See also Half-troll.
The Half-trolls of Perdorogwaith are monsters, created by Sauron long ago. These brutish warriors are savage and unintelligent, but nonetheless are a force to be reckoned with. Their warriors are strong and without fear. Their Rhino cavalry can cut through great armies. And worst of all, all Half-trolls have a lust for blood that does not stop until they are destroyed. Recently, they have entered once more into an alliance with Mordor, and the Southrons as well, and have made peace with the Morwaith. Many soon will fight to destroy the realm of Gondor, but for now they have enemies closer at hand: the Taurethrim of the jungles and the Cerinrim of the bushlands.
History
The Half-trolls are a mysterious and brutish race unlike any other in Middle-Earth, the inhabitants of the volcanic land of Perdorogwaith on the eastern coasts of Far Harad. They are monstrous creatures that resemble stunted trolls with tusks, dark skin, and Orcish customs. All of the Far Haradrim tribes hate and fear them, and many call them Grey Demons, telling many legends about their origins and claiming that they devour men whole. Their origins are shrouded in mystery, and from Far Harad to the lands of Gondor many tales are told of how the Half-trolls came to be. But most of them are less horrible than the truth: the Half-trolls are the results of an experiment conducted by Sauron.
In SA 1702, Sauron had recently lost the War of the Elves and Sauron, in which the armies of Mordor invaded Eriador but, eventually, were successfully repelled by the High Elves and the Men of Númenor. His defeat made clear to him that he needed new types of Morgul-spawn to improve his armies, which at the time were almost entirely composed of simple Orcs. Sauron had already experimented in the crossing of Orcs and Men, resulting in the Uruk-hai, but he had been unsuccessful at breeding them in large numbers, and his enemies had learned of their existence. To avoid their scrutiny, Sauron left Mordor in secret and travelled south to Tol Torog, a desolate volcanic island off the eastern coast of Far Harad.
Whether Sauron genuinely crossbred Trolls and Men or whether his experimentation was performed through other means cannot be said for certain. What is known is that the results were impressive. Sauron's Half-trolls were twice the size of Men and four times as strong, and they were resistant to sunlight, as Sauron had hoped that they would be. But the experiment was not a complete success. Sauron had hoped that his Half-trolls would be able to lead the armies of Mordor, but the Half-trolls soon proved to be rather unintelligent, less so than Orcs and Uruks, and just as quarrelsome as his other servants were. The nail in the coffin, however, was that the Half-trolls bred slowly. It would take centuries for them to reach numbers great enough for them to be of any use, and Sauron did not have centuries to spare. Deeming the Half-trolls a failure, he abandoned them, returning to Mordor and leaving Tol Torog to them.
The Half-trolls quickly seized Tol Torog for their own, dotting it with their simple one-room houses and hunting several local animal species to extinction. It didn't take long for their warlords to begin to look southwards across the narrow channel that separated Tol Torog from the mainland, and about a century after Sauron left the Half-trolls to their fate, they crossed it and began raiding the land beyond. The Eastern Morwaith tribes that dwelt in the region were no match for them, and soon the Half-trolls drove them from that part of the coast entirely. They swept down from Tol Torog to the river Seregduin, and from there they claimed a long, crooked volcanic peninsula that lay further south. Fearful Númenórean mariners named these lands Perdorogwaith, and they quickly became desolate.
The Half-trolls were bloodthirsty and savage by nature, and so their warlords constantly attacked the Eastern Morwaith tribes that bordered Perdorogwaith, seeking to turn the blades of their people against something other than each other. Entire tribes were massacred by the Half-trolls, and the Morwaith quickly became their favourite targets, as they were close at hand and couldn't match the sheer strength of Sauron's monstrous creations. The Half-trolls, from the beginning, had a hatred for all men, and for most of their history they would kill any that they encountered, making no alliances save amongst themselves.
The Eastern Morwaith, however, had no such reservations. When a Taurethrim king led his people north to the forests west of Perdorogwaith and founded the Empire of Kimen Kâh, the Eastern Morwaith allied with them out of desperation, and the Taurethrim and Morwaith worked together to keep the Half-trolls at bay. And they were successful - the Half-Trolls were unable to break out of Perdorogwaith for decades, as the armies of Kimen Kâh constantly kept them beyond the borders of the forest. Rage and hatred for the Taurethrim began to build up among the Half-trolls, and it got to the point that, for the first time, they united. In SA 2161, the greatest warlords of the Half-trolls met at Durfalas, a site on the eastern coast of Perdorogwaith where sacrifices to Sauron were frequently performed, and there made an alliance against Kimen Kâh.
The Half-trolls gathered their armies and swarmed Kimen Kâh, crushing the troops of the Taurethrim and Morwaith in a battle on the edges of the forest before besieging the city itself. The Taurethrim recalled all of their armies to defend the last bastion of their once-great empire, but it was of no use. Kimen Kâh fell, and the Half-trolls slaughtered its entire population, killing so many that the river at which the city was built ran red, for which reason it was named the Seregduin, the River of Blood. The Half-trolls burned Kimen Kâh to the ground, and the parts of the forest that had once been the heartland of its empire became cursed, slowly withering due to an unbreaking shroud of fog. This forest, the Taur-i-Thorogrim, remained under the control of the Half-Trolls for millennia.
With the Taurethrim gone, the Eastern Morwaith were now faced with united Half-troll armies, and their hope seemed slim. But in desperation, the Morwaith tribes united, and so they were able to prevent the Half-trolls from progressing beyond the Taur-i-Thorogrim. This lack of process infuriated the Half-trolls, and the alliance between the warlords fractured as the Second Age came to a close. The Half-trolls began to fight amongst themselves, coating Perdorogwaith with their own blood, and the Morwaith took advantage of this. Allying with the Limwaith of the nearby Mangroves, the Eastern Morwaith struck back, driving the Half-trolls back beyond the rivers that bordered Perdorogwaith, which they held. The victorious Far Haradrim were unable to advance into Perdorogwaith itself, but the Half-trolls had nonetheless been weakened as the Third Age dawned.
By the start of the Third Age, Perdorogwaith had been more or less completely converted into the Half-trolls' new home. The volcano-ridden land had already been somewhat desolate, but the Half-Trolls finished the job, driving out many animal species and desecrating the land. They made few large-scale settlements; the Half-trolls, for the most part, lived alone, and their tribes were often spread out over large swaths of land. There were, however, a few exceptions. A larger village was built at Durfalas shortly after the fall of Kimen Kâh, near the great black rock that marked the site where the warlords had made their alliance. Similar villages, at one point, were built along the Seregduin and on Tol Torog. Tol Torog itself was crudely fortified, and near the southern tip of Perdorogwaith several Half-troll tribes banded together and built Hartorogost shortly after the start of the Third Age, a crude city that quickly became the heart of power in Perdorogwaith.
As the Third Age began, the Limwaith began to turn their attention away from the Half-trolls and towards the Taurethrim, and the Half-trolls seized on their chance to rebound. They swept back into the forests of the eastern Grasslands and resumed their raids on Morwaith villages, terrorizing the tribes of the east, who barely managed to keep the hordes of Perdorogwaith from destroying their civilization. The Morwaith managed to prevent the Half-trolls from desecrating the Great Lakes, but they ran rampant in the forest, and the Morwaith tribes were at their mercy for most of the rest of the Age.
Seeking more of a challenge, the Half-trolls began raiding the Mangroves as well, razing several Limwaith villages and teaching the fisher-folk to fear them. As they began cutting south across the coast, however, they discovered more worthy opponents - the Cerinrim. The Men of the Bushlands, who worshipped a brutal War God, despised the Half-trolls above all else, and war broke out between the two immediately, with the Limwaith often getting caught in the middle. Over the course of the Third Age, many wars were fought between the Half-trolls and the Cerinrim, and the two came to hate each other fiercely. For the Cerinrim, nothing held greater honour than sacrificing a Half-troll to the War God, and the warlords of the Half-trolls were united in their desire to see the Cerinrim utterly exterminated.
At the end of the Third Age, as Sauron returned to Mordor and began rebuilding his base of power, he remembered his long-abandoned creations, and sent emissaries to Perdorogwaith. The Warlords of the Half-trolls met with these emissaries at Durfalas, and once more they entered into an alliance, this time in the service of Mordor. Sauron's servants told the Half-trolls tales of a land far to the north, a land inhabited by Men opposed to Mordor. The Half-trolls pledged to aid in Sauron's war against them, and in turn Sauron promised the Half-trolls that they would be given all of Far Harad to rule. Immediately, the warlords began sending companies north to join the Southrons to aid in battles at the Crossings of Poros, and once more the Half-trolls became wholly devoted to Sauron.
But Sauron had a task for the Half-trolls to perform in Far Harad, as well. He ordered them to increase the frequency and size of their attacks on the Morwaith, and the Half-trolls gladly complied. At the same time, Sauron sent emissaries to the chieftains of the Eastern Morwaith, promising to bring an end to the attacks if they swore allegiance to him. The Morwaith eagerly complied, and Sauron ordered the Half-trolls to halt their attacks on the Morwaith, and even march alongside armies of them on the way to the war that brews in the north. The Half-trolls are hungry for blood, and the coming war with Gondor is sure to sate their bloodlust.
Conflict is brewing between Gondor and Mordor. All of Harad is in motion, as armies sworn to Mordor march to the Poros or to the Eastern Desolation, rallying for the end of their ancient enemies. Along them march the armies of the Half-Trolls, utterly loyal to the Red Eye, and sure to play a role in the war that is to come.
Locations
The Half-trolls only naturally spawn in their homeland of Perdorogwaith as well as Taur-i-Thorogrim and the Far Harad Volcano biomes.
Alignment
The Half-trolls are allied only with Mordor, Near Harad, and Isengard, but are neutral with all other evil factions. They are enemies with all of the Free Peoples. They encourage of war crimes (the killing of enemy civilians).
Ranks of the Half-trolls:
- Enemy (-)
- Stranger (0)
- Half-troll Guest (+10)
- Half-troll Scavenger (+50)
- Troll-kin (+100)
- Half-troll Warrior (+200)
- Half-troll Raider (+500)
- Half-troll Warlord (+1000)
- Troll Chieftain (+2000)
Inter-faction relations for Half-trolls (HALF_TROLL)
| Allies |
Friends |
Neutral |
Enemies |
Mortal Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| •Mordor | •Isengard •Near Harad |
•Angmar •Dol Guldur •Dunland •Gundabad •Morwaith •Rhúdel |
None | •Blue Mountains •Bree-land •Dale •Dorwinion •Dúnedain of the North •Durin's Folk •Fangorn •Gondor •High Elves •Hobbits •Lothlórien •Rohan •Taurethrim •Woodland Realm |
Sphere of Influence
Their area of influence covers all of Perdorogwaith, as well as several neighbouring islands, parts of the forests to the west, and around the Crossings of Poros.
The Half-troll's Sphere of Influence
Invasions
Half-troll invasions spawn normal half-trolls as well as warriors and banner bearers. They only spawn uncommonly in Taur-i-Thorogrim.
Conquest
Conquerable biome
Perdorogwaith, Taur-i-Thorogrim, Far Harad, Southron Coasts, Harnennor, Harondor, Ithilien, Gondor (and all its sub-biomes), White Mountains, Far Harad Volcano.
Ally aids only
Mordor, Rohan, Fangorn, Wilderland, East Bight, Dale, Rhúdel, Dorwinion, Erebor, Iron Hills, Dagorlad and Emyn Muil.
NPCs
The Half-trolls are all brutal, though some are more deadly than others.
- Half-troll - Vicious, inhuman savages that look like a mix of Men and Trolls. They are larger than the player and have dark skin, animal-like tusks and horns, and are without weapons or armour, wearing only minimal, raggedy clothes.
- Half-troll Warrior - Warriors of the Half-trolls. Unlike their civilian brethren, they wear Half-troll armour and wield Half-troll weapons, which includes scimitars, daggers, pikes, warhammers, maces, and battleaxes. They have no ranged variant.
- Half-troll Rhino Rider - Half-troll Warriors mounted on rhinos, which are equipped with Half-troll Rhino Armour. They spawn somewhat rarely.
- Half-troll Banner-Bearer - Half-troll Warriors that carry the banners of the Half-trolls.
- Half-troll Scavenger - Unusual traders that spawn randomly in small groups. They sell odds and ends to the weary traveller, and buy odds and ends in turn. Unlike every other trader, they will attack anyone with negative Half-troll alignment with their poisoned daggers.
- Half-troll Warlord - The great leaders of the Half-trolls, who spawn in Half-troll Chieftain Houses. These fearsome warlords will allow those with sufficient Half-troll alignment hire Half-trolls, warriors, and rhino riders for a price.
Structures
The Half-trolls aren't exactly architects, but nonetheless are a force to be reckoned with.
- Half-troll House - One-room clay houses home to vicious Half-trolls. They are crudely-made, shaped like large boulders that, occasionally, have chimney-holes in the roof. The sole rooms of these houses contain crafting tables, two loot chests, and a fire pit in the centre. One Half-troll spawns per house.
- Half-troll Warlord House - More elaborate Half-troll houses, which are home to Half-troll Warlords. They're about twice as large on the outside as standard houses and are covered in skulls. These houses are still one-room, but those rooms are larger, and contain crafting tables, two loot chests, skulls, Half-troll banners, and a table of command. They are somewhat less-common than standard houses, for obvious reasons.
Items
The Half-trolls are crude workers, and though their items are not all that strong, they are cheap for their quality.
Half-troll crafting table - Crude stone and wood crafting tables used for crafting.- Banner of the Half-trolls - Banners depicting a black, grinning skull on a brown field.
- Half-troll equipment - Large, bulky weapons made of flint and stone.
- Half-troll armour - Ramshackle armour used by Half-troll Warriors and made with stone and hide.
- Half-troll rhino armour - Armour used for the Half-trolls' rhino cavalry.
- Torog Stew - A delicacy in Perdorogwaith, Torog Stew is a delightful treat made of flesh, dirt, bones, and a few other secret ingredients. Torog Stew is best served cold.
- Torog Draught - A powerful drink that gives the drinker strength, but is also alcoholic, and will get those with weak tolerance drunk.
|
The Westlands:
Angmar •
Blue Mountains •
Bree-land •
Dale •
Dol Guldur •
Dúnedain of the North Rhûn:
Harad:
Half-Trolls • Morwaith • Near Harad • Taurethrim The Deeps of the Earth:
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