Troll

Trolls are one of the more unique, though not very intelligent, races of Gielinor. Whilst the main population exists within the mountainous troll country known as Trollheim, the race is quite widespread, populations being known to stretch as far as Piscatoris, Neitiznot and Daemonheim; populations of river trolls are also known to exist near most popular fishing spots.

They are something of an oddity when compared with other races such as humans or gnomes. Trolls are split into several different types which all differ from each other greatly. It is not currently known if these are different species of troll or different breeds. These differences reflect the troll race's hardiness, and ability to adapt to a number of extreme environments, although all trolls share some similarities such as their rocky appearances, their thick skins and their relatively low levels of intelligence.

Trolls have always been thought to not follow a particular god, or know what a god is for that matter, but they are in fact followers of Bandos, the god of war. However, they do not seem to actively worship him at all and it's possible this alliance was only short-lived and active during the God Wars.

History and characteristics
While some races of Gielinor have comprehensive and well-documented histories, such as goblins' A History of the Goblinoid Race, trolls have virtually no noted history. It is likely that the trolls keep no written or oral records of their race, and most humans to have had prolonged encounters with them have ended up being beaten to death or eaten.

There are few records of the troll race in the times before the Third Age, although it is known that at the beginning of the God Wars the trolls dwelt inside the same cave-systems and enclaves that they do now. After the dwarven race descended underground to escape the carnage of the war, they were often assailed by mountain trolls in a conflict that still rages to this day.

After the God Wars, trolls continued to live in their native hills and mountains known worldwide as Troll Country, separating the Wilderness from the Fremennik Province. Oddly, the trolls, while violent and warlike in nature, do not appear to be seeking an expansion of borders. While they have been involved in many conflicts, chiefly with dwarves and, more recently, the town of Burthorpe, the trolls have stayed in their relative locations and made no attempt to push forward. Asgarnian scholars have puzzled over this for many decades The Races of RuneScape, as logic would dictate that the troll race would have died out many generations ago. However, while unintelligent and primitive, trolls are hardy, resourceful creatures, and are able to live in the harshest terrains and most unforgiving, freezing lands in all of Gielinor, and have survived for several thousands of years on virtually nothing but their own instincts and ability to adapt to their surroundings with such ease, helped by the fact that trolls are omnivores, being able to eat most plants and animals.

Types of trolls
Trolls are unique in the fact that, whatever their environment, they adapt and change in such drastic ways. There are several different types of troll depending on which area of Gielinor they reside in.

Mountain trolls
Trolls which dwell in caves and rock-like faces, such as Death Plateau and the Troll Stronghold are known as mountain trolls. These are the most prosperous and numerous of the troll races, and are involved in the most quests. Important and notable trolls are generally from this breed and, though some mountain trolls are weaker than other breeds, they appear to be among the more resourceful of the types, forming a primitive society of farmers, chefs, building canopies to live in, and fashioning primitive weapons from bone and granite. In addition to throwing rocks at anyone who would travel through their lands, these trolls devour humans and are known to put them in stews and eat them alive.

Ice trolls
The other mountain-dwelling trolls which live in the harsher and colder regions, such as on Trollweiss Mountain, are known as ice trolls. Ice trolls are some of the most vicious and powerful of the trolls, violently attacking various civilisations on different fronts, such as The Fremennik Isles of Jatizso and Neitiznot, where honour guards find themselves often overwhelmed by both males and females of this sect. This tribe of ice trolls, it is worthy of note, have more of a leader-figure than mountain trolls or Trollweiss Mountain ice trolls, called the Ice Troll King. ice trolls usually use wooden clubs, bones, and large rocks to fight, though they wield them with great accuracy and power. Although most ice trolls adhere to violence, those recruited by the Mahjarrat Bilrach in Daemonheim and small groups such as those featured in the Desert Treasure quest are known to be considerably more intelligent and less aggressive towards humans.

River trolls
Another lesser-known race of trolls, an aquatic species which dispersed all over Gielinor, are the river trolls, which were a discontinued random event, popping up in various fishing spots all over the rivers and seas on the coasts of Gielinor. They held large bones and attacked with melee, often dropping different types of raw fish. They can now be found in Enchanted Valley. They also appear in the Court Cases and Troll Invasion Distractions and Diversions.

Sea trolls
Perhaps the most powerful and alarming species of troll is the elusive sea troll. Sea trolls are as vicious and nasty as their icy brethren, but they are far more organised and less primitive than any of the others. The majority of sea trolls wear and wield very little, only wooden clubs and odd armour fashioned from shells and old ship parts, mostly barrels, an act only repeated by the troll generals of the Mountain Troll Stronghold. Sea trolls are only found at the Piscatoris Fishing Colony, but it is assumed they dwell all over the waters and islands of the Northern Sea. Oddly, the sea trolls, like ice trolls, have a leader, but the Sea Troll Queen is very unlike a troll, but some kind of squid-resembling sea-monster of undisclosed nature.

Troll females and children
Very few troll females appear in game, them being Aga, Egg, Tiny Insect and the troll mother (as well as attackable ice troll females). Some events would suggest that male trolls often fight over females, the females favouring both heroic favours and feats of strength. There are a number of gender differences between males and females, most noticeably the females being much shorter, and having less 'rocky patches' on their skin, or the fact that female trolls have growths on either side of their head that slightly resembles longer hair. Troll children are not unlike human children, they are curious, always playing and joking, crying when separated from their parents, and getting into mischief in general. They are very strong from a young age, and when born are named after the first thing the troll child attempts to eat. This method of naming is what has lead to some of the more humorously named trolls, such as Pretty Flower, Dad, Drunken dwarf's leg and My Arm, although a troll is often very proud of its name regardless. Other trolls are named after the sound their first meal makes, such as Tilt, Flippa, Ug and Arrg. The only known troll children consist of the troll child, Drunken Dwarf's Leg and Sparkly Crystal (as well as attackable ice troll runts).

Graphic Update
The troll species received graphical updates during March 2011. They were one of the last species to still use very old graphics (others being gnomes (updated), fairies (updated) and dwarves (chatheads updated)) with poor animations, which consisted of moving the body slightly up and down. Not only have they got unique chathead animations now, but their bodies were also extremely overhauled, making the mountain trolls look rocky and the ice trolls covered in a fur to keep them warm.

Mountain trolls

 * Ug
 * Aga
 * Arrg
 * Dad
 * My Arm
 * Burntmeat
 * Easta Buni
 * Pretty Flower
 * Baby troll
 * Troll general
 * Magic Stick (troll shaman)
 * Anvil
 * The Map

Ice trolls

 * Ice troll male
 * Ice troll female
 * Ice troll runt
 * Troll child
 * Troll father
 * Troll mother
 * Ice troll
 * Ice Troll King

Sea trolls

 * Sea Troll General
 * Sea Troll Queen

Construction

 * Troll guard

Quests
Trolls also feature in a number of diverse quests in RuneScape.
 * Troll Stronghold
 * My Arm's Big Adventure
 * The Fremennik Isles
 * Swan Song
 * Troll Romance
 * Desert Treasure
 * King of the Dwarves
 * Eadgar's Ruse

Trivia

 * The tradition of naming trolls after the first thing they attempt to eat or the sound their first meal makes seems to be inspired by the Native American naming tradition, which is naming babies after the first thing a parent sees after leaving the structure their child was born in, leading to such names as Running Water and Sitting Bull.
 * According to Tentacle, trolls, or at least mountain trolls, are literally made of rock and can't swim. The troll also commentating in the Gielinor Games admits so and says that trolls swim very fast - downwards.
 * Tentacle also found out that trolls have not yet invented the wheel and the troll at the Games plans on bringing the idea up after he returns. Trolls do, however, have cauldrons and spoons with circular shapes.