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Description
As an explorer and a natural historian, there are a bunch of phrases that I have heard about a million times. Things people say to me as either advice, or some kind of joke that has lost its humor to me over the years. "Why don't you put down your roots?" or something along those lines is one of those phrases, and it has become insufferable. Another is "Here there be monsters," which often leads to the one I want to focus on: "Beware of Trolls." Anytime I was going to be making my way to some mountain range, boulder field, or rocky landscape, people were always sure to warn me about Trolls. And each time, my only thought was: Why? Why should I beware of Trolls? Why should I be worried about them? As it turns out, folklore, myths and rumors have pretty much ruined the reputation of Trolls, and have painted them as these man-eating giants that destroy villages, hate religious figures and devour virgins. In truth, they are nothing like that. So with this entry, I hope that those who read my notes get an understanding about real Trolls and learn that these large beasts are not the monsters people make them out to be.

Trolls can be found in any environment where there is a large amount of rocks. Mountain ranges, canyons, plateaus, scree fields and rocky plains are all possible habitat for Trolls. What they need is a steady supply of rocks and ores for them to eat, as Trolls feed entirely through geophagia (which pretty much translates to earth eater). Not many other creatures I have encountered live primarily on rocks, which makes Trolls a fascinating species to study. Much like a carnivore or herbivore, their entire biology has adapted to this feeding behavior. First thing that Trolls need for such a diet is immense strength, since they need to dislodge rocks and move boulders. Their impressive size aids them with this, as an adult Troll will stand about 12 to 15 feet tall. Even the young are quite large, coming out at about 4 to 6 feet tall. With bodies packed with muscle, they can sling immense weights around with ease. The image of Trolls chucking boulders and crushing rock walls is indeed a true one, as their upper body strength is practically unmatched. To further aid in the collection of edible rocks and ores, the bulky arms of a Troll have thick, bony plates scattered about their flesh. These hard chunks can act as armor, but are primarily used for shattering rocks. This helps lessen the amount of damage their arms take when striking stone, with them slamming with their forearms rather than their fists. Once a rock is busted up to the perfect size, the next part is eating it.

The most obvious feature of a Troll is their bizarre mouths. Rather than a simple upper and lower jaw, their mouths are separated into four different structures. Four jaw bones are arranged to give them a plus-sign shaped mouth, that can move up and down, and side to side independently. All four can move on their own, which allows them to fit in irregular shaped rocks and slowly grind away at them. Their peg-like teeth help grind down the rock as the jaws move back and forth. To aid in this process is a specialized digestive enzyme that breaks down hard rocks. This fluid is secreted from the pores around and in their mouths, and helps "soften" their rigid substances. As the rock softens, the teeth will grind off more and more layers, allowing more enzymes to seep in deeper. Eventually the rock will weaken enough that the Troll can bite down and shatter it into pebbles. Small enough chunks will be swallowed, and the Troll will continue working on any larger chunks that are too big. In some cases, when the ore or stone is made of an extremely strong mineral, they will slather it with digestive slobber and spit it out. They will then wait for the enzyme to slowly break it down, occasionally adding more spit as it dries up. After a good amount of time has passed, they will pop it back into their mouths and see if it has weakened the surface any for grinding.

Other biological features that aid with this behavior is their eyes. Though Trolls have four eyes, they do not have good long-range vision. Their eyes are instead meant for intensive close-range vision, which are capable of seeing the tiniest of details on rocks and stones. This helps them determine and analyze their meals for nutrition, consistency and composition. Though many believe they just eat any rocks they find, Trolls can be picky with their meals, selecting certain rocks over others, seeing differences that the human eye cannot perceive. I have seen it many times where a Troll will approach a huge pile of rocks and start picking through it. Despite having dozens of boulders to choose from, they will toss many aside until they excitably find one to their liking. Younger Trolls can be seen fighting over a particular rock, engaged in a tug-of-war over what appears to be a simple stone. Apparently there are some minerals or stones that are more delicious than others, and the Trolls want those for themselves. One Troll I observed had found a big pile of tasty mineral chunks and was quite excited over it. It wanted to eat them all, but another nearby Troll was eyeing the food. It knew that the second it started eating, the other Troll would charge in to claim some for itself. Trolls don't fight with their mouths full, so it would either have to defend its pile or eat what it had and let the other Troll take some. The solution it came up with was trying to eat the entire pile in a single bite, jamming as many chunks as it could into its mouth. With a mouth stretched to bursting with stones, it rushed away with its spoils as the other Troll ran in to claim what was left. The greedy Troll ended up dropping a good amount of the minerals, which the others rushed in to take. But hey, have to give him points for trying.

Since their mouths and throats are often filled with pebbles and rock dust, their respiratory orifices are located on the sides of their body. This way they can grind away at a meal for as long as they want, without having to worry about clogging their windpipes or choking. When they grunt or call out, the sound comes from their sides instead of their mouths.

Trolls are very social creatures, with them traveling in family groups. Groups will consist of mated pairs and their young, and will contain solitary males or females that have not yet found a mate. There can be other groups that consist solely of single males or females, hanging out in numbers until they reach the age and strength to gain a mate. These groups will travel about a certain territory, moving about as they search for suitable food and shelter.

For reproduction, family groups gather on flat mountain surfaces and plateaus, with males coming together to compete for females. Male Trolls can only be distinguished from female trolls by the colored sacs that hang from the sides of their head. When not competing, these skin sacs are deflated and hang loose. But when the time comes, they will inflate them with air, which flushes them with deep colors. Males will find large boulders and lift them as high as they can to show off their strength. Bobbing the large rock up and down, they will let out deep, loud bellows to get the attention of the females. This whole display is to show off their strength and health, which females desire. A male with a deep, booming voice is healthy, and one hefting a very large boulder is quite strong. If the male has the right combination of health and strength to a certain female, she will approach him and bellow back. The two will then call back and forth, doing a sort of bobbing dance. When this dance is done, the two are considered mates. From this point on, they are together for life. The male will drop the boulder and the two will move away from the rest of the competing Trolls in order to be alone. In many cases, males will not find a willing female, and some females won't find a healthy male. They will then wait til the next year, in hopes that they gain the strength and age necessary to find a partner.

When a pair is made, it is then time to make an offspring. After the two of them mate, the female's body will undergo an amazing change. Her skin will secrete a thick substance that will coat her entire body. This will harden overtime to create a rock-like cocoon around her entire body. Curling up in a certain pose, she will cover herself in this thick, rocky shell. On the outside, the birthing cocoon looks like any old, large rock, with it designed to blend into the environment and ward off predators. On the inside, the female will be in a sleep-like state as the child is formed. The whole cocoon acts like a womb. During this long process, the male will guard the cocoon, constantly patrolling the area and keeping a watchful eye. Once the child is fully formed, the female will begin to break open the cocoon, which cues the male to help her break out. He will use his arms to crack open the cocoon and pull aside the pieces. The female, at this point, will be weakened from the effort and require food and rest. She will consume the shattered pieces of the cocoon for nutrients, as the male protects the two and brings more food for her. After a while, she will regain her strength and the three will be off.

Young trolls are very energetic and often can be seen running around their parents. They do not know everything at birth, and require the aid of an adult to learn important skills and behaviors. Often one can spot a young Troll by their immature behavior, either trying to break a boulder that is far too big, or attempting to jam a rock in their mouth that will not fit. When a group of young Trolls meet up, they will often play with each other, wrestling about or chasing each other around. This amount of activity tires them out, and the adults will place the tuckered out toddlers on their backs so they can rest as the group moves on. To help with their diet, the females will eat certain rocks and let them digest in her stomach. She will then regurgitate this for the young to eat. This thick paste is easy on their teeth and mouths, as it can be slurped up. This paste is called "Slag" and will be consumed by the young until they are old enough to eat whole rocks by themselves.

Unfortunately, trolls are not favored in the public eye, with too many stories of them eating children and destroying villages, though many of these are false. Trolls are strict rock eaters, and do not have the digestive systems capable of consuming flesh. Where this ludicrous idea came from, I don't know. The creation of mining has severely impacted their populations and have made these powerful giants vulnerable. The building of mining towns interfere with their habitat and movements, with villages usually springing up where they mate. Villages that are "destroyed" by Trolls often are built on their homes, and the Trolls are simply trying to come back. The process of mining and smelting removes possible food sources, and turns them into pests when they try to eat the products. Their reproduction stage is hard hit as well. The mining and destruction of rocks and boulders may sadly involve the cocoon of a birthing female, with the shock killing her and her child when the cocoon is destroyed too soon. Guarding males can be seen as threats and pests to nearby villages. Since they are guarding their young and mate, they will be a bit more hostile and aggressive. This causes miners and villagers to try and run them off or even kill them. The absence of the male will harm the female, as she needs help cracking open the cocoon. If the female is too weak, she will not be able to break free and the two of them will die inside. Even if she is able to escape, the exertion may make her too weak to defend herself and child from predators and harm. Even outside of reproduction, the death of mates and offspring will throw the survivors into a frenzy, resulting in mayhem and destruction to the offenders. This sadly further hurts the trolls, as this adds to their bad image and "proves" the tales true.

In truth, Trolls are harmless to communities and villages that respect their habitat and families. They stick to rocky areas and only consume minerals. They have no interest in invading towns unless they are starving or have had their habitats taken. Any damage caused to homes and towns by rock slides or rolling boulders is purely accidental. With their strength, they do not think too much about the things around them, and may knock something loose during feeding or play. They are very social, and are by no means hostile to other creatures. They only act aggressive when a threat approaches. Due to their poor long range eyesight, you can usually get close to them before they will actually see you. If you move slowly and go about in a nonthreatening manner, they will not see you as a danger and just go about their business. Mountain goats, alpacas and marmots have been seen mingling with their family groups, with the Trolls not even lifting a finger to harm them. To test their passiveness, I myself tried to get as close as I could to a family of Trolls. I got about twenty feet away before one of them noticed me, but I was moving casually, so they didn't react too much to me. As I moved closer, I got more of their attention and they started to stare. They obviously were trying to figure out if I was a threat, so I presented myself in a nonthreatening manner. I avoided eye contact and drooped my body posture. I kept a slow, consistent pace, so that I did not appear to be frightened by their attention. I got close enough that one of the adults moved towards me for a full investigation. I dropped onto my back to expose my stomach, which is a submissive gesture in a lot of creatures. This worked in disarming any hostility. Well, it worked a little too well. The one who was standing over me was an unmated female. When I laid on my back, I reminded her of a young Troll. My size and humanoid shape indeed fit with a baby Troll, and she must have been desiring a young one of her own. She scooped me up and carried me back to the family group to show off. The rest of the family was curious with me, poking and prodding me as she held me in her arms. Eventually she let me go, and I tried to move away. The young ones took this as signs of play, and started to chase me. One caught me and wrestled with me, which was quite uncomfortable. Their strength is powerful, even when they are young. They are also heavy as hell. My "mother" saw that I wasn't faring too well with my playmate, so she batted him aside and picked me back up. At that point she thought I would be hungry and regurgitated a mouthful of slag on top of me. Seeing that I was not in a good spot, I had to pull out one of my sample jars and douse myself with its contents. The smell surprised them and they instinctively moved away. Then I was free to move away, as the Trolls stared on, confused by the creature they had just dealt with. The whole experience was definitely interesting, despite the fact I ended up covered in bruises, caked in gray paste and reeking of liquid preservative. It goes to show how friendly they can be, though they could be a bit too friendly at times.

Chlora Myron
Dryad Natural Historian

-----------------------------------------

An update on the Troll species, with more info and more Chlora.

Description
As an explorer and a natural historian, there are a bunch of phrases that I have heard about a million times. Things people say to me as either advice, or some kind of joke that has lost its humor to me over the years. "Why don't you put down your roots?" or something along those lines is one of those phrases, and it has become insufferable. Another is "Here there be monsters," which often leads to the one I want to focus on: "Beware of Trolls." Anytime I was going to be making my way to some mountain range, boulder field, or rocky landscape, people were always sure to warn me about Trolls. And each time, my only thought was: Why? Why should I beware of Trolls? Why should I be worried about them? As it turns out, folklore, myths and rumors have pretty much ruined the reputation of Trolls, and have painted them as these man-eating giants that destroy villages, hate religious figures and devour virgins. In truth, they are nothing like that. So with this entry, I hope that those who read my notes get an understanding about real Trolls and learn that these large beasts are not the monsters people make them out to be.

Trolls can be found in any environment where there is a large amount of rocks. Mountain ranges, canyons, plateaus, scree fields and rocky plains are all possible habitat for Trolls. What they need is a steady supply of rocks and ores for them to eat, as Trolls feed entirely through geophagia (which pretty much translates to earth eater). Not many other creatures I have encountered live primarily on rocks, which makes Trolls a fascinating species to study. Much like a carnivore or herbivore, their entire biology has adapted to this feeding behavior. First thing that Trolls need for such a diet is immense strength, since they need to dislodge rocks and move boulders. Their impressive size aids them with this, as an adult Troll will stand about 12 to 15 feet tall. Even the young are quite large, coming out at about 4 to 6 feet tall. With bodies packed with muscle, they can sling immense weights around with ease. The image of Trolls chucking boulders and crushing rock walls is indeed a true one, as their upper body strength is practically unmatched. To further aid in the collection of edible rocks and ores, the bulky arms of a Troll have thick, bony plates scattered about their flesh. These hard chunks can act as armor, but are primarily used for shattering rocks. This helps lessen the amount of damage their arms take when striking stone, with them slamming with their forearms rather than their fists. Once a rock is busted up to the perfect size, the next part is eating it.

The most obvious feature of a Troll is their bizarre mouths. Rather than a simple upper and lower jaw, their mouths are separated into four different structures. Four jaw bones are arranged to give them a plus-sign shaped mouth, that can move up and down, and side to side independently. All four can move on their own, which allows them to fit in irregular shaped rocks and slowly grind away at them. Their peg-like teeth help grind down the rock as the jaws move back and forth. To aid in this process is a specialized digestive enzyme that breaks down hard rocks. This fluid is secreted from the pores around and in their mouths, and helps "soften" their rigid substances. As the rock softens, the teeth will grind off more and more layers, allowing more enzymes to seep in deeper. Eventually the rock will weaken enough that the Troll can bite down and shatter it into pebbles. Small enough chunks will be swallowed, and the Troll will continue working on any larger chunks that are too big. In some cases, when the ore or stone is made of an extremely strong mineral, they will slather it with digestive slobber and spit it out. They will then wait for the enzyme to slowly break it down, occasionally adding more spit as it dries up. After a good amount of time has passed, they will pop it back into their mouths and see if it has weakened the surface any for grinding.

Other biological features that aid with this behavior is their eyes. Though Trolls have four eyes, they do not have good long-range vision. Their eyes are instead meant for intensive close-range vision, which are capable of seeing the tiniest of details on rocks and stones. This helps them determine and analyze their meals for nutrition, consistency and composition. Though many believe they just eat any rocks they find, Trolls can be picky with their meals, selecting certain rocks over others, seeing differences that the human eye cannot perceive. I have seen it many times where a Troll will approach a huge pile of rocks and start picking through it. Despite having dozens of boulders to choose from, they will toss many aside until they excitably find one to their liking. Younger Trolls can be seen fighting over a particular rock, engaged in a tug-of-war over what appears to be a simple stone. Apparently there are some minerals or stones that are more delicious than others, and the Trolls want those for themselves. One Troll I observed had found a big pile of tasty mineral chunks and was quite excited over it. It wanted to eat them all, but another nearby Troll was eyeing the food. It knew that the second it started eating, the other Troll would charge in to claim some for itself. Trolls don't fight with their mouths full, so it would either have to defend its pile or eat what it had and let the other Troll take some. The solution it came up with was trying to eat the entire pile in a single bite, jamming as many chunks as it could into its mouth. With a mouth stretched to bursting with stones, it rushed away with its spoils as the other Troll ran in to claim what was left. The greedy Troll ended up dropping a good amount of the minerals, which the others rushed in to take. But hey, have to give him points for trying.

Since their mouths and throats are often filled with pebbles and rock dust, their respiratory orifices are located on the sides of their body. This way they can grind away at a meal for as long as they want, without having to worry about clogging their windpipes or choking. When they grunt or call out, the sound comes from their sides instead of their mouths.

Trolls are very social creatures, with them traveling in family groups. Groups will consist of mated pairs and their young, and will contain solitary males or females that have not yet found a mate. There can be other groups that consist solely of single males or females, hanging out in numbers until they reach the age and strength to gain a mate. These groups will travel about a certain territory, moving about as they search for suitable food and shelter.

For reproduction, family groups gather on flat mountain surfaces and plateaus, with males coming together to compete for females. Male Trolls can only be distinguished from female trolls by the colored sacs that hang from the sides of their head. When not competing, these skin sacs are deflated and hang loose. But when the time comes, they will inflate them with air, which flushes them with deep colors. Males will find large boulders and lift them as high as they can to show off their strength. Bobbing the large rock up and down, they will let out deep, loud bellows to get the attention of the females. This whole display is to show off their strength and health, which females desire. A male with a deep, booming voice is healthy, and one hefting a very large boulder is quite strong. If the male has the right combination of health and strength to a certain female, she will approach him and bellow back. The two will then call back and forth, doing a sort of bobbing dance. When this dance is done, the two are considered mates. From this point on, they are together for life. The male will drop the boulder and the two will move away from the rest of the competing Trolls in order to be alone. In many cases, males will not find a willing female, and some females won't find a healthy male. They will then wait til the next year, in hopes that they gain the strength and age necessary to find a partner.

When a pair is made, it is then time to make an offspring. After the two of them mate, the female's body will undergo an amazing change. Her skin will secrete a thick substance that will coat her entire body. This will harden overtime to create a rock-like cocoon around her entire body. Curling up in a certain pose, she will cover herself in this thick, rocky shell. On the outside, the birthing cocoon looks like any old, large rock, with it designed to blend into the environment and ward off predators. On the inside, the female will be in a sleep-like state as the child is formed. The whole cocoon acts like a womb. During this long process, the male will guard the cocoon, constantly patrolling the area and keeping a watchful eye. Once the child is fully formed, the female will begin to break open the cocoon, which cues the male to help her break out. He will use his arms to crack open the cocoon and pull aside the pieces. The female, at this point, will be weakened from the effort and require food and rest. She will consume the shattered pieces of the cocoon for nutrients, as the male protects the two and brings more food for her. After a while, she will regain her strength and the three will be off.

Young trolls are very energetic and often can be seen running around their parents. They do not know everything at birth, and require the aid of an adult to learn important skills and behaviors. Often one can spot a young Troll by their immature behavior, either trying to break a boulder that is far too big, or attempting to jam a rock in their mouth that will not fit. When a group of young Trolls meet up, they will often play with each other, wrestling about or chasing each other around. This amount of activity tires them out, and the adults will place the tuckered out toddlers on their backs so they can rest as the group moves on. To help with their diet, the females will eat certain rocks and let them digest in her stomach. She will then regurgitate this for the young to eat. This thick paste is easy on their teeth and mouths, as it can be slurped up. This paste is called "Slag" and will be consumed by the young until they are old enough to eat whole rocks by themselves.

Unfortunately, trolls are not favored in the public eye, with too many stories of them eating children and destroying villages, though many of these are false. Trolls are strict rock eaters, and do not have the digestive systems capable of consuming flesh. Where this ludicrous idea came from, I don't know. The creation of mining has severely impacted their populations and have made these powerful giants vulnerable. The building of mining towns interfere with their habitat and movements, with villages usually springing up where they mate. Villages that are "destroyed" by Trolls often are built on their homes, and the Trolls are simply trying to come back. The process of mining and smelting removes possible food sources, and turns them into pests when they try to eat the products. Their reproduction stage is hard hit as well. The mining and destruction of rocks and boulders may sadly involve the cocoon of a birthing female, with the shock killing her and her child when the cocoon is destroyed too soon. Guarding males can be seen as threats and pests to nearby villages. Since they are guarding their young and mate, they will be a bit more hostile and aggressive. This causes miners and villagers to try and run them off or even kill them. The absence of the male will harm the female, as she needs help cracking open the cocoon. If the female is too weak, she will not be able to break free and the two of them will die inside. Even if she is able to escape, the exertion may make her too weak to defend herself and child from predators and harm. Even outside of reproduction, the death of mates and offspring will throw the survivors into a frenzy, resulting in mayhem and destruction to the offenders. This sadly further hurts the trolls, as this adds to their bad image and "proves" the tales true.

In truth, Trolls are harmless to communities and villages that respect their habitat and families. They stick to rocky areas and only consume minerals. They have no interest in invading towns unless they are starving or have had their habitats taken. Any damage caused to homes and towns by rock slides or rolling boulders is purely accidental. With their strength, they do not think too much about the things around them, and may knock something loose during feeding or play. They are very social, and are by no means hostile to other creatures. They only act aggressive when a threat approaches. Due to their poor long range eyesight, you can usually get close to them before they will actually see you. If you move slowly and go about in a nonthreatening manner, they will not see you as a danger and just go about their business. Mountain goats, alpacas and marmots have been seen mingling with their family groups, with the Trolls not even lifting a finger to harm them. To test their passiveness, I myself tried to get as close as I could to a family of Trolls. I got about twenty feet away before one of them noticed me, but I was moving casually, so they didn't react too much to me. As I moved closer, I got more of their attention and they started to stare. They obviously were trying to figure out if I was a threat, so I presented myself in a nonthreatening manner. I avoided eye contact and drooped my body posture. I kept a slow, consistent pace, so that I did not appear to be frightened by their attention. I got close enough that one of the adults moved towards me for a full investigation. I dropped onto my back to expose my stomach, which is a submissive gesture in a lot of creatures. This worked in disarming any hostility. Well, it worked a little too well. The one who was standing over me was an unmated female. When I laid on my back, I reminded her of a young Troll. My size and humanoid shape indeed fit with a baby Troll, and she must have been desiring a young one of her own. She scooped me up and carried me back to the family group to show off. The rest of the family was curious with me, poking and prodding me as she held me in her arms. Eventually she let me go, and I tried to move away. The young ones took this as signs of play, and started to chase me. One caught me and wrestled with me, which was quite uncomfortable. Their strength is powerful, even when they are young. They are also heavy as hell. My "mother" saw that I wasn't faring too well with my playmate, so she batted him aside and picked me back up. At that point she thought I would be hungry and regurgitated a mouthful of slag on top of me. Seeing that I was not in a good spot, I had to pull out one of my sample jars and douse myself with its contents. The smell surprised them and they instinctively moved away. Then I was free to move away, as the Trolls stared on, confused by the creature they had just dealt with. The whole experience was definitely interesting, despite the fact I ended up covered in bruises, caked in gray paste and reeking of liquid preservative. It goes to show how friendly they can be, though they could be a bit too friendly at times.

Chlora Myron
Dryad Natural Historian

-----------------------------------------

An update on the Troll species, with more info and more Chlora.