Trollbloods

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The Trollbloods are cool Scottish/Celtic/Viking troll people who (for once!) are the best people in their entire settings. While trolls are often cast as child eating monsters in other games (see Warhammer Fantasy), here these poor creatures have been kicked and abused through their race's history by mankind (who, even so, are not the biggest dicks in the Warmachine setting).

Since even before the times of the Orgoth invasion of the continent the Trollbloods were feared by humankind and often enslaved to serve humans in various menial positions, most noticeably during the reign of the Menite Priestkings. As the rise of the new nations come into play still the Trollbloods were treat with scorn and used. The most recent example was the breaking of trust and oaths of friendship by the king of Cygnar, who worked events that a great host of Trollbloods would be right in the path of the Skorne as they attempted to invade the east borders of Cygnar. This seems to have been the straw that broke the camel's back however as many Trollbloods now seek to establish a land for themselves free of any interference and they will take the land of humans if needs be.

Because of their status as underdogs many see the Trollbloods as the heroic faction in the setting, which sounds about right as they are not trying to invade or enslave anyone, they are fighting for their very existence at the moment. They are also notable as being the only faction in Hordes (and Warmachine for that matter) who have not dicked anyone and who are not out to dick anyone.

Trollbloods come in a range of excellent troll-y flavours, from man sized trollbloods closest to humans, most intelligent and with some regeneration powers, to their larger and less intelligent troll cousins who have a wide variety of interesting abilities (pyre trolls for example as living furnaces capable of flinging burning globs at enemies). Next is the dire trolls who are the least intelligent but strongest and fiercest of all trolls.

All trolls are capable of regeneration to some degree. Trollbloods themselves can regenerate from most injuries given time and food. Trolls themsevles have a form of regeneration that is far faster, replacing even lost limbs in a matter of seconds.

They work well as a faction and played right using their natural regeneration powers they have some staying power.

Real life

In ancient Scandinavia individuals that would in other countries be burned for witchery, were supposed to be Trollblood or Halftroll. The typical Trollblood would be an antisocial, grumpy person of physically strong appearance, early turned gray, spending much time alone in the wilderness. Suspected traits would include berserk, cannibalism, practicing sorcery, shapeshifting, natural magical abilities or the like. Depending on the circumstances they might live as a mighty Viking warrior or die as the target of a classical witch hunt, in either case they would be feared and shunned.

Characters

Nothing says "I want peace" like plunging a giant axe into your skull

Chief Madrak Ironhide: The unfortunate chieftain of the trollbloods, leading his people to establish a place for themselves. Is now more infamously known as the World Ender, named and thanks to his cursed axe, Rathrok, the World Ender, which he wielded to save his people. The axe drives him more violent by the day and has another unfortunate side effect of killing one of his men everytime Madrak takes a hit, even if it is non-lethal. Ouch. And despite his best efforts it refuses to leave, until recently but now the Circle has it. Which really sucks considering he is one of the more peaceful trollbloods unlike some dickhead to be mentioned below.

Hoarluk Doomshaper: This old xenophobic crazy dickhead is probably the reason, and maybe the only reason, why the Trollbloods still have a chance in this war, considering he brought the Dire trolls to their side. Unlike Madrak, he wants to establish a land for Trollbloods carved out in human blood and prefers to see the human race, and probably other races while he is at it, wiped out from Immoren, which given how humans are a lot more than Trollkin, good luck with that. That being said, he did managed to impress an ancient dire troll by surviving a punch the force of a charging locomotive from the dire troll, and even cutting of his own hand and regenerating it within minutes after taking said punch. Say what you will about him, but that is pretty metal for an old geezer. His tabletop epic version is the best warbeast-lock in the trollbloods faction. Take Mulg with his epic version, ALWAYS. Isn't a big of a dick towards Madrak, who he recognizes as one of the final hopes of the trollkin race. Some Circle Orboros assassins once tried assassinating Madrak in order to replace him with a more pro-Circle leader. Doomshaper stopped it. Violently.

Borka Kegslayer: A manly trollblood priest who does a better job running his warband like a drunken frat party. His lifelong goal is to sire as many bastards as he can, but unlike other fathers-of-the-year, he welcomes his bastards into his warband once they come of age and proven themselves. Probably the only trollblood leader, along with his men, who is actually having fun in this war. Reminds you of anyone? Also the only other trollblood besides Hoarluk who manages to get a dire ice troll to his side via head bashing and booze. Despite his drunken tendencies and happy-go-lucky attitude, he is smarter than he lets on and is often the mediator between Madrak's and Hoarluk's polar opposites. He also does not work directly for Madrak though he heeds his advice.

Captain Gunnbjorn: One of the two warnouns in the setting to be able to say, in all seriousness, "I have a rocket launcher, your argument is invalid." Gunnbjorn is a veteran of Cygnar's army, and he lives up to it, bringing his training as a trencher to the United Kriels and trying, with some success, to make an army of proper soldiers out of a pack of Scottish-analogue warrior types. His thinking is best summed up as "Why bother tossing cabers at the enemy when you could just shoot them in the face?" And when you consider that trollbloods are strong enough to carry around heavy machine guns and deck guns off of ships like a human uses a rifle, a lot of shot faces are left in Gunnbjorn's wake.

Grissel Bloodsong: When you are the acknowledged second-in-command of a guy people call 'World Ender' it might surprise people to learn you solve your problems by talking... That is, it might if you couldn't shatter someones bones by yelling loud enough. Grissel is a Fell Caller, somewhere at the midpoint of town crier, screaming berserker, and life-of-the-party inspirational speaker, thanks to the 'blood of Bragg', legendary Trollkin and the first Fell Caller (who really got around) she can magically inspire allies or shout so loud stone crumbles. She first started fighting for the kriels against the Skorne after the death of her husband and was impressed enough by Madrak to take the Kriels she was defending and join up with him. Grissel is the one left actually managing how you feed an army when you have no home, fighting rearguard actions when the Trollbloods retreat, and keeping the United Kriels together when Madrak decides to take a sabbatical to go and destroy his Apocalypse-ushering doom axe.

Grim Angus: A peerless hunter among a race that hunts to live and a former bounty hunter for the Iron Kingdoms until he caught himself giving his quarry a handicap to maintain his interest, Grim returned home to the Ordic swamps to find it overrun by the warring human kingdoms and relocating left them in the path of renewed and bloodthirsty Tharn. The stick up his ass might not be an Orgoth artifact but it still puts him in the running for 'trollkin least likely to have fun' if it wasn't for his assistants Muggs and Krump, two Pygmy Trolls that have taken mastery of Grims cold nature and peerless tracking, trapping, and hunting abilities as their personal mission.

Calandra Truthsayer: A Trollkin shaman (and a rare True Seer) the 'Oracle of the Glimmerwood' disputes what others say about the ill omens of Madrak and Doomshaper, working to interpret (and bending where possible) the strands of fate around the growing band of misfits that follow and protect her, and increasingly those of the United Kriels. Often relying on what seems like just good luck or chance often concerns her allies but the fact it's kept her alive so long speaks to just how clearly she can see the future.

Jarl Skuld: Skuld is an outcast, even among the often nomadic and homeless Trollkin, the 'Devil of the Thornwood' has been happy to plunder kriels just as much as human caravans when the situation called for it. Now the protector of the kin too stubborn to leave the Thornwood after years of aggression from the other forest denizens, war, and Cryxian infiltration (the last of which cost him an eye even a troll can't regenerate) Jarl Skuld is increasingly a folk hero among the kriels with a reputation for being lightning fast and evasive even outside the stolid Trollkin.

Ragnor Skysplitter: The Warlock included in the MK3 Battlebox. Not much is known about him yet, though he seems to be a nicer version of Doomshaper, and a true master of the Heavy Metal Claw pose. Ragnor is great when played with a beast-heavy list, as he can repeatedly cast a 1 Fury spell that gives models cover against ranged attacks and blast damage. His Pulverizer spell, combined with a Dire Troll Mauler's Rage Animus, gives said troll a ridiculous P+S 21 damage roll. His feat makes your opponent roll one less dice when rolling for damage, saving your army's ass when in trouble.

Gallery

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  So I heard you like blueberries, huh?