In ancient times, ogres, trolls, and fey sometimes took
human mates. Their descendants are the trollkin. Tall
and lanky with a brutish appearance, trollkin are seldom
welcome among the civilized races of the north, even
when the full extent of their inhuman ancestry is difficult
to determine. As a result, most trollkin live in isolated
tribal settlements and subsist on hunting and raiding.
Skin Deep
With a thick hide of green or brown, trollkin are
superficially similar to orcs or hobgoblins. While many
trollkin share a rough and unkempt appearance, their
inhuman lineage can show itself in a wide variety of forms. Some trollkin could even be considered beautiful
by human standards, except for some subtle marker of
their monstrosity, such as stone–gray skin or talon-tipped
fingers.
Many trollkin wear tattoos to show tribal loyalty or to
venerate their ancestor spirits. The bravest among them
brand their flesh to show mastery over their own fear, since
only acid and fire leave long-lasting scars on their skin.
A Place in the World
While the majority of trollkin live in remote communities,
some thrive in civilization. But even within cities, trollkin
tend to stick together in their own neighborhoods that
eventually begin to resemble urban tribes. Most urban trollkin find work that exploits their nature. Mercenary
work is the most common, but they sometimes join
city guard forces. Thieves’ guilds and other disreputable
elements love to employ trollkin as arm-breakers and
debt-collectors. Smiths and artisans sometimes take on a
trollkin partner or apprentice to add an exotic or savage
flair to their offerings.
Trollkin Names
Trollkin don’t attach much importance to names.
They carry names more as a convenience to the races
that rely on them than for their own purposes. Among
themselves, trollkin refer to each other by identifying
marks, well-known deeds, or recognizable characteristics
(Bent-nose, Long-claws, Fears-lightning). These labels
change depending on what the trollkin has done recently
and who’s doing the talking. As long as other trollkin
recognize who is being referred to, that’s all that matters.
It’s common to string several labels together to get an
identifying label (Long-claws-fears-lightning). When
they take a “human” name (meaning, for the benefit of
humans), it tends to follow the same pattern. Somewhat
confusingly, these names also tend to change every time
a trollkin introduces itself, since many won’t be bothered
to remember what other people called them last week, or
yesterday.
Names. Broken-fang, Six-fingers, Eye-wart, Hates-birds,
Burned-her-cousin, Always-angry, Kicks-children, Sniffsa-lot, Bites-ears
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