Trolls

Trolls are a far flung Inhuman race. Large and Imposing, Trolls are known as warriors and savages, and their migrations have spread Trolls far and wide.

## History

Trolls are descended from the survivors of the Great Nuclear War in Northern Michigan. Most of Trollish History is unknown. The biggest event in Trollish History is the Great Trollish Migration.

### Great Trollish Migration

In 1992 the Principality of High Banks tore into the flank of the Trollish Kingdom. As a result, 49,500 trolls were deposed, half of which join the migration led by Shaktilar the Learned. 10% of them died due to disease and other factors, and the rest make it to the bank of the Maumee River, which would become Troll’s Landing. Troll’s Landing was estimated to support only a mere 10,000 Trolls (there were more than twice that), and thus North Ohioans facilitated the moving of the other 13,000 through their territory, Khuzby, and into Southern Ohio via the Columbus Route, where they would grow to compete with the Valleysmen, Waynesdales, and other peoples, integrating well, the Valley Trolls numbers having grown to ~26,000 by 2015.

## Appearance

As an Inhuman race, the Trolls are divergent from Stock Humans. The average Troll stands almost 7 foot tall, with the upper limits of height being measured at around 8'4". Because of this, Trolls are known to have disc problems and joint issues. While the occasion is rare, a few trolls have been seen without masks. It is noted that almost every troll has Amber coloured eyes, and stark white, almost alabaster skin. It is theorized that this white skin comes from the constant covering of their faces and skin by heavy cloth and their masks. Whether an effect of their sheer size or something else, Trolls are also far stronger than Stock Humans.

## Culture

### Dress:

Trolls wear elaborate masks in style similar to Gas Masks. These masks are filled with rose petals which they believe protect them from radiation, but their cultural signifigance goes far deeper. A Troll would never remove his mask, as with some exception it is an immense taboo This is believed to evolve from the use of *actual* protective gear in the early days post war, wherein the masks began to become personalized. T modern Trollish mask can be decorated with boar's teeth, twine, shells, bones, and other things. Colored Chalk is used by females to decorate their masks, essentially being the equivalent of makeup, the only exception being blue chalk, which is a mourning color. As previously stated, removing the masks is taboo, with a few exceptions as follows:

* To kiss the bride on the wedding day
* Under the roof of a home, when making love
* To look upon the face of child on the day of their birth

In addition, fur and wool mantles are worn denoting societal rank or profession.

* Bright Blue denotes a Learner
* Black denotes a King or noble
* Yellow denotes a tradesman
* Green denotes a farmer or herdsman

### Language

In the Trollish homeland, Trolls speak a unique version of English, *(natively called Trultrul, pronounced* /t’rolʔt’rolʔ/ or /trultrul/ *depending on dialect)* and the Great Migrations have spread this tongue, which has diverged into several dialects. Some unique features of the language include the addition of Uvular, Bilabial, and Rhotic Trills, a loss of many vowels, and grammatical use of reduplication and ejective infixes. The language is one of the most phonemically innovative of the English Languages, and many scholars wonder if it merits it's own branch or should remain categorized as a Mishindo Language Group.

Other notes on T'rult'rul is the huge vocabulary losses in the language (meaning being augmented by a complex series of linguistic particles and morphemes), having one of the smallest vocabularies of the English Languages.

### Examples:

* Bak'a/Bakh: black in colour, the colour black
* But'ur: butter, lard, or tallow depending on context
* p'ukha/p'uk'a: a woman of loose morals

### Domesticated Animals:

Trolls are no stranger to having helping hands/paws, and have domesticated animals. There is a uniquely Trollish breed of horse called the Pronco. These horses are Troll sized, being 17 to 20 hands tall, and have piebald or leopard coats. In addition, Trolls have bred Dire Dogs, a dog the Size of a Great Dane, with jet black fur. Dire Dogs are kept as hunting companions and guard dogs.