Troll

Trolls are hostile humanoid creatures who attack travelers in Betrayal at Krondor and Return to Krondor. They can first be encountered in Chapter 1.

Betrayal at Krondor

Trolls, unusually strong humanoids who appear with gray hair and beards and do not wear shirts, are most often found deep in mines or on the King's Highway between Eldpoint and Northwarden.

• An armed group currently dwelling in Dencamp On The Teeth figured out how to kill goblins, but were then attacked by trolls.
• A soldier, the lover of a woman living in the same town, was killed by trolls in a skirmish near Northwarden.
• The gravestone of Trell Dannis in the cemetery opposite Armengar reads, "Killed by a troll at the battle of Armengar."
• Bronwynn Alpress, Locklear's first love, was killed by a troll in the same battle and is buried in the same cemetery.
• An unsigned Note found on a goblin defeated near Highcastle lists, as one of the fortress's weaknesses, the potential for using trolls living nearby to disrupt the castle's supply flow, causing harm indirect enough to divert suspicion from the senders.
• If the party successfully detects an ambush lurking in a house they are trying to enter, Gorath predicts that if they investigate further, the hidden enemy will be all over them "like stink on a troll."

In Battle

Trolls attack by swiping at their victims with one hand, dealing a considerable amount of damage. According to a book in The Vaults, trolls are highly resistant to physical harm, but more than usually vulnerable to all forms of magic, though in practice they cannot be struck by lightning from a Lightning Staff or the Skyfire spell since they carry no metal. They take 1.5 times the damage normally incurred from Evil Seek, Firestorm, Flamecast, Gambit of the Eight, Mindmelt, Unfortunate Flux, Wrath of Killian, and Fetters of Rime, with the freeze duration of the latter spell remaining normal.^[1]

Using the shield spells Hocho's Haven or even better Skin of the Dragon will significantly lessen the challenge.

They also have sensitive hearing and will flee at the sound of a Tuning Fork.

While their sprites wield long barbed pikes with which they block the party's attacks, trolls usually carry nothing in their Inventory, but a few will occasionally be found with sovereigns, low-use whetstones, or other small items.

Riddle Chests

Trolls figure in the following riddle from a moredhel riddle chest:

Ten troll's strength
Ten troll's length
One troll can pick it up
No troll can stand it up.

TROLLS is the solution to another riddle chest, comprising the letters missing in its clue:

Say away fom these hideus
beasts, they kil our females
and chidrens.

Betrayal at Krondor Manual

The game's manual describes trolls as short, broad, ugly humanoids with long thick arms that nearly reach the ground, and they often run on all fours though they can also walk upright. They have long fangs and thick grey hides, and seldom bother large groups but occasionally attack parties of fewer than four members. They are feral, easily manipulated, and often used by moredhels for attacks on the Kingdom of the Isles.

The manual also includes a quote from Silverthorn in which Murmandamus, preaching about his planned mustering of Northlands races for the Great Uprising, refers collectively to goblins, mountain trolls, and giants as "our servants."

Krondor: The Betrayal

Lowland and highland trolls share a roughly humanoid appearance, with near-nonexistent necks and forward-thrusting heads resembling a deceptively comical perpetual shrug, low foreheads, jutting lower jaws, and large teeth with protruding lower tusks which overlap their upper lips, but thir behavior differs significantly. Lowland trolls have no language and cannot use weapons or tools. Highland trolls, while stupid by human standards, have a language which sounds to humans like grunting and squawks but can speak broken Kingdom tongue as well; they are surprisingly dextrous, have a social organization, wield weapons such as war clubs, and are excellent fighters.

Trolls, along with goblins, giants, and renegade humans, are among those who willingly serve the moredhel despite the moredhel hatred for other races, making them a significant military force despite their low numbers. They participated in the Great Uprising ten years ago, augmenting Murmandamus's forces in the battles of Armengar, Highcastle, and Sethanon.^[2]

When asked if he intends to stay in Raglam to receive a reward for "rescuing" Kroldech, James replies, "When trolls can fly."^[3]

Return to Krondor

Several items, such as Aqua Fortis and Aqua Regia, are originally sourced from the Trollhome Mountains.

The combat spell Trollish Blood allows the caster's allies to regain Health at the end of each round of combat, mimicking the ability of Lowland Trolls to do the same.

In Chapter 5, the party can battle a number of Lowland Trolls by exploring the Calastius Mountains, and especially by visiting the Troll Cave north of the Wayfarer Inn.

Lowland Trolls

Lowland Trolls are Level 5 Warriors. They have no magic, but wield two-handed weapons and can heal 25% of damage done to them every round. The official strategy guide notes that Trolls are some of the game's most difficult enemies but usually carry high-quality loot.^[4]

External Links

• Troll and Trollhome Mountains at the Midkemia Wiki

Trivia

• Krondor: The Betrayal's account of Lowland Trolls contradicts the weapon-wielding Lowland Trolls in Return to Krondor.

References