ECOLOGY

Environment any forests or hills
Organization solitary, pair, company (3-12), or clan (13-60)
Treasure NPC gear (leather armor, longspear, 3 javelins, other treasure)

In the frozen climes of the inhospitable northlands, ogres, trolls or even fey sometimes take human mates. The offspring of these pairings are called trollkin, though the exact nature of their inhuman ancestry is often difficult to determine at a glance. Typically tall and lanky with a brutish outward appearance, trollkin who forsake living among their humanoid parents often find themselves outcasts among the civilized races of the north.

With a thick hide of green or rich brown, the trollkin are superficially similar to dragonkin or kobolds. While many trollkin share a rough-hewn and unkempt appearance, their inhuman lineage can take a wide variety of forms. Some female trollkin can even appear quite beautiful except for an outward sign of their monstrosity such as stone-grey skin or talon-tipped fingers.

The trollkin are not especially numerous, but they are feared throughout the northlands, where they once ruled a kingdom. Their influence has waned greatly with the decline of the giants.

Fear and hostility often force trollkin into a life of solitary wandering or roaming in small groups as bandits, but a few make a place for themselves in the civilized world by using their natural gifts to their advantage. Mercenary captains are quick to hire trollkin soldiers to serve as shieldbreakers or frontier scouts, and more than one thieves’ guild employs a trollkin debt collector.

Some trollkin have a natural affinity for sorcery or witchcraft, inheriting a natural sensitivity to ley line energies from their monstrous parent. These trollkin often find themselves leading humanoid bands or working in the employ of bandit lords who are eager to turn their powers into profit.

Trollkin excel at brawling, intimidation, tracking, and stealth. They make canny fighters and excellent shamans, with a keen ability to speak with spirits and animal totems. Trollkin typically choose shaman as a favored class, though barbarians, fighters, rangers, and rogues are common as well. They are often employed as scouts and skirmishers among the vicious little wars and feuds of the north, and can be counted on to fight with honor and skill. Their skill at handling wild and tame animals is widely known, and they often hunt with dogs, wolves, dogmoles, even bears and falcons when conditions permit.

Trollkin often work with humans, dragonkin, kobolds, true trolls, ogres, and giants. They are implacable enemies of dwarves, and the two races despise one another. Trollkin get along surprisingly well with the fey, especially the shadow fey, gnomes, and lorelei.