Trolls

 The Word On Trolls

By Bhumi, fixer on the streets

The written word is easier conveyed than speech. This is true for me and many other trolls. One may not often gaze into the maw of troll, but it is evident that our mouths have an entirely different structure than humans. We have tusks, like orcs, but our teeth are wide and large. This leads to speech that sounds flat, without inflection, and therefore sounds "stupid" to the ears. Most trolls who speak in a pleasing manner do so out of hefty investments on dental work.

Fitting in is a major problem for trolls, both physically and socially. Our large stature makes it difficult to get comfortable in most places; as desks and chairs are custom made for humans. Vehicles, especially public transportation, come with its own set of burdens to bear. Size aside, there is also the problem of social acceptance. Those who cross our paths, do so warily. Many avoid us, often dodging our way of progress by cutting across the street. We appear rather intimidating, regardless of our ambition; which, makes people less likely to welcome or deal with us.

We face a wide array of bigotry, hence why we tend to usually keep our distance away from cities. This is partly due, because open spaces give us a lot of breathing room. Also it enables us to evade prejudice and suspicion. We often are treated as criminals and thugs, but let me enforce that this is not our usual demeanor. We actually are less violent than most other races; our size is enough to persuade people in leaving us alone than fight. Fortune may be on our side to escape most of the scapegoating, as our numbers are few and far between. Blame usually falls upon orks, who outnumber trolls by a significant number.

True, some do resort to banditry, but that is out of necessity. In a society that has no room for us, one cannot help but claim a foot when not even an inch is offered. Others however attempt to make the best of the situation and try their best to squeeze in. Our professional options are limited in many ways. We are not typically hired for prestigious roles. Many believe us to be dumb, but if that was the case there would be many dead Shadowrunner trolls already. There is also, again, the issue of size which has its own challenges when working in crampt office spaces. Usually, we are hired as muscle; either as security or teamsters. That line of work is most accustomed to the boons of our great form, yet lacks anything in the means of an intellectual pursuit.

The only amount of respect earned in society is by being the roughest and toughest enforcers. We are capable of achieving so much more, yet smaller thinking of the masses prevail. We may be seen as "the noble savage", but in actuality we are as varied a people as they come.

Troll Synopsis
Trolls (Homo sapiens ingentis) typically stand at around 2.8 meters and weigh 225 kg. Their skin color ranges from pinkish-white to brown. Metabolic lab testing shows they can live for 50 years; but, none are older than when they first appeared during the Goblinization of 2021. Compared to humans, trolls are tougher, stronger, and typically less intelligent and charismatic. They also have thermographic vision, which allows them to see radiated infrared energy and the normal light spectrum at the same time.

Their striking features are an enormous body size, pointed ears, tusks and horns (which may or may not have symmetry) as well as an arm and leg span that's greater than humans. Trolls have calcified dermal deposits in their skin, which can resemble warts, spines, or armor plating.