Swamp troll

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Swamp trolls are a breed of trolls found in the deep pools and lazy rivers of the Bloodsmeath, the Wythmoor, and the Fenn Marshes. They are squat, squamous creatures adapted to the forbidding terrain of deep wetlands.

Physical Characteristics

Swamp trolls possess incredible strength, powerful regenerative abilities, and a seemingly endless capacity to eat. Unlike other trolls, they are amphibious and can remain beneath the water for a seemingly indefinite time due to their massive lung capacity. The skin of a swamp troll is slick and covered with a protective layer of mucus that helps it regulate temperature, which is important because of the amount of time it spends submerged in cool waters. Beneath its skin, a thick layer of blubber aids this temperature regulation, allowing a swamp troll to remain absolutely still in the water for many hours at a time.[1]

Its long, sticky tongue can lash out with unnerving speed and accuracy against a target a great distance away and drag it back for the troll to consume. Any creature snagged by a swamp troll’s tongue is dragged to its waiting maw and crushed between its teeth. A swamp troll can pull a fully grown man a long distance with its tongue, and it can distend its throat pouch to accommodate such a target, swallowing prey whole in one prolonged gulp. The swamp trolls' long, adhesive tongue is echoed in any whelp they spawn.[1]

A swamp troll can remain still in the water long enough for algae and duckweed to grow on its skin, thereby obtaining a thick layer of natural camouflage that makes it nearly invisible in the water. Swamp troll feet are webbed with thick skin that allows them to propel itself underwater with short, powerful kicks.[1]

Behaviour

Swamp trolls are generalist ambush predators that lurk mostly submerged in water and wait patiently for prey to wander near, the tops of their exposed heads and eyes the only signs of their presence. When prey comes close, the swamp troll lashes out with its tongue to ensnare its prey. A swamp troll also can feed by whipping its tongue through the massive clouds of flying insects that swarm above the water’s surface. A single swipe can capture hundreds of insects - enough of a snack to tide the troll over.[1]

As a swamp troll swims, it grasps underwater roots or submerged stones with its enormous hands and pulls itself along beneath the surface. Swamp trolls occasionally scoop up sediment with their gigantic hands, using them as crude filters to locate prey hiding in the mud. A swamp troll will not hesitate to pick the fish from a swamp dweller's net and then surface to drag the screaming fisherman from his boat as well. The only creatures that can reasonably coexist with swamp trolls are trollkin.[1]

Employment

Wetland trollkin kriels sometimes capture the beasts and train them for war. Although stubborn and slow-witted, a swamp troll under the direction of a warlock can become a terrifying threat on the battlefield. Until recently they were rarely seen far from their dank homes, but now they regularly venture far afield in the service of trollkin warlocks, who value the creatures for their startling and unnerving capabilities.[1][2]

References

Creatures
Sapient Bog trogBogrinCephalyxCroakDragonDreggDwarfEfaaritElf (IosanNyssStrider) • FarrowGatormanGiantGobberGrymkinHumanInfernalLetheanOgrun (Black ogrun) • Pygmy trollSatyxisSkorneTharnTotem hunterTrollkin
Non-sapient AnimantaraxAradusArchidonArgus (Argus moonhoundWinter argus) • BasiliskBisonBlackhideBlack tatzylwurmBletcherBrute boarBurrow-mawgCataphract beetleCeropsCrypt spiderCyclopsDeep drakeDesert hydraDevil ratDracodileDragon fishDragonspawn (Nephilim) • DrudgeDune prowlerDuskwolfFeroxFog drakeFrost drakeGallows groveGiant hogGnarlhorn satyrGoraxGorgandurGrotesqueHornbeak traskHorseHull grinderIncubusIronback spitterKaelramLemaxMammothMonstrosityPainted tatzylwurmPale tatzylwurmRaevhan buffaloRazorbatRazor boarRazor wormReptile houndRhinodonRip horn satyrRotterhorn griffonSaquScarabScarsfell griffonSea drakeShadowhorn satyrSkiggSkirovik mountain goatSludge bruteSnapperSpine ripperStorm raptorSwamp horrorThornwood maulerThroatfishThrone of EverblightThrullgTitanTroll (Dire trollEarthborn dire trollGlacier kingMountain kingNight trollPitch trollPyre trollSlag trollStorm trollSwamp trollTroll whelpWinter troll) • UlkUrthekVektissViper tatzylwurmWarpwolf (Pureblood) • Widow bear
Undead BoneswarmDeathlessDuelist wraithDreadDreadboundEldritch (Riven) • EntombedExcruciatorFeralgeistGenzoulHollowedIron lichIron maidenKovaasMachine wraithPistol wraithRevenantSand dervishScyllaSepulchral lurkerShadeShaft wightSpectreSwamp shamblerThrall (Bane thrallBile thrallBloat thrallBrute thrallMechanithrallScrap thrallSkarlock thrallSoulhunterStitch thrall) • Void spirit