Pieces of Twelve (Inzae)

The Morning Show yesterday brought up a discussion of trolls and how they work in Airdhe. I opined about trolls in Inzae. So I thought this morning I would elaborate a bit. In Inzae, trolls are called shtoompf in the west, vard in the east, and gloozj by the various goblinoids. I refer to them as shtumpf, the Low Inzaen word for trolls.   

When the world was still young, the Dragon came upon a lake of molten gold. The mother of worlds lapped up the gold as if it were water, consuming as much as was her want. In the process, the tips of her claws touched the edge of the lake and became encased in gold. As she left, a bit of gold dripped from her mouth, transformed and transfigured. This drop of golden spittle fell to the ground as a gluttonous bowel of consumption that ambled and crawled away from the Dragon unnoticed. The gold on inzae's claws could not hold, so hot is the Dragon's being. Searing droplets fell from claws onto the ground as twelve pieces of gold, perfectly round with a whole in the middle of each piece. 

The beast which fell forth from the Dragon's mouth saw the gold discs and quickly gathered them and tried consuming them as the Dragon drank the molten gold. But the gold seared its skin and the inside of his mouth. It spat the gold out coughed out blood and charred flesh. From this came the twelve offspring and first of the shtumpf. All scattered, unable to pick up the twelve pieces of gold nor drink from the lake of gold. Some time after they scattered, they all began to gather gold into great hordes and each gave rise to offspring.

The fist beast that formed is named Shtroomsh in Low Inzaen though it has no real name. The Dragon, being unaware of it, never named the beast and from that day to this day and unto the end of days, it shall have no name. Nor do any of its kindred, the shtumpf. None have names or any discernible identity outside of their moment and their desire to consume gold. This is an insatiable desire, for no shtumpf can consume gold, but they all yearn to do so. They all fight amongst one another for gold and will, given the chance, fight anything to acquire more gold. If a shtumpf should lose its gold, after some many years, it falls asleep. They can sleep for centuries and are only awakened by the smell of gold.