Culture:  Mixed

Cults:  Zorac Zoran, Kyger Litor, Zong

Found: Bear Woods, Bear Hills

The Guttuz tribe is on permanent war footing at the moment, they are fighting the  Aldyami of Bear Woods, and pushing deeper into the woodlands. This fight is also bringing them into conflict with Balazaring hunters of the area, and some of the chaos emanating from festering isle. Also there is also some internal conflict with some clans unhappy with the new tribal leadership.

As a result of this most encounters with  the Guttuz will be predominantly violent.  Encounters can take a number of different forms.

Undead Raiders

The Guttuz are sending parties of animated undead into enemy territory with orders to destroy all non troll sentiment life they can find. They tend to comprise of a  small number of troll zombies and a larger number of skeletons which could be trollkin or human.

They will not negotiate, talk, use tactics, or ambush in anyway. They will just walk towards the party or other targets and try to kill them .

It is very possible that any corpses found in the troll side of the bear woods will be  reanimated at some point.

Trollkin Raiders

Trollkin raiding parties are also being sent out, primarily to skirmish and kill, but also to set fires in the woods and engage in other acts of guerrilla warfare.

The skirmishing groups main targets are lone elves, runners, Balazaring women and children. They are trying to avoid conflict with groups warriors and inflict damage on more vulnerable targets.

The raiding parties will always be encountered at night, they will send scouts out before them and will usually know of the players first. Groups that seem weak or unprepared will be viable targets, stronger well guarded groups will be avoided, thought is possible night guards will spot the trollkin scouts as they leave the area.

If there were to attack the trollkin would skirmish concentrating most of their fire on one target till it goes down. Then they move onto the next target.

Full War party

A full war party is a full gang of trollkin skirmishes with a group of trolls attached to it. They have been drilled in certain styles of fighting, and will use the same tactic in most situations. This group is mainly local hunters organised into a raiding party with one or two more civilised Zorak Zoran followers leader the party.

The Tribe will send a full war party out against a known target usually identified by trollkin raiders. Their targets will almost always groups of warriors of full communities of either humans or elves.

However they will be very happy to fight any random players they happen to stumble upon. The only exception this may be a troll party, but that may still turn into a fight.

The party travels with 3 trollkin scouts out front, and one to the rear. When combat is initiated the trollkin skirmish line will engage for 2 or 3 rounds with the trolls and zombies hidden out of site. They will then break and run back towards the group of trolls hoping the enemy will give chase.

At that point the trolls and zombies will charge( or stumble) into a hopefully disorganised enemy. If the opposition does not give chase the trolls will charge anyway. Finally the remaining trollkin return in flanking positions from which they attack with missiles or close for the kill.

This will be a very dangerous combat encounter for most parties and should be used scarcely because of such. Allowing the players to retreat early is always an option, or it the players are going down a counter attack by elves or hunters who have been tracking the war party may make for a longer game.

Culture: Barbarian

Cults: Argan Argar

Found: Troll lands, Troll Hunting lands, Open Hunting Lands, Giant Land

Local traders can sometime be found travelling out from the central areas of the troll hills or trade with wild and hunters clans, or set up trade between Gork Hills and Troll hills.

This is not a large trade caravan which will pass through between Dragori Inkarth and troll hills or but  a lone trader and a handful of trollkin guards trying to turn a profit by taking goods from the central troll lands to the outer reaches of the Elder Wilds.

Wares will usually be metal items, pottery items, textiles and more exotic troll foodstuffs, these would be usually traded for furs, ivories, charms and interesting items clans may have picked up.

The trader will seek to avoid all contact with none trolls unless he can be sure they are friendly, as risks will far outweigh any potential profit opportunities.

If encountered at night players will usually encounter a lone scout first who will spot the players, and report back and lead the caravan away from the party. Unless one of the extreme scenarios below is in play.

If the players encounter the trader in the day he will be sleeping in cover with one of the trollkin on watch. If the players are spotted depends very much on the trollkins diligence and skill.

If the players get close to the trader he will never initiate combat, but try to negotiate and talk his way out of any situation. If attacked the trollkin guards will engage and he will attempt to escape to the best of his abilities.

If you want to force a more meaningful encounter between the trader and the players these extreme scenarios will make the Trader interact with the players;

• Trader is fleeing from foe and needs help (trolls, baboons, elves, humans, chaos )
• Trader is badly injured and trollkin approach party to heal him however they don’t speak any human tongues
• Trader is lost and needs directions, will send trollkin to approach the players before he does.
• Trader is currently being attacked and trapped in a defensive position by Wild animals, chaos, trolls, elves, or baboons, the players may help or ignore.
• The Trader has an item worthless for trolls which he thinks is highly valuable to the players and needs to approach them to sell.
• The Traders pack beetles have died and he needs help moving his goods.

Stats

• Troll Trader Party

Culture: Wild

Cults: Zong the Hunter, Kygor Lytor

Found: Troll Lands, Troll Hunting Grounds

Most troll wild clans are nomadic the same as the Balazarings Hunters. It is not rare to find primitive troll clans travelling outside traditional troll hunting grounds but in times of scarcity it can happen all too often.  They will not choose to enter into elf, dwarf or humans strongholds, but may often be found in neutral areas such as the North Plain, or the Dangerground.

They will usually have set up temporary camp in caves, gullies or in thick forest with little direct sunlight. Lookouts are usually posted, but in daylight hours it would be possible for the careful party to discover the trolls before the troll are alerted to them.

A clan will include dark troll hunters, some warriors, trollkin, mothers and troll children, and will always be led by rune level leaders usually of Zong or Kyger Lytor. The clan may be stationary and settled somewhere or on the move to new hunting grounds.

This will not  be entirety of the clan, but the core of the clan when there are numbers of hunting and gathering groups separate from the main group.

The priority for the clan will be to keep the characters away from the mothers and children, and they will become desperate and immediately violent if they think either is under threat. However if the party is not posing a threat, a weak clan will not seek a pointless fight, a weak and hungry clan may.

This can create some interesting opportunities for dialogue and trade, troll hunting clans are interested to news regarding prey and dangers( elves, dwarves, chaos and rival trolls tribes ), they will be interested in metal tools and weapons. They may also be interested in threatening the party into providing them a service such as dealing with a chaos threat, raiding local rivals or seeking directions to safe hunting grounds.

In combat there first response will be to form a perimeter between the party and mothers and children and fight a retreat. Once the mothers and children are a safe distance away they will then send a war party after the characters, either to chase them away or to finish them off.

RQ Encounter Generator

• Small Clan
• Medium Clan
• Large Clan

Culture:  Civilized

Cults:  Kigor Litor, Xiola Umbar, Argan Argar, Gorakiki

Found: Troll Lands

In the Elder wilds a troll priest is almost always a  member of one of the civilized clans, wild and hunter clans tend to have their spiritual needs met by shamans.

A troll priest found outside of the major troll centres will usually be on cult business. This could be a simple as visiting a clan to resolve an issue, declare a judgement on a inter clan matter or be on a spiritual, pastoral or practical quest for their cult.

A priest will be interested in outsiders, she will want to know who they are, why they are here, what they want and what that means for her God. Responses will depend very much on the nature of the priests God, the nature of the players and the responses of the players.  Troll priest tend to be subtle for trolls so combat then dinner is not always the first option to a chance encounter.

If the priest decides that dialogue is the best course of action, one her acolytes or attendants will be sent to be her mouthpiece and as she will not  want to communicate directly with outsiders. Anyone who approaches to speak with her directly will be warned and then moved away by her guards. The exception to this is when she thinks the players are very dangerous, and then she will communicate herself.

If non troll players bore her she will send them away or tell her troll guards to kill them, however if she find them interesting or intriguing she will want to learn what she can from them, or just be entertained by their strange ways.

If the players manage to convince her that their business is both in her interest and interesting, she will invite them to join her if she is visiting a local clan, and she will use them both to confuse the clan and as a status symbol.

If her businesses is elsewhere she will involve the players in a way that suits her if she can, acting as guides, messengers, go betweens or foot soldiers.  She will be careful not risk a cult quest, but if her God has provided the players as her resource she will be very happy to use it.

There are limited numbers of Troll priests in Balazar, and these are Gods they worship;

• Kyger Litor – Common
• Xiola Umbar – Uncommon
• Argan Agar – Very Rare
• Gorakiki – Very Rare

Stats

• Kyger Litor Priest Small Party
• Kyger Litor Priest Large Party
• Xiola Umbar Priest Small Party
• Xiola Umbar Priest Large Party

Culture:  Barbarian and some Hunter Clans

Cults: Zorak Zoran, Kygor Lytor, Zong

Found: Troll Lands

Many trolls clans patrol their lands, these tend to be the larger more civilized clans. Patrols are more usual when a threat is anticipated, but some clans patrol more regularly out of habit.

A patrol will be usually be led by a mid-level dark troll warrior, who will usually be supported by a number of warrior caste trollkin, dependent on clan strength and threat level they may also be supported by more dark or great troll warriors, or dark troll militia. Most patrol leaders will be worshippers of Zorak Zoran or Kygor Litor.

A Patrol will usually try to drive a party away from the clan village or stronghold. If the party looks too strong for the patrol the will shadow the party and send for reinforcements from the Clan. Only if a party appears weak will try and all-out assault.

Dialogue with Patrols will be limited to continued demands that the party leaves the clan lands, the patrol will in no circumstances give permission for the players to cross clan lands until a more senior leader comes from the Clan village.

If the trolls encounter the players resting at night they will launch a night raid unless they are obviously out matched. Upon receiving serious casualties they will flee, If all the dark trolls are put down, all the trollkin will flee.

Tactics will usually be the trollkin using missiles out of the darkness , and after some damage has been done the dark trolls charge from hidden positions to close with the enemy from the front with the trollkin then coming in to flank what opponents are left standing.

Culture:  Civilized

Cults: Kygor Lytor, Zorak Zoran, Zong

Found: Troll Lands

Stats

• Weak Patrol
• Strong patrol