Gummy Troll of Haunted Fen · Dragon Village

Gummy Troll of Haunted Fen

Hello, my little friends,

My name is Gummy…. I am a forest guardian troll. I am from Clan 7. Aliva my little sister (not really a troll but just as persistent) has asked me to tell you about who I am and tell how I came to be in the Haunted Fen Clan of trolls.

When I was just a little troll, I was guarding a dragon egg in a temple ruin when I was attacked by a group of little rock people. They wanted to take the egg and have a big egg breakfast for their group. I tried to hit them, but it hurt my fists, then I tried to stomp them but it hurt my feet. So, I decided to eat them….. They were hard and crunchy on the outside but so juicy in the middle. About halfway through the group I started to notice it was harder to chew on them, not realizing that my teeth were falling out because they were breaking. By the time they ran away I was left with only 2 teeth left… so running to Trollmom Urglish I told her what happened. I didn’t want the other trolls to know because they would laugh at me, so I asked her what to do.

Urglish after some coughing (which I know now was laughter) she called the Artist Troll named R’destro. She talked with him for a while and explained what happened. He grunted and said “1 day” then he left for his workshop. I went back to guarding my egg.

The morning sun came up, and I was so hungry but with no teeth I just sat forlorn and thought it was maybe time to ask Urglish to assign a different troll to take over. Then in the distance I see R’destro coming up the cliff face with a large bag and a small bag swinging by his side. He doesn’t say much which is normal…. He never talks much. He gestures for me to sit down on a log and wait for him. He set up a small table and begins pulling out things and putting them on the table in front of me. With shock my eyes can’t believe what I am seeing. I am seeing a bunch of teeth that are removable. R’destro grunts and gestures for me to put one set in my mouth then checks to make sure it fits right. He takes a step back and shows me a polished piece of steel and I can see myself in the reflection… I slowly smile and growl and make faces at myself and then start to laugh with joy. I jump up and try to hug R’destro but he keeps me at arm’s length. He nods pleased with himself and his creations. After that he packs up his bigger bag with the table, steel piece, and little tools and hands me the smaller bag for the teeth and with a wave he starts back down the cliff.

I am so excited that I have teeth and as I look at all the sets of teeth, I realize that it has many different sizes of teeth and they are so strong and so if I need to look meaner or nicer I have a set for it. Thank you R’destro for giving me back my smile, and I can look fierce!!! Now just waiting for the keeper of this dragon egg to come and claim and bond with this precious treasured egg. I vow and promise to keep this egg safe….

Many years have passed since then and I am older and much wiser. I have guarded this egg diligently. Then on a clear morning I can feel something is stirring in the air… A human man is coming but he is different than the others that have tried to come. I can feel the egg calling him. Finally, the day has come. I sit quietly back in the corner of the old ruins deep in the shadow and be totally still... the biggest test comes now… can the human surpass the obstacles and claim the egg?

I take a moment to look at the human male. He has a kind face and a beard that must be to keep his face warm at this altitude. He is strong and looks capable. Then it happens he has made it inside the ruins. The egg is humming. He walks over to the egg and reached a hand towards the egg.

The moment his palm met the eggs warm surface, the bronze shimmer darkened, deepening into midnight blue with veins of violet sliding beneath like trapped lightning. Then a crack, delicate yet deafening in the silent cave. Light bled through the shell’s fractures, and the egg shuddered beneath his hand... With a final tremor, the shell parted, scattering shards like starlight across the stone. A hatchling uncurled from the glow—dark blue, edged in velvet purple, scales gleaming as though dusted with moonlight. For a moment, neither of them moved. The air still shimmered with heat from the broken shell, tiny sparks fading into the damp air of the ruins. Then the hatchling tilted its head, studying the man with eyes like glowing embers beneath deep sapphire scales. A soft trill escaped its throat—half curious, half content—and it stumbled forward on unsteady claws. The man knelt instinctively, holding out his hand, and it pressed its snout into his palm. The little dragon chirped and curled against his side, claiming its place. It looked around for a split second, and our eyes met and I smiled knowing my job was completed. I didn’t want to intrude or interrupt so I quietly closed my eyes. I’ll go back to Urglish in a few days. I’m finally able to sleep contently without worrying about the little egg. He is in good hands and with that I fell asleep.

About a week passed and I opened my eyes and stretched my stiff arms and legs. I stood up and hit my head on the ceiling… forgetting I had grown a lot since starting to guard the egg. With my head bent and my bag slung on my back I made my way down the cliff face. I reached the bottom and started my trek to the Fen. I felt so proud that I had been successful in guarding the egg. I couldn’t wait to tell my friends the happy news.

Upon arriving at the camp, I am met with all the trolls and Urglish holding a cake just for me. (The only time we get a cake is when we finish a job) She hands me the cake and every one cheers. We have a grand party.

After everyone else has fallen asleep, I walk with Urglish and we talk many hours about my egg and the human that claimed it. When the sun started to rise, we were sitting on a hill overlooking the Fen. Urglish looked up at me and said in her gravelly voice “Are you ready for your new job?” I held in my shout of joy and said “ I am ready mother” and with a booming voice Urglish declared “This Troll named Gummy is given the honor of being a guardian of the Haunted Fen Forest, to keep us safe and to keep the creatures and trolls that live here protected and to carry out his duties until he desires to go back to mother earth.” And with a wave of her hand green sparkles surround me and settle on my skin. Then slowly the sparkles absorbed into my skin and when that happened, I could suddenly feel the forest and feel the bond with the creatures, trees, water, and every blade of grass.

With pride and a new purpose, I looked over the Fen and rejoiced. I then looked down to thank Urglish and realized she had quietly left with a parting gift laying where she had sat. A wonderful new fur coat with pockets inside to hold my teeth collection in. I looked inside of the pockets and there were brand new sets of teeth. I roared in delight since the old ones were getting pretty worn down. I am Gummy the Haunted Fen Forest Guardian.

That was many years ago, and I have seen trolls come and go and creatures new and old, hills and valleys born and waterfalls and ponds created. When on a mist covered day Urglish returned from a Clan inspection trip (it is every 100 years or so to meet with the 12 clans under her watchful eye) she is not walking alone. A young, and very small child is walking by her side holding her hand. This is something very new…. Trolls do not make themselves known to outsiders except to scare them off or keep them away. But as they draw closer, I can feel deep in my heart that this little child is something different and must be protected at all costs. With a smile and a nod from Urglish (which is quite extra ordinarily strange since Urglish doesn’t smile very often) she introduces me to Aliva Opaline Nanvuda my new little sister.

I can feel things are changing and this little girl is at the heart of the change in the Haunted Fen. Then in my mind I hear Urglish whisper to me and to me only….”DO NOT ever let this child near salt water. She is very precious and when she is older, she will reunite trolls with other species. She is drawn to water and that is fine but NO salt water because it will change her. Do not ask questions. Someday I will explain but that time is not now!”

So, with a nod at Urglish I knelt down and welcomed this little child into my arms in a hug as she demanded to be picked up and giggled with delight.

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