Troll's Cave One-Pager
Along with their extreme strength, iron constitution and low intelligence, the primary difference between trolls and more civilised humanoids is their fearless attitude to combat; furiously attacking any sizeable living creature they trust to their regenerative abilities to see them through any battle.
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Outside the Lair
A bush-lined avenue, flanked by skulls atop stakes driven into the ground, leads to the cave’s entrance.
Two large humanoid skulls, flank the cave’s entrance.
Troll tracks lead towards the nearest settlement.
A small cart, wheels rotten and festooned with tangled weeds, stands to one side.
What’s Going On?
The troll is dismembering the corpse of a human man. Little but blood and gore remains.
The troll is asleep, and snoring loudly.
The troll is patiently waiting for intruders to blunder into its lair. This troll is exceptionally difficult to surprise.
The troll is ripping apart a large fish. Blood and scales cover the beast’s face and claws.
Major Lair Features
The floor is damp from water dripping through cracks in the ceiling. Shallow pools fill depressions in the floor. Bands of mud surround each pool.
A central stone column, decorated with several humanoid skulls whose gazes seem to follow intruders, dominates the cave.
Clumps of iridescent fungi on the walls illuminate the cave in pale yellow light.
Rubbish litters the floor. A swarm of rats lives in small cracks in the walls and emerge to scavenge the troll’s leavings when the troll is absent.
Minor Lair Features
In one corner, a neat row of humanoid and animal skulls are lined up a natural stone shelf.
Troll tracks cover the muddy floor. They criss-cross the lair and could provide clues to a skilled tracker of how many trolls lurk within.
A wide bed of branches, ripped clothes and other rubbish lies against one wall.
Water oozing up from below has transformed a swath of floor into a sticky morass; the characters discover this, when they step into the affected area.
Troll’s Appearance
The troll has a club foot and lumbers about using a strange hopping action.
The troll wears a crude leather necklace strung with various primitive bone charms.
The troll has deep red scratches all over its back and arms that have not regenerated.
The troll appears wasted as if starved or suffering from some kind of long-term illness.
Treasure
The walls contain many flecks of sparkling grey-green stone. Harvesting the stones takes several hours, but they have only minimal value.
A tightly wound woollen rug—decorated with geometric patterns—leans against one wall. The rug is wrapped around a sheaf of five throwing spears.
A shallow alcove hides a small wooden box containing 10 gp worth of copper and silver coins.
A small, chipped wooden figurine depicting a beautiful dryad is hidden in the troll’s bed. (This is the troll’s prized possession—the dryad’s beauty speaks to some spark of love lurking in the troll’s atavistic soul).
Trinkets & Trash
An unset mantrap lies on the floor, its teeth stained with dried blood.
A dirty, red woollen cloak sized for a human is draped on the floor. A large bloodstain inside the cloak hints at the owner’s fate.
A small handwritten journal about trolls rests on a shelf between two skulls. The journal ends with the unnamed author setting out on a “troll hunt”.
The jagged shard of a once-fine longsword lies amid the rubbish. Elvish runes spelling “Troll Bane” are yet visible on the blade’s remains.
Credit
This is a short system-neutral extract from Monstrous Lair #2: Troll’s Cave by Simon Butler.
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