Trolls

Trolls are a race of humanoid monsters which have long harried travellers on the roads and bridges of Britannia, Serpent Isle and Pagan alike. Sapient and capable of speech, these brutish creatures appear to have adapted much of their culture from that of mankind, and have, on occasion, been able to peaceably exist among humans.

Trolls appear in in Ultima III,  IV,  V,  VI,  VII,  VII Part Two,  VIII, and  IX, as well as in the Ultima Underworld series.

Trolls of Sosaria and Britannia
The origins of Britannian trolls are not entirely clear. In Exodus's Sosaria, trolls could often be found in the company of orcs or goblins, and were subject to dissolution by the same magicks which affected their companions, indicating that they may have been wrought from the selfsame experiments which created goblinkind. Later theorists, however, would posit that trolls descended from human stock, and that they had their origins amongst various groups of mountain dwelling people.

Whatever their beginnings, trolls long proved a nuisance to the people under Lord British's rule, waylaying and murdering travellers for their possessions. Favoring simple weaponry, such as slings, throwing axes and  clubs, trolls were of relatively weak constitution and prove little trouble for a seasoned warrior, although those not trained in the fighting arts could soon be overwhelmed by them.

For many years, trolls appeared to have little by the way of a culture, with their scant belongings almost always being stolen from slaughtered humans. During Sir Cabirus's radical attempt to colonize the Abyss, however, many trolls were found who were willing to embrace the way of the Avatar, and were subsequently converted to the path of the Eight Virtues. These Abyssal trolls managed for a time to coexist peaceably with the Knights of the Crux Ansata, and even after the eventual collapse of the colony still maintained cordial relations with humans.

Sadly, this group of peaceable trolls did not endure, and by the time of the Guardian's first incursions into Britannia, the species once more appeared predisposed to violence and rapine. During these early years of the Age of Armageddon, the voice of the malevolent Destroyer of Worlds had reached this volatile species, rallying them in preparation for his eventual invasion. Despite this early allegiance to the Guardian, however, the trollish race did not appear to have survived the ravages of the Imbalance and subsequent Great Cataclysm, and were not present in the realm during the Guardian's arrival upon it.

Trolls of Pagan
On Pagan, trolls had once been a proud race, skilled in magic and industry, and oftentimes allies to humanity. It is unknown how they declined into barbarism, but the Pagan trolls eventually lost their arcane powers and came to subsist largely as raiders, stealing toraxes that they might eat their raw flesh. By the time of the Avatar's arrival on their dark world, the once-noble creatures had fallen such that they were indistinguishable from the trolls of other lands.

Ice Trolls
Main article: Ice Trolls

On the cold world of Serpent Isle, a sub-species of trolls existed known as ice trolls - blue skinned creatures whose very presence caused a magical chill to befall those surrounding them. These beings behaved much like their counterparts in warmer climes, existing as thieves and brigands which preyed upon the unwary.

Lore






Notable Examples

 * Brigant: a foul-mouthed villain staying in Buccaneer's Den during Ultima IV
 * Rawstag: a peculiar troll with a love of red gems; has a strange habit of referring to the Avatar as Rodriguez; appears in Ultima Underworld I and II
 * Gharl: a prisoner of the Yew High Court; appears in Ultima VII
 * Grod: a torturer in the employ of the Fellowship in Ultima VII
 * Garg a troll kept imprisoned at the goblin outpost on Tarna in Ultima Underworld II; if freed, he would slaughter every goblin in the prison as he made his escape
 * Blog: a friendly troll living beneath the Pits of Carnage who has developed a fascinating game involving stones; appears in Ultima Underworld II
 * Meltzar: a Pagan troll who had fallen into a prolonged magical sleep and awakened to witness the descent of his race into brutality. Ultimately gets killed by an over-eager guard.

Trivia

 * Trolls were to be included in the cancelled Ultima X. See Planned Monsters for Ultima X for further details.
 * One troll exists in Ultima IX, guarding the bridge near Paws. It looks to be of similar stock as the goblins of the realm and demands money from the Avatar in exchange for passage
 * For some unknown reason, all trolls in Ultima VII and Ultima VII Part Two sport a mohawk haircut.