Homebrew Alternian Troll Species Details

The Life of a Troll

Trolls have a very difficult existence. From the moment they hatch to adulthood, the life of a troll is filled with challenges unique to their culture.

Physical Characteristics

All trolls have some variation of grey as their skin color along with black hair. Most trolls possess sharp teeth and occasionally fangs. Their sclera is yellow, and their irises are grey at first, but slowly turn to their blood color as they mature. Trolls also have horns and they are often compared to candy corn because of their coloration. A troll’s horn shape can differ based on their blood type. Gold bloods often have two sets of horns, while Rust bloods have ram horns. Their sweat, tears, and other bodily fluids, will be the same as their blood color.

Survival of the Fittest

A baby troll is called a grub or a wriggler. They are spawned in large clutches in the brooding caverns of the mother grub. But grubs are not nurtured like human newborns would be. The Imperial drones that monitor the brooding caverns will often crush unhatched grubs, and newly hatched wrigglers will often be killed if they become sick or injured as there is little tolerance for any form of weakness. These deaths are often justified as a method of weeding out the weak. If a wriggler can survive the drones long enough to hatch, they will then find a suitable location form a cocoon, within which they undergo a drastic metamorphosis. When the young troll emerges in their more humanoid form, they begin undergoing a series of dangerous trials. Those that survive will be selected by a member of the widely varying race of creatures known as lusii. Lusii are strange creatures that usually resemble animals, or a combination of animals, with the notable difference of reflective white coats. A troll's lusus acts as their caretaker, giving them a name and helping them build their hive once they reach Alternia's surface. In return, trolls must learn to act as a form of zookeeper, taking care of their lusus much like it takes care of them. Once a Troll has reached adulthood, it is law that when a troll comes of age, they must be removed from their home planet and join the Alternian military in its mission for intergalactic conquest.

The Hemospectrum

Trolls live by a rigorous caste system that is based on the color of their blood. This system is called the Hemospectrum. The colors, from lowest to highest, are Rust, Bronze, Gold, Lime (extinct), Olive, Jade, Teal, Cerulean, Indigo, Purple, Violet, and Fuchsia. The Lowbloods (Rust to Gold) have life the hardest. They are constantly discriminated against and in the past were often sold into slavery and were killed on mass purely for the entertainment of those higher in the system. The Midbloods (Olive to Cerulean) don’t have much to worry about. They aren’t mistreated severely, but they aren’t amazingly respected either. The Highbloods (Indigo to Fuchsia), on the other hand, experience endless luxury and are given the upmost respect. Fuchsia and Violet bloods specifically are considered troll royalty, and live within alternia’s oceans, having more aquatic features than the rest of the troll race. They are also extremely rare, the only rarer being the now extinct Lime bloods. Many believe the reason for the Lime blood extinction was a systematic massacre of all newly hatched lime bloods. It is a widely accepted theory that the Lime blooded trolls possessed a power that somehow threatened the hierarchy of Alternia's caste system, as many Lowbloods tend to develop various psychic powers. Another rare blood type is referred to as Mutant Blood. Trolls who are unfortunate enough to be Mutant bloods are treated as the lowest of the low, worse than the Rust bloods. Their blood colors tend to be neon versions of the normal blood colors, but most likely could span to fit a wider range of colors. Most Mutant bloods will conceal their blood colors under Hemoanonymity, for fear of being killed, but this still tends to grab other troll’s attention as the practice is frowned upon. Most importantly, there is one troll that rules over all. She is a Fuchsia blood and her decree is above everyone. She is known as “Her Imperious Condescension, Empress of Troll Kind” or “The Condesce” for short. But blood color is not only important within the Hemospectrum, it can mean a number of things. One example would be signs. Signs are marks unique to individual trolls, and they are worn at all times to display their blood color. Similar to signs in functionality, when using text based communication, trolls partake in a part of Alternian culture known as hemotyping. Hemotyping is the act of typing one’s messages in the same color as one’s blood. For example, a rust blooded troll would communicate using red text, while an olive blooded troll would type using a dark green color. In addition to hemotyping, all trolls possess a more personalized aspect to their communication method known as a typing quirk. Typing quirks are a series of alterations to the way trolls type or write their messages, and these quirks vary from each individual to the next. As an example, one troll might type EXCLUSIVELY IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, while another might r3plac3 th3ir ‘e’s with ‘3’s. While it is seemingly quite rare, some trolls will renounce the use of hemotyping, and displaying their blood color with their sign, in favor of what’s known as Hemoanonymity; the act of keeping one’s blood color a secret, typically by replacing their blood color with a neutral color such as grey. While not technically illegal in Alternian culture, Hemoanonymity is heavily frowned upon, often being considered immature, and maybe even a sign of having Mutant blood.

The 4 Quadrants

The four quadrants are in reference to the four types of troll romance. These quadrants that the trolls experience are known as Matespritship, Moirallegiance, Auspisticism, and Kismesissitude. The former two are referred two as “red romances”, while the latter two are called “black romances”, likely due to their association with traditional playing card suits; Matespritships are represented by a heart symbol, Moirallegiances are represented by a diamond, Auspisticisms are represented by a club symbol, and Kismesissitudes are represented by a spade. Additionally, each quadrant has a more simplified name. Matespritship is also known as the flushed quadrant, Moirallegiance is known as the pale quadrant, Auspisticism is known as the ashen quadrant, and  Kismesissitude is known as the pitch quadrant. Matespritship is the form of romance that most closely resembles the human concept of love, having minimal cultural differences. Moirallegiances are possibly best described as platonic soul mates; two trolls that protect each other emotionally, and balance each other out. To a human, a Moirallegiance could easily be mistaken for a particularly powerful friendship. Kismesisstude is often the form of troll romance humans have the most trouble understanding, as it is a form of romantic attraction fueled by hate. Kismesisstude is often described as a very potent arch rivalry wherein both trolls must possess an equal level of genuine hatred for one another. Defeating or killing your kismesis is not seen as a healthy form of the relationship, as it puts a definitive end on the relationship, and while such intense hatred can seem like a stressful thing to perpetuate, trolls involved in such relationships do have the benefit of feeling pushed to better themselves as a result of the inherent rivalry. However, in a culture as hostile as Alternia’s, feelings of hatred have a tendency to become abundant. In such cases, Auspisticism relationships become a necessity to prevent otherwise platonic hatreds from boiling over into pitch feelings. The point of an Auspisticism relationship is to have a third party troll keep the feelings of hatred between two other trolls in check. It is a romantic role that is often considered quite difficult to fill, as it can be a time consuming task that is often thankless. Nonetheless, Alternian trolls feel compelled to find partners in each of these quadrants the same way humans often feel compelled to find their form of love. It is also law that a troll must develop both a Matespriteship and a Kismesisstude before adulthood in order to supply genetic material to the mother grub so their race may continue. If they fail, the troll will most likely be killed.

 

Alternian Troll Traits

Due to the harsh conditions the Trolls live under, they have certain traits that assist in their survival.

Alignment

Much like with age, alignment for Alternian Trolls can vary wildly, with blood color often having an impact. Evil alignments are more common at the higher rungs of the caste system, while Neutral and Good alignments make up the bulk of the lower and middle castes. Chaotic and Neutral are by far the most dominant alignments, with the one exception to this being that Teal and Fuchsia bloods are almost exclusively Lawful due to their societal roles in Alternian culture.

Age

The lifespan of a troll can vary wildly based off their specific blood color, with the lowest ranking members of the caste system not even living a full human lifespan, and the highest members being functionally immortal.

Size

Not counting their horns, child Alternian Trolls tend to stand at about the same height as humans, yet quickly outgrow them, reaching between 6 and 7 feet tall on average by adulthood. There are some outliers that stand taller or shorter, being around 5 or 8 feet tall. The highly militarized society that Alternia indoctrinates all of its citizens into results in nearly all Trolls that make it to adulthood possessing fit and muscular builds, resulting in higher weights due to muscle mass. The average adult Alternian Troll weighs between 280 and 340 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Alternian. The Alternian language is primarily a written form of communication, as most Alternian Trolls communicate verbally using Common. The Alternian Alphabet is almost runic in appearance, featuring harsh angles and sweeping curves.

Ability Score Increase

Alternian Trolls are an incredibly hardy and resilient race. Your Constitution Score increases by 2.

Nocturnal Darkvision

Due to the harsh sunlight of Alternia’s Star, Trolls are a primarily nocturnal race. Therefore, they have developed a superior form of darkvision. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.