"What are you doing? Don't chase it! That's not a Goblin, it's a - The explorer Thomias Varcosse to Bartholamew Sims, a member of his guard detail.

The people of the Viter race are most commonly of a short and wiry build, 2 to 3.5 feet being the normal range of height. Their skin ranges in shades of gray, green, and brown, and is almost always dotted with hard blemishes that resemble warts. Their hair is naturally white, and usually unkempt due to a lack of concern for personal appearance that seems present in most members of the species.

Many of these creatures physical features appear much too large for the rest of their bodies, giving them a misshapen appearance. Their ears are normally long and tapered, though more rounded, human-like specimen are not all-together uncommon, and can be controlled independently like those of many animals. Their eyes are large and bulbous, and on occasion can protrude so far out from the skull that they appear loosely set in the sockets. Eye color usually stays within shades of brown, ranging from darker more earthen tones to lighter, amber ones. Their noses, hands, and feet are also poorly proportioned for the rest of them.

Common Personality Traits of the Viter

'Hey! Don't blame me, it was those damn little imps!' - An accused thief to a lynch mob.

While all manner of creature on Erde have a wide range of personality types, outsiders will always lump the entire group into one category based on the actions of a few or the majority. The Viter Trolls are no exception to this.

Viter are usually a joyful and energetic lot, commonly witnessed frolicking about the forest and laughing. They enjoy playing practical jokes on one another and any person misfortunate enough to settle near one of their colonies. However, they are also easily intimidated, and just as likely to hide when strangers are around as to carry on with their business. Many of them also have a strange fascination with shiny objects and a loose grasp of personal property. For these reasons most people view the entire race as a bunch of thieves and pests.

Any member of the race raised on the old legends of their people that held the teachings close to heart is likely to be just as much of a source of benevolence for the people around them as they are believed to be malevolent. The 'Old Ways,' as they commonly refer to the legends, teach the Viter to care for Erde, for the world is their mother, as well as teaching them to repay kindness shown to them by the people of the world.

They are also very social creatures. This side of their personalities is normally reserved for the members of their colony. In the case of a brave Viter (or someone gaining some measure of trust from the Viter), however, they will prattle on for hours if allowed.

The Viter as an Enemy

'See? Viter.' - Thomias Varcosse to Bartholamew Sims shortly before Sims' death.

It is a very rare thing indeed to see a Viter wield a weapon. Due to their slight physique they are incapable of wielding most implements of war, due to the areas that most choose to live in training is very scarce, and by their nature are more comfortable fleeing and hiding to escape combat than with standing and facing an enemy. If forced into combat in their natural form, such as against one another, they will usually rely on simple, unskilled brawling and grappling techniques. If a Viter were to use weapons they would most likely be small daggers or sharpened sticks.

Nearly all Viter are born with the ability to cast illusions about themselves, which aids in their ability to hide from enemies. Based on the limited power of these illusions most individuals will hunker down on the ground and cast the illusion of a stump or rock around themselves. It is, however, possible for them to cast the illusion over their skin and give them a form of camouflage, such as appearing like a tree's bark or stone to allow them to blend into a cave wall. These illusions must be fed off the energy they have stored in their own bodies.

In the case of males (and the very rare female) if hiding and running fails there is another in-born magical talent that they can rely on. By tapping into their reserve of magic they can temporarily increase their mass by a very impressive amount. When used to its full extent this ability will give the Viter the size and strength of their more commonly known cousins. The length of the spell's effect would normally depend entirely on the amount of energy the individual has hoarded, but, because of the physical stress caused by such a large alteration, their bodies cannot support the it for long (ten minutes being the longest duration ever witnessed). No matter how long they remain in the altered state the Viter is left in extreme, oft times crippling, physical pain, and they must store up more energy for several days before being capable of performing the act again.

Even the Viter who are poorly skilled in the casting of illusions can pull magical energies from the world around them and stockpile it within their own bodies. This is likely the only reason they are capable of using magic at all as for some unknown reason the little creatures are not capable of focusing enough wild magic (magic not from within themselves) to move a feather. As if nature were compensating for that fact the Viter are capable of storing massive amounts of magical energy, enough for an ordinary wizard to create an explosion.

An ability rarer than a Viter weapons master that occasionally pops up in certain individuals is the ability to channel magic into small amounts of heat, which manifest as sparks. This ability has often led to the small trolls being blamed for barns and storehouses being burned down.

Viter Across Erde

'This is a dead zone, so that is just a stump.' - A machinist to a farmer who believed a rotted stump to be a Viter responsible for the death of his crops.

The most likely areas to find Viter Trolls are those with heavy forestation or large cave networks and at least mid-range magical saturation. They do appear in the world of men just as commonly as they do in that of beasts and plants, however. Though it would not harm them to be there, dead zones are the rarest place to find Viter due to their heavy reliance on their magical ability to hide in dangerous situations. Conversely, if one where hunting Viter or sought to do one harm, the worst place to do so would be in areas of high magical saturation. In these areas the ever-changing flows of magic have been known to, on rare occasion, allow the Viter to maintain their massive, magically altered forms for much longer periods of time without physical drawbacks.

Further Study: Miscellaneous Information

Most Viter names follow a similar convention. The first and last name are the same, usually being their family name. The second name ends with the same letter as the first name. The third name begins with the same letter as the second. This pattern is repeated until it is possible to repeat the first name without interrupting the patter. Due to this way of naming many Viter names can stretch on for quite some time. Fortunately for them, most of this breed of troll speaks very very rapidly.

One popular Viter legend tells of a lost young Viter foolishly giving his name to a sorcerer, and since every Viter's name is bound to their soul (explained by yet another legend) the sorcerer was able to enslave the troll with his own name. It is likely that this tale was originally designed to have the same effect as the 'don't talk to strangers' rule commonly given to human children. However, its interpretation seems to have morphed over time to the point that most Viter will not give their real name to anyone but 'troll-kin,' fearing enslavement.

Most scientists dedicated to unearthing the roots of Erde's various species theorize that the Viter evolved from a group of trolls living in the caves of Vangor Mountain, most of which have very low ceilings and would require a troll of regular proportions to crawl around on all fours. This might also explain several of the creatures' unique features. The large eyes would collect more light and make sight in the dark caves easier. The large, mobile ears as they would make it easier to ferret out the source of sounds amongst the echoes in a cave. The large feet would be better suited to areas of treacherous footing as they would spread the Viter's weight over a larger area. The large hands would also be better suited for digging deep and fast for insects and other things to eat. The large concentration of Viter in that area also makes this a highly plausible idea.

After birth most Viter grow very quickly and reach their full size within a few short months. After they have reached that size they no longer age visibly. This does not mean they are immortal, the average life span for a healthy specimen being just over forty years. Due to the relative lack of change in their bodies throughout life and the usual preference to look on the bright side (so to speak), however, most Viter measure their lives in number of 'adventures' rather than by any system of time.

Thanks to their large hands and feet, Viter are usually very good swimmers.