Deepest Greetings. My name is Talus. I am a troll.
I am under the impression that not many of you are aware of the existence of trolls, which is understandable. Not only are faeries and other folk only recently starting to come out (even the mermaids are rumoured to soon reveal themselves), but trolls are very much night creatures, mostly in the sense that there is a strong aversion to the sun with my kind.
And no, I have never lived under a bridge, or fought a goat. People have been asking me that a lot recently, and for the life of me, I have not the faintest idea why.
What is my hometown? Well, you could say that I have two. My first hometown is Aurora Skies. It is a beautiful land, with such beautiful night skies. I live there with my mother, Lady Idris and my younger sister, Rosenrot.
My mother is revered throughout the Court as one of the oldest and wisest of the fey, and has accumulated many stories over the centuries.
My sister . . . is still very much a child. She wishes to be considered an adult, but she can be very caught up in herself and has very flighty, fanciful ideas about life. It can be frustrating at times, and I hope that she grows out of it soon.
I also have my crow friend, Midnight. I found him a few years ago in the winter, and he quickly became my familiar.
My second home is in Hidden Springs. And as beautiful as Aurora Skies is, I must confess that Hidden Springs is better suited for me. Or at least the situation is. You see, the reason that I often travel to Hidden Springs is because I work as a courier for my mother and the Court, delivering messages and packages between the two lands.
I live alone, with only Midnight for company, and there is not much in the way of social functions or gatherings, at which I have always felt uncomfortable. It is a much more calm experience here, essentially, and I have much more time to myself, which I dedicate to gardening, fishing, and my alchemy.
It is absolutely impossible for me to explain in full how much I love my craft. I have dedicated many centuries to it, practicing wherever and whenever possible, having made many contributions.
For instance, I have mentioned that trolls have an aversion to sunlight. You see, that is because the sun has this nasty habit of turning us to stone.
(Do not fret, it only lasts until nightfall.)
Yet through my alchemy, I was able to create an elixir to shield ourselves against the sun’s rays. Even though the daylight is still uncomfortable, no harm comes after the elixir is consumed. This led to my most well-known contribution: Vampiric Sunscreen. My Lifetime Wish of Alchemy Artistan is fulfilled, and I have built a successful career for myself out of my skills.
I have always found myself as a loner, content with my solitude for years, but the funny thing about solitude are the thoughts that always accompany you.
Recently, I have been plagued by a rather troubling one; in spite of my reserved ways, am I finding myself . . . lonely? I have my family, and Midnight, but I have recently had this nagging feeling that I am needing something more, something deeper.
My mother has vaguely described what I feel I need as a “Companion,” and mentioned something about “picking up strays”, which only left me deeply confused.
Midnight is my companion that I found wandering around outside, but I highly doubt that that is what my mother means.
Luckily for me (or so she insists), Rosenrot was ever kind enough to explain it as, “Get a girlfriend, you dummy!” and then proceeded to sign me up for this without my knowledge.
Rosen, you are still but a child, and give as like responses, and this is your most frustrating scheme yet (you know that I do not do well in groups!), but you may be on to a sliver of an idea with this . . .
Sponsored by Gwendy.
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Interlude: Trouble at the Mansion.
