Trolls are one of the three main types of Grosslings in the Silent World, appearing in the webcomic Stand Still, Stay Silent. Created from humans infected by the Rash Illness, these creatures are almost unrecognisable, only appearing human from a distance.
Characteristics[]
Trolls are believed to have developed out of humans, but are barely recognizable as such due to their heavily distorted features and multiple, disfigured limbs. They do not grow much larger than a human, short of changing into a giant. The presence of a troll always brings a clear and present risk of non-immune humans becoming infected with the Rash Illness, but unlike with other monsters, the distance over which infection can take place varies with type; "wheezing" trolls exude their infectious breath up to one meter around themselves, whilst "spitters" can cover up to ten meters. The mechanisms through which the Illness turns a fraction of its victims into monsters, in turn, remain unknown so far.
There is a saying in the Silent World - "no two trolls are alike, as no two humans are." A major reason for this statement is that humans develop extreme, highly individual bodily deformations as they turn into trolls, unlike beasts, which remain almost indistinguishable from their former species. The end result may well vary from fast-running hunters to massive ambushers. Among the more common traits are growing extra limbs, ribs acting as limbs, and extending the spine into either additional body length or a tail.
It is possible that the human might regain a certain level of consciousness and speech, because humans that became part of a giant provably can when the giant is killed or dismembered. As a whole, however, their typical characteristic is that they will approach and attack humans and human settlements whenever they notice any, with the only exception being the Vættur subspecies. There are contradictory hints on the intelligence that trolls (and, by extension, giants) have. On the one hand, they seem to be kept out of safe areas by rather simple means, such as palisades, and seem to fail to learn the ever-identical tactics used by cleansers. On the other hand, they are repeatedly said to not start an attack indiscriminately, suggesting that they are capable of weighing their options beforehand.
A troll's nest
Trolls are vulnerable to fire, which is commonly used by cleansers to destroy their nests. Sunlight and moonlight also seems to either incapacitate or discourage them. They are also sensitive to low temperatures, retreating into a "nest," which they also use to lie in ambush and wait for victims. These nests are generally dark places hidden away, such as deep within a building, overgrown with "meat moss" and dripping wet. It has been suggested that communication between trolls is rather poor. This was explained by Sigrun, who told her team that, whilst a gunshot is bound to attract the attention of nearby monsters, killing one with a knife blade does not.
Subtypes[]
Vættur[]
Vættur are a subtype of troll that avoid attacking (humans, at least) and prefer to stay in hiding, observing and learning the habits of those passing by. It is believed that this behaviour serves later attacks, often leading to people disappearing without any hints left of what happened. Pre-Rash Finland dedicated term "metsänpeitto" for similar incidents caused by maahinen.
Whilst the terms "troll" and "vættir" were in existence pre-Rash, it is worth noting that they had an entirely different meaning at the time, to the point that trolls were a subcategory of vættir, instead of the other way around. Also, regional differences between and historic changes of the meanings make it all but impossible to authoritatively translate even the pre-Rash term "vættir" to English. Its original meaning was "wight", but translators have gone through many terms, including "gnome", "goblin", "imp", "fay" and "boggart," in attempt to provide an appropriate match.
Sjødraug[]
Another subtype of troll that usually refrains from attacking humans are the sjødraug (lit. "water revenant"), trolls inhabiting bodies of water well protected from weather extremes, commonly found along the Norwegian coast. It is theorised that these trolls somehow got caught in such waters and adapted accordingly, resulting in bloated bodies and unusually very passive behaviour, even becoming sedentary to the point of immobility.
However, once a sjødraug has been disturbed by humans to the point of attacking and managed to make its way onto dry land, its grown mass and thickened hide make it rather difficult to kill it and the physical power that allows it to move in the first place also make it dangerous opponent. It is commonly believed that the best tactic for killing trolls of this size and strength is to walk away slowly, luring the sjødraug away from water, causing it to beach itself so that it would eventually die from dehydration or sunlight.
Duskling[]
Dusklings are a form of troll that have what seems to be a shell of soil and plants covering their back, partially protecting them from sunlight, allowing them to venture out at dawn while the sun is still out.
Dusklings speak in a childish manner, in incomplete sentences or even isolated words. They greet and address their prey - anything that isn't one of their own - as "food". While weak by themselves and not possessing much strength or protection, a whole horde of Dusklings poses a substantial threat to humans.