Elkoi Konwledge Temple Annex, DF901.A75K37: Sources of Metal in Balazar. Interview with Elager Ironspear:

"My iron spearhead? No, I not get from merchant. I take this when I first become a man, but lose two good friends.

You hear of skull-trolls? All trolls nasty, eat people, do evil things. But skull-trolls very bad, even for monster. They not like even other troll. They catch you in skull-troll land they cut off your head, put on pople so people see and be afraid, leave skull-trolls alone.

But many boys, young men go to skull-troll land. See, skull-trolls not like metal. Not just rich gold, or iron to kill trolls with. Not like any metal. Not even bronze, not even troll-metal. They see you have metal, they put it with your skull. Good metal, there to take!

When I boy, have two good friends, Oskis and Baladad, their spirits find solace in the Sky. We become hunters at same time, want do big deed to show we not just boys, we men now. We think go to skull-trolls and take some metal from stupid trolls. Maybe weapons, maybe coins, even armor or magics. We go to skull-troll land; very careful, have to go through other troll lands too.

We find place with many skulls, no trolls close. We find hands of coins, this spearhead, two good knives, jewelry. We rich, think of coming back not just boys, but brave warriors, no one in clan have this much metal. But Oskis, poor friend, he say we can find more skulls, take more metal.

We find more skulls next day, but skulls scream. We not know what to do, start running. Then trolls come; kill Oskis, kill Baladad. Troll hit me with stone ? got scar, here ? and I fall down hill. Trolls not find me, I guess. I wake up, clmb hill, see whre oskis and Baladad’s skulls now hang, all bloody. New. Leve them there, with their metal.

I escape trolls that look for me, come home. Clan calls me warrior, and I kill many trolls since for lsot friends. But I not go back tot hat land. I odl now, have bosy of my own, they have wives and boys now, too. I tell you same I tell them: never go to skull-troll land. They catch you, eat all but skull. Wagon of metal no good if you dead. I trade iron spearhead if two friends could be old like me."

(Originally in the Book of Drastic Resolutions: Darkness. Note the Metalwailer writeup, too.)