Lusii and You

A lusus, or lusus naturae to be scientific about it, are the creatures that rear young trolls. These beasts come in a practically endless variety of forms, from the beautiful to the grotesque. Lusii (the plural of lusus) have form an odd kind of codependency with their troll wards. Lusii naturae posses an odd instinct that draws them to bind themself to a troll. The lusus will act as a lifelong bodyguard, parent, and mentor. In return, the troll takes on the role of beast tamer, working to learn from their bestial companion and wrangle them simultaneously. It’s a precarious balance that can take multiple sweeps to learn. The only consistently shared trait between all lusii is their horrifying translucent white skin. Interestingly, they also share the same blood color spectrum as trolls. A lusus will always bind itself to a troll of a matching blood color to it.

It's not uncommon for trolls to take on characteristics of their lusus as they grow up, in both a physical and psychological sense. Children have been known to adopt similar habits to their lusii and maintain them through the rest of their life, supported by a troll's highly adaptable physiology. These habits, once formed, are incredibly hard, and potentially impossible, to break.

A "good" lusus should be one capable of independent movement and defending itself and its charge, whether through strength, intellect, or other means. However, there are cases of "bad" lusii, where the creature is weak requires looking after, and is little more than a parasite. These cases are considered to simply be challenges for the child to use the knowledge they were given in the Brooding Caverns to overcome.

While untraditional, the only thing we’ve been able to rely on since coming to Dangerprone has been blessed bureaucracy. Through untold means, the Registration Office hasn’t failed to produce a lusus for a new troll yet.

Quite notably, unnatural blood mutants will not have a lusus. Lusii pick their charges based on blood color, and since there are no lusii with mutant blood colors, you’re shit out of luck. Your unnatural blood mutant will be making their own way in the world, unless some poor troll took pity on them.