bound to Northern Folklore these creatures can be found living in all manner of the most wild environments far from Man. Those hidden places like rocky crags and wild forests, the untamed seaside or forgotten lakeshore. Forever living on the outer fringes of and unnoticed places of our people. "At the edges of civilized Man is where the Trolls dwell".

But what are they? Who are they? What do they do?

Trollkind 'as they are known', is a name which refers to a long list of beings 'These creatures which haunt fairy tale stories... Our imagination. They range in size from the most minute to mountainous hulking figures. But in the oldest. ...Most ancient of traditions... The Troll is commonly represented in idols found around the homes of our elders, their representations even found alongside roadside stops peeking out from bushes or around stones. These are the ancient local Gods, beloved but forgot.

Trolls; these gentle 'or not so gentle' giants spend their lives stewarding and tending their swamps, mountainsides or even rocky shores. We are but visitors in their lands as they are in ours, living together yet separate, side by side in balance 'That is when all is well'. Their visage that of large or small stature, commonly with oversized ears and nose which belies their age, just as with any elder of Man. Their appearance reflecting that of the land in which they find themselves. One who lives in the forests appearing to possess moss covered bark for skin, while that of the mountain reflecting the texture and color of stone itself, complete with his flesh appearing to be etched with fissures as cracks carved by time and rain. So much so that they might 'disappear' before your very eyes as you look at them.

Both wise and naïve their sheer age grants them the time to slow down and observe, time which grants them knowledge of things 'Hidden things' most creatures of the mortal realm simply would not have time to learn, or that knowledge which the ages as they grind by have erased from our memories. Should you ever meet one, remember that in their naivety they are now largely innocent of the ways of "civilized" Man, often finding themselves misunderstanding the more subtle social mores that have entered the customs of Man since he has forgotten the Trolls and their kind. So despite their best efforts to be friendly and polite they very well may come across as exceptionally odd or shy or even hostile. This is not their fault of course; as since we have ceased in our interactions with them, our respect, or even reverence for ones so old and knowledgeable... Well they do their best with what they have.