Heartstone Trollmarket

“Heartstone Trollmarket is extraordinary in terms of design. Guillermo, Rodrigo, and team worked long and hard to create the concepts. To this day, Heartstone Trollmarket is one of the most aggressively complex locations we have ever created in CG; just to render a single shot in Trollmarket can take up to six consecutive days on the renderfarm. Probably one of the most impressive things I've seen from Guillermo is his visual language, where you can do something that is so simple, and yet it can speak such large volumes.”

―Chad Hammes, Executive Producer

Heartstone Trollmarket
Type	Metropolis
Status	Devastated (uninhabitable) Intact (alternate timeline)
Level	Underground
Location	Arcadia Oaks
Inhabitants	Trolls (all formerly) Gnomes (all formerly) Kruberas (all briefly) Gumm-Gumms AAARRRGGHH!!! (formerly) Angor Rot (briefly) † Bagdwella (formerly) Blinky Galadrigal (current leader; formerly) Dictatious Galadrigal (briefly) Draal the Deadly (formerly) † Gnome Chompsky (formerly) Gunmar (briefly) † Kanjigar the Courageous † Krax † Morgana (incapacitated; formerly) † Queen Usurna (briefly) † Vendel (former leader) †

Heartstone Trollmarket (or simply Trollmarket) was a subterranean metropolis that is the home of Troll civilization, pulsing with energy and jewel-fueled light, where trolls eat, fight, and down brews in pubs straight out of Viking lore. It is located beneath the town of Arcadia, and the entrance (which can only be opened with a Horngazel) is under the main bridge of the canals.

However, as of "The Eternal Knight: Part 2" after Morgana's defeat and ending the Eternal Night, the Heartstone within Trollmarket has lost all of its power and is therefore uninhabitable, forcing the remaining trolls to venture to New Jersey to find a new Heartstone.

History

Background

After the Gumm-Gumms were defeated in the Battle of Killahead and trapped in the Darklands, the remaining of the Troll race migrated in search of peace, leaving their home, Dwoza.

They stowed away on a ship called the Mayflower, along with several Gnomes for companionship and nourishment. They finally arrived at what is now New Jersey and after much searching, they managed to find a new Heartstone under what is now Arcadia. Thus, they found their new home that would be known as Heartstone Trollmarket.

Trollhunters

Part One

After Jim Lake was chosen as the new Trollhunter, the Gumm-Gumm Bular went after him to end his life. So, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! took him and Toby to Trollmarket, being the first humans to step on it. Although all the Trolls were reluctant to them, in the end, both were accepted. Trollmarket is frequently visited by them, mainly in the midst of some Trollhunter crisis.

After Bular's death, Claire Nuñez became the third human to reach Trollmarket. After Angor Rot got a Horngazel, he led an army of Golems to invade Trollmarket. With the union of all the Trolls and allies of Jim, Angor Rot was defeated at the end, at the cost of a life of several Trolls, including AAARRRGGHH!!! (who was revived in Part Two). 

Part Two

After escaping Killhead Bridge, the Troll Tribunal had Jim out on trial for seemingly letting Gunmar out after he went into the Darklands. After Jim is proven guilty, Queen Ursuna was revealed to be behind Gunmar's escape all along and the Gumm-Gumms attacked the metropolis. The Gumm-Gumms started to brainwash Draal and several other trolls to become their slaves. When the Trollhunters managed to get all the remaining trolls to safety, the Gumm-Gumms took over Trollmarket. 

Part Three

In later episodes of Part Three, it is discovered that Merlin has imprisoned Morgana underneath the Heartstone of Trollmarket. Morgana later uses the Heartstone to keep the Eternal Night active and stable. After the Eternal Night War, the Heartstone within Trollmarket has lost its magic and is therefore rendered uninhabitable for Trolls.

3Below

Part Two

After learning that Kanjigar the Courageous is the protector of Gaylen's Core, Toby and AAARRRGGHH!!! lead Aja, Krel, and Varvatos to Heartstone Trollmarket to consult the Soothscryer, with Morando not far behind and several Gumm-Gumm zombies mindlessly attacking them. There, the spirit of Kanjigar leads them to Gaylen's Core inside the Deep. However, Morando managed to narrowly steal the core first.

Description

“Since Heartstone Trollmarket is set in a dark yet peaceful cave, we took advantage of the crystals and minerals, making them glow and using neon signs to provide the sense of a lively market.”

―Alfonso Blaas, Art Director

“The overall architecture of the Trollmarket is very asymmetrical and scattered, forming plateaus of stacked formations, in contrast with the clean orderly shops on the streets of Arcadia.”

―Rustam Hasanov, Art Director

Trollmarket is a great underground metropolis. It is located several meters underground, connected to the entrance by a long bright crystal staircase. It consists mainly of houses, bridges and trading posts arranged around the rock. There are all kinds of minerals and crystals everywhere that provide illumination. In the center is the Heartstone, the source of life and sustenance of all the Trolls.

However, in the aftermath of the Eternal Night War, Trollmarket is now nothing more than a dark, damp, silent, wrecked, and creepy cavern with what's left of the Heartstone at the center.

Points of Interest

Known Locations

Blinky's Library The library is Blinky's special room, used by Jim and the group as a barracks. It is full of all kinds of books, scrolls, and texts about magic, spells and troll history, often used in need of information. Most of these books were arranged by Blinky's brother, Dictatious. Crystal Staircase The main entrance/exit of Trollmarket. Upon entering with a Horngazel, there is a blue crystal staircase which often magically appears before the visitors and leads to the underground metropolis. Gyre Station The Gyre station is where they use a special mode of transportation called a Gyre to travel to any part of the world in record time, outside Heartstone Trollmarket's rule boundaries. Heartstone “With shimmering characteristics found in precious gems, the Heartstone is the most sacred locale in all of Heartstone Trollmarket. It's the ultimate source of light and power, and Vendel has devoted his life to maintaining and caring for the Heartstone. Without its magical energy, the trolls would perish and need to venture out to find a new home.” ―The Art of Trollhunters Morgana's Prison Unknown to the trolls of Trollmarket, Morgana's prison was located underneath their own Heartstone, where she remained awake, plotting her revenge to kill Merlin, his Trollhunters, and bring forth the Eternal Night to bring chaos to the world above. Vendel's Workshop The workshop is a special room located at the foot of the Heartstone, frequently visited by Vendel. It is used to heal the wounded as well as to forge and refine jewels and gemstones to bring out its authentic power. Killahead Bridge Vault After claiming the pieces of the Killahead Bridge and killing Bular, the trolls placed the bridge inside a highly secured chamber only a troll of Trollmarket may access. The pieces were later shipped out of Trollmarket after Usurna destroyed the bridge, preventing Jim from escaping. Market Stalls “Dirty socks (the dirtier the better) are just some of the many fine trinkers and goods that can be found for a bargain in Heartstone Trollmarket. "One man's trash is another troll's treasure." So goes the saying in Trollmarket where trolls can find delicacies such as glass bottles to snack on, or a "new" TV that only plays their favorite channel—static!” ―The Art of Trollhunters Tattoo Where trolls carve engravings in their stone skin. Plaza The Plaza is one of the major locations in Trollmarket. This is where trolls normally meet for markets, shops, and dwellings. It even has a great view of the Heartstone. Shops “The shops and neon signs of Trollmarket are meant to add some literal color and versatility to the world, but also some humor and identity to the trolls themselves as far as their values and interests.” ―Rustam Hasanov, Art Director Bagdwella's Fine Gifts This is Bagdwella's gift shop, which is almost always infested with rogue gnomes. This is where Toby and Jim adopted Gnome Chompsky after they caught him. RotGut's Apothecary It is a deposit owned by Rot and Gut, who supply the Trolls that go in search of spells, charms, talismans, totems, and diverse magical artifacts. Stronghold The stronghold is where trolls lock up prisoners who break their laws. Stricklander ended up here for his crimes of resurrecting Angor Rot. Later, Jim was arrested by Usurna for unintentionally releasing Gunmar. The Deep The Deep is a deep chasm where people face their worst fears. No troll has ever came out alive. Jim was sentenced to the Deep after a phony trial staged by Usurna. Luckily, Jim escaped the Deep after confronting his worst fear (presumably losing his humanity) since he's human. However, it's later discovered that the Deep was never meant to be used for punishments, but was actually created by Kanjigar to protect Gaylen's Core from outsiders. Krel goes into the Deep to find Gaylen's Core, but not before facing his own worst fear (losing his new home of Arcadia and his friends he's made there). After Krel finds the entrance to the Gaylen's Core chamber, the defense magic of the Deep has been broken. Gaylen's Core Chamber After King Fialkov and Queen Coranda entrusted Gaylen's Core to Kanjigar, he created a hidden chamber in the Deep to protect it in case House Tarron would ever return. The entrance to the chamber holds a password that is written half in Trollish and the other half in Akiridion: "With valiance and justice, long may House Tarron reign". Once entered, it gives an aura projection showing the battle of Seklos and Gaylen before introduced to Gaylen's Core at the top of a purple crystal mountain. The Hero's Forge “One of the Hero's Forge's main functions was to serve as a training ground for Jim and the Trollhunters.” ―Rustam Hasanov, Art Director The Hero's Forge is the Trollhunter's training ground, as well as where all the formal clashes between trolls take place. It is a large arena surrounded by statues (which are, in fact, corpses) of the previous Trollhunters. It has various traps and deadly devices that help the Trollhunter to refine his combat skills, activated by diverse manual switches. At the top, there are tiers and balconies where those who witness the matches are located. Below the center is the Soothscryer, which can judge the true spirit of who puts his right hand on it and also connect whoever is summoned with the Void Between Worlds. Troll Pub The Pub is a bar that offers food and drinks service for trolls. It has several tables and bars for customers. It is frequented by all Trollmarket residents and where various meetings are held.

Trivia

• The crystal cavern Heartstone Trollmarket is located has similar crystals to How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World's Hidden world.
• This is the second place called Trollmarket in a production by Del Toro (the first being in Hellboy).
• Despite the dead Heartstone, some of the artifacts in Trollmarket are still [partially] active, such as the Horngazel tunnel, the Hero's Forge, and the Soothscryer.
• Trollmarket’s existence seems to be known by the United States government, but they didn’t seem to care much about it.
• Jim and Toby are the first humans to ever step foot in Trollmarket.
• Claire is the first human female to ever step foot in Trollmarket.
• Aja, Krel, and Varvatos are the first Akiridions to visit Trollmarket.
• It confirms there are two Vaults in Trollmarket.

Gallery

Arcadia Oaks-pedia has a collection of images and media related to Heartstone Trollmarket which can be found at Heartstone Trollmarket/Gallery.