Beasts of uncompromising stature and smell, trolls are staples of both the child's nightmare and the cryptobestiary. Covered almost completely in red and brown hair, they emit a small amount of light from their eyes so as to see better in the dark. It's said that a troll sleeps under each and every bridge in the world. This author hasn't found this to be true, but like most folklore, it "has the right idea".
The troll is less a fighter and more a bureaucrat. Demanding a toll of one gold coin from every passerby, he plies a small business in intimidating and shocking those who still carry gold coins in this day and age. The rest are, depending on the troll, refused passage and admonished, or attacked and eaten.
With jagged fangs and sharp claws, the troll is about as hard to kill as any modern Kodiak bear. A high-caliber firearm, axe, or any other conventional weapon will likely do the job. Of course, the easiest and by far least painful method is to run the troll over (how often do you walk across a bridge nowadays anyway?).
-HTK
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