Hobbit doors?

Yes!

But which one in particular, and why?

The one at Bag End?

Yes. Bag End's FRONT door. Scratched by Gandalf when he put a marking on it ... and again when he scratched it out.

Also mistreated by Saruman, I think.

Over to you!

On that night I was away
T'was a night of murders and theft
And I found out, to my dismay
That I was the only one left

I escaped into the night
With what was mine by right
I was hunted down by them all
Yet my special friends answered my call

Yet history repeats itself
We knew not what was in store
Alas, we found out too quickly
And now I am the only one left once more

I was supposed to be the one dead
But his strength of will was great
He took the death blow in my stead
He broke the chains of fate

Well, verse 2 sounds like the 'faithful' Death Eaters finding Lord Voldemort again. Although I don't think they did, until he actually summoned them. :D

Sure, but this is a Tolkien-based riddle.

I know. Hence the emoticon. ;)

Who among you has the courage to solve this?

Is it maybe Beren? The first stanza would be Barahir's death, and the second Beren's reclaiming of the ring. Not sure about the 'special friends' line, though.

Then the third and - especially - fourth are about Tol-in-Gaurhoth (not the game, don't get excited); the last lines are about Finrod fending off the final Wolf and saving Beren from death.

(All this maudlin brooding about how They All Keep Dying On Me is very Beren, too...)

hS

He was said to 'befriend all birds and beasts who weren't in Morgoth's service'. I wrote a story about that too.

Brown of hand, brown of head,
Obeying others' Will each day,
Lowliest of my companions,
I, the fourth to pass away.

hS

Was Sam the 4th to finally leave the Shire ... had Merry and Pippin already gone? The other criteria fit him ... or line 2 does for the early part of his life.

You're correct that it's Sam, but Merry and Pippin hung around in the Shire a couple of years after Rose died and Sam presumably left. So take another stab at explaining that line.

(As originally imagined, this riddle made it sound like an evil character, but I forgot how I was going to do that. ^_~)

hS

I'd say 4th of the Ringbearers, but he was 3rd.

I mean, if you're going to include Gollum, you have to include Isildur and maybe Deagol too, don't you?

And probably that Sauron guy... :) It's not Ringbearers.

You're overthinking it, I think.

hS

But pass away can't be 'die.' We don't know when Sam and Frodo died.

The fourth to pass the ball in an away match for the Shire Cup?

The fourth to pass the oral component of Elementary Sindarin, which you have to sit away from home?

If the fourth to pass West, the fourth of what/whom? Mortals? (Tuor, Bilbo, Frodo, Sam?)

Or the fourth keeper of Red Book?

None of the above, you're still (both!) overthinking it.

If you're counting people, and Sam is one of them, who are you counting?

hS

Members of his family?

Wait......

Members of the Fellowship who passed away in some manner? I believe the order was Boromir - Frodo & Gandalf - Sam - Merry & Pippin, Aragorn, Legolas & Gimli

Dat's der birdie (though whether you count Gandalf's first death or just his passing over the Sea is an open question). It's interesting that more than half of the Fellowship wound up sailing West.

For jumping straight to Sam, the riddle passes to Pervinca - but well done Urwen for unravelling that final line.

hS

And the other half died.

Now try solving my latest Who Am I puzzle. You only have to pick between two options.

Well done, Urwen! And nice connection, hS ... 4th to pass out of the story and to reach the end of what is known of them.

Also, none of the Fellowship were laid to rest in the Shire.

Now, let's see ....

Prepared in anticipation
But not for their end
Of noble sacrifice.

As did all but two of those who sailed. ;)

Finrod and his company of ten

Nope.

The Noldor?

Are my riddles usually about elves and the First Age? ;)

The Fellowship?

No.

What other third age group is there? Thorin and company? Aragorn and his army?

Are my riddles usually sensible?

Sam's rabbits?

No, but by far the closest guess so far.

Hint?

Prepared in anticipation
But not for their end
Of noble sacrifice.

Well, what I'm looking for were prepared, but not to be sacrificed. But then they were.

Gollum sacrificed the rabbits, but didn't prepare them. In my riddle, the same person has to do both.

Prepare as in cook?