The Monstrous Race - Troglodyte by @aleilam (Aleister Lam)

The troglodyte is a monstrous race that lived on earth at about 80 000 years BC. They are cave-dwellers probably driven to shelter in the extensive caverns that existed during their times by the drastic weather changes outside. They were said to dwell beyond Ethiopia and are highly intelligent as compared to other land animals at that time. They were rather sophisticated hunters as they would make their own weapons and tools like spear and hatchet by tying stones at the end of the club or stick.

The trogs are also very patient hunters as they would perched on rocks for hours awaiting the best moment for them to leap on their prey and either stone or strangle it to death. Trogs are also swift runners, it is said that they would also hunt in a small group of 4 to 5 trogs; this of course increases the success rate of their hunt but then they will end up killing each other if the food source is insufficient. Trogs have very small and deep-set pair of eyes from the pro-long habitation within the caves. This also lead to a sequence of eye degeneration and weaken eye-sight; thus the trogs often rely on their acute sense of scent and pressure detection in locating food and water movements.

During the long winter, when food are scarce thee trogs are forced to feed on fungi, decaying vegetation and the creepy-crawly that dwells in the cavern; that is why trogs are adaptable when it comes to diet and they have developed a extremely powerful digestive system. Their major source of meat would come from the bats that are in abundance in the cave.

I think one of the major source of inspiration that give rise to the mythical creatures like the Trolls, Ogres and Orcs would most likely be the Troglodytes. Artwork © Copyright 2002 Aleister Lam