Shape Shifting
There was a time when all Trolls were proficient shape shifters, but over the years the art has declined and few now practice it, apart from Wizards and witches that is and those with nothing better to do with their time.
Shape Shifting is still on the syllabus at the Royal College of Tromheim, but few attend classes, although there is still a steady flow of Trolls attending night classes. These classes are usually made up of those wishing to travel abroad on enter into the Trollsylvanian Foreign Office. It can help an awful lot when meeting humans not to look too Trollish. These Trolls may freely walk the streets of any human country and so long as they conceal their tails be totally unnoticed. There are advanced techniques which cover the subject of tail changing.
Visitors to Trollsylvania should be reminded that what looks like a wolf may actually be a shape shifting Troll, a werewolf or even a wolf. It is not unknown for wolfs to be confused by the situation and find themselves at the wrong end of the wrong species. This uncertainty has had an adverse effect on wolf courtship and as a result the population of true wolves has declined.
Stool Ball
The most popular pastime in Trollsylvania, apart from brewing, is Stool Ball. The game requires three three-legged stools, two teams (of any size), a reasonably flat field - one preferably well away from buildings with windows - and a ball of some kind.
In many ways the game resembles cricket, from which, according to some, it is descended, others would argue that the reverse is in fact true and that cricket is derived from Stool Ball, but some people will argue about anything.
Method of Play
The stool man holds his stool in both hands, either by the seat or by the legs, whichever he prefers. There are heated arguments between followers if the sport about which grip is the most advantageous. Hitting the ball with the seat has power, but the legs give a wonderful unpredictability to the strike.
The ball is less a ball than a small rock placed in an old sock to give the bowler extra swing. A well placed ball can send the stool man spinning, but this is not the main aim of the game however it may appear to the observer.
The stool man hits the ball and the fielders attempt to catch it while the stool man's team make this more difficult by tackling the fielders. Other fielders are permitted to come to the aid of their team mates.
As tempers are likely to become frayed in even children's matches, umpires, of which there are usually no fewer that six, made up of representatives of both sides, are armed with hefty clubs. The rules, which are seldom read, much less understood, proscribe internal disputes amongst the referees, but such disputes are not unknown and can lead to the abandonment of a match when both teams stop play to watch the ensuing fight. It is quite a common sight for the umpires to be ordered off the pitch by the crowd so that the game may continue.
Teams from all over Trollsylvania assemble every four years for the Super Stool, the most prestigious stool-ball tournament. There are of course many miner, local and national competitions, both amateur and professional. But it is the Super Stool that draws the biggest crowds. It is usually held in the natural amphitheatre of the Wide Valley, (south of Tromheim). The tournament lasts for about four weeks as the teams play knockout games until only the victors are left standing.
The Super Stool usually coincides with the world famous Trollfest, a delight for all. Ask at any Tourist Information Office for further details.
