Troll Race entry (partial re-write)

These are just a couple of minor changes to the entry. The first change is there to remove the healing abilities and limb regrowing capabilities of the trolls. The second is just changing the scholar's name from Erian to Vesk. We all know that Vesk killed Erian years ago...

Mode of Living/Habits. Trolls settle in nomadic bands of up to thirty members in a variety of environments. It is suspected that their voracious appetites are the cause for such a nomadic lifestyle, as a band of trolls will consume the entire food supply of an area before moving on to find new prey. Unlike many other nomadic cultures, trolls do not have temporary homes that they take with them. Instead, they will create rudimentary dwellings in an area, the materials used to build them varies from tribe to tribe, and only leave that area once the food supply runs low. Trolls prefer to live in caves whenever possible and will often consume the former occupants of the cave. A few tribes are even known to live underground.

Trolls are often underestimated by the other races who consider their brutish appearance to represent a lack of intelligence. However, despite having no permanent residences and very little 'culture' from a human perspective, they are more than simple beasts. They communicate through a series of grunts, growls, and words that are known as the Trullish language. Trolls have even been known to tell stories of their past around a bonfire, though scholars that discovered this fact could not get close enough to hear the individual words. They seem to be able to comprehend the usages of simple tools such as flint knives they use to skin their prey. In general one could say that Trolls may lack the intelligence of other races such as humans, but they thrive within their native habitats.

Many Trolls do not live beyond their first century as their lives within the wilderness are often violent, though a few have been known to reach the age of one hundred fifty years. Only the hair of a Troll alters as he ages, growing longer and lightening in colour until it eventually turns white. The hide of a Troll does not seem to age and never takes on the weathered appearance oft associated with the elderly of other races. Death does not frighten them, as they view it to be a chance to join their ancestors and forever guard the Troll race against insane spirits.

Origin. Little is known about the cosmological origins of Trolls, but scholars argue that they are mentioned in the Books of the Beginnings of the elves. According to the Cárpa'dosía, when the world was young the Rain of Life fell upon the Tree of Life to create the four main races: humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs. Each one was created from a separate element, and it is indicated that combinations of the elements created the minor races: “One larger being arose from the earth, wreathed in flame and imbued with the endurance of stone (Cárpa'dosía IV, p. 17).” This quote may or may not indirectly refer to the trollish race, but it seems to hint at their nature: Trolls are said to cosmologically derive from the elements of earth and fire, a sign for strength and violence as dominating principles in their lives.

Ghat Nysissrak, a Gob-Oc miner, actually learned a few words of the Trullish language as he traded jewels and other precious stones to the Cave Trolls for hides of animals that only they could easily hunt. Admittedly, any other tribe would have eaten the goblininstead of trading with him, but the GHEREGHUT are known to be more sophisticated than other tribes and thus have learned to tolerate goblins, though they claim that their refusal to eat them is due to their terrible taste! The smith was kind enough to provide Vesk Lyricahl, an Eyelian scholar, with his version of the myth though several sans changed hands before the goblin would speak. The tale of their creation is something like this, though much of the meaning may have been lost in the very free translation from Trullish to Kh'om'chr'om to Styrásh and finally to Tharian...