Kanin
Symbol: White Rabbit
The Kanin are the largest tribe of trolls, with a population approaching 50,000. They are also one of the wealthiest tribes, and with their specially trained guard known as the Högdragen, they are arguably one of the most powerful.
Like many of the other tribes, the Kanin still practice changelings, but thanks to their prosperity and large population, they do it more infrequently than most. On average, only one out of every ten babies born to a Markis and Marksinna are left with a human host family.
While the Kanin do have some of the minor psychokinetic abilities trolls are known for, like persuasion and healing, they’re most powerful ability is that of color-changing. Like a hyper-chameleon, their skin can change color to blend in with its surroundings, making them nearly impossible to spot.
Doldastam is the capital and largest city of the Kanin, located in the northeastern province of Manitoba in Canada. It was chosen because of its secluded location several miles away from the Hudson Bay. When it was originally settled, the subarctic winters meant that the town was entirely isolated from the rest of the world.
The tribe managed to survive thanks to their dependency on changelings, as well as their Gotland rabbits and Tralla horses. The Gotland rabbits could handle the harsh cold and reproduced quickly, making the Kanin diet largely carnivorous until they were able to properly set up the community and establish a garden year-round.
Now, the Gotland rabbits are revered symbols of the Kanin’s perseverance, adaptability, and quick-thinking. White rabbits are still bred and owned by many of the Kanin people in Doldastam, and eating them is considered taboo.
The Tralla horses were the only things strong and hearty enough to traverse snow in the winters, allowing the trolls to do some trading with the humans. The only road out of Doldastam leads to Churchill, over an hour’s drive away, and from there, the only way to connect to the rest of Canada is by train or plane.
Despite the cold winters, Doldastam enjoys a warmer summer and plethora of wildlife, along with one of the best spots in the world to view the aurora borealis. In fact, the palace in Doldastam was built so the King and Queen’s chambers are in the tallest tower to take in the most encompassing view the aurora borealis.
The current royalty in Doldastam are King Evert Henrik Strinne, cousin of the previous King Elliot Strinne and grandson of the late great King Erland Strinne. He married his bride in April 2010. Queen Mina Viktoria Strinne, formerly Mina Arvinge, an orphan from the quiet Kanin town of Iskyla.
King Evert took the throne in 1999, after the unexpected death of King Elliot and a somewhat countervail coronation. Despite his rough start, King Evert has had a rather quiet, peaceful reign, and he plans to continue the prosperity the Kanin are known for.
Trylle
Symbol: Green Vines
The Trylle are the second most populate tribe in the troll community, and they are also regarded as the most peaceful. They practice changelings more than any other tribe, although in recent years under the new Queen’s reign, the practice has lessened some.
As a result of their frequent use of changelings, they have the most trackers, and therefore the largest army. While the army may not be as skilled as the Kanin’s or as strong as the Omte’s, they are still considered a force to be reckoned with, and have proven themselves in battle many times over.
While physically not as powerful as some of the other tribes, most notably the Omte and the Vittra, the Trylle are the most powerful when it comes to psychokinesis. Many of the offspring born to the Markis and Marksinna have abilities that range from controlling fire and wind to moving objects with their mind and precognition.
Their powers have been dwindling over the years, and many believe that it’s because of their separation from nature. Historically, the Trylle have been the tribe most in tuned to nature, and out of the tribes, they have the most vegetarian diet. They managed to survive the harsh winters of their old homeland in Scandinavia as well as their first years establishing settlements in Canada and Minnesota by harnessing nature and growing gardens, even through snow.
Förening is one of the newest capitals in the troll community, established only a hundred years ago, after the Trylle royalty grew tired of the more extreme winters of northeastern Canada. As a result, their palace and town is very modern compared to that of the Kanin, Skojare, and especially the Omte.
Their current royalty is Queen Wendy Luella Staad, daughter of the previous Trylle Queen Elora Dahl and the former Vittra King Oren Elsing. Her reign began in January 2010, after the death of her mother. She is the product of an attempt to align the Trylle and Vittra, making her the only monarch in power with mixed heritage. While the alliance between her parents failed, Queen Wendy managed to succeed where they did not and brought peace between the two tribes.
The peace was aided in part by her marriage to King Loki Niklas Staad, son of former-Trylle Chancellor Alrik Staad and Vittra Marksinna Olivia Staad. With his position as a high-ranking Markis to the Vittra, their union secured an alliance between the Trylle and the Vittra.
Their son, Crown Prince Oliver Matthew Loren Staad, was born in October 2010, and he will ascend the throne when his mother steps down or after her death.
Queen Wendy had a tumultuous beginning to her reign, starting with a battle against the Vittra, but she has led her people into an era of nearly-unprecedented peace. She has also been working to alleviate the Trylle’s dependence on changelings and lessen class distinction. Homosexuality amongst royals has been historically banned because it could weaken bloodlines by not producing biological offspring, but Queen Wendy has been proposing many measures to overturn the Trylle’s stance on that.
Omte
Symbol: Brown Bird, sometimes portrayed as a sparrow, others a vulture
The Omte are a moderately populated tribe, with numbers speculated to be around 20,000 worldwide, although the Omte’s secrecy and antisocial nature make it hard to know for sure.
Despite their contrary disposition, the Omte still attempt to leave changelings whenever possible. Their appearance is often disproportionate, with oversized heads, unmatched eye size, and lopsidedness, so changelings are chosen on the most humanoid offspring from high-ranking families.
While the Omte lack the psychokinesis that other tribes possess, they make up for it in brute strength. They are also the only tribe to have ogres, and even the Omte that are more human looking tend to be very large in stature.
Deliberately attempting to separate themselves from the other tribes, the Omte settled farther south than anyone else. While most tribes preferred weather that was similar to that they were familiar with Scandinavia before they immigrated to North America, the Omte chose southern Louisiana.
The only attachment they seem to have to the old world is their bearded vultures. The Omte became fond of them after a battle in Europe several centuries ago. They killed many of their enemies, and the bearded vultures, who subside mainly on bones, helped to clean up their mess, and the Omte took them with them and domesticated them.
Fulaträsk is the capital and largest city in the Omte kingdom, and it is hidden deep within the swamps, with most of the population living in large treehouses. Perhaps taking inspiration from their vultures, the Omte prefer to live among the trees, above the prying eyes of humans or intrusions from other tribes.
Fulaträsk has an estimated population of six-thousand, making it the second most populated capital of the five tribes. This is explained by the Omte’s lack of interaction with humans and other tribes, and a debilitating refusal to explore the world.
While the Omte have intermittently attempted to align themselves with other tribes, that usually ends up in a skirmish or even war. Historically, they have been very combative with other tribes, but as of late, they have preferred to simply keep to themselves. The other tribes rarely hear from them, and most invitations to visit other kingdoms are turned down by the royal family.
Their current ruler is the Queen Regent Bodil Freya Elak, daughter of Markis Boris Elak and Marksinna Freya Elak, and widow to the former King Thor Osvald Elak. She married King Thor in 2006 but didn’t become the ruling monarch until his death in 2011. Her official reign will last until the Crown Prince Furston Thor Elak takes the thrown on his 18th birthday in March 2028.
Vittra
Symbol: Red Cougar or sometimes Red Tiger
The Vittra were once a great tribe, but their numbers along with their powers have been lessening. Many blame it on the cruel reign of their previous king, Oren Elsing, but they have also been plagued by infertility.
Like most of the other tribes, the Vittra once relied heavily on changelings. Originally, it was done to insure the safety of their offspring, but over the years, it primarily became a means to support themselves.
Of the few births they do have, over half are born as hobgoblins – short, unattractive, dim-witted Vittra that match more typical folklore representations of trolls. In the last century, their inability to produce offspring suitable for changelings has greatly drained their wealth.
As a result, the Vittra grew more violent and war mongering, seeking to take the wealth from other tribes. Their main target was the Trylle, chosen because of their larger kingdom and their proximity, with the Trylle capital being the closest to the Vittra of all the tribes.
While the Vittra do possess some psychokinesis, their superior physical strength is what they are most known for. They also heal quickly and have a great longevity. Their previous King Oren was believed to be immortal until he was killed during the battle between the Vittra and the Trylle.
They are much like the Omte in many ways, both in their excessive strength and aggression, but unlike the Omte, the non-hobgoblin Vittra tend to very attractive and intelligent, much like the Trylle and the Kanin.
Ondarike is the capital of the Vittra, located in northern Colorado in a dense forest. Most of the population lives inside the massive mansion that serves as the palace, although the hobgoblins due prefer to live in huts in the ground.
Cougars became the symbol of the Vittra after they settled in Colorado. King Bodvar Elsing, who established Ondarike, was attracted to the power and grace of the cougar. For centuries after that, cougars roamed the halls of the palace, like semi-tame guard dogs. They were never fully domesticated though, and attacks on hobgoblins weren’t uncommon.
It wasn’t until King Oren Elsing’s cougar turned on him that that policy changed. He had all the Vittra cougars rounded up and exterminated, and he banned anyone from owning them. Many of the Vittra townsfolk were greatly upset by this, but there was little they could do.
The current ruler of the Vittra is Queen Sara Adrielle Elsing, daughter of Markis Luden Vinter and Marksinna Sarina Vinter, and widow of the former King Oren Bodvar Elsing. Although the Vittra have historically had a patriarchal monarchy, they allowed Queen Sara to rule after the death of her husband because of the absence of an heir apparent and because of her gentler approach to ruling than her husband.
Under Queen Sara’s reign that began in 2010, the Vittra have seen a great turn in their way of life. She has worked on dramatic imrpovements in the everyday domestic lives, and their close alignment with the Trylle has brought in monetary and social aid, with teachers and healers moving to Ondarike to help the Vittra rebuild their society.
Skojare
Symbol: Blue Fish
The Skojare are by far the smallest tribe, with roughly five-thousand of them left. They are also one of the more isolated tribes, sticking more to the “old ways” than some of the more progressive tribes like the Trylle or the Vittra.
One of the main reasons for their smaller population is their lack of changelings. They are the only tribe to have never used changelings, sand as such, they’ve historically had a much worse infant mortality rate, especially in the earlier years when first settling into North America and medical treatment was scarce.
The most notable feature about the Skojare is their appearance. Other tribes tend to be darker: olive skin, usually brown, green, or grey eyes, brown to black wavy hair. The Skojare are pale skinned with blue eyes and blond hair.
While most tribes have powers of psychokinesis and superior strength tied to their higher-ranking bloodlines, the Skojare have gills. It is that attribute that has helped them survive but has also prevented them leaving changelings, because humans won’t overlook a baby with gills.
They don’t have trackers, but since they have a more open area on the water, instead of hidden amongst trees, they do have specialized guards that help cloak their palace with psychokinetic powers.
Once, they used be more powerful, and their cloaking abilities were unparalleled. Legend has it that a long ago Queen was able to enchant a secret magical lake and hide it among the humans, and some Skojare still search for it to this day. Many have claimed to have been there, but few remember the details.
They have been a primarily aquatic tribe, relying on fishing to sustain them through the long winters. Fishing was also how they managed to support themselves by trading and bartering with humans for money.
Along with fishing, the Skojare are known for the sapphires. Their now-dwindling stockpile of sapphires is how they’ve been able to sustain themselves for so long without the influx of riches provided by changelings.
Many years ago, the Skojare actually used to pillage and pirate to collect precious gemstones, sometimes working with Vikings. In fact, it was the Skojare who originally discovered the trolls should settle in North America after journeying across the sea with the Vikings.
Now, they are considered very quiet and peaceful, due in large part to their small population and nearly non-existent army. For the most part, they keep to themselves and frequently host parties in the palace, inviting royalty from all over the troll kingdoms.
Storvatten is the capital city located on Lake Superior in Ontario, Canada. Of the 1,500 people that reside there, the vast majority of the high-ranking royals live in the massive palace.
The current ruler is King Mikko Rune Biâelse, son of the much maligned former King Rune Biâelse and Queen Lucia Biâelse. His father was noted for ruling with an iron fist, and while King Mikko upholds many of the laws the former King Rune created, he seems relaxed.
He is married to Queen Linnea Lisbet Biâelse, orphaned daughter of Markis Devin Ahlstrom and Marksinna Ola Ahlstrom. It was an arranged marriage by the former King Rune, and they were wed in 2013 when Queen Linnea was just sixteen, which was controversial amongst the kingdom. While it had once been custom for brides to be chosen as young as fourteen, in the last century most tribes have done away with that practice and insist that bride and grooms must be at least eighteen.
Along with King Mikko and Queen Linnea, the King’s younger brother, Prince Kennet Tor Biâelse resides in the palace. The three of them have been working toward a more promising future for the small tribe.
