Description[]
A tale of Johann Lionbeard and the two-faced troll.
Contents[]
The Two-Faced Troll
Many tides ago, there sailed a captain known by many as the "King of the Ten Seas." To all who ever rode the waves with him, he was "Johann Lionbeard", so called because it was said that he kept an entire pride of lions within his bushy brown beard. Captain Lionbeard never lost ― or even nearly lost ― a fight ... never, except for the day he met Jackal-Tooth, the two-faced troll.
Running low on supplies on his flagship "The Lion's Den", Lionbeard dropped anchor off the Teeth of Naros, hoping to trade with a friendly tribe of Kollossae or raid a Jottun encampment.
After several hours Johann found no Kollossae hunting parties or villages but, by chance, happened upon a shrine to Ethene. To his delight, the shrine was freshly adorned with a lavish offering of food, drink, and gold. As he made to survey his good fortune up close, the ground beneath his feet gave way. He knew it had been a trap, even before he crashed to the floor of the cave below and broke both his legs.
After a moment to gather his sense, Johann realized that he was not alone. Two other creatures lurked in the thick dark, just barely out of view. Jackal and Tooth, they called themselves, and they were delighted that Johann had fallen into their trap.
"You dwarves think yourself so clever," said Tooth. Johann tried moving his legs, but they would not obey.
"Not clever enough," continued Jackal, "to avoid our trap." And they both cackled as they moved toward Johann in a curiously awkward unison, a bit off balance and clumsy. They leapt into the air and landed together atop Johann. As one troll sank its teeth into his neck, the King of the Ten Seas saw the horrible truth: Jackal and Tooth were not two creatures, but one grotesque two faced beast.
They took turns, one chewing Johann's flesh while the other laughed madly, and Johann knew that time was short.
"You trolls," he coughed through the blood in his throat, "I confess you are cleverer than me, but are you clever enough to see that I have even more heads than you?"
The heads looked at each other, puzzled.
"For I am Johann Lionbeard and my other heads live within my beard, manded, ferocious, and very hungry." He stroked his beard and, in an instant, four lions bounded from it and set upon the troll.
"And now, you will find out why it is not wise to cage a lion."
The lions took turns slashing at the troll's chest and devouring its legs. Jackal-Tooth screamed for mercy, but there would be none.
"Now I ask you," shouted Johann Lionbeard, "who is cleverer?" There was no response, as two-faced troll known as Jack-Tooth was dead.
Once Johann's pride was finished feeding on the meet of the troll-beast, they dragged the captain out of the cave and back to his ship.
He was immediately attended to by his crew, who knew better than to ask what had happened.
Notes[]
- The Two-Faced Troll cannot be sold or removed from inventory.
Gallery[]
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