Rudeskan Troll

He had never seen anything like them. They were shorter even than Liña, but they made up for it in bulk and width. Not that they were fat. They were clearly physically strong, but the thing that made them look so alien was their skin.

There was a lot of skin on show, thanks to each of them wearing only a pair of loose-fitting trousers of coarse, brown fabric. Every part that Doran could see was covered in some sort of thick, rough-looking growth. They looked like clumsily made statues of people constructed entirely from rocks, and Doran was sure he could see patches of moss on them in the dim light.

Although they looked like statues, they moved and occasionally spoke, in rough, monosyllabic voices that sounded exactly like Doran expected rocks to sound if they could talk. Not that he'd ever had reason to consider it before. Based on their stocky, strong appearance and low-pitched, grunting voices, Doran assumed they were both male.

Background

Turn up the heat

Rudeskan trolls are the only known people who spend the majory of their time in the Dawn Side, thanks to the symbiotic relationship with Troll Lichen. This lichen seems to have a dual purpose, though; not only do trolls survive in the ridiculous heat, but they thrive.

A happy lichen means a happy brain

Troll lichen takes in most of its energy through the heat and radiation of direct sunlight. Something about their symbiosis means that excess energy increases the cognitive abilities of the trolls.

In the Dawn or the Belt, trolls are incredibly insightful. Poetry and philosophy are common pastimes, and it's unclear whether their affinity to the Seeker is a cause or a product of their intelligence. Perhaps both.

Set your sights

Using quicksilver to strengthen to connection to the Seeker, a group of trolls can enhance their sense so much as to see and hear events on the parts of Neyush facing Rudeska. It's this ritual that has allowed them to continue to observe Neyush's solar calendar, even on a tidally locked planet.

Reverse semiconductors

No-one, including they themselves, knows how long the trolls have been on Rudeska, or for how long their have been symbiotically bound to the lichen from the cradle to the grave, but at this point the relationship, and therefore the Rudeskan trolls' reliance on the sun, is necessary to their survival.

In colder temperatures, Rudeskan trolls' brain activity decreases drastically, making their thoughts sluggish and all but removing their ability to even process language.

Encompassed species

Related Locations