Slipping past the sleeping uruk gaurds, a muddy ruffled looking man came throught the metal detector which began blaring, waking up the sleeping guards who were wondering who was attacking them. Then the saw the man, calmly walking into the hall fully armed and demanded him to stop and check his weopons.

"Allright, allright, don't lose your hair, you just looked so peaceful sleeping there it seemed a shame to wake you during your beauty sleep, which you need if I might add."

The infuriated uruks took the saber and the brace of long knives he held out to them and told him if he ever did that again he would be dead.

The man wandered over to Mithdan to tell him that his security could be better, and to say hello.

[ May 02, 2003: Message edited by: farstrider ]

Sillabub ventured aroung the halls until she came to the 'parking lot' and found Antien asleep in the swan-boat.
"Miss, I'm sorry but we'll have to tow your vehicle, it's blocking the entry..." Sillabub drawled, imitating a police officer's voice.
Antien woke up."Oh! Hi Sillabub!" She exclaimed.
"You fell asleep? How could you fall asleep? Oh, wait a second...I fell asleep too! Lucky you, the boat's more comfortable than sleeping under a table...but come on! I started to play 'memory' and I wanna sing along to it before it's over!"
"memory, turn your face to the moonlight..." Antien sang.
"Hey! That's my line!" Sillabub protested
"Whatever" Antien said.
They headed back to the hall and sang along to the rest of memory.
"Where's Lysi and Fraul? They said they'd be here by now!"Sillabub asked
"I doubt Fraul's coming" Antien said.
"yah, I thought so too. I haven't seen him since the other day, and his 'communication's are down." Sillabub muttered." But I'm sure Lysi's coming. We should wait for her in the front hall!"
They walked to the front hall and waited for Lysi, or perhaps Fraul, to come.

A young woman wearing white pants and a tank top over a chain mail shirt walked into middle of the celebration. Her blue eyes surveyed the crowd, and she grinned as she saw her friends Sillabub and Antien. Then, she glanced across the room and saw a young man grinning at her. She glared at him, and her eyes flashed and turned emerald green. Then Antien and Sillabub waved, and her eyes returned to their original blue as she strode towards them.

After awaking from her sleep, Salix looked around at the small crowd. She couldn't see Antien, but she suddenly had a great idea. She rushed to a handy phone and dialed a number and said into the phone "Hi, do you think I could borrow something?"

"Greeting Alasse," replied Elentari. "No, I have not tried the Balrog wings. Would you be so kind as to show my the food?"

Alasse nodded kindly and took Elentari to the food table. "There are so many kinds of food."

"Yes," replied Elentari, her eyes widening at the sight of so much food. "I think I'll stay here a while!"

Mithadan's headset beeped. "Mithadan, we have a problem in the auditorium." He excused himself and hurried over to the double doors. Extracting a key from his pocket, he unlocked the doors and walked into the massive room. The problem was obvious...

On the left wall, scrawled in black paint, were the words, "Barrow-Downs Unfair to Shield-Maidens!" On the right wall, in red paint, the graffitti read, "Down with rumor-mongers! Barrow-Downs Hates Hobbits!"

He sighed. Things had been going so well. He instructed a maintanence crew to clean up the graffitti. A security team was dispatched to look for the culprits...

Hiri was late, as usual. The carriage shuddered to a halt, and the driver came around to open the door. Dismounting hastily, she paid the driver. As he drove away, she adjusted her gown, and began the long walk down the red carpet. It was empty, save for a single reporter, apparently kicked out for being too much of a pest. She immediately pounced on Hiri. Trying to ignore her, Hiri continued down the carpet, and to the towering wooden doors, where two Uruks stood, obviously the security guards. "Sorry miss, but we're being instructed to take yur weapons," said the first Uruk.

Hiri smiled. "Quite all right. Let me see..." she handed over a small dagger. "That's all."

The second Uruk took the dagger and tossed it onto an ever growing pile of weaponry, and Hiri walked through the metal detector, only to have it beep loudly. "I'm sorry miss, but we have to check yur coat as well." Hiri sighed, but handed the coat over. Searching it throughly, they at last gave the article back. "It must have been my bracelet," supplied Hiri.

"Well, that's certainly possible, tha detector's quite sensitive after all..." mused the guard.

"I'm sure that's it... May I go in now?"

"Yes, you may. Thank you miss, and enjoy the party," said the first guard, and opened the doors.

Adjusting her gown again, a somewhat wispy creation of midnight blue and evergreen tulle and silk, she stepped through the open door, and was immediately greeted with the babble of countless voices. So many people she didn't know!

Once away from the Uruks, she giggled. They hadn't gotten her. Her hair, which was swept up into an elegant bun, was held by a pair of harmless, ornate hair pins. At least, they appeared harmless. In reality, they were a pair of mini, needle-like daggers, safely concealed inside the wood of the hair sticks. She giggled again. Deliciously simple really. Getting a hold of herself, she decided to have something to drink, and look for Aman...

Sophia grinned in glee as Fin ran frantically to fix his hair. She and Nerindel exchanged innocent glances until he was out of earshot and then they both burst out laughing.

"Oh his face!" Sophia laughed clutching her sides.

"Priceless!" Nerindel gasped. Earwen giggled from behind them too, trying to stifle it in a glass of miruvor. They managed to calm themselves however before Fin returned, and by the time he had suavely offered a dance to the first taker, Sophia was calm enough to graciously accept.

As they danced Sophia nearly burst out laughing again, but the offended look on Fin's face stopped her, "I'm sorry..." she said, apologetically, "but you were a lot drunker the last time we danced." He cracked a small smile.

"I was," he admitted, "but that can be remedied before next time." Sophia shook her head in mock despair. As they returned to the table Sophia pushed Fin toward Nerindel.

"It's her turn now... go on you lazy elf." Never one to refuse, he offered his hand to Nerindel. Sophia collapsed in her chair gasping with laughter and turned to Earwen for some good quiz-room gossip.

[ May 02, 2003: Message edited by: Sophia the Thunder Mistress ]

Niluial awoke from her slumber on a sofa, with booming music blasting through the speakers and drunken B-Downers everywhere. She panicked for she forgot where she was. She jumped up and it all came back to…

Arriving, cameras discontinuously flashing, Downers smiling, dancing with an attractive man, getting drunk and lost, and falling sound asleep on someone's shoulder.

“Don, Don where is Don!” she asked herself. Someone’s hands went over her shoulders she was just about to kick the person, “I heard speaking to yourself is one of the first signs of madness!” Don said softly with a chuckle!
“Oh Don, don’t give me a fright like that again, oh and sorry about the sleeping thing it was kind of ridiculous!” Niluial said shyly.

“Come lets go to the bar” Don suggested.
“Bar! Bar! Man, do I love that word!”
“Another thing we have in common!”
They both spoke on there way to the bar. Don pulled a chair out for Niluial and she sat. “Two shots, please!” Don said gleefully, knowing that in the next half an hour that he and his date would maybe be drunken elves, or not…

Stryker wandered around the hall, looking for someone to talk to or something to do.

Spying his sister Alasse, he meandered towards her.

Trippo got up from the table. He wanted to look around for, Menelien, Gimli, and others. He saw Fin over on the other side of the room trying to sweet talk another lady. Trippo was still holding the present he had made for Menelien, because he didn't want to leave it at the table while she slept incase someone was to take it.

Suddenly everyone heard a sound that sounded like a gunshot. Everyones heads turn to see what happened and they saw that Trippo and tripped and fallen on a baloon.

[ May 02, 2003: Message edited by: Trippo The Hippo ]

[ May 02, 2003: Message edited by: Trippo The Hippo ]

"Hello Rie. I'm so pleased to meet you." Alasse introduced herself with a courtsy, "Nuru has been trying so hard to find you! Oh I forgot! I'm Alasse! I'm still pretty new at the downs. I only joined in Febuary, This is my first downs birthday party!"

Then she noticed Stryker coming back towards her little group, "Oh by the way, This is my brother Stryker he's even newer at the downs than I am. Stryker, I'd like to introduce you to Rie."

[ May 02, 2003: Message edited by: Lady Alasse ]

Niluial was eventfully drinking her second shot! Abruptly she heard a sound that sounded like a gunshot. Everyone’s heads turned to see what happened and they saw that Trippo had tripped and fallen on a balloon. Niluials heart began to beat again after her fright from the loud noise. For a second she thought that it was a gun scare but fortunately it was not! She laughed and so did everyone ells in the room

"PFwoofph" Lyra collapsed in a chair, quite impressed by her unpronouncable looking grunt. All that dancing had really taken it out of her. Rytien was, somewhere. Who knew? Hmm- who else can I talk to? She looked around eagerly. There appeared to be a likely target, ahem, person wandering around on his own. With a smile she bounced up again.

"Hello" Lyra said with a grin. The man looked shocked and faintly appalled at the sight of a bouncing Hobbit. Tee hee! "Who are you?"
"Stryker" he answered.
"Talk to me please? Unless you have someone else to see?" Lyra queried, her head on one side.
Like wind in the meadows, or some such poetic nonsense the man disappeared. Mouth hanging open, Lyra looked around. She shook her head.
I could have sworn he was here a minute ago...
"Oh well" she shrugged, beginning to search again.

[ May 02, 2003: Message edited by: Lyra Greenleaf ]

Only now did Menelien begin to stir, forcing herself to sit up. Boy is this one helluva hangover, she thought grimly as the throbbing in her head intensified. The outlines of everything around her were blurred, and all around her she could see people who, by the looks on their faces, felt the same way she did. When things began to come into focus she tried to look for people she knew. She saw Sophia dancing with someone, Arafangwen walking (rather unsteadily) about, Gimli sitting at a table- then a bang was heard. At first she thougt that the shieldmaidens had broken in, but this was quickly disproven when she saw that, though the watch on all entrances had been doubled as she slept, and the doors were shaking slightly, the cause of the noise was Trippo the Hippo, who had stepped on a balloon. She hurried over to help him up- or that was theory, anyway. In reality she got up, swayed, and crashed to the floor in a most unladylike manner which would have horrified her mother, had she been at the party. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Cromthal shook his head and sighed. "There they go, getting sauced and then falling down all over the place. You'd think they, especially the elves, could be a little more respectable than that"

Isildae, sitting next to him nodded, "Indeed, I have seen drunken Eorlingas with more dignity than that, and I can freely speak of them because I am one."

Those two and Elrond were starting in a mid afternoon snack of Balrog wings. they were actually quite good once they had gotten brave enough to try them. They had no idea where Sam's group had gone, but Maggie and Frodo had gone for a walk. Things seemed to have quieted down for a while.

[ May 02, 2003: Message edited by: Frodo Baggins ]

Suddenly he reappeared right beside her.

"Hello. Sorry hope I didn't frighten you. My sister was introducing me to some one." He smiled.

Though the misadventures of a foundling waif turned skirt-chasing sap was profoundly interesting, Diamond finally put a bookmark in her book and stood up. She noticed that The Saucapan Man had reentered the room, and was sleeping on a nearby couch. Lounging on couches seemed to be the in vogue thing at the party, she mused.

Diamond headed back to the bar to get an orange juice. She noticed Mattius yelling at Chicken, the veins in his neck popping out and his complexion turning a purplish shade of red, right down to the tips of his spiky blonde hair. His blue eyes were twitching in a most unusual fashion. “Ah, angst, where would we be without it?” Diamond said to no one in particular as she sipped her morning drink. It was afternoon, of course, but Diamond’s sleeping habits were less than…er…punctual, and “morning” was a subjective term. (Not to say she’d been sleeping while reading, nooooo).

She decided to steer clear of Matt until he should be feeling quite sociable again. Hmmm… she thought, glancing around the room. Everyone she knew seemed to be… gone. Well, we’re all Barrow Downers ‘round here, she thought affably, and raised her glass in toast to everyone around her, even irate young Brits with poultry envy complexes.

[ May 02, 2003: Message edited by: Diamond18 ]

Niluial spotted Lyra Greenleaf! “Oh Don please excuse me! And stay right there I don’t want to get lost again!”
Niluial ran over to Lyra Greenleaf.. “Looking for someone?” Lyra asked!
“Well yes actually I am! I am looking for you! How are you?” Niluial asked

Seeing a familiar face across the room Sophia raised her arms and waved.

"LYRA! OVER HERE!" her eyes went wide at her own volume. She must still be a little drunk from the night before. Wonderful these roleplays, she thought to herself, no hangovers.

[ May 02, 2003: Message edited by: Sophia the Thunder Mistress ]

"Eeeekkkk!!!" Lyra jumped 10 feet in the air, which was quite a feat for a Hobbit.
Raising an eyebrow she asked, in a suitable acidic tone, "Scare me? Why whatever gave you that impression?"
Smiling, she bounced in front of him again.
"Tell you what- I'll forgive you if you dance with me?"
She arranged her features in what she hoped was a suitably winning smile and held her breath...

By the time Sophia and fin had returned to the table she had finnished her Lembas and was completely composed. Sophia pushed Findorfin towards her, he reached out his hand and smiling she accepted graceously raising to join him on the dance floor.

As they danced Nerindel Decided to ask him from which fair city he hailed, for she was sure she would have noticed him before now if he was from Lothlórien. " So Fin, from which fair land do you hail from ,for I am sure I have not seen you in Lothlórien?"

[ May 04, 2003: Message edited by: Nerindel ]

Trippo goes running over to Menelien trying to help her off the floor, and back in to her chair. He gets her back in her chair and tells her. "You need to be careful. You are going to horrify your mother."

He pulled up a chair next to her, and slides the present that he made for her over to her. Trippo looks at her awaiting a reaction.

"Oh, Trippo, it's quite beautiful!" said Menelien, accepting the present. "Could you tell me what exactly it's for?"

Lyra jumped again as two people came over to her.
"Niluial, Sophia! Hi!" she said excitedly, forgetting Stryker. When she turned he had once again disappeared. Hmmm- someone should tell him that he's not supposed to use magic around here...
"So how's the party, ladies?" she asked. "I seemed to see you being rather cosy with a certain man Niluial. And Sophia, you're here as Fin's entourage? You know, I once saw him die. Not pretty"
With a giggle Lyra stared up at the two women.

Looking over at Menelien, Gimli couldn't help but say "Man, that elf looks like she fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down!". then, at that moment, he realized that he was her escort! after realizing his mistake, he quickly shuffled over to help her up off of the floor while trying not to laugh at trippo, but finally it came out looks like Trippo trippo'd! with a laugh, but he quickly stopped on account of his severe headache from the drugs given him by trippo...

"Just a present between friends. It took very little time or effort, so i figured what the heck. I am glad you like it you can put it up on your mantle." He replied.

" Why certainly Lyra." Stryker said, then noticed that she was busy speaking to two other young ladies.

Slightly disapointed he meandered over to the Buffet to get some of those delicious Balrog wings.

Sophia grinned, "I'm not his entourage, or at least not all of it..." she shook her head, "you know how he is!" Lyra laughed. "Saw him die?" Sophia asked with a puzzled expression on her face, "I saw him nearly drink himself to death last night..." she giggled.

But changing the subject she too turned to Niluial and said "Oh yes, Nil... do tell!"

“Yes I came with Donlammenion. He is a real romantic! I am actually enjoying myself with him! Oh and I am just warning you I am a bit on the tipsy side!” Niluial said with an amused face. “Yes he is quite attractive. He seems to not want to take his eyes of you!” Lyra said giggling and looking at Donlammenion. Sophia also let out a giggle.

"Oh, Rie, I was looking for you everywhere," said Nuru. "I think you and Alasse will become good friends. Isn't she wonderful?" That last question was said to both of them about both of them.

"I haven't found Don, yet, Rie, but I'm looking," Nuru continued. "I think that it might be a wise idea, though, to wait under the table for her. It's an oliphaunt herd in here!"

Rie laughed, and allowed Nuru to drag her across the floor along with Alasse.

Sunny Day growls in frustration. She would get a story for the Middle Earth Times if it killed her! Her first interview between herself and Maegaldiel the Nearsighted Elf had been cut short by that Thunder Mistress, and her other appointments had been severely postponed by the Uruk guard at the door. But she was determined to get her story. Slipping through a convieniently-placed window, she eyes the crowd hungrilly for some poor innocent to pounce upon. The voice of the people must be heard!!

Meanwhile, Maegaladiel polished off a plate of delacacies, and is now sipping on a Pepsi, (Too early for a Martini, you see) looking at the dancers and chatters. Beneath her green satin dress, her tennis shoes squeak on the polished floor as she makes her way to the dessert tray. She had recieved several odd looks for her choice in footwear, but how is one supposed to really dance in high heels?

"Once again we're back with Lyra Greanleaf, my next interview. Hi Lyra."
"Hi Reesha, let's get started."
"Okay, how did you chose your name?"
"My nick is a fusion of Lyra from Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" (Great book)and the lovely Legolas Greenleaf."
"Cool, What's your favorite forum?"
"My favourite forum is either the RPG rooms or the actual 'Barrowdowns' forum. I love the imagination in the RPGs, and the personal interaction of the Barrowdowns- it's the place to learn more about people."
"Which is good. What about your favorite Administrator?"
"I wouldn't say she's any better than the others, but I really like Pio. She's very sweet and kind."
"What's your favorite thing about the BD's?"
"I enjoy the chance to discuss the books in so much detail other people would think you're nuts, the funny stuff and friends you make, and the chance to be someone completely different in the RPGs."
"And finally, what's your favorite thing about Tolkien's books/Movies?"
"I can't say what I like best! It's all amazing. Maybe I could say I like the variety, the detail, the thought, the history behind everything, the love stories, the action, the songs and poems..."
"Thanks very much for your time, and we'll be back later with Child of the 7th age, when she gets here."

(Just a comment, so that you guys know: last night, I couldn’t sleep till around 4:15, and any poetry you may see in this post and further ones was written around 3. So if the quality of the poetry you see is, errm, questionable, that’s why.)

"Of course I’ll put it on my mantle! It’s wondeful!" she said in a voice that hid her bewilderment very well indeed. Suddenly Menelien, the ugly and clumsy elf, jumped onto her table, feeling rather embarrased, but unable to stop herself, and, as heads turned, she began to declaim:

The Barrow Downs have just turned three-
They are three years into the grave.
There are so many posters and wonderful mods-
They’re all learning to do the wave.

So yell a drunken hooray for the Barrow Downs!
Give with slurred voices a mighty cheer!
Give a cheer for the Barrow Downs,
And the three years it’s been here!

All of us here have some toasts to raise,
To B-W who made this true,
And though others tell us we don’t have lives,
We don’t care, with the Downs, we’ll never be blue!

At this point a few of Menelien’s friends had sufficiently recovered from the shock of hearig her reciting poetry to grab her by the feet and pulling her off of the table. They quickly pinioned down her arms and legs to keep her from reciting any more of her drunken rhymes. But above the din, a last piece of thrillingly bad poetry floated out...

The RPGs are most exciting,
An interesting challenge in writing.
The Shire is ruled by Pio and Child.
The Shieldmaidens seem to be going wild [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] (to be continued [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img] )

The last line was most appropriate, as the shieldmaidens seemed to be doing quite a bit of damage to the door, and it was beginning to bend in most severely...

[ May 02, 2003: Message edited by: GaladrieloftheOlden ]

"Who is this Don person we're looking for?" Alasse questioned Nuru as they ducked under a table to wait.

It was much quieter underneath the table cloth, and it appeared to be one of the tables near the buffet. Lifting the edge of the table cloth slightly, she reached up to grab whatever food was above her on the table. Hmm Lembas yumm.

"Excuse me a moment" Lyra said to Niluial and Sophia. "I spy my chance to get a dance." Oooh! Rhymes. Tolkien would be proud "See you later, I hope. Have fun!"

With a laugh she ran off, skidding to a halt in front of Helkahothion.
"Helka!" she said with a grin and airkissed his cheeks. Well, he was continental!
"Please dance with me. Your lady-love isn't around, and you always make me laugh. Pity about the looks but you can't have everything." With a giggle she scampered from his half hearted attempt of a slap on her arm. "Please?"

Eruanna sidled back into the ballroom trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. A breath of fresh air had been just what she needed!

She still remembered the stunned looks on the faces of the partygoers as the last notes of Saucepan's song had ended. The meagre ripple of polite applause........Oh well, perhaps Middle Earth just wasn't ready for them yet!

Tilting her chin up and assuming her "party smile", the Elf made her way around the room. She couldn't help but notice the prone figures, some half slumped across various tables. Dwarves, hobbits and elves grinned sleepily as she passed.

Suddenly, she stumbled. Quickly regaining her balance she looked down to see what had so nearly tripped her up........a pair of extremely hairy feet poked out from beneath a richly embroidered tablecloth. One of the feet twitched, then remained still again. The steady droning sound that emanated from under the table, convinced Eruanna that she had not woken the owner of the feet. She decided to continue her circumnavigation of the dance floor.

A few hardy souls were still to be seen, gyrating to the most appalling music that Eruanna had ever heard. A group, arranged in a line, seemed to be attempting some kind of bizzarre ritual mating dance. This entailed their moving in unison, each one copying the gestures and steps of the others.

Saucepan man was nowhere to be seen, but.......Was that a dancing chicken?

[ May 02, 2003: Message edited by: Eruanna ]

The mysterious disapearing Stryker popped up next to Lyra.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked.

Sophia turned to the mysteriously disappearing re-appearing Sryker, as he suddenly reappeared. She wasn't t oo frightened because she was expecting it after the first time that Lyra had been frightened. She smiled up at him.

"I think Lyra found a partner, but I'd love a dance if you would."

"You have been drinking to much sweetie. The name is Anuion. Although I often get confused with my father. I will be hearing from you later Rytien? Tell me when you are ready to lighten things up." Anuion said with a wink to Rytien.

"What was that all about?"

"Nothing Lyra, I'm just up to my little Havoc wrecking as usual. Now let's dance shall we?"

Before Anuion went to the floor, he went to the DJ and whispered something in his ear. As he went back, he saw Lyra's face brighten up to the music that poured out trough the boxes. The enchanting conga music waved trough the hall and Anuion grabbed Lyra by the arm.

"Let's Congaaaaaaaaa!!!" He happily exclaimed and the rest of the floor soon joined in.

The people where having a nice time and Lyra's second attempt for a Conga line worked out perfectly! Everybody joined in and the arms waved around. Lyra decided to push her luck and took a broom.

"LIMBO DANCING!" She shouted.

Anuion loved Limbo dancing and soon had the back of his head on the floor in his attempt to go underneath the broom under the happy shouts of the people who pushed him to the limit with their yells.

"How low can you go! How low can you go?"