READ THIS if you are part of the Barrow-Down's Birthday Party

[Samwise]

OOC: You're welcome. Do you want to play--er--"it" since you're the one down there, or do you want someone else to do it? Maybe later pio can since, like you said, she had this idea to begin with..
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[Rose Cotton]

ooc:Anyone can play this....thing. I think it would be cool if we put a team effort into it. smilies/biggrin.gif Whatever you all want.::

[Frodo Baggins]

Frodo was leaning out dangerously far,

"Rose! NO!!!"


SPLOOSH! Frodo fell over the rail...

[Rose Cotton]

ooc:I didn't mean to confuse you. You can play the creature if you want. I encurage it. But I may also play it too if that's alright with you.::

[Birdland]

The small, nimble sea-creature hopped onto a rock, cocked it head, then pointed a webbed finger at the confused, frightened halfling.

"You hobbit?"

"Ye...Yesss...I'm a hobbit. Rose Cotton, at your service, if you please. Why am I here?"

The creatures back spines snapped up, and he exposed a wide set of sharp, pointed teeth. And then he started to caper around the cave, jumping from rock to rock and leaping from crevice to crevice. Rose realized the tiny creature was actually happy!

"HobbitHobbitHobbit! At last, at last! YOU are a hobbit!" He spun on one foot, then with a leap like a frog, landed within inches of Rose's face.

"And soon, there will be TWO Hobbits! Two! But I must go fetch him soon, ere he drowns!" The creature leaped back to the pool that led to the cave's underwater tunnel. But before he dove in, he turned back to the wet, befuddled Rose. Baring his teeth again, he raised his hand and said:

"I'll be right back...COUSIN!"

Then with a splash, he was gone.

[Rose Cotton]

ooc:That's kinda what I ment for a team effort. Everyone being this creature when it suited the story. If you don't like this idea Sam then I'd be glad to go with somthing else::

As the creature dissapeared into the water Rose suddenly had alot on her mind. 'Cousin? And who was the other hobbit? Had it gotten Child, Frodo, Sam or Prim? And what did it want with hobbits. A family reunion?' Rose had once more the chance to study her surroundings. Was there any place where she could hide or lead to other caverns? And what did it do with her sword? She hoped that it had just put it somwhere so she couldn't get it but what if it had cast it into the sea? She'd never get it back. Rose started to explore.

[Samwise]

Sam went pale, and he nearly fell out of the barrel.
Sam: Mister Frodo!!
He ran to the railing.

Stacey, hearing the splash and Sam's yell, turned her head in time to see the elder of the two Gamgees climbing up the railing.
Stacey: Sam! Sam, what are you--Samwise!!!

The little hobbit had reached the top of the railing and fallen over the side.

Stacey: *reaching the railing and looking over* http://www.plauder-smilies.de/screams.gif Gamgee, you're head's as hard as a peice of fossilized lembas!!!

Looking down at herself, she remembered she was glad she'd changed from her soiled party clothes to what she'd assumed was some sort of Elven sailor's outfit (basically a jumper made out of a comfortable, light material she didn't know the name of) she looked over her shoulder at Child.

Stacey: smilies/rolleyes.gifMight as well join the party...

She climbed onto the railing herself and jumped in.

[Samwise]

Well, you folks go ahead. I see Birdie has already started playing along, so I'll keep out of it. Sorry I get confuzzled so easy. Just that you folks are all way better at this than me, and I don't want to mess anything up. smilies/wink.gif

[Rose Cotton]

ooc: Sam you never mess things up::

[Samwise]

Oh, my, it's beautiful.........
Sam looked around himself. He had never seen such a beautiful shade of blue. Just then bubbles appeared in front of his eyes. He looked below him.

Mister Frodo!

But the elder hobbit was going the opposite direction, and it appeared as though he was clawing at the water.

Sam: What in the world......

Popping his head above water and sucking more air into his lungs, he went back under and tried that paddling that Miss Child had taught him. It was slow going, but he didn't stop.

Sam was amazed at how clear the water under there was. He caught sight of Mister Frodo again, and......

What was that?

Some odd thing had a hold of Frodo's ankle. It reminded Sam a bit of Gollum, except--it looked as if this thing had some sort of horns or something all over. Maybe the water was playin' tricks on his eyes.

The thing took Frodo down and down and down until finally, amidst a bunch of rocks, Sam saw a big hole. The thing swam inside.

Sam made ready to follow, when it felt as if something popped inside his ears.

What....?

Then his throat got tight and his chest burned. He needed air!

He tried turning around like he had before, but it was harder than when he was closer to the surface. Why was that?

He tried paddling again. It felt as if his chest were going to explode. An air bubble escaped from his mouth.

No...keep goin, Sam! Keep goin!

In his determination to catch up to Frodo, he had gone too deep. His lungs not only ached for air, but his brain did too. He felt dizzy.

Oh, no.....I'm sorry, Mister Frodo.....I'm sorry.......

He went limp in the water.

[Samwise]

smilies/smile.gif OOC: Thanks bunches. I just feel funny a lot of the time 'cause so many of you folks seem to know exactly what you're doin'.

[Rose Cotton]

As Rose searched in vain for her blade she heard the bubbling of water. She hastened back to where she had been when the creature had left her. But this time when it emurged it was draging somthing with it which it deposited on the ground. IT WAS FRODO. Forgeting the ominous creature Rose flung herself down beside the seemingly uncontious hobbit.
"Frodo. Frodo wake up." and as she patted his face softly his eyes flickered open.

[Samwise]

Stacey had to come up for air again.

Where had that blasted little hobbit gone!?

"Miss Stacey?"

She looked up. Primrose was peering down at her from over the railing.

Prim: Miss Stacey, what's going on? Where are Uncle Frodo and Papa?

Stacey tried to concentrate both on her answer and on treading water when she squinted up at the figure beside Primrose.

"Mithadan!?"

[ June 25, 2002: Message edited by: Samwise ]

[ June 25, 2002: Message edited by: Samwise ]

[Samwise]

OOC: FYFI: Frodo's alter ego's in the process of moving, so that's why I've been playing him (her) at times...
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Frodo blinked.
"R-Rose? Wha-what is this place?"

Then he caught sight of the creature. He sat bolt upright and grabbed Sting by the hilt.

"Who are you? What do you want with us!? "

[Samwise]

The little creature cowered, moving back on all fours. "Ah--do not hurt me--I am a cousin, cousin. "

It smiled, bearing teeth that didn't look so friendly.

Suddenly it tilted its head quizzically. The holes in the front of its face, which Frodo assumed to be its nose, twitched. It sniffed.

"Mmmm. 'Nother hobbit. 'Nother hobbit!"

Frodo watched in amazement and confusion as the creature flashed a toothy grin again and almost danced toward the water. It hopped in, and with a splash, it was gone.

Frodo looked quizzically up at Rose.

[Birdland]

Birdie swam through the depths, searching everywhere for Rose, but she (or her body) had seemed to have disappeared without a trace.

She had circled farther and farther from the vessel, and was about a half-a-mile out when she heard the second splash, and realized that another person had gone into the water.

Turning, she saw a small murky figure swimming, then suddenly, the figure seemed to be grabbed and pulled strongly downward and away. Birdie turned in a flash speeding back to the area of the ship.

A few hundred yards away, she heard a third splash, and saw Samwise plunge into the water in a rush of bubbles. "So it must have been Frodo who went over the side before. But where IS everyone?!"

At that moment, Birdie saw a small figure swimming for Sam. The shape was man-like, but very small and covered with spines on the head and back. It swam strongly with arms and legs, almost as well as the Mer-Folk, and it was heading directly for Sam.

Birdie rushed in, putting her body between the fish-man and the halfling. Flipping around she slapped the creature sharply with her tail. It backed off with a trail of bubbles and a sharp hiss. Grimacing in pain, it circled around the skin-changer in dolphin form, and again made a grab for the body of Samwise...


(O.C.C. - OK Samwise. Your call. Do you want to make it back to the ship, or follow Frodo and Rose?)

[Rose Cotton]

"Are you alright?" asked Rose. "How did you end up in the water. At least that thing didn't take Sting away."

[Rose Cotton]

ooc:Hey Sam, why don't you come join us. It's um....fun down here. smilies/biggrin.gif Haha, just kidding, it's your choice.:

[Samwise]

Frodo was quizzical again.
Frodo: "Take Sting? What do you mean? "

[ June 26, 2002: Message edited by: Samwise ]

[Rose Cotton]

"That thing took my sword away!" she started to grow angry and Frodo looked worried. "Sorry but Pio gave it to me and it is a really good blade."

[Samwise]

Frodo frowned deeply, then looked around. The cavern was spacious, with a celing far above their heads. He shivered.

Frodo: Hm. There's a draft somewhere. Maybe there's a tunnel behind one of these big rocks where he put your sword.

[Rose Cotton]

"Or a way out." Rose said hopefully. "I don't know about you but I'm not particullarly antious to get to know this thing. Can you walk? Do you want to help me search?"

[Samwise]

Frodo rolled over, got on his knees, and stood.
"I'm okay, and besides, that thing is gone for the moment--let's go take a look."

[Samwise]

Sam sank towards the bottom. That was until a scaly arm wrapped itself around his chest.

He was pulled down, then through a hole.....

OOC: Knowing Sam, he'd probably want to be with Rose and Frodo anyway... smilies/rolleyes.gif

[Rose Cotton]

ooc:lol. Your right.::

They had just started to look around when the sound of the creature's return reached their ears. "Quick. We got to get back."

"Why don't we just hide?" asked Frodo
"Don't want to get it angry." So they went back to the edge of the water where the creature came onto the rock carrying Sam. "Oh no. Are you going to abduct all the hobbit's on the ship?" Rose snapped.

ooc: smilies/eek.gif I'm getting very angry. Better start counting to ten. 1...2....

[Samwise]

Abduct? No, no. Durgash did not abduct any hobbits.

The horned creature looked down at Sam.
"This one I saved. He was almost drowned. "

Frodo ran to Sam's side.
"Sam! Sam, wake up!"
He put his ear close to Sam's mouth. His younger friend's breathing was shallow.

Frodo glared at the creature. "What did you do to him!? "

The creature crawled backward. "I did nothing. Hobbit was drowning. I only saved him. "

Sam rolled over and coughed then, sputtering water all over the place.

[Rose Cotton]

"Did you say your name was Durgash? And what do you mean. You pulled me underwater. You could have been alittle more polite about it." said Rose.

[Rose Cotton]

I WILL BE GONE FOR A FEW DAYS. I WELCOME YOU TO PLAY MY CHARICTER. SEE YA!

[Samwise]

'Kay! Have fun!

[Veritas]

All people gattered together by the ceiling to look into the water where nobody was. The rest had climbed out of the water to fix a plan.

Veritas shuddered, but this time she didn't want to do nothing, and took her cloak of, and dived into the sea. The water was cold and she shook her head. She took a deep breath and swom to the bodem of the sea.

[piosenniel]

A fine sheen of sweat covered the man's face as he stepped onto the deck. The little hobbit had leant him her arm, but the exertion of climbing the steps had taxed his small reserve of strength.

Idril watched him from her seat on deck as he made his way to the railing to view the commotion in the water. She smiled as Primrose rolled a barrel over and pushed it upright so that he could rest on it. She saw Primrose frowning and pointing down to where the hobbits had gone under the water. Mithadan leaned closer to the rail and rested his forearms on it, seeming to take an interest in the goings on below.

'He's doing well, don't you think?' remarked Tuor, coming to stand behind Idril. He placed a hand affectionately on her shoulder.

She reached up to clasp his hand, an old familiar habit. 'I think so,' she said, 'at least physically, he begins to mend. But look how at times his gaze drifts, unfocused, toward the horizon. Then do his eyes darken as if a shadow had passed over the sun, and a certain grief suffuses the features of his face. We must get him back to the Downs and soon. I can help his body heal, but his spirit is beyond my arts.'

[piosenniel]

Pio swam near to the Dolphin's side, just in time to see Sam's head slip beneath the surface. The effort of staying afloat had exhausted the neophyte swimmer. Gravity overtook him and down he went. She dove beneath the waves in an effort to pull him back up. Her hand clasped about his wrist for just a brief moment, then she felt him being pulled quickly from her grasp.

She kicked her way further beneath the surface, in the direction she saw Sam had been pulled. But the creature was a strong swimmer and eluded her pursuit.

Coming up for air, Pio saw Bird swimming just beneath the surface, trying to get a fix on the creature's path, but to no avail. She surfaced and swam to Pio's side.

'Well, my grey-finned friend, what do you propose we do?'

Bird blew a spume of water in the air in aggravation and said, 'I haven't the foggiest idea at the moment.'

'I believe I can help you there.', came a voice from behind them. 'That is for a chance to finally meet that delish- er, delightful elf friend of yours, Bird.'

The pair turned to discover the source of those words.

'Oh, Eru!' said Pio to her friend. 'It's your amorous merman.'

[Veritas]

After a few seconds Veritas was getting warmer by the swimming. She looked down, the sea was deep at this point, she didn't have air enough to stay under the water long, so she swum upwards.

Back on the ship she went to her cabin and took her staff, you are a wizard or not, so she did a spell, that she could stay under water for three hours, no more no less.

Back in the water again, she wanted to swim down to the bottem of the sea, when she suddenly saw three persons swimming, Pio, Birdie and a mer-man. They were talking to eachother. No time to join them, Veritas thought and went on.

"I think I have to look for a cage or something." She thought.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child was sitting on the deck reading the Silmarillion pretending to be engaged in scholarly pursuits. Actually, she had her feet up on a barrel and was watching the gulls up in the air who were sqawking loudly and flying in intricate loops. Her book was upside down.

Angara came and perched on the railing beside her. She glared at her mistress. "You're late Child!!"

"What do you mean late?" queried Child.

"Haven't you noticed you are the only adult hobbit left on this vessel?" Angara shot back. "They've all gone ahead to visit one of your relatives under the Sea. It is very rude not to respond when you're given an invitation."

Child stared at Angara, "Stop being silly. I don't have any relatives who even live near the Sea, let alone under it! And I don't have any invitation!"

"That's not true!" Angara held a large seashell in her mouth. Inside the shell, well hidden from the waters, was a sheet of paper folded small. The paper had on it a single image--the outline of a webbed but still hairy foot impressed upon the paper.

"What is this? yelled Child. "And where are Rose, and Sam, and Frodo?"

"They've gone, all goooonnnnneeeee" Anagara yelled in her ear.

"That's ridiculous! Rose might do such a thing, but Sam and Frodo are too settled and sensible to leap into the water." Child said.

"And anyways I'm not going anywhere! We have to return to the Barrow-Downs so Mith can receive healing. He doesn't seem to be too steady in the head. I think he's feeling guilty about what he did. If you ask me, the problem is that part of him actually enjoyed what he did, and he doesn't feel very comfortable about that!"

"That's what you think, my sweet mistress. I agree about your lord Mithadan, but it is still very rude to ignore your relatives."

Angara set aside Child's book on the barrel, placed a knife in her hand, and lifted Child up by the scruff of the collar so that she was hanging in mid-air. Then, Angara perched again on the rail, and plunged into the water, forcibly conveying the kicking and screaming Child down into the underwater cave.

"Don't worry, Child," Angara soothed. "I told Tuor and Idril and Bird and Pio you were going down to rescue the others. They have confidence in you!"

"That's ridiculous" thought Child, but she was afraid to open her mouth. "You're gonna' be sorry, Angara," she mused.

Suddenly, they were in an underground cave. Angara had made herself very small. Child glared around and saw the three hobbits as well as a small strange amphibious creature who indeed had hairy feet.

Child was suspicious. "What's this creature doing,? she wondered. "Collecting hobbits?????"

[Birdland]

When Birdie smacked the creature with her tail, Sam had sunk farther down in the water, so he was now below the skin-changer. The spiny imp did an end run around the dolphin, and grabbing the halfling by one arm, immediately started to swim away.

Just as Birdie took off in pursuit, the small being turned and, pointing a ball-like object at her, ejected a black, inky substance, which washed over Birdie's face.

It stunk! Birdie had never smelled anything so terrible, and her eyes were burning! Shaking her head wildly, Birdie backed away from the fleeing creature, trying to rub her eyes with arms that were not there. By the time she was able to clear her vision, both Sam and the sea-imp were gone.

At that moment, Pio swam up, accompanied by of all people, the Mer-Man.

"I might have known you'd show up again." said Birdie ruefully. We were supposed to be going home. We were all going to have an eigth interest in a real sailing ship, and be rich! And instead we've lost three halflings and we're bumbling around underwater again."

"Four halflings," said Pio. "Angara took Child, apparently to the same place Rose, Frodo and Sam went to."

Birdie whirled on the Mer-Man, who was floating next to Pio with an admiring gaze. "Alright then. So what exactly WAS that thing?"

"A Hobrim. Or that is what we Mer-Folk call them." said the Mer-Man distractedly. He swam up to Pio and extending a finned, emerald green hand, stated, "By the way, I don't think we've been formally introduced, my dear lady. I am Levanto."

"So what, exactly, is a Hobrim?" Birdie rolled her eyes. Apparently, she was going to have a hard time keeping the Mer-Man's mind focused on the situation. And why hadn't he ever told his name to HER?

"Hobrim. Literally a combination of "Hobbit" and "sea". Although technically they seldom stray into the deep ocean. What the little nixie is doing so far from the shore waters is beyond me. 'Piosenniel'." He turned back to the Elf-Maiden "That is a lovely name. Are you a Silvan Elf?"

Birdie interrupted again. "Now wait a minute. "Hobbits are related to Men in some way. Just what is this thing related to?"

"To his parents, I presume!" said Levanto irritably. "I generally don't delve into Halfling genealogy." he smiled at Pio. "Not really my forte. Now the Elf-Folk, I have always found them to be a particularly facinating race..."

"Uh, 'Levanto' said Pio, trying to sooth the waters. Birdie was never much of a diplomat, and she knew that they were going to need Levanto's help in this new adventure. "That's an interesting name. What does it mean?"

"I was named for the warm, dry winds that blow across the the mist-shrouded island of Tofalas, in the Bay of Belfalas. My mother was always very fond of that part of the sea."

"In other words," muttered Birdie, "his name means 'hot air'."

[Losthuniel]

Celeaewen was woken up by strong winds blowing into her face. she had fallen asleep on the mast. Rosseil was staring rather comatose-ly into the horizon.
"Rosseil! wake up!"
Rosseil snapped back to earth, and turned to Celeaewen.
"what?"
"where is evryone?"
"dunno"
Celeaewen looked down from the mast. She stood up, and hesitated a moment, before diving off the mast. It was a long way down, and Rosseil watched as she finally entered the water.
Rosseil banged her head against the mast
"Idiot child!"

[Mithadan]

Idril strode over to Mithadan and stood next to the man, examining him closely. He looked up at the Elf with a faint smile on his face.

"How are you feeling," asked Idril.

"Well enough under the circumstances," replied Mithadan. "Though I wish I could aid the Hobbits. Their disappearance worries me greatly."

"Your body will be healed soon enough," said the Elf. "But your hurts run deeper than the injury to your chest if I be not mistaken."

Mithadan was silent for a moment. He stared blankly at the horizon, then turned to Idril. "Yes," he responded. "When I stood frozen at the mercy of Pallando and he gloated over what he believed to be my impending death, he opened his mind to me. And therein I saw the depths of his evil; his hatred for Arda and all things that dwell therein, his lust for power and his love of violence uncontrolled and purposeless save for his own gratification. It was like a pit filled with the filth and foulness of the worst emotions that ages of bitterness could breed. But even as I stood there in fear and horror, I felt deep within myself some faint echo of his darkness that I even at unawares had hidden away locked behind closed doors. And just before he struck, he laughed at my surprise as if he knew these things were within me."

"He did know," said Idril gently. "For these things are within us all. We dwell in Arda Marred and all that was done and made that is good was tainted in ages long passed by the evil of Morgoth. And the Marring cannot be undone and affects us each and every one, whether it is locked deep within or struggled against each day. There is no shame in this. It is the nature of the world. All we can do is deny it from coming to the surface and spilling out onto those around us. For in this way only can the Marring be fought even though it never departs. Be at peace with yourself for the ills of all the world are not yours to cure, and you have done your part as best as you can."

[Samwise]

The odd creature hopped over some rocks, and was standing by where Sam was.

"Yes, yes, I am Durgash." it said, tilting its head and looking with what Frodo thought looked like concern at Sam.
"Cousin is all right? "

Sam coughed again, then sat up.
"Mister Frodo...?" then he caught sight of their "host".

"What in the name of---"

Struggling a bit, Sam got up and drew his Barrow-blade.

Durgash cowered. "Oh, why must cousins use dangerous swords? I do not know...."

The look on Sam's face reminded Frodo of the time he'd tried to figure out why "time didn't count" in Lothlorien. The younger hobbit blinked.

Sam: "Cousin?" Mister Frodo, what in the name of my old Gaffer's taters is this thing talking about??"

[Samwise]

Primrose stood back against the wall. She wondered how it was that people seemed to so easily forget her here.

Oh, I miss Papa--and Uncle Frodo--and Mama. Even Tom and Robin and Ruby at home.

A tear slid down her cheek.

At home, it's like I'm the oldest 'cause all the others have their own homes, now. Here everyone's either bigger than me by age or height or both.

Tears dropped off her eyelashes and down both cheeks. Here she was just a two-foot hobbit girl who really wasn't good for much.

She sighed and looked down at her bow, which lay beside her.

Lord, back at the party at least I was of some help. Here I'm not anything. I can't even help Papa and Uncle Frodo.

She glanced over at the lady Idril, who in turn stood studying Mister Mithadan.

"Never annoy a live dragon, dear....."

She chuckled just a little. Then she felt a nudge at her heart, and a bit of a sermon she'd heard back at home came to her.

"Elijah was a man subject to like passions such as we...."

Primrose remembered asking Papa what that meant.

"Well, Tiny Rose, Elijah was a great prophet for the Lord Above--the greatest. But even he had his down times. When that nasty queen threatened his life, he ran away, an' then he went into the forest and had a pity party for himself. The Lord still wanted him to do great things, though..."

Primrose drew a deep breath. "Yes, and here I am throwin' a pity party instead of even trying to do something.

She got up from the wall, and started walking over to where the Elf Lady stood.

[ June 26, 2002: Message edited by: Samwise ]

[piosenniel]

Mithadan's gaze had returned to the sea.

Idril stood by and watched his thoughts play over his face, shadows of clouds moving across a still pond.

'How wondrous, this Race of Men!' she thought to herself. 'To have so short a span upon this earth, and still they do great deeds. The Light shines strongly in them, and in some it blazes up like a great star when need calls.'

Her eyes softened. May your suffering be short and your thoughts fruitful. Be at peace.

She turned away to go back to the bow of the ship, and saw Primrose coming toward her.

[Samwise]

Primrose stopped. "Er--ma'am? I was...I was wondering if I could help in some way. I'm..kind of feeling useless." she looked over at Mithadan. smilies/frown.gif He's awful sad, isn't he? "

[Samwise]

Frodo shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know, Sam."

Rose frowned. "I know I sure don't!"

"Come now, come now!" Dugash said, extending its webbed hands toward them. "You are Hobbit, I am Hobrim! We cousins!"

Rose, Sam, and Frodo looked at each other.
"Hobrim!?"

[piosenniel]

Idril knelt down, to be on a level with Primrose, and smiled at her.

'I think a dose of plain Hobbit medicine is just what he needs at the moment!' she said laughing. Why don't you offer to stroll with him around the deck? There are plenty of little places to rest, and perhaps you can gently draw him out of his dark thoughts for just a moment.'

She clapped her hands delightedly, and regarded Primrose's small, sweet face. 'Yes, you are just what he needs today!'

Primrose dropped a small curtsy to the Lad Elf and walked to where the man sat. She put her small hand on his and smiled up into his face.

Idril watched her go. 'What wondrous creatures are these Hobbits, also. So small and yet so filled with love of life.' She nodded her head slightly. 'It's no wonder that Pio has not the heart to leave this place.'

[Frodo Baggins]

"Hobrim??? Riiiiiiight." Frodo said incredulously. "Next you'll be saying Master Elrond and I are related." Frodo still held Sting in his hands, standing protectively in front of the other hobbits.

[piosenniel]

Levanto and Birdie glared at one another.

'Have mercy!' thought Pio to herself. 'I'm treading in deep water here, caught between an irritable dolphin (who smells remarkably nice - minty, I think!) and a too suave & distractable mer-man.'

'Birdie! Let's just hear what this gentleman has to say, shall we. I'm sure he can be of immense help to us.'

She placed herself between the mer-man and the dolphin and turned to face him. He was still holding her hand from their previous greeting, which was fine with her because it allowed her to use his grip to keep her upright in the water without using much energy. She tightened her grip slightly in his and placed her left hand over their clasped hands and smiled warmly.

'I'm called Pio by my friends, Levanto.' She held his gaze with her dark brown eyes. 'What a lovely name you have, & quite unusual. I have been to Tofalas, and played in its mists. It can be quite lovely there. You must show me your favorite sites there sometime.'

'My pleasure, sweet lady.'he said pulling her a little closer as if to memorize her face.

She laughed and pushed on his chest playfully, moving him a little further from her.

'But first,' she said, keeping him at a comfortable distance, 'let us get this little business of four missing hobbits and one hobrim tidied up, shall we? Now, what do you know of this particular hobrim?'

[Samwise]

Durshag bowed its (his?) horned head. "Oh. I am sorry Hobbit cousin does not believe. Come, I will show! "

With that he turned and headed the way that Frodo and Rose had gone searching before Sam was brought there.

Sam glanced at Frodo. "S-sir? "

Frodo drew a deep breath. "Guess we may as well appease it. "

He leading the way, Frodo, Sam and Rose followed Durshag behind one of the rocks.

[Birdland]

Durshag stood the four halflings in front of a tall, blank cliff face, and picking up a piece of sea-coal, he faced his audience, gesturing for them to sit down. Then turning towards the cliff face, he began to sketch figures on the rock wall.

Sam had to stifle a snort of laughter, for the attitude of the spiny-backed "cousin" suddenly reminded him of ol' Mr. Puddifoot, the teacher he had had in his first years of schooling, before Mr. Bilbo had taken over his "edecation". But then he became facinated by the drawings that Durshag was rendering on the cliff face. They were very simple, some might be merely described as stick figures, but there was a vibrancy and flow to them. Sam doubted that Durshag had ever "learned his letters", but the pictures conveyed a sense of a story. In his own way, Durshag was "writing".

Durshag turned, and gestured towards three subtly differnt figures. "Three clans. You see? Herfoos. Feyloheen. Sturs. You know?"

"Yes!" said Child excitedly. "Harfoot, Fallohide, and Stoors. Is that what you mean, Durshag?"

"Yesyes," agreed Durshag, "but you say it funny. Long, long ago, when all were young, the Sturs lived by a great flowing water, far, far where the land was everywhere. Sturs loved the water. Lived there many, many ages."

"That's right," said Child. "Stoors lived by the River Anduin."

"Sturs lived IN the water you call riverandooan. Love the water, which is life to all. Some would go farther and farther, following where the water went. Until it showed them where all water flowed. Here was the beginning of the Hobrim. Sturs became Hobrim. You see?"

"Now wait a minute there, Durshag!" sputtered Sam. "Are you trying to tell us that a passel of Stoors came down this River Anduin to the sea, and became these, what you call Hobrims?"

"I suppose it could be possible that some Stoors migrated to the South, and eventually found the sea, Sam." said Frodo thoughtfully. "The Stoors were always more comfortable with water and boats then were the Harfoot and Fallohide. Many of the Stoors that originally came to Eriador when the Shire was founded actually returned to The Gladden Fields. I suppose it is possible that some of the Stoor clans never left for the Western Lands at all."

"But how did they wind up looking like THAT, Mr. Frodo?"

"Sea-change." stated Durshag. "The more my people loved the sea, the more she loves them back. She gave the gifts that let the Sturs become the Hobrim." Durshag looked at Sam with puzzlement. "What is wrong with how we look? Not so different. Same height. Same feet", and the Hobrim plopped one of his large, webbed feet beside Sam's. They were remarkably the same, though all trace of hair had long disappeared from Durshag appendages.

"So where are the rest of your people, Durshag?" asked Rose. It didn't seem right that this Hobrim would be the only one. Rose looked around as if she expected Durshag to produce a whole family of "cousins" from the walls of the cave at any minute.

"Gone." sighed Durshag. "A great evil came to the friendly waters. Great ships, great men fighting. My people had to leave the waters close to the land. Go farther and farther into the deep sea. Scattered! Lost! Some go this way. Some that. Wherever waves and currents take us."

"But the old story say: when the Hobrim seem to be lost, that is the time the land halflings and the sea halflings will meet again. You are the Land Halflings. YOU are the Hobbits! You will help to find the Hobrim, and bring them home again!" Durshag plopped down crosslegged in front of the startled hobbits, and expectant grin on his face. It was as if he expected Sam, Frod, Child, and Rose to produce the "cousins", as well.

****************************************

Pio looked Levanto expectantly. "So what can you tell us about this "Hobrim", Levanto?"

Nothing at all, I'm afraid. As I said, they really are not a people that we have paid much attention to in the past. They live in the shallow seas around the Bay of Befalas, and have lived there for many, many centuries. They do not, or never had, ventured out into the open ocean. What this particular one is doing here, I have no idea."

"However;" he assured the disappointed Elf and dolphin. "I can show you where he is, and I assume where your halfling friends are as well. There is a great sea mounain near here. It is riddled with caves, some of which are close enough to the surface that they are actually somewhat dry, and have air. This is where this hobrim is living. Come. I'll show you the entrance. Perhaps you can get the little nixie to answer your questions himself."

Levanto whirled and swam swiftly away. The rescuers following close behind.

(O.C.C. - Whew! Talk about your convoluted story lines. I hope the rest of you like where this is going. smilies/smile.gif - Birdie)

[Child of the 7th Age]

OOC - Birdie, this is great. Don't know if the Elves will want to go chasing after hobbits though!

Child sat back on her heels absolutely stunned. She considered herself a fair authority on hobbit history, what little was known of it, that is. But this was unknown to her.

For once in her life, she scarcely knew what to say. She tried to search the very corners of her brain looking for something, anything, to help her understand how this could be. She remembered one thing in the writings of Bilbo and Frodo, how Gandalf had once hinted that he might know more about the origins of her people, but more than that he would not say. She had wondered even then why he had not told more to Bilbo, for surely Bilbo would have wanted to learn.

Her heart pounded against her chest. Maybe, just maybe, if they could find these "lost" cousins, they would remember or know something about where Hobbits had really come from. She had wondered about this so many times. It wasn't even that she wanted to know as a scholar. She wanted to know as a person..... as a Hobbit.

The Elves understood their past, and Men understood as well. Then, why can't we know? she wondered. What is so different about us? The Ring had passed from the world, and the job of the Ringbearers was done. Then, why did Hobbits still not know where they came from? Were they just men whose bodies and minds had somehow changed? It had never made sense to her.

And then Child realized something. She could think of one other hobbit who had purposely chosen an aquatic existence. One other hobbit who preferred to slip and slide about in water looking for fisssh, whoops fish. And that hobbit was also a Stoor.

Child didn't know if there could possibly be any connection, or whether Stoors simply had the capability of adapting to a totally aquatic life. Perhaps it was something they did only under the force of circumstances-- when things got tough on the land or they wanted to hide, perhaps.

She hesitated to say anything with Sam and Frodo standing by her side. But she knew the question had to be asked. Child leaned forward and lowered her voice, "Durshag, have you ever heard of a hobbit or hobrim named Gollum, er Smeagol? I believe he was a Stoor, and he lived near the Anduin."

[ June 27, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Birdland]

"Gollum?" Durshag gave Child a puzzled look. "You know hobbit named "Gollum"? I never heard such a name. Sounds like hobbit swallowed sea water."

But when Child said "Smeagol", the reaction of Durshag was quite different.

"Smeagol??? Oh, everyone knows the tale of Smeagol the Evil One. The Kin Slayer. The Stur who practiced dark magic. And how the Great Wisewoman Malva fought him, and cast him out of the Clans forever. Durshag heard the tale of the Evil Smeagol when he was very young. Mother use to tell us 'Smeagol get you if you don't be good'."

"You think Smeagol come back and cast the Hobrim from their homes?"

[ June 26, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]

[Samwise]

Sam shivered. "B-but Gollum--Smeagol-- fell into the Cracks of Doom. He couldn't come out, could he? "

Frodo laid a reasurring hand on his shoulder.
"Now, Sam, I seriously doubt that."

Rose gulped. She hoped with all her heart that Gollum being alive was seriously impossible!

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child went over and patted Sam on the shoulder. At the mere mention of the name Gollum, Sam had arched his back and involuntarily brought up his sword and extended it towards Durshag.

Something inside Child whispered. "Remember your little daughter and the Hobbit mistress, Prutense Littlefoot."

Child had sent her daughter Gavriel to Prutense Littlefoot's house one summer so she could learn from her how to sew and knit and do the many other things which Child so disliked but which are necessary for life. Mistress Littlefoot had been extrememly mean to little Gavriel and had given her nightmares. Child never sent her back there again.

The funny thing, however, happened right after that. Prutense's sister, Daffodil Littlefoot, was a delightful person, but, physically, she looked just a bit like the mean Prutense. Every time her daughter saw Daffodil in the market, she shrank back and refused to speak to her or sometimes even played wicked tricks on her. When Child questioned Gavriel about her behavior, her daughter was unable to explain it and just shrugged.

As Child stared at Sam, she thought he looked just like Gavriel did when she encountered Daffodil. Frodo and Rose were already relaxing a bit with Durshag, but Samwise looked unhappy and suspicious. Child hoped he would soon realize that Gollum and Durshag were two different hobbits, hobrim, or whatever, even though they looked a bit alike.

[ June 27, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child began to explore the cave. Rose was already asleep. She could hear Frodo and Sam talking in whispers to each other. She wondered what they were saying and would have tried to listen in, but the sound of the waves against the cave drowned every other sound out.

Durshag's cave was quite ingenious. In some ways it reminded her of a hobbit hole since it seemed to be dug into the side of a bank. And, like a hobbit hole, it was quite neat and presentable, though a bit more damp and simpler in design and with fewer furnishings than she was used to.

Durshag had shown her around quite proudly, saying "Nice hobrim cave, not nasty like Smeagol has. Keep fish here." Durshag had pointed to a small pond inside the cave where fresh fish swam about in a hole.

Child wondered whether Durshag ate them raw, but was too polite to ask.

Durshag said to Child: "Here, eat this. Gooood! Searoom. Searoom goooood."

"Searoom? Child wondered what a Searoom was. Dershag held out to her a light brown plant that looked almost like a mushroom. She gingerly took one and held it up to her nose. It smelled alright.

"I hope this doesn't kill me," she thought, and brought the Searoom up to her mouth.

"Oh, yum, this is really good!!" Child declared with surprise. "Can I have some more?" She was actually beginning to enjoy herself.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child curled up in a corner of the cave on several large pillows provided by Durshag. Her mind was still spinning as she settled down to try and sleep.

Child was roaring and ready to go on an adventure to find Durshag's kin, but she knew she had to think about more than her own desires.

First, what did the other hobbits think? Secondly, what about her friends aboard the ship? She didn't know if Birdie and the Elves would want to come along on such a crazy journey, even if Sam and Frodo and Rose agreed. And what about Tuor and Idril? They could, of course, transfer to their own vessel and sail back to the West whenever they wanted.

Finally, and most seriously, there was Lord Mithadan. Idril had suggested he should return to the Barrow-downs to recuperate. If he really needed to go back there, then they would all have to turn the ship around and go. She certainly was not about to desert him, no matter how Durshag pleaded. Their first loyalty had to be to Mith.

And yet, Child wondered. For some reason she did not fully comprehend, the kuduk always seemed to have a certain effect on both Men and Elves. Whenever a Man or Elf came around a hobbit, eventually there would be a great deal of laughing and teasing.

Indeed, Gandalf had once confided to Frodo that, as far as Middle-earth went, there were three places of great healing. First was the home of Tom Bombadil, next were the wonderful havens of the Elves like Rivendel and Lorien, and third was the Shire with its silly hobbits who were always making one chuckle.

Perhaps, chasing after missing hobbits, or hobrim, was not such a bad assignment for a Lord who seemed quite ill at ease with himself and uncertain of his future.

[piosenniel]

The moon sailed behind some scudding clouds. Night wrapped the mountain completely in its dark cloak.

The three swimmers approached the mountain cautiously, seeking a way in that would accomodate both Birdie and the merman. Pio could make out no openings, but Levanto seemed to know this place and led them to a way in. It was a large watery tunnel leading up to a small gravelly beach inside the mountain. A phosphorescent growth hung from the walls, giving them just enough light to make out their surroundings.

Pio could see a number of openings in the rocky wall arcing around the small beach. She drew herself out of the water quietly. 'Will you two wait here? Or Birdie, will you change to two-legged form and come with me? Levanto, if you please, will you secure the beach, making sure nothing comes from the water after us?.'

She looked among the small groupings of rocks near the water for any sticks that the sea might have thrown up. Finding a suitable one, she took some of the glowing plant from the nearby wall and wrapped it about the end. Holding it in front of her, the elf began to explore the openings in the rock wall.

[ June 27, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[Veritas]

Veritas was totally wet, but in the cave it was dry. It was pure luck she had the underwater cave, wich was dry. The air in the cave was old and dusty. She wondered where the Hobbits could have gone, she knew that there were strange creatures underneath the sea surface, but who was interrested in Hobbits? She couldn't think of something.

She stood up, she didn't knew much about Hobbits, not more then others knew. Back into the water then. But in a flash she saw eyes, big blinking eyes. She turned around and the figure dived away. She knew those eyes, but it was impossible...

She acted like she hadn't seen him and walked to the other side of the cave. There she carfully looked to Gollum. He saw that she was looking and ran away. She ranafter him, through the cave through a little corridor, until she ended by water again. She didn't wait one second and jumped in it.

In the water she looked around, looking for Gollum, there, he was swimming to the other side of the cave lake. She followed him and then he dissappeard. Veritas looked around and saw a passage, and she could hear voices. Rose!

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child awoke to begin her day. The other three hobbits were still sleeping soundly and Durshag was busying himself tiding up his cave and beginning to gather some Searooms for breakfast.

Suddenly Child heard strange noises and a voice. Durshag looked out of the cave, his big eyes blinking. He returned quickly to Child and said: "There are strange big creatures outside who seem to know you. They carry swords and look quite grim. I hope they have not come to hurt you."

Child stuck her head outside the cave entrance. She could see Veritas and Pio swimming quickly with daggers and swords ready to strike in one hand. She thought she heard Veitas mutter the name "Gollum" under her breath.

"Oh, no," thought Child. "They think this sweet creature is Gollum because he looks a bit like that."

Child thought again of Prutense and Daffodil Littlefoot. "Get inside," she told Durshag. "I will handle this."

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child stood at the cave entrance waving towards Pio nd Veritas. "We're here and we're fine. Frodo and Sam and Rose are inside sleeping. I know this fellow looks a bit strange but that isn't his fault. He is a hobrim, a distant relative of the Stoors. Everyone is alright. You can put your swords down."

The little Durshag came padding up beside Child. "These are your friends? he queried. "They seem quite fierce. Perhaps they are having a bad day. Please have them join us for breakfast. I have plenty of Searooms for all."

Veritas and Pio cautiously approached. Child assured them "It really is alright. We've all slept soundly. You have to hear what this little fellow would like us to do. You're not going to believe it. He is quite harmless, but what straits his people are in may be another thing."

Pio stammered in disbelief. "But he looks like, .....like Gollum" she whispered.

Child glared back, "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to judge people from how they look outside? He can't help how he looks. Durshag's people have legends of Smeagol who was an evil kinslayer and was put down by the great lady Malva. He knowns nothing of any "Gollum."

Child giggled, "I admit his lamp light eyes gave me a start too. But look, they are white, not green. They would be green if he were evil and corrupted, just as Gollum's were."

"Now, let me introduce you, and he will explain what he wishes from us."

Rose had woken up and padded up beside Child. She yawned and said, "It is alright. Child's right. This creature is strange, but he is gentle enough."

The smell of roasting Searooms and fish drifted out to them. Apparently, Durshag had even learned how to make fire from flint in his small cave.

"Time for first breakfast!" Durshag cried triumphantly.

"Child grinned at Pio, "See, I told you he just looked funny. He really is a lot like us land-dwelling hobbits."

[ June 27, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Birdland]

Birdie had morphed back into her human form - prompting Levanto to comment: "I don't know why you bother." - and she was following Pio and Veritas up the tunnel. She was dressed only in her skivvies, and had left her sling on the ship, so she pried a few rocks from the tunnel wall, and tying them in a rag, made a make-shift mace.

She wondered what they would find at the end of the tunnel. Veritas had insisted she had seen "Gollum". When it was pointed out to Veritas that this was impossible, she retorted "Well, I saw Maeglin on the ship, and I would have thought that was impossible as well."

Birdie doubted that whatever they had seen was "Gollum", or even Gollum-like. Gollum would not have used a stink bomb against his enemies. His teeth and long, grasping fingers were always enough for him. And this "nixie", as Levanto called him dismissively, did not want to seem to hurt her, but only get away with it's fellow halfling.

Fellow Halfling? Birdie also wondered about Levanto's explanation. "Hobrims. Probably just a silly name the Mer-Folk came up with, to describe a silly race. Hobbits can't become "Sea-Hobbits"...can they?" She would have to discuss this with Child, when she saw her.

[Birdland]

O.O.C. - Oooops! Dueling posts! Skipping ahead...)

Birdie sat cross-legged in the low cave, enjoying her breakfast, but not as much as the Hobbits and Hobrims did. "Well", she thought, "If the way he puts away the food is any indication, he is definitely halfling stock."

Pio, Veritas, and Birdie sat and listened while Durshag told his story once again, with Child, Rose and the others filling in with their own comments, questions, and suggestions. It was an amazing tale, even to one who could change her form in an instant, not in centuries.

Levanto had poked his head up from the pool, wrinkling his nose at the smell of driftwood smoke and cooking. "Burnt food. I never understood what you land creatures see in it." and he delicately refused a plate.

Durshag was overawed to see the Mer-Man, and lowered his head in shyness, but stealing glances all the while. "Mer-Folk great people", he whispered to Child. "Lords of Seas. Not for the likes of Hobrim to be in the company of they. YOU speak with Mer-Folk??" This had raised his opinion of Child to even higher levels.

[piosenniel]

Pio was hungry from the long swim and no sleep. She finished one plate of searooms quickly, and asked Durshag if she might have some more.

'Yes, Lady Elf, please, Durshag will serve you.' He hurried back with her plate filled to heaping, giving her a small bow. She smiled and inclined her head to him as she took the plate.

He looked at her curiously, then shook his head and went back to his other guests, offering them seconds, and in some cases thirds.

Tired of sitting, she wandered about his cave, stretching her legs. She noticed the drawings on the wall and went to examine them. Child had come up beside her and was looking at them also.

'What's this?' asked Pio, running her finger down a long thick line that, as on a map, extended north to south and curved then west to open into a broad area. 'It looks like a river.'

'It is a river.'said Child. 'It's the Anduin. Durshag was illustrating for us how his people came down the Great River to the Sea long ago and adapted to sea life.'

'His people?', asked the elf, pointing to the the grouping of 3 slightly different stick figures.

'Actually, these two are clans of his race who settled in other parts of Middle-earth. This is his original clan, the ones who preferred living by water. Those first two are the Herfoos and Feyloheen as they are named in his dialect. And his clan is the Sturs. Or as we would say them, the Harfoots, Fallohides, and the Stoors.'

Pio stumbled back a step in amazement. The half-eaten plate of food dropped from her hands.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child thought about the Hobbits of the Shire. It seemed true that she knew fewer Hobbits of Stoor descent than any other.

The Harfoot, of course, with their brown skins and love of farming lands and tunnels and holes were the most numerous of all. And the Fallohides usually turned up as leaders and poetry lovers and hunters, with their hearts mysteriously drawn to Elves and the forests. Marcho and Blanco and the Tooks, including Frodo, fell into that category. Child herself was, like Bilbo, a cross between Harfoot and Fallohide, surely the very best combination, she thought.

But truly, she did not personally know many Hobbits who were Stoors. Most of them, she believed had dwelled in the Eastfarthing. Some had small beards on their chins (amazing to say!), and they even wore dwarf boots in muddy weather. She had also heard that the women in their families had more than the usual share of power and authority. The latter sounded quite promising to Child!

Cetainly, hobbits who had beards and wore dwarf boots and had fierce matriarchs might also have been strange in other ways. They might even have decided to follow the River in a different direction than that of their fellow hobbits.

She tried to explain these things to Pio, who seemed quite amazed. It struck Child that Pio, who knew all about her Elven history, could not imagine running into a lost or misplaced ancestor. But Child, who knew little of her past and longed for more, could well imagine small groups of Hobbits running off in different directions as their hearts took them. For Hobbits have always preferred to do things in families and have often turned their heads on those who wanted to be a "leader" and exert more authority or oneness over their fellow hobbits. In this way, they were different from many Elves, or even the big folk.

[piosenniel]

Pio sat down on a large rock and stared at the wall. She let the words from Child flow over her like a broad, slow river winding its long course to the sea. Her own thoughts were racing.

She looked toward Durshag and watched him play the host to his other guests. As if he felt her scrutiny, he turned toward her and came over.

Standing eye to eye with her now, he looked her over closely and smiled.

'So you are a Stoor, I'm told.', said Pio.

He reached out hesitantly,then more boldly when she didn't draw back, and fingered her short, brown unruly hair.

'Yess, Stur.', replied the hobrim. He looked at her expectantly. 'And you, . . . Pio? . . . cousin, too,?'

She embraced him warmly, then held him at arms length to study his face. 'Yes, cousin,too.'

[ June 28, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[Samwise]

Sam swallowed the last of his third plate of Searooms. "This has certainly become something!" he said.

Frodo grinned. "It certainly has. "

Suddenly, though, Sam's eyes clouded.

Frowning, Frodo leaned over and looked into Sam's face. "Sam, what is it. "

"Sir--it's Tiny Rose. This is all well and good for us--but she dosen't know where we are--she doesn't even know if we're safe. "
He bit his lower lip. "Oh, my---what is she doing right now?? "

He stood up. "Mister Frodo, I've got to go! "

[Rose Cotton]

ooc:I will be able to post a couple of times from where I am but I still want you to be my charicter when it applies to the story. I like the way this story is going.::

Being in that cave felt almost like being in a hobbit hole. Indeed, Rose felt more at home then on the boats. Durshag was most definatly related to hobbits and Rose was ready and willing to help him out. Child had had a disscution about this with Rose out of earshot of the others. It had discuraged her by reminding her of Mith and the elves who might not want to delay their trip home.

Durshag lead Rose over to a pool and was showing her how he caught the fish. They were having fun splashing around after the fish. The hobrim seemed so plesant and convinced that they would help him.

Who did Rose owe her alliegence to. The one who was putting all hopes to finding the lost hobrim? Or the barrowdowners? Rose knew in an instant. If the barrowdown boats sailed home Rose would sail with them. No matter who needed her help.

"Cousin like?" he held out to Rose a very pritty rock he had found in the water. She smiled and nodded her head.

[ June 27, 2002: Message edited by: Rose Cotton ]

[Samwise]

Primrose was on her way around the deck for the second time with Mister Mithadan. She told him about her home, her little brothers and sister, and how she liked to help her Papa in the garden.

As they came around the side of the ship where the others had disappeared, she looked out over the water and sighed. As much as she didn't want it to, a tear came to her eye.
Oh, Papa, where are you?

[Mithadan]

The three ships bobbed on the ocean waves. Each had its sails furled and lookouts posted to watch for the missing Hobbits, Elves and Birdland. Mithadan walked slowly along the deck of the Elven vessel with Primrose at his side. The little Hobbit had told him several stories of the Shire and recited the poem 'The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon' for him.

Tired, Mithadan sat on a barrel, and, on a whim, lifted Primrose to his lap. She smiled and looked out on the ocean. "I never knew the sea was so big," she said. Mithadan smiled in turn and replied, "Yes it is big. There's more ocean than there is land. Ulmo's realm is wide and beautiful."

"But if its so big, won't Papa and Frodo and Child and Rose get lost?" asked Primrose with a worried look on her face. Mithadan froze as if stricken and looked up sharply at the water. Then he hugged the Hobbit tightly and said, "I'm so sorry, Primrose! I've been so caught up with myself that I haven't thought of anyone else. I'm sure they're all right. I'd go after them myself but my chest hurts too..." Mithadan stopped in mid-sentence and his eyes grew wide. "Dolt! Idiot! What's the matter with me?" he cried. He eased Primrose to the deck and rose to his feet. "My cabin, Primrose. Quickly."

They walked back to the stairwell and down to the sickbay. Mithadan picked up his old cloak and searched its pockets, coming up with a silver box -- the REG. He murmured under his breath and a light blinked on the box. A metallic voice said "Authorized user recognized." Mithadan sat with the REG and said "Show me the Hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Rose and Child." In mid-air, a mist appeared in which a small but clear image materialized. Mithadan's mouth opened, then he laughed loudly, only to stop and grab his ribs. With a smile, he beckoned Primrose over to look at the image. She clapped her hands and said "They're OK. And they're eating MUSHROOMS!..."

[Losthuniel]

the water was nice and cool. it was a different experience for Celeaewen, who had lived her whole life in a forest. she soon got the knack of swimming, enough for her to be able to keep her head above water. She actually found it quite fun. she was paddling and diving, looking for any pretty seashells or rocks,when she was startled by a bump in her side. she shreiked involintarily, still unable to see for the water in her eyes. She had never seen an animal like this before. it was gray, and had a pointed snot, with lots of sharp teeth. She also saw that it had a fin on its back, and a tail. she racked her brains, trying to categorize it. ah! she called up to the mast
"Rosseil! get down here! Dolphins!"

[Samwise]

Primrose gave a little jump and wrapped her arms around Mister Mithadan's leg. She squeezed, but tried not to do it too hard.

Thank you, Lord, for this tech'legy stuff. she thought, --and thank You that Papa and everyone are safe.

[ June 27, 2002: Message edited by: Samwise ]

[Mithadan]

A mist formed in Durshag's cave. The Hobrim backed away but the others looked on in interest. In the midst of the mist appeared the image of Mithadan's face. He was wearing a wry smile and his right eyebrow was arched. Piosenniel turned to Birdland and whispered "I think he's returning to normal."

"Well now. Having a little dinner party without us I see," said Mithadan. "Don't concern yourselves about us up here. We're only worried sick..." The image shifted to show Primrose who waved wildly.

"If its not too much to ask, might you not consider joining your comrades topside?" asked Mith.

[Samwise]

Sam heaved a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, sir!" he called, waving back to Primrose.

Frodo smiled. "Ah, just in time."

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child bellowed as the image of Mithadan receded. "Sir, wait, stop. I need to speak with you. That is Rose and I need to speak with you." Child struck her elbow into Rose's ribs, who then nodded her head in response.

The image of Mithadan stopped receding and froze in mid-air. "Sir, there's one little thing. Rose and I wanted you to know that we have found one of our dearest relatives who is living in a cave on this lovely sea cove. He is a wonderful cook, and we have asked him to come visit us on our ship. You know, the ship that both Rose and I have a one-eighth interest in......."

"Lord Mithadan, most gracious host, we know you would want to offer your warmest hospitality to our dear relation, so we have taken the liberty of having him accompany us home. He has something of interest we may all want to discuss."

Mithadan's left eyebrow took a decided tilt upward; then the right one did the same. Child began shrinking downward, but then thought better of it and stood her ground.

She whispered, "It may be true that I should have consulted with you first, but truly this is a matter of family pride and honor. We would be much obliged if you would listen to him. For, to tell the truth, Rose and I are greatly troubled with the strange tale he has told us, and we would be craven cowards if we did not consider the heartfelt pleas of one of our own kin."

Mithadan laughed, only the second time he had done so in many weeks. "Ahem, Child," he said with some warmth, "We will meet this strange relative of yours and see what tales he tells. I have asked Anagara to come down to your cave and offer rides to all those who may desire such assistance in returning to the ship."

Child and Rose along with the small hobrim were in the first convoy sent up from the cave. The hobrim gave a little sigh as he left his home. Child heard him whisper, "I know not if I will come this way again. So may Ulmo protect me and my dear home as I venture forth into this strange world that my forefathers and foremothers left so many year ago."

[Samwise]

Frodo placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. The younger hobbit had exhaled and relaxed considerably.

"Oh, Mister Frodo, I just couldn't have left Tiny Rose. I couldn't!"

Frodo grinned, if a bit sadly. "I know, Sam, I know."

Frodo wondered to himself what sort of father he might have made....

[ June 27, 2002: Message edited by: Samwise ]

[Rose Cotton]

Rose had different feelings. She was absalutly delighted at Mith's apparent recovery. but she was also aware of the use of the REG. And even though it wasn't the same one that had controlled her she was still pained with guilt from that too recent adventure. That guilt influenced her feeling of anxiousness aboout what Mith would think about finding long lost relitives. She didn't even think Sam or Frodo were crazy about the idea. Her guilt made her feel that she should do whatever caused the less trouble. The only encouragement she had was Child who seemed so sure of herself as they with the hobrim dismounted the dragon onto the deck of the ship before it went to get the rest. But what did child think?

[Samwise]

When she arrived for them, Sam climbed onto the dragon's back uneasily.

"Come on, Sam. It will be all right." Frodo assured, helping Sam up behind him and placing the other hobbit's arms around his waist.

"Y-yes, sir. Whatever you say, Mister Frodoooo!" Sam shouted as Angara lifted into the air.

[Samwise]

Prim ran over to Rose.

"Papa and Uncle Frodo are still okay, aren't they? "

Her big brown eyes then caught sight of Durgash. She frowned, and the look in her eye said she wished she had her bow in her hands.

[Frodo Baggins]

Frodo shut his eyes and trembled slightly
"I hate heights. Bilbo hated flying and do as well."

[Samwise]

Sam could feel Frodo's heart beating through his hands, which were clasped tightly around his middle.

"I wish this flight would be over soon, too, Mister Frodo. "

[Birdland]

"It's lucky that you didn't mistake me for a shark, silly Elfling!" Birdie widened her fixed, dolphin smile, and tugged on Celeaewen's skirt again. "where is Rosseil? You are both cordially invited to a 'family reunion'!"
**********************************

Durshag loved Angara. He threw his arms around the golden dragon, and buried his nose into the scaly hide. "Air and Fire. Earth and Water. All are here." Angara bent his neck back to where the Hobrim sat astride between his glowing wings, and rubbed his head against Durshag's cheek. Then they flew upward through a blue sea, into a bluer sky.

The Hobrim's reaction to a ship was rather mixed. He crouched on the deck, patting it with his hands and muttering "Dead forest. Dead forest." Terror and curiosity fought a battle; curiosity winning out as his head rose higher to take in ropes and sails, cargo and brass.

Finally he focused his eyes on the passengers. First the halflings. Then Birdie, Piosenniel, and Veritas. Celeaewen and Rosseil. And finally, Mithadan, Idril and Tuor.

Grasping the rail to balance himself on feet that seldom felt land, Durshag advanced towards the Elves of the Undying lands and their kindred. He kneeled before them, and spoke, quite clearly:

"Maiiii Goveeeonnnn. Maiii Goveeonnnn."

[ June 28, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]

[Birdland]

O.O.C. - Child! Your P.M. is full, and I need to ask you a question!

Delete, delete, delete!

[Child of the 7th Age]

OOC - Child holds up picket sign. "I hate machines." Then goes to clean out mailbox.
_____________________________________________


Child was walking across the deck when she heard the hobrim's greeting to her Elven friends. She stopped dead and did not move forward, her mouth hanging open.

How was this possible? This was a Stoor, not a Fallohide. If you had assembled 500 hobbits in a single room, perhaps 2 of them might understand what was being said, and just 1 would have been able to use the greeting properly. Child was mildly astounded.

[ June 28, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[piosenniel]

Idril stepped forth to meet Durgash; extending her hand she coaxed him to his feet. Smiling, she greeted him, 'Ai na vedui Hobrim! Mae govannen!'

Celeaewen and Rosseil chimed in together, 'Elen sìla lùmenn' omentielvo!'

'Mae Govannen, Durgash!' said Veritas, coming forward.

The small Sea-hobbit stepped back shyly, and slipped his hand into Pio's. She gave it a soft squeeze. 'Well met, indeed!' she whispered to him.

[Birdland]

Durshag looked up at the towering folk around him, and whispered to Pio: "The Elf People. In the tales my mother told, the Elf People say 'Mai Goveeonnn'. This is right? She also say they were big."

He looked around again, then shook his head. "She did not say they were SO big!"

[Birdland]

(O.O.C. - OK, I have no idea how one goes about rounding up lost, scattered Hobrims. Anybody got any ideas? Or are they MERELY lost?)

[ June 28, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]

[Losthuniel]

<<i will b away for a few days, so do with my chara what you will, short of killing her. >>

[Veritas]

Veritas smiled at Durshag when he dived away behind Pio. Maybe she had scared him a little when they came by the Hobbits. Veritas was really relieved seeing the hobbits safe, she might have acted a bit strange towards Durshag.

But now they had another problem, first of all, where were the other Hobrims, and then... those eyes she saw in the cave, of who were they? Not Durshags, but somebody elses. They looked exactly like Gollums, but that was impossible. Gollum had not a specific band with th Hobrim, not more then with other Hobbit-like. Strange...

"I think the best we can do is make a big plan and send out people to look for them. Maybe the mer-men now more about it." Said Veritas to the others.

[piosenniel]

Angara chuckled to herself. Seeing the meeting of Hobbit, Elf, and Man amused the old wyrm immensely. She gave a small snort of steam and flew down to land in an open space midst the gathered company.

'I have a riddle!', she said, turning in a circle upon the deck as if to challenge all there.

'Yes,' said Child, 'we know you love riddles, but really, Angara, this is no time for game-playing. We have a quite serious problem to see to at the moment.'

'Well,' said Angara, 'of course I can wait; dragons can always wait - a long time if need be. That is, of course, unless you'ld like a little clue to this problem of yours now!'

She rose languidly into the air and resumed her perch on the main mast.

[ June 28, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[Mithadan]

Mithadan eyed the dragon dubiously. "I've heard that barbequed Balrog wings are a delicacy," he said. "Hmmm. Dragon wings...?"

[Mithadan]

Angara glared down at the Man. With a slight snarl, it said "I'm not kosher."

[piosenniel]

'Delicacy, indeed!' hmmphed Angara, and turned her back on the assembly, giving the Man one last baleful glare.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child had spent half the night consulting the library of books. She was still uncertain what to do.

As she read, Idril had been at the helm of the ship. The Lady often did this at night, since she slept little and enjoyed being out under the stars. During the day, she would ferry back to Tuor's ship, which still rode in tandem with them. All the other vessels had long ago departed.

Child noticed that Idril would sometimes look up and whisper something akin to a prayer or invocation. She would look with longing at the morning star. Child turned her face as this seemed like a private moment which should not be interrupted.

After that, Child came over to Idril and sat down at her feet, "Fair Lady, I have spent the whole night consulting ancient charts as well as books of lore. Yet, in my heart, I still do not know how we shall find these hobrim."

Idril lowered her head: "I can not say what you should do, but I will tell that what I would hold in my heart. I would consult with Mithadan as well as my friends regarding my course. For I would not start a quest unless those who came did so willingly."

Idril coninued: "Now think, Child, think. Where must you go? Where do your people come from?"

Child looked shyly at the Lady, "Why, our people, as far as we know, are from the upper vales of the Anduin between the Gladden and the Carrock. The Stoors were the group set furthest south. Our history says that the three groups who lived along the Anduin quietly until the year 1050 of the Third Age. Then, they began the "Wanderng Days", pushing westward. The Harfoot went first, then the Fallohides and the Stoors."

Child thought again, "Wait, most of the hobbits moved west, but I know that many Stoors did not follow the others. They went on their own to Dunland, much further south than the rest; still others returned to Wilderland where they dwelt along the river banks. The latter were the ancestors of Smeagol."

At this point Angara came over demanding her attention about some riddle. Child answered curtly and shoed her away.

Idil smiled, "It seems then Child, that Stoors were more independent than your other kin, does it not? Even the known history shows this. Imagine, perhaps, that there was another migration, but this one on water instead of land. Now, where does that take you, little....."

Child opened her mouth in excitement and rudely cut in, "South, down the River. They would have gone down towards Minas Tirith and then possibly out into the Bay of Belfalas. From there, they could have ventured anywhere, even across the Sea.

Child wondered, "What if there are no more hobrim alive today. Perhaps all Durshag's kin perished in ages past." Child's face fell, but Idril laughed. "Do not worry little one for ways can be found even through the mists of time."

Child glanced expectently at Idril, but she refused to say more on this subject.

Then, suddenly, she noticed a commotion on deck, something about Angara being served up as barbecue balrog wings..... by Mithadan, she believed. Child whirled around and strode over to him.

[ June 29, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[piosenniel]

Pio laughed at the interchange of man and dragon. Mithadan seemed to be recovering his spirit since she had last seen him - his barbed wit certainly seemed not the worse for wear.

She went over to where the hobbits stood. 'Can you appease the wyrmlet, somehow, Child? It seems we are short of answers for where to proceed next, and she seems to know something.'

[Child of the 7th Age]

OOC -- I have gone WAY outside canon. If you want me to erase this and go in another direction, we can. But just an idea.
_____________________________________________

Child glared at Pio, Angara, and Lord Mithadan.

She turned to Mithadan: "There will be no barbecue dragon wings, kosher or otherwise! He's my dragon, and you will treat him with respect."

Angara muttered under her breath, "My dragon indeed!! But that respect part was well done."

"Now, Angara, in a moment you will tell me what you know regarding this quest for I too have been very busy and have found some lore to help us."

Child went ahead and spoke the words she and Idril had discussed. Only, in her retellng, it seems that Child had played a very great role, while Idril had sat and listened.
Idril, watching from afar, laughed lightly, but held her counsel.

"Now, Angara, what have you to add to this? It is clear that we must sail up the Anduin to the homeland of my people. We must speak with the men of Gondor and Rohan and consult the libraries of Minas Tirith, much as Gandalf did. Only our records will not be so ancient, of course."

Angara turned her head to Child and laughed. "Yes, Child, part of what you say is correct. You have done quite well for a beginner."

"Beginner!!" Child retorted.

Yes," Angara said, "For the part about the ancient records is not correct. The records you seek on the migration of the hobrim are ancient indeed. Surely you do not think the Sea so loved the hobrim that they grew fins in only 500 years. This would have taken much longer."

"But, how can this be? For Durshag had heard the tales of Smeagol from the Third Age. That would be about 2460. If his people had migrated earlier, they would not know such tales."

Angara laughed, "Have you noticed how much Elven tongue your little Stoor knows. Truly, Child, he knows a great deal more than you do!" Child squirmed and glared at her toes.

Angara continued: "For, at one time, relations between hobbits and Elves were closer. Not the great Elves, those who sit on councils and decide the Fate of the world, but those who are close to running water and the woodlands. These Elves traditionally acted as messengers for your people and carried news for them. There was even a marriage between the Tooks and the Elven kin."

"In any case, that messenger tradition was still alive when Smeagol slayed his kin, although it was dying out by then. The tale of this kinslaying would have been carried by Elvish song to Durshag's great, great grandparents who had migrated centuries before. Now, perhaps his ancestors were alone by this time and had fallen away from the main group, or perhaps they were still with all the Stoors who had migrated." More than this, Idril would not say.

"If I were you, I would search for the descendents of these ancient Elf messegers. (This, by the way, was the origin of your own Shire messenger service.) If anyone knows where your kin have gone, they may have preserved the tale. The men of Gondor and Rohan may be helpful but not so helpful as these Elves."

Child asked: "Who are these Elves?"

Angara lauged: "Have you not heard of the Nandor, the people of Lenwe who feared to cross the Misty Mountains and spread out though the Vales of Anduin. Many of them later crossed over to Ossiriand under the leadership of Denethor and fought in the first battle of Beleriand. Those who migrated were called the Laiquendi."

"But some still stayed behind by the Anduin, and for many years there were messenges sent between the scattered Elf peoples, despite the great distances."

Now Angara lowered her voice, "I have sometimes wondered if the example of the Laiquedi, the Green-Elves, was what put the wander lust into the heart of the Stoors, and whether they may have followed the Laiquendi to Beleriand or even later crossed to Numenor itself."

Child blanched, "You are telling me that my people were around in the ancient days when Numenor existed or even earlier in the time of Beleriand." Child's head was spinning.

Angara snorted: "Surely you don't think hobbits were just created and plopped down on the Anduin in the middle of the Third Age? Of course, they were around in ancient times. Their original home was the Anduin, but some made the decision to migrate elsewhere at an early date."

"Now, if you want to help this hobrim, you must sail up the Anduin to try and find some of these Teleri descendents still living near the banks of the River. They may remember ancient tales that will help you decide what to do."

"Oh, and by the way, you might want to ask Levantro to swim along with you on this adventure. I believe Birdland knows him."

"ne more thing-- if you treat me exceptionally nice over the next few days, I may consider telling you an ancient riddle which you may find to be of great help."

Angara glared again at Child, "My dragon, indeed!"

[ June 29, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Rose Cotton]

ooc: Wow. You all really know how to tell a god tale. I can't even tell what's true Tolkien and what is made up in favor of the hobrims. I like the concept. If Tolkien was alive we could have sent him a plea asking him to write a book about a new family of hobbits.::

Rose once again experienced her rare times of withdrawel. Her guilt caused her to want others to decide what should be done. However, this caused her to become a valuable observer. She had been amazed at the hobrim's change from hobbit-like to elf-friend-like. She relized that she had seen this change often in Frodo and other hobbits. She had also been very curious in the dragons's riddle feeling she might have somthing important to say. And indeed the information turned out to be astownding. As was the converstion between Idrill and Child.

Rose tried to tie this information into figureing out her own questions. The most urgent being:
'How do you find and bring together a bunch of missing hobrims?' she told herself

'How do you find and bring together a bunch of missing hobbits?'

But who would know the answer?

[Birdland]

Birdie had watched as Durshag had explored the great Elven vessel from top to bottom, but now the Hobrim sat on the railing, looking rather exhausted.

"Durshag, what is wrong?" As with many people, probably because of their size, Birdie's "motherly instincts" were coming to the fore around the sea halfling. But how old was Durshag? He was of course, an adult, and very capable of taking care of himself in a hostile world. Was he older than the other hobbits? Younger? Still, he was looking rather forlorn. "Are you feeling ill, Durshag?"

"No. Not sick. Heavy. So much weight to bear up here in the land. How do hobbits and Elves bear this weight? Must be very strong."

Birdie surpressed a chuckle. It really must be tiring for a sea creature to spend much time on land. Birdie had a feeling that when Hobrim did come to shore, they didn't do much wandering.

"You don't have to stay here on the ship, you know. If you would feel more rested in the sea, go back in. When Child, Mith, Idril and the others have figured out where we can start searching, I'll come and get you."

"You swim?" questioned Durshag doubtfully. Birdie knew that her form didn't look very seaworthy to the aquatic halfling, though he was much too polite to say this out loud. And he had not seen her in any other form. "How will you find me?"

"Like this!" laughed Birdie, and standing on the rail, she turned and fell backward into the sea, changing to her dolphin form as the water rushed over her. "Seeeeeeee?" she whistled. "Come on. I'll race you!"

"Durshag laughed too, a low chuckle sounding like bubbles underwater, and leapt in after her. Then once again, Durshag managed to surprise one of his new companions.

"Skin-Changer!" Skin-Changer!" he exclaimed, smiling in delight.

Birdie reared back in astonishment, then asked. "Another story, Durshag?"

Yes, many, many stories are known. Skin-Changers, Feyloheens, Elven, Mer-Folk. Durshag loves all the tales he hears." He laughed in delight and cried out "Durshag wants to know all tales! From everyone!" Then he sped off, into his true home.

Birdie watched him go and smiled. Hears all tales, and apparently believes them all as well. And why not? Nothing he has heard or seen since meeting us has proved him to be mistaken."

Birdie and Durshag swam and explored the area around the ship for the rest of the day. Then, hearing something thumping through the water, they looked up to see Child and Pio standing by the rail, Child hitting the side of the hull with a belaying pin, and looking out over the surface.

"Birdie! Durshag! Come back! I think we have a plan. Or at least the start of one, anyway."

[ June 28, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]

[Birdland]

(O.C.C. - LOL, Child! Like I'm Miss Strictly By the Books. Damn the canons! Full speed ahead!

Rose, that's why these RPGs can be so much fun. When someone else gets writer's block, someone else can open up the floodgates.)

[Child of the 7th Age]

Durshag was sleepy from all the exciting events of the past two days. He curled up on a large pillow below deck to take a little nap.

Rose Cotton was passing over the deck when she heard terrifying cries coming out of the cabin next to her. It sounded like Durshag.

Rose raced to the cabin next door. Durshag was sitting up on the pillows crying and shaking.

Rose didn't know what had happened but she held him close to her heart.

Durshag shook his head and whispered, "The water, the wall of water. It came again and almost swept me away. Was it me or my ancestor? I do not know. Only at the last minute a little boat came to take my family away."

He began to weep. "All the rest, all my family's friends and cousins swept away...."

Rose countered, "You have just had a bad dream. It will pass."

"No," said Durshag, shaking his head. "No pass. Come many times. Many times."

[piosenniel]

Angara flew to the top of the mast and watched the waves break against the side of the ship.

She was stewing in her own sulphurous juices, so to speak, and wanted to catch a cool sea breeze. 'I wonder how far they'll get, before they realize they need my help.', she mused, picking her teeth in a delicate but decidedly unladylike fashion with a claw. 'We'll see . . .'.

Don't be so stubborn! prodded Pio.

You are hardly the one to remonstrate with me, Elf! snapped Angara, in response.

Idril laughed. She's got you there, Pio! Best to leave a dragon to her own devices. They often savor grudges for a long while, and only come round in their own time

Angara gave another Hmmmmphhhh!!! and flew down to the deck.

[ June 28, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[Child of the 7th Age]

Frodo, Samwise, Stacey, Rose, Pio, Veritas, Birdland, Mithadan, Meneli, and Rosseil were all gathered around Child. Tuor and Idril were also present. She explained that, if they would agree to this venture, their first task would be to sail up the Anduin and visit the archives at Minas Tirith to see if anything could be found. Then they would search for the descendents of the Elf messengers along the banks of the Anduin. Tuor and Idril could then decide if they wished to accompany us further or depart. A decision would then be made as to where their ship would go next.

Child said she would leave the room so they could privately discuss this plan. Since her own heart was so tied up with Durshag, she knew it would not be fair to stay in the room and browbeat her friends. "I will be taking a nap. Let me know when you have some decision."

Angara stood on one of the larger tables, blowing smoke rings in Mithadan's face. The dragon preened herself: "I still have a riddle, but you were all so nasty to me, that my riddle will stay silent within my breast till I see fit."

Child begged Angara to be reasonable and share her counsel but the dragon would not hear of it. Child shook her head and departed the room.

Rose wondered if she should confide in Child the episode of Durshag and the dream. But she felt that, to reveal this, would violate her confidence to the hobrim. So she said nothing and kept silent.

[ June 29, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Mithadan]

Mithadan coughed as another smoke ring tickled his nose. He pretended that the simple action of coughing did not cause pain to shoot along his sides. He turned to Angara and smiled. "Alright pretty one," he said. "I apologize for my little joke. No one here would ever dream of damaging your lovely wings. Can I make it up to you somehow?"

A sly look appeared on Angara's face as she pretended to consider Mithadan's offer. "Well, perhaps there is something you could do..." she purred.

A half hour later, Angara's hide nearly glowed. Mithadan's shirt and pants dripped soap and water as he emptied the tub that he had bathed the wyrm in.

[piosenniel]

Mithadan placed the tub upside down on the deck to dry and sat down on a nearby chair. A small exclamation of 'oof' escaped him as he lowered himself, his ribs and chest protesting the exertion.

Angara was perched on a towel on the table. Wings outspread, she flapped them slowly to dry the last drops of water from her. She stetched, a satisfied stretch, and settled down as if to nap.

Mithadan brought his face close to hers (a dangerous thing to do with dragons) and rubbed her gently with his knuckles along the flat of her skull. She sighed dreamily and was about to drift off, when he nudged her, ever so lightly with his fingers on her shoulder.

'Yes?', she said, opening one golden eye lazily.

'The bath? The riddle?', Mithadan reminded her.

'Ah, the riddle!,' she said opening both eyes and looking into his face closely. 'Hmmm, in my encounters with Men, I have found them rather slow in thought. Perhaps we should start with a practice run, and see how you do.'

Mithadan raised both his eyebrows at her, but held back his tongue.

'Yes, you just think about this one while I take a nap. Give me the answer tomorrow, if you can. No need to hurry on my account. Ready?'

I never was, am always to be,
No one ever saw me, nor ever will
And yet I am the confidence of all
Who live and breathe in Middle Earth.

And with that she opened her wings and flew toward the staircase to seek a quiet place to sleep below deck.

[ June 28, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[Child of the 7th Age]

OOC-- I'll probably not post till tomorrow evening. If you need my character or dragon, be my guest.

_____________________________________________

Angara stuck her head into the room where Child lay sleeping. The dragon strutted over near the bed purposely flapping wings over her head so that it was impossible for Child to remain asleep.

"Look how gorgeous I am," she crooned. "Some people appreciate me, and some do not." Angara glared intently at Child.

"The Lord Mithadan has good taste. I'm sure you could learn much from him, Child. In fact, he has such good taste that I recited one of my riddles for him. Not that he will be able to guess it!"

Child pulled the blankets over her head. With her free left hand, she hurled her pillow in the direction of the wyrm, narrowly missing her backside.

Angara shot her a parting glance as she departed the room, "Surely you have not forgotten my riddles. Without the answers to those, you may indeed find it difficult to locate your lost cousins. Ah, well, so sad. Some hobbits are extraordinarily slow to learn their place and duties in life."

Child had had enough for the day. She knew the wyrm was furious because Child had called her "my" dragon. That had been a mistake. No dragon, not even one with a relatively good heart, would put up with such an affront to dignity. For no one "owned" a dragon, surely not Child. Indeed, if Child had known the truth, Angara, with her magic ways and thousands of years of knowledge, considered Child to be quite a satisfactory pet.

[ June 29, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Samwise]

Stacey walked over to the lifeboat with Sam and Prim behind her.

Sam: Miss Stacey, are you sure?

Stacey: Yes, Sam. I've been a 5th wheel ever since I got to the Cormallen Feilds.

Sam closed his eyes and nodded.

Prim: Will Uncle Frodo find us?

Stacey: I'm sure he will, hon.

She lifted Prim into the lifeboat. "Sam? "

The hobbit sighed. "Very well, then."

Stacey lifted him into the boat, and between the three of them they lowered the boat into the water.

Stacey sighed, looking up at the Elven ship, then laid a hand on an oar. "Barrowdowns, here we come. "

[Samwise]

The Journey took several days, with Stacey and Sam taking turns rowing the boat. Primrose wanted to, but was too little.

For a while, Stacey wondered if just heading off in the opposite direction that they had come was wise. How long had they been gone, anyway?

On what she counted to be the seventh day, what food and water they had hastily taken with them was running low. Just then Prim shouted,

"Papa, look! "

It was the mouth of the Anduin.

"Thank You, Lord," Stacey breathed, rowing just a bit harder.

Sam looked over Stacey's shoulder, back out onto the sea. "Oh, I hope they'll be all right. "

"They will." Stacey assured him. "I hope they find that little guy's relatives, too. "

Sam looked sad. "I just hope Mister Frodo will be okay. "

Stacey looked up, recognizing the strip of land from which they had launched. "He will, Sam. I don't need to tell you he's survived a lot. "

Sam shook his head.

"I hope Mister Mithadan will be okay." Primrose piped up. "I could tell he was still hurting. She grinned. "He can be awfully nice. "

Stacey stepped out of the boat and dragged it up on the shore. Sam hurriedly climbed out, and Stacey lifted Primrose over the side. She looked out over the feild, which seemed so empty and lifeless, now--rather like a--erm--ghost town.

"Well," she said, "I guess all we can do is go back to Bag End and wait for word. "

Sam nodded. He still looked sad. "Yes, I suppose so. I do hope we hear something, soon. "

The three began their walk across the Field and down the road that led back to Bag End.

~Fin~(for us, anyway)

[piosenniel]

From her seat on the ship's rail, she could hear the water lapping against the sides of the ships. The night was that quiet. Isil had risen, huge and slightly golden, and was now at the topmost part of its journey from pole to pole. Its light played upon the waves, its image captured a thousand times over, rising and falling, perfect, complete.

The stars were bright near the horizons, where the moon's bright light had not obscured them. To the north, the stars of the Valacirca were twinkiling softly. The Wain, as she remembered her mother calling it.

She heard the three hobbits before she saw them: Stacey, Primrose, and Sam. There was longing in their voices for the little comforts, the familiarity of home.

Drawing her grey cloak about her, she watched as they quietly walked past her in the dark and lowered one of the boats. It met the water with a small splash, and the hobbits descended into it with their few belongings.

Placing Prim safely between them, Stacey and Sam picked up oars and began to quietly paddle from the ship, bearing in a northerly direction.

She thought perhaps she should wake the others to let them know that the three had departed, but checked her step in mid stride. 'This is the way they wished to leave, true to their gentle hobbit natures, not wanting to bother anyone.' she thought to herself.

She raised her hand in farewell, and whispered a small entreaty to Ulmo and Ossë to guide their little craft and bring them safely home.

Pulling her cloak closely around her, she sat upon the railing once again, her back against a pillar, and watched the seas until near moon-set, when Isil unfurled a silver carpet from east to west, across the water.

[ June 29, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[piosenniel]

Anar spread his golden fingers across the waters, from the east. The stars retreated. Pio roused herself from her perch and placed both feet firmly on the deck, stretching her body into wakefulness.

Idril and Tuor were just coming on deck. They made their way to where Pio stood and greeted her. 'It's lovely isn't it,' said Idril, looking out over the glassy surface of the calm sea. 'Not for sailing, though.' said Tuor, noting the lack of wind. The three stood at the railing and watched the sun bring a bright sheen to the green glass of the sea.

Mithadan came out from his cabin, shrugging on his shirt as he walked toward them. The herbal poultices had done a remarkable job on his wounds. They were pink with new growth and no longer needed the protection of bandages. He joined the elves in their morning watch, enjoying the play of warmth on his skin.

Pio saw Veritas on the catamaran and hailed her, motioning her over to the elven ship.

Last to come up were the sleepyheads from below-deck - Child and Rose, just rubbing the sleep from their eyes; Birdie giving a large yawn and a satisfying scratch to the back of her head where her hair had knotted in her fight with the pillow; and finally Frodo, looking about anxiously for Sam and family.

'Where's Durshag?' asked Rose. 'He's gone for a swim,' said Pio, to ease his bones.'

Pio gathered the companions together and told them about the departure of Sam, Stacey, and Primrose by boat last night. Stunned silence followed her explanation, followed by protests of 'We should go after them!' 'Will they be alright?' What do we do now?!'

Idril let the flurry of words die down, and then called the companions to come sit in a circle and try to think calmly now about what they wanted to do. Then, tomorrow, depending on what was decided, the voyages to either home or further adventure would begin.

Pio stood, after a few moments and looked at her fellow travellers. 'I am willing to accept whatever decision you might make, though I must say I lean toward adventure. But I will leave you to your thoughts and your debate for now, and go make breakfast for you all. Empty stomachs make for poor decisions as I have learned.'

'So', said Rose to Child, 'What are your thoughts on all this?'

[Rose Cotton]

ooc: Sam, I am sorry to see you leave.::

The night before:

As some slept and some debated over choices Rose found her way down to the lower decks to see Angara. As she approched she could see the dragon awakening from a short sleep and rustling her wings in agitation. "I'm sorry to disturb you." Rose said. " I just wanted to talk." The idea seemed absurb. If the others had such little profit in convercing with the dragon what hope did she have. But of all that had been brought together on the ship Rose felt that Angara would be the one with the most answers. And while she lay in the dark those that were blinded from the answers were up finding one dead end after another. Rose hoped to find some kind of wisdom from talking to Angara.
"What do you want to talk about?" asked the dragon.
"I-We all want to know about Halfling past..and halfing future." The fact that Rose used "Halfling" instead of "Hobbit" showed that she was serious.
Angara consitered her for a moment then said, "If you ask the right questions I may give you the right answers. So far not many are too willing to listen to what I have to say."

"You know alot about hobrims?"
"I might...."
"If I ask the right questions."
"Now your catching on." Rose jangled her brain for somting that would force the dragon to empty her mind. The right questions..what were they trying to find out?
"Well," Rose murmered " We're trying to find the hobrims. But why would they leave?"

"Remember. This is the Fourth Age. This all happened hundreds of years ago."
"So we're changing the past?"
"You might. But you have to think like you are not in the Seventh Age. Think about now."
"The Fourth Age."
"You have to think about everything. Most of all you have to think of yourself. You are a hobbit. They are hobrim. This is the Fourth Age."
"You've told me that."
"But do you understand it?"
"How do you find and bring together a bunch of missing hobbits?"
"Close." Then Rose thought of somthing.
"Why would they be missing in the first place?" Angara gave her a praising look."So somthing happenend sometime in the Fourth Age to cause the hobrim to go missing. And whatever they did was simalar to what hobbits would do. But what...Durshag's dream." Now Rose was really confused.

The present time:

Rose was sadened by Primrose, Stacy, and Sam's departure. But she understood why each would choose such paths. Or at least she thought she did. She figured Sam had been unable to dwell with a creature so like Gollum. Indeed, she expected Frodo to go after Sam. Stacy and Prim had probably felt useless during the journey and felt better to be going home. But of course Rose wasn't one worthy to judge hearts so she went on with worrying about the problems for those who still were on the boat.

"So", said Rose to Child, "What are your thoughts on all this?" Without waiting for an answer Rose imediatly plunged into her story about her talk with Angara including Durshag's dream. She would tell the others but she had learned to confide in Child and now awaited her friend's answer.

[piosenniel]

Breakfast had been made and eaten. Plates of savory sauteed searooms with herbs and onion, mounds of fluffy, scrambled eggs from the hens in the hold of the cat, thick slices of crusty, toasted bread dripping with whipped honey had all been washed down with numerous pots of tea.

The only sounds during the meal had been the smacking of satisfied lips, and the licking of honeyed fingers. Now the talk resumed about what the course of action should be.

Birdie was the first to stand up. She presented her views which weighed in on the side of finding out more about the hobrim and helping Durgash to relocate his people. 'So, is anyone with me on this,' she asked, 'or are Pio and I going to have to pilot this ship alone?' A light went off in her calculating mind: 'Hmmmm . . .I wonder if our percentage of ownership will go up if we do take this on ourselves?!'

Pio could almost see the thoughts playing across the her friend's face, and laughed out loud. 'Hey, Bird!' Leave the others to decide for themselves now, and come help me gather up the dishes and do the washing up.' She held out a sponge in one hand and a dishcloth in the other.

'Your insignias of ownership and authority!', said Pio, smiling.

Bird took the items and started to help with clean-up, revising all the while her opinion about not having a crew to whom she might delegate or 'share out' duties.

They were elbow deep in sudsy water when one of the others rose up to speak.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child got up from the table and stretched. Her night had not been good. She had slipped out on the deck and discovered that Samwise, Stacey, and Primrose were missing. She could see their little boat departing in the night. Despite her anger at Child, Angara had agreed to carry a private letter asking Samwise and his party to reconsider and wishing them good luck if they chose a different path. Now, it appeared certain that their ways had parted.

In her mind, Child whispered, "Good luck to you, brave Samwise, and family and friend, whatever way you chose to wander."

Child faced Pio, Bird, Celli, Veritas, Rose and Rosseil. "I think it is time to set out on our way, since I have heard no words from any to the contrary.. Even Mithadan seems set on going. I hope his wound will not bother him too much. Idril has confided to me that they too have a mind to see the Anduin before returning to their home. They will come in tandem with us and the catamaran as we sail up the River. The way lies north, I believe, and a bit to the west. Levantro has agreed to act as guide."

Child generally liked to get up in front of everyone and announce plans as if she alone had made the critical decisions that had brought them to this point. But today, even after her speech and a lovely breakfast, she was stll in a nasty mood.

Angara had made it quite clear that she had carryed the letter last night for the benefit of Samwise, not for the ungrateful one who called herself her "mistress". Mithadan, too, had apparently found his wounds still grieving him as he appeared nowhere on deck.

Child was truly grateful when Rose came over to talk with her. Rose explained what the dragon had said to her.

Child wondered and responded to Rose: "Perhaps Anagara wants us to look even further back in time. For when she confided in me, she said we must look at very ancient documents. I think she meant the distant, distant past, even before the fourth age. For, truly, it would have taken very long for the hobbits to become hobrim, and develop fins."

Child mused: "What you have told me about Durshag's dream is nothing short of amazing. I had heard nothing of this before, either from Idril or Angara or Durshag himself. I do not know what it means. Perhaps you should share it with Pio and Birdland and Veritas and the others as well."

She continued: "I do not know yet what Frodo will chose to do. I dearly hope he will continue on with us, but I will not begrudge him if his heart should say to follow after Sam. We shall have to see."

"Whichever he decides, the direction we now go, towards the mouth of the Anduin, will benefit us all, and I personally will be most happy to leave this Bay and at least be able to see the banks of the River."

"Is Durshag playing in the water?" Child questioned Rose.

"Oh, yes," Rose replied, "I believe he is down with the dolphins. They even let him ride on their back."

Child laughed at the thought of one of her relatives riding atop a dolphin.

"Well, Rose, if you're up for a swim, let him know what's been decided and the change of course we will make. Later today, or by tomorrow at the least, he must come aboard again and tell us more tales that will perhaps help us determine what we should do, or where we should go to search for the descendents of the Elven messengers. The first stop, I think, may well be Minas Tirith."

Child said nothing to the others on board, but wondered if they might get a chance to meet some of the great figures of the early fourth age. For truly, she would love to see Aragorn and Arwen or Faramir and Eowyn, even if only from afar. She sat down on the deck and began considering what she would say to Faramir if she every truly had the opportunity to meet with him.

[ June 30, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Birdland]

0.C.C. - Birdie's Summary

OK. It is the Fourth Age, Right? The ship is going to sail up the Anduin, possibly to Minas Tirith, to search ancient records for word of the Hobrim. Child has also spoken of getting in touch with The Teleri, one of the original Elven Clans (But I'm confused, 'cause the Teleri are in Valinor, right?)

Piosenniel still has the little gadget that can teleport the ship through the ages, (which was taken originally from the Blue Wizards.)

Rose is still having guilt feelings for her possession by the Evil REG. She also found Durshag having a bad dream about "a wall of water", which swept all Hobrim away. But she has not told anyone else about this dream, yet.

Angara is being a little snot, hinting to have a riddle that will help the search. But since his feelings were hurt, he has refused to give the riddle until someone has answered this riddle:

"I never was, am always to be,
Now one ever saw me, nor ever will.
And yet I am the confidence of all
who live and breath in Middle-Earth."

Veritas thinks she may have seen Gollum lurking around Durshag's sea cave.

The cast right now is:
Mithadan
Rose
Child
Pio
Birdland
Veritas
Celeae
Rossiel

other characters:
Durshag
Idril and Tuor
Angara the Dragon
Levanto the Mer-Man

Maybe still here, not sure:
Frodo
Vanima

There: Did I leave anything out?

[Child of the 7th Age]

OOC --

Corrections: Rose told Child about Durshag's dream, but no one else has been told

Frodo must be "out-of-town" since he hasn't posted anywhere on the board since 6/28

Re Elven History: I shouldn't use the word Teleri. These are the Elven descendents of the Nandor who settled in the Vales of Anduin and other nearby lands.

They were a group of Teleri who gave up the Great Journey out of fear of the Misty Mountains. Some of them later went with Denethor to Beleriand and fought in the First War there. They settled in Ossiriand.

Anyways, I'm suggesting there were messengers sent between these 2 groups of Elves (Anduin and Beleriand), and they also carried messages for hobbits within the region of Anduin and beyond. (This part is not Tolkien -- it's me).

Perhaps, the Stoors saw how Denethor's Elves left for Beleriand, and that example gave them the wander lust to send them down the Anduin and west. You will notice there is a definite theme in hobbit history of "crazy" hobbits going off over the waters and on ships.

Question: Does our ship need a name and should it be "blessed" or ""christened" or whatever you do for ships? (Idril told me if we truly loved our vessel, we would give it a name!)

Should the name of our story be taken from our ship? So people will know it's not still a birthday party.

sharon

[Birdland]

O.C.C. - Yes! let's "christen" our ship before we set out, and start another thread. (since this one is starting to load ve-r-r-r-y slowly.)

Do you all realize this thread has been going on for 38 pages?! That's gotta be a record. Yay, us!

Ship name - "The Lonely Star"?

[ June 30, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]

[Rose Cotton]

Rose liked the idea. So hobbit's didn't just pop out of the ground. She couldn't wait to talk to Durshag. Rose ran over to the side of the ship and called to the hobrim. She climed over the rail and plunged into the water to join him. After a while of swiming Rose spoke "We'd better get back up to the ship now." As she made to find her way back onto the deck she heard Durshag speak behind her.

"Like the lonely star it is." Rose turned to look at the hobrim.
"What?" she asked.
"Heard a story about a star. My mother said it comes out of the darkness bearing hope. Just like this s-ship."
"You heard a story about a lonely star?" the hobrim nodded then went on.
"The lonly star brings hope in dark. I had darkness and then cousins come on a ship..on a star."
"But it's not lonely. There are other ships too." he shook his head.
"Other stars help yes. But lonely star is the brightest." Rose thought about this. Hadn't they been trying to think of a name? Perhaps Durshag's vision of the boat was just what they needed. She looked up at it herself and recalled when she first saw it at the party grounds. She remembered being enchanted by how grand it was.
"Then that's its name. The Lonely Star."


ooc: how's that? If you rather it be a group decition then I'll delete this post. We can start another thread called 'The Lonely Star.' We might even pick up a few people who don't know this is the adventure spawned from the B-day party. Of course they might have trouble catching up to all that's happened but.......oh well. If everyone agrees with this then we can go ahead with the plot. (oh and that story about the lonely star...i made up.)

[ June 30, 2002: Message edited by: Rose Cotton ]

[piosenniel]

OOC: Several things on my mind:

Yes, let's christen the ship and design a banner thereafter! I have been looking at some drawings that Tolkien did of devices, or insignias for various of his Elven lords, I think we should have an identifying device.(Mithadan - would you like to develop one for us, should you choose to go with us?)
******************************************
what about name of ship as:

The Wandering Star
in Quenyan: Eleránë
or
The Rising Star
in Quenyan: Elenòrë (the ending - òrë -also is a homonym for heart or spirit.)
********************************************
& yes, we could and should start a new thread with this name or a ship name of our consensus.
******************************************
Did I have a brain f@rt? - when exactly was it we entered the 4th age?
*******************************************
As I recall, I think Pio re-attached the crystal time thingy to the Wheel at some point just before the Blue Wizards.
*******************************************
I think the catamaran should come with us, also - it is a trireme, and can move by oar-power in still waters. Perhaps we should think about naming the 'crew' - that will make other characters that we can also manipulate as we need.
*******************************************
As to the Teleri - I thought they preceded the breaking into the classifications of Nandor, Laiquendi, Eglath, Sindar and Falathrim. Not all of them(the Teleri) returned to the West - We can use the Falathrim sea-elves who dwelt with Cirdan first in West Beleriand at Falas and then at the Isle of Balas at the mouth of the Sirion, and then probaly accompanied him to the area of the Grey Havens.

One other thing: can we rename Durshag somehow? It sounds like and Orcish sort of name. Perhaps someone else called him that and he uses it instead of revealing his true name.
******************************************

Huzzah!!!!! can't wait to get started on this journey!!!!!

[ July 01, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[Child of the 7th Age]

OOC -- Durshag does sound like an Orc! Maybe he has a secret hobrim name he tells only to friends or something? Can we give Durshag an "old Westron" name? Water in Westron is "nin" There aren't a lot of words in Westron, but here are some possibilities:

Kalinin - merry or happy water
Nasnin - water people

Hey, here's another idea for a last or family name: In Westron, "Tarkil" means person of Numenorean descent. In view of our possible story line that has possibilities, especially if someone starts digging in the records at Minas Tirith and finds out exactly what that last name signifies.

How about: Kalinin Tarkil, or Kali, for short? (Kali sounds more like a hobbit than Durshag.)

I am flexible about the name of the ship. They all sound fine. Whatever you (Pio, Bird, Rose, Mith, etc.) decide is fine.

Will we name the new thread after the ship?

Do we need to have a separate discussion thread, or is it better to handle it all on the same thread like we are doing now?

sharon

[ July 01, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[ July 01, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Rose Cotton]

ooc: We're big kids. We can handle it all on one thread. smilies/biggrin.gif Whatever you decide will float my boat.(get it, we're on a boat)Alright, I've tormented you enough. I will be going to a day camp for awhile so choose wisely and use my charicter as you please. smilies/smile.gif ::

[piosenniel]

Westron would be good to use for the hobrim's name. We needn't make his first name an actual Westron word - didn't Tolkien use common English to cover the Westron names for the most part. His last name could be more in keeping with an actual Westron word, eg., Kalinin (Merrywater). Are you thinking of Tarkil as sort of a clan name? Are you thinking 'Tar' as Westron referring to 'burrowing' or 'creeping through a hole'?
See ATANI (http://people.wiesbaden.netsurf.de/~lalaith/Tolkien/Fr_Atani.html)

Yes, let's name the new thread after the ship.

Let's also keep the discussion in the thread/or we can email each other.

[ July 01, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[Birdland]

Let's see: Yes to new thread, and new Hobrim name! I like Kali. Don't think we need to go overboard with an explanation for the change. If we all agree, we'll just change it in the new thread, and move on.

Also don't think we need a seperate discussion thread. This seems to work fine.

Ship name: I like Lonely Star, (it's from Bilbo's Last Song in Sharon's sig. Don't know if Bilbo made that up, or if it is an Elven name.) But I will go with the majority. "Something-Star" seems to be a consensus, anyway.

Age: I'm not sure which age we're in, either! smilies/biggrin.gif But apparently, we can go to whatever Age we like, whenever we like.

[Mithadan]

Good idea to start a new thread. We'll be out of room soon. Just pick a name, e-mail all involved and I'll shut this one down. I had a site which had the heraldry of the elves but it closed down. Early on I described the standard of Earendil. That may be appropriate.

[piosenniel]

OOC: Lonely Star, it is then! When would you like to start?

[Birdland]

Mith says he can shut down this thread, so pick up the tale where ever you like. We might want to title it "The Lonely Star" or "The Hobrim's Tale" whatever, then add: "continued from...B-W Birthday thread", so people will know it's not a brand new story.

They've still got me on second shift. smilies/frown.gif, so have fun. See ya around 9:00 tonight!