Troglodyte

A cave dwelling humanoid, the troglodyte is somewhat misunderstood, their various accounts and descriptions based on rumor and fancy. I guess you won’t really know what one is like… until you meet them. Adventure on!

Note: This post has been put under humanoids in the Character Species Menu, though a troglodyte can be human or can even be considered a monster depending on your preferred use in your narrative. Enjoy!

The only thing one troglodyte has in common with the next is that they are cave dwellers and humanoid. Their use in fiction has run the gamut from figurative (as in a boorish politician being described as a troglodyte) to manifestations as monstrous humanoids like ogres and reptilian creatures! For your narrative, a troglodyte can be anything you want to surprise your characters and your audience. Here are some ideas:

Descriptions / First Impressions

• sneaky, tricky, slimy, sly, hidden, fearful, cowardly, rude, angry, aggressive, depressed, self-loathing, possessive, nasty, evil, dastardly, malevolent, manic, violent, brutal, ruthless,
• muscular, built, solid, formidable, pale, albino, chalky, pasty, dark, olive, clay, dusty, muddy, mucky, caked, tall, thin, lanky, scarred, rough, scaly, rock-skinned, crusty, tall, thin, emaciated, skin-and-bones,
• reptilian, avian, aquatic, spider-like, snakish, half-animal, semi-human,
• old, crotchety, wise, serene, passive,
• secluded, hermit-like, reclusive, cloistered,
• may be a spellcaster, talented fighter, rogue, or healer,

Environments

• hilly regions, mountains, ravines, valley sides, arroyo, gullies, slumped hillsides, cliffs, banks, bluffs,
• bogs, bayous, river banks, cliff shores, rocky shores,
• behind a waterfall,
• dunes, oases, abandoned pyramids,
• large burrowed tree trunks, under stumps,
• burrows, dens,
• holes, pits, grottos,
• cellars, basements, under decks or porches or patios, beneath footings, under sheds, outbuildings,
• sewers, latrine pits,
• garbage dumps, refuse piles, silage, compost, dumpsters,
• mounds, piles,
• beneath a temple, bell tower,
• under a water tower, train station platform, town clock tower, monument,
• cemetery, vault, crypt, mausoleum, under a headstone,
• shipwrecks, derilicts,
• behind crags, boulders, gigantic tree stumps,
• alleys, snickets, shanty towns, ghettos,

Stuff

• scraps, junk, detritus, refuse, collections
• pipes, posts, bars, rods, staff, pole,
• daggers, sword hilts, mace handles, axe heads, arrows, bow strings, deadly hairpin,
• armour bits, dented helms, one gauntlet, piece of chainmail, cracked breastplate, greaves, bracers, straps, cord, ties,
• bits of coin, jewelry, stones, marbles,
• coffee pot, tea kettle, handleless pot, pot lids, fork, spoon, spatula,  cast iron pan, salt shaker, mortar or pestle (probably not both), wooden spoon,
• knobs, buttons, string, epaulet, crest, brooch, pin,
• flint & steel, lighter, matches,
• magnet, spyglass, typewriter, ring of keys,
• pouch, bag, basket, box, crate, roll, sack, urn, keg,
• book, notebook, scrawled notes on a napkin, newspaper clippings,
• jars of blood, mud, mucus,
• wine turned to vinegar, hooch, moonshine, grog, ale, mead,
• honey, dandelion tea, roots, bark, berries, scraps of food, old pizza boxes, buns, biscuits, stolen stilton cheese, jerky,
• wire, cable, batteries, barbed wire,
• pets, beetle, snake, mouse,
• cloth, linen, silk scarf,
• clothes scraps, jeans, tunic, socks, poncho, cap, wig, wristband, hair tie,
• cook stove, clay oven, potbelly stove, fireplace,
• crystal goblet, locket of hair,
• relic, artifact, ancient idol, primordial symbols, strange passages, portals, paths, magical sigil,

Actions

• shuffling, loping, tiptoeing, creeping, sliding, slinking,
• hiding, sneaking, crawling, cowering,
• resting, sleeping, napping, ignoring,
• begging, sniveling, pleading,
• fussing, puttering, bustling, counting, sorting,
• snickering, mumbling, chattering, muttering,
• warning, cautioning, cursing, cussing,
• stealing, pilfering, taking, palming,
• munching, chewing, gnawing, gumming, ruminating,
• claw, scratch, bite,
• put on a disguise, play a ruse, trick and swindle,
• trap, ambush, snare,
• whittling, carving, knitting, crafting, beading, weaving, braiding, building, repairing,
• smoking,
• bartering, trading, offering, exchanging,

Notes and more ideas

• Troglodytes may be called troggies, trogs, troggers, night walkers, stalkers, hillmen, hillfolk, cavefolk, sandmen, nightmares, cave horrors, (make something up that suits your genre or mood)
• Troglodytes may live in solitude or may have small family units, bands, tribes, clans, or perhaps large networks or even subterranean cities.
• Your troglodyte may have a strange collection, so look at the Stuff menus and decide what it is they are hoarding.
• The term troglodyte can be figurative, referring to an individual who has boorish, backwater attitudes or ideas. In this sense, you can run into a troglodyte any day of the week on the bus or at the pub.
• Troglodyte lairs or dens or burrows can be great starts for adventure… you can find cool things down there, artifacts even, or passages and secret doors leading to truly fantastic underground worlds.
• The troglodyte in your narrative could have some latent, long-forgotten skills or knowledge that can emerge slowly or suddenly with a bang! Make your troglodyte as well-rounded as you like by looking in the Character Menus for ideas on backgrounds, paths, or traits.

Developments

• A troglodyte is found in hibernation, asleep on a huge mound of teeth (or some other body part) collected from who-knows-where and who-knows-whom; no matter, the method, the troglodyte cannot be wakened… until Spring when all its madness will be discovered.
• A secret passage is hidden beneath the town and you are given a special token to give to the troglodyte who guards it.
• A troglodyte sneaks into your characters’ camp at night to steal food or some “trinket.” If caught, it will splutter apologies and excuses and beg for mercy… and offer to tell you a secret if only you let it go (you decide what this juicy secret is).