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Back in the days of the heptarchy, kings and queens had to contend not just with the plots of their enemies, but also with dragons, witches, and, most annoyingly of all, ... trolls.

Dragons may be fierce, but if you’ve killed one dragon you can kill a hundred, for they are always killed by an arrow, spear, or sword. Witches may be frustrating, and it is often easier to banish them than to slay them, but if you’ve got a wizard on your side, they sort it out for you (not that anyone seems to know how they do it). But trolls, those fetid creatures, are often the most difficult to be rid of, for no two trolls can be defeated in the same way. Though trolls may be the stupidest of all things foul, they can only be defeated with perception, imagination, ... and wit.

Trolls are rarely seen in groups – it’s thought that their inherently adversarial nature makes it difficult for them to co-operate. But when trolls do decide to work together, they are particularly dangerous.

No-one’s been able to agree on exactly what a group of trolls is called: a commentary of trolls, a company of trolls, a parliament of trolls, an unctuosity of trolls. But regardless of what they are called, defeating a group of trolls requires determination, decisiveness, and no small amount of impatience.