"I hear that the entrance guards spot trolls in that pit from time to time," the captain said grimly, setting the wooden spout of the pipe between his lips.
"What's a Troll?" Olive asked, her lips pursed. The question was directed at Aaralon, but it was Nora who responded.
"Trolls are among the few magical constructs that have managed to survive in the wild. They are an all-male race that tend to be on the stupid side with one notable exception."
"Trolls is a real problem in some parts and trollops especially," Stanton broke in, "We always watched the fields around our farm to make sure they kept their distance."
Nora resumed her dissertation, "The fertility of trolls is legendary. They can successfully mate with almost any female mammal larger than a hound dog, and humans are no exception. When a troll mates an animal, you get a troll as a result, but when one mates a human, you get a trollop. Trollops are essentially trolls with the cognitive ability of a regular human."
"Before I came to study here, my grandpa had to put down a mare 'cause a troll snuck into the stable at night. Grandpa killed the troll with an axe before it blew its load into the horse, but the horse got pregnant anyhow," Stanton said. Olive giggled at his interjection.
"It's no joke though. Trollops are the real problem. In the past, it's just taken a few of them to organize and lead an entire army of the trolls that multiply with impunity in the wild. When they get together like that, they start raping and pillaging entire villages. Historically, even great cities have fallen prey to armies of trolls," Nora said gravely.
Stanton turned again toward the captain, "Respectfully, sir. How in the world would a troll get into a sealed mine with only a single guarded entrance that's located in the royal palace?"
The same question had crossed Aaralon's mind several times in the past, but he'd never had the opportunity to put it to voice. Aaralon listened intently to the captain's answer.
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