"The Gathering-In" discussion thread - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Birdland · 08-25-2002, 06:22 PM

Gandalf the Grey linked me to this very charming “history” concerning the founding of the Shire, and I thought that a part of this history would make an wonderful, new RPG. It deals with the early settlers of the Shire sending out a group of messengers into the Wilderness to find all the scattered tribes and clans of Hobbits, let them know about the founding of a new country for the Halflings, and leading them back home to the Shire. If you’d like to participate in this new RPG, please go to the link below and read the Shire Post's Shire Post History particularly “of the Gathering of the Hobbits.”

OK, here are some rules. (no groaning!) Yes, there are some rules to this RPG, but not many, and not too horrible.

RULE ONE:

If you want to play one of the 24 Messengers, then your character will have to be a MALE HOBBIT! OK, is that clear? THE 24 MESSENGERS ARE ALL MALE HOBBITS. Any guy or gal at the Barrow Downs can play the role of a Messenger, but your character must be a MALE HOBBIT. No, your Messenger character cannot be:

A plucky female Hobbit.
A plucky female Hobbit disguised as a male Hobbit
A Dwarf, Elf, Man, Ent or Wizard
A Dwarf-Elf-Man-Ent-Wizard /Hobbit hybrid.

Repeat after me: If you want to play one of the 24 Messengers, your character must be a MALE HOBBIT!

RULE TWO:

See Rule One.

RULE THREE:
If you are one of the 24 Messengers, you must travel with a “buddy”. This buddy must be a MALE HOBBIT! (See Rule One) The 24 Messengers were sent out in groups of two. (12 groups) You may join up with a friend on the board and “travel” together, or you may make up your own “buddy”. Once you have set out, all bets are off: Your traveling companion may get get lost, captured, killed, whatever, Stuff happens in Middle Earth. You may decide to go on without him, or stop your search for the lost hobbits and try to find your friend. The choices are up to you. You may lose a buddy and find another companion on the road. But when you set out from the Shire, you will be traveling in groups of two. No Messenger may set out alone. When you leave the Shire as a Messenger, you must have a MALE HOBBIT companion with you.

(I’m very serious about these rules. If I find a Messenger in the thread who is not a bonafide Male Hobbit, or sets out from the Shire alone - and that includes plucky young hobbits who try to “follow” the 24 Messengers - I will ask Elenna the Freestyle RPG Moderator to boot them out.)

RULE FOUR:

When the Messengers find Hobbits, they are responsible for them, in a way. You can’t just point West and say, “The Shire is that-a-way. Good luck finding it.“ You will be like the Wagon Master in a Western Movie, you will have to lead the Hobbits you find back to the Shire, while trying to find other Hobbits on the way. (Don’t forget to ask the Hobbits you find if they know of other clans and where they are.) The more Hobbits you find, the better. Remember, these are your people. Don’t leave them behind in the Wilderness!

RULE FIVE

Stick to your duties! None of the 24 Messengers may desert their quest. If you decide that this looking for Hobbits thing isn’t your cup of tea, and you’re gonna go look for the One Ring or Smaug’s gold instead, I will have Elenna the RPG Moderator boot you out. You will be counted among the six Messengers who never returned to the Shire, and you can go off and start your own RPG.

RULE SIX

If someone speaks to you, please respond! One of my pet peeves with many RPG is characters who “snub “ other characters because their idea what they want the character to do is “better”. Of course, the opposite holds too. If a story line is developing, please try to respect it, and don’t throw off-the-wall events at them in order to get the story to go in a “better” direction.

OK, that’s the rules. See, that wasn’t so bad.

Now, are there other roles besides the MALE HOBBIT Messengers? You bet. You can play:

A LOST HOBBIT:

There are still many hobbit tribes and clans out there, living a semi nomadic existence. Life in Middle Earth was probably pretty hard for a small people with no war-like tendency and no country to call their own. You might be living in a very small community, or with just your immediate family, or you might be living alone. But you are probably not living real well. Most of you might be very glad to hear the decree brought by the Messengers. Free land! A real country founded by Hobbits, for Hobbits? Great! Where do I sign?

Or maybe you won’t. Will you trust this strange Hobbit, since you are a Stoor and he is a Fallohide? Does Grandpa want to stay where he is, ‘cause he wants to die by the banks of the Anduin? Is Mama, (or Papa) afraid of the journey? Is your sweetheart living with another clan, and if you go you’re afraid you’ll never see him or her again? Setting out on a long journey can be a very scary thing. There is no guarantee that your clan will even make it to the Shire. (Remember that only 18 of the 24 Messengers ever returned.) Is “the Balrog you know better than the Balrog you don’t know”? Most of you will probably want to go West. But there is no guarantee that everyone will want to go. Messengers: it’s your job to convince the wary and frightened, and to give heart to those who may fall along the way.

FRIENDS AND FOES:

There should be plenty of roles for people who are not Hobbits. You know who lives in Middle Earth. You may choose to be a friend, or foe, or you may think: “Hobbits! Yuck!“ and really not want to have anything to do with them one way or the other. You may be a friend or foe to the Messengers, or a friend or foe to the Lost Hobbit clans. You may play a temporary foe in one instance, then later in the story decide to play a different role as a friend. Just try to remember that not all conflicts on the road have to be full-fledge sword fights. You might just be rude. Or be so overly friendly that the Messengers will try to lose you! You can be any kind of friend or foe in Middle Earth that you want. Including an animal, or a mean, ol’ tree. Your friend or foe character might show up for a few pages, then be vanquished or disappear, or you may follow the characters all the way back to the Shire (But you won’t be allowed INTO the Shire, unless you are a Hobbit.)

Please, we don’t need dozens of Elf Lords and Ladies in this RPG. Just a few will do. Please, I‘m begging you. Try a different character besides an Elf Lord or Lady.

OK, that’s my RPG. I’m not going to play a long term role in this, though I may pop in with a character now and then. I hope you all enjoy it. Now, let's go hunt some hobbits!

Ithaeliel · 08-25-2002, 07:51 PM

This is an excellent idea, Birdland! Ingenious! I hope you don't mind if I join you this time. I might learn something from it [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img].

Name: Adro Baggins (I'm assuming there were Bagginses around in the early days of the Shire)
Age: 44
Race: Hobbit (Fallohide)
Personality: Mild and polite, although somewhat eccentric at times, his motto is "one can never be too careful/prepared." He is well-liked by many.
History: His family was one of the few Fallohides who migrated to the Shire (although in the beginning it was only because they wanted to see if it really was what people said it was), but they left behind many relatives who wished to remain migrant. Now he wishes to convince them otherwise, knowing now that the Shire is the place where he wants to stay for the rest of his days.
Weapons/gear: He carries with him on the journey all the things that the other twenty-three messengers have, with a few extras: a 'sword,' really a large dagger similar to Sting (although not forged by the elves), a blank notebook with quill and ink to record what happens on the journey.

If someone wants to be my 'buddy,' just tell me, or I'll ask to be someone else's 'buddy.' Thank you; I hope the profile is acceptable.

Birdland · 08-25-2002, 09:17 PM

Ardo, go join the festivities, and kiss your wife or sweetheart good-bye. Try not to drink too much ale tonight, for you will all be leaving at dawn!

Child of the 7th Age · 08-26-2002, 12:25 AM

Bird -- I will definitely join in on this. Give me a night to sleep on it, and see what kind of hobbit pops up in my dreams.

sharon

Cimmerian · 08-26-2002, 05:40 AM

How Quaint! I love this idea, big bird [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] .
May I join... I can't be anything less than male... heh heh! And I do play a good headstrong hobbit, I do.

Oh yeah, I promise not to get mushy with the female hobbits, if any, in this game. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

If you okay me, without lopping my big, fat head off [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img], I will post my character stats here.

Cheers!

Birdland · 08-26-2002, 08:49 AM

Welcome Cimm. I take it you want to be one of the 24? I promise not to lop of your head just so long as you don't use "conversion by the sword" on the hobbits you find:

"Whadya mean you don't want to go? The Shire is a loverly place, it is! (Whap!) Right! Now who else don't wanna go?"

Go join the Mid-Year festival and find your traveling mate. You'll all leave at dawn!

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

Elenna · 08-26-2002, 09:02 AM

Umm, I know you want me to be the strongarm here, and I'm all right with that. Can I play too, though?

Name: Dinodas Millbanks
Age: 23
Race: Fallohide and Stoor mix (loves water)
Appearance: Dark red curly hair, 3'7"
Personality: Young and merry, not very experienced in travelling.
History: Came from a milling family on the banks of a river. Decided to leave home and have an adventure.

Birdland · 08-26-2002, 10:08 AM

Great Elenna! Go post your character at the Mid-Year fest and prepare to leave at dawn.

I hope people don't think this RPG is going to be overly controlled. I just very much wanted it to be a story about the 24 Messengers, and good hobbit characters are hard to find!

Oh, and we don't literally need 24 hobbits, since you'll be scattered throughout Middle Earth in groups of two. The hobbits who have joined so far: Ithaeliel, Elenna, Cimmerian, and (very hopefully) Child, can team up, or make up their own traveling companion.

Child of the 7th Age · 08-26-2002, 10:08 AM

OK, Bird, I've got it. I don't want to be one of the messengers (sorry). I want to be a "lost" hobbit. Actually, you and the Shire say I am lost but I personally do not think so.

First, I am modelling my hobbit on the figure of Trotter in "The Return of the Shadow." Actually I am his ancestor, A Fallohide and a descendent of the Tooks. Like my great-great-great -great etc. grandson Trotter, I have even visited Mordor which was then a deserted land! The hobbit messengers would have been sent out about 1610, and the Nazgul didn't get back to Mordor till the fortresses were deserted in about 1636

I am about 40 years old. I wear a coat with a hood that can be pulled down over my face. Like Trotter, I am fond of apples and pipe tobacco (but I don't wear wooden shoes--I draw the line there.) I am on my own out in the wilderness, very knowledgable about the lore of nature, and able to defend myself. (I mean I don't kill balrogs or anything, but I'm pretty good for a guy who is three foot, eight.) I don't have much use for books or learning, but I do have a good heart.

My job is to act as a kind of "ranger", keeping the hobbits out in the wilderness as safe as I can. I travel on my own, or with friends and allies as I need them. I deal freely with dwarves and men, and even an occasional Elf. And just try finding me! It's not so easy. After all, this wilderness is my home turf!

I am very suspicious about the whole idea of the Shire. Believe me, I'm no farmer! I may or may not come in the end, but I carry a great deal of influence with the other "lost hobbits" whom I protect. If I tell them it's a good thing, they'll listen to me (and you). If I tell them it's a bummer, they'll throw rocks at you.

(By the way, you DO know where Aragorn and his folks got the idea of rangers from???.....)

And are you absolutely certain that all the people in the Shire want to be innundated by these "rustic" outsiders? The leadership was willing and able, but I have my doubts about some of the others. Your written down shire history may be missing some critical points! I bet there would have been a few grumblers and dissenters who had their doubts. You know --the ancestors of Lobelia Sackville-Baggins!! Maybe one or two of the messengers sent out would actually have come from this dissident party---maybe they had to include these guys to win their approval and get their support.

Tolkien gives us a description of hobbits outside the Shire at the time of the Ring quest. Think how much more this would be true in the earlier period. And please note how the Shire felt about these "uncivilized" dudes.

Quote:

Not all the hobbits lived in the Shire by any means, but the Outsiders were a rustic, not to say (though in the Shire it was often said) uncivilized lot, and not held in much account. There were probably a good many more of them scattered about in the West of the world in those days than peope in the Shire imagined, though many were indeed no better than tramps or wanderers, ready to dig a rough hold in any bank, and stay only as long as it suited them The Return of the Shadow

Oh, yeah, my real name is Peregrin Boffin (that's a secret!), but I only go by Perry.

Is this alright? sharon

[ August 26, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

Birdland · 08-26-2002, 11:57 AM

I love it! Nothing is ever simple, is it? Especially when you are dealing with people.

Marcho might be considered a Joseph Smith type of character, bringing his people together into one place to support their way of life and protect them from "outside" influences. Some folk like that kind of life, (and I can't help but think if you are under 4' tall in a world of giants, the prospect does have its charms.)

But not everyone is gonna think that way. And you're right, there probably will be some grumblers in the Shire, who don't want to share the land with even more people. Although I imagine most of them are only one generation removed from the Wilderness themselves. I remember reading about Benjamin Franklin grumbling about the influx of Germans and French into the American Colonies, (as if he felt he was being crowded!)

You go, Perry, Conflict is good! At least in a story.

Gandalf_theGrey · 08-26-2002, 12:15 PM

Hullo Birdland,

Congratulations on an excellent and exciting RPG idea! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

I'd very much like to participate. As for character(s), at this point, it's still in the planning phase.

Looking forward to a grand and rich adventure, * bows *

Gandalf the Grey

[ August 26, 2002: Message edited by: Gandalf_theGrey ]

Bêthberry · 08-26-2002, 07:57 PM

*Bethberry timidly raises hand.*

Me, too, please. Can I join? This sounds very intriguing. I guess you won't let Bethberry find any lost hobbits in the Old Forest [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] so can I take a bit of time to plan my character/s?

I assume this means that there will be multiple narrative directions, for each 'team' of messengers will have its own particular direction and group of hobbits?

*smiles contentedly thinking of all the wonderful hobbit characters to play with*

Bethberry

Birdland · 08-26-2002, 11:26 PM

Oh, cool! Welcome aboard, Gandalf and Bethberry!

Hey, once the Hobbits leave for their quest, they could wind up anywhere. If a couple don't stumble into the Old Forest, I'd be surprised.

Cimmerian · 08-27-2002, 07:13 AM

Thank you, Birdland.

Do I make up an imaginary partner or should he be another RPGer?

Here's my character... no wait, where is this mid year thing, we have to meet at? [img]smilies/confused.gif[/img]

Birdland · 08-27-2002, 08:51 AM

You're already at the Shire's Mid-Year celebration, Cimm. Think of it as like a big July 4th party, minus the fireworks. (Gandalf hasn't introduced fireworks into the Shire yet, sadly.)

We have two other "real" Messengers: Elenna as "Dinodas" and Ithaeliel as "Adro". You can ask to team up with one of them, or make up a "fellow messenger" to travel with.

Cimmerian · 08-28-2002, 01:59 AM

Cool, I am with Elenna!

Here's my stats -

Name : Barocas Headstrong
Age: 29
Ancestry : Fallohide/Stoor (mix, maybe)
Height: 4 feet 3 inches (quite a big boy in hobbit standards, not unlike Bandobras Took the Bullroarer)
Weight : About 160 lbs (quite a well built fellow)
Hair : Black. shoulder length and curly.
Eyes : Blue as an evening sky.
Clothing : White tunic, black breeches and boots, studded belt buckle and large hat.
Weapons : A short sword and a dagger
Skills : Fights well, Strong and can ride a horse.

Will team up with Dinodas and go recruit hobbits for the shire... politely. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Bêthberry · 08-28-2002, 10:56 PM

Birdie, I see that you and I are the only ones on, so let me quickly say that Gandalf and I have tossed a few ideas around re: characters.
I'll post them tomorrow as I edit this message.

Good night, good riddler.

Bethberry

Birdland · 08-28-2002, 11:08 PM

Looking forward to your ideas, Bethberry. Good night and good RPGing.

Cimm - Hmmmmmm. 4'3" and 140 pounds? No wonder hobbit doors are round. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Bêthberry · 08-29-2002, 09:51 AM

What have we got in our mindses?
Birdie wants to know.
Askses uss. Askses uss.
Sss Sss Sss.
Stoors we be,
Gandalf and me.
Its tricksy,
for we won't see
The Baranduin,
Staying by the Anduin.
Where we fishes and fishes,
for some might hates us,
yesss yesss,
and not Gather usss.
Ancestors we be
of those nastiesss.
Wizard wantses Smeagol
and me takeses Deagol.

Bethberry

[ August 29, 2002: Message edited by: Bethberry ]

Aradaewen · 08-29-2002, 10:22 AM

Oooh, sounds GTM. (good to me) Looks like you need another Messenger. Check out AIM. lol. Here's me info:

Name: Pippin (really, it's no nickname, and I don't have a last name either.)
Age: 20's or 30's
From: dunno- no heritage, a wanderer and orphan
Weapons: Dagger and hobbit-bow
Horse: *actually, it's a pony [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]* Carad'naur (Red Fire)
Description: Friendly, always wearing green, loves his pony

Birdland · 08-29-2002, 10:52 AM

Aradaewen - Welcome aboard. Fine looking pony you have there. Looks like he'll take you anywhere you want to go in Middle Earth.

Ithaeliel - Would "Ardo" like to adopt Pippin as his traveling companion on the road? Sounds like Pippin could use the guidance of an older, more experienced Hobbit, or he's likely to get eaten by a dragon or something.

Elenna and Cimmerian - Can you say "Oscar and Felix"? [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] You two ought to make an interesting team.

Bethberry - Smeagol and Deagol? I love it! Too bad they didn't find there way to the Shire. Think of all the trouble it would have saved. Of course, then the Ring would have been found by somebody else. I guess it was all for the best.

Aradaewen · 08-29-2002, 11:03 AM

Thanks- I'll buddy up with anyone who'll take me. Eaten by a dragon? Sounds like fun..... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Bêthberry · 08-29-2002, 12:02 PM

Hey, have a bit of pity for ole Gollem, Birdie. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] He's old but only around 600 or so when he takes the Ring into the Crack of Doom. And he's around 25 when Deagol finds the Ring in the Anduin. We're gonna be their ancestors when the Gathering occurs. Sort of setting things up for the fall, so to speak. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Bethberry

Rose Cotton · 08-29-2002, 01:05 PM

I really want to be a "plucky female Hobbit" so I guess I'll be a lost hobbit. Give me a while to think up a profile. Great idea Birdland.

Ithaeliel · 08-29-2002, 03:19 PM

Thank you for the suggestion, Birdie, as I suppose that, though he may say being eaten by a dragon sounds fun, Pippin may not find it a pleasant experience once it happens to him. I suspect that I wouldn't either... *gulp*. I will team up with Pippin. Come along now, my friend! *Loops his arm through Pippin's and they stroll off to post in the RPG*.

Aradaewen, tell me you're kidding down there...

[ August 29, 2002: Message edited by: Ithaeliel ]

Aradaewen · 08-29-2002, 03:22 PM

"Kewl!" Pippin walks away with Ithaeliel but within seconds is back again. "What's the RPG name again??"

Elenna · 08-29-2002, 06:00 PM

Birdie: Of course Cimm and I will be an interesting team! You must have seen our other RPs!

Currently our relationship is proper little farmer boy (me) meets massive drunkard (him). It just doesn't get any better than that!

Child of the 7th Age · 08-29-2002, 06:04 PM

Hey Rose -- I'm a lost hobbit too. Do you want to tag along together sometimes? I've already done two posts so you can see who I am. sharon

Birdland · 08-30-2002, 12:30 AM

Welcome, plucky hobbit lass, Rose. Hope you enjoy yourself. But watch out for that Perry. No telling what he might be up to!

Cimmerian · 08-30-2002, 08:40 AM

Wuzzat? ...a hunnerd and sixty pound hobbit lad, tha's me. Well, round doors or no, they sure fall open when Barocas barrels through.

Who's your primary character, Birdie? Do we pick up any actual players on the way or do we create imaginary hobbits to gather up?

Let's go Dinodas, there's taverns and lasses aplenty we shall find....

YEEHHAAAH!

Birdland · 08-30-2002, 10:15 AM

Both, Cimm. (No, you cannot kidnap Bree hobbits and disguise them as "Savages"!) Hopefully, more characters will join in to give Shire Hobbits an eyeful of the wide world out there.

I'm going to be creating a small family that I will post tonight or this weekend. Of course, they are clear over on the other side of the Misty Mountains, but may have to do some fast traveling, so there is a chance that one or more of the Messengers will find them. (If Perry doesn't find them first! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] )

Birdland · 08-31-2002, 01:50 AM

Aradaewen - "O.O.C." means "Out of Character". Means you're speaking in your own voice. Not as a character.

Rose Cotton · 08-31-2002, 10:38 AM

Okay, I've got it all worked out...I think.
Anyway,

Name: Rosie Took (I know I'm not very creative)

Race:Hobbit(didn't see that one coming)Fallohide

Age: um....23

Apperance: Blond curls, blue eyes, hobbit dress, blue/grey cloak

Personality: A plucky little hobbit lass. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Bio: lives in northen Mirkwood with a small comunity of Fallohides. She has a mother a father and a younger brother. They are frequently in contact with elves and a hobbit ranger.

Something special: She loves to climb and is very skilled in the trees. This, from my knoledge is a very rare thing for hobbits.

[ August 31, 2002: Message edited by: Rose Cotton ]

Birdland · 08-31-2002, 04:00 PM

I've introduced Fina and Ceo. But I suppose I should give some background.

Race - Harfoots.

Age - 14 year old Twins.

They dwell with their family in various places, but they can be found in the Vales of Anduin, between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood, just north of the Old Forest Road.

Their Family is:

Ruddoc - The Da.

Enid - The Ma

Osle - The Older Brother

Avice - Osle's wife.

(BTW, Child - "Ceo" is an Old Celtic name for "Jackdaw". [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[ August 31, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]

Bêthberry · 08-31-2002, 04:47 PM

Hi Birdie,

This is just to let you know not to expect anything from me or Gandalf today.

Gandalf is visiting me!!! And we are spending all our time "wool"-gathering as opposed to Hobbit-gathering! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Bethberry
Gandalf the Grey

Rose Cotton · 09-01-2002, 07:32 AM

Birdie- I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed the Big-Folk opionion on hobbits and the Hobbit opinion on Big-Folk.

Very clever! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Birdland · 09-01-2002, 10:23 AM

(Birdie takes a bow.)

Thank you Rose. It seems that little Rose has a much more comfortable life then poor Fina and Ceo. But remember: they don't call Mirkwood "Mirkwood" for nothin'!

Rose Cotton · 09-01-2002, 06:34 PM

Well your little family would be better off if they could find some quiet neck of the woods to dwell in. Far from the greedy hands of the Big-Folk.
Though, Rosie might start having troubled times if Perry decided he wants a female ranger.

Birdland · 09-01-2002, 06:52 PM

But Rose, that's the whole point of the Shire! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] (And the story, by the way.)

Rose Cotton · 09-01-2002, 07:15 PM

Oh ya! I forgot. [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

08-25-2002, 06:22 PM	#1
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	"The Gathering-In" discussion thread Gandalf the Grey linked me to this very charming “history” concerning the founding of the Shire, and I thought that a part of this history would make an wonderful, new RPG. It deals with the early settlers of the Shire sending out a group of messengers into the Wilderness to find all the scattered tribes and clans of Hobbits, let them know about the founding of a new country for the Halflings, and leading them back home to the Shire. If you’d like to participate in this new RPG, please go to the link below and read the Shire Post's Shire Post History particularly “of the Gathering of the Hobbits.” OK, here are some rules. (no groaning!) Yes, there are some rules to this RPG, but not many, and not too horrible. RULE ONE: If you want to play one of the 24 Messengers, then your character will have to be a MALE HOBBIT! OK, is that clear? THE 24 MESSENGERS ARE ALL MALE HOBBITS. Any guy or gal at the Barrow Downs can play the role of a Messenger, but your character must be a MALE HOBBIT. No, your Messenger character cannot be: A plucky female Hobbit. A plucky female Hobbit disguised as a male Hobbit A Dwarf, Elf, Man, Ent or Wizard A Dwarf-Elf-Man-Ent-Wizard /Hobbit hybrid. Repeat after me: If you want to play one of the 24 Messengers, your character must be a MALE HOBBIT! RULE TWO: See Rule One. RULE THREE: If you are one of the 24 Messengers, you must travel with a “buddy”. This buddy must be a MALE HOBBIT! (See Rule One) The 24 Messengers were sent out in groups of two. (12 groups) You may join up with a friend on the board and “travel” together, or you may make up your own “buddy”. Once you have set out, all bets are off: Your traveling companion may get get lost, captured, killed, whatever, Stuff happens in Middle Earth. You may decide to go on without him, or stop your search for the lost hobbits and try to find your friend. The choices are up to you. You may lose a buddy and find another companion on the road. But when you set out from the Shire, you will be traveling in groups of two. No Messenger may set out alone. When you leave the Shire as a Messenger, you must have a MALE HOBBIT companion with you. (I’m very serious about these rules. If I find a Messenger in the thread who is not a bonafide Male Hobbit, or sets out from the Shire alone - and that includes plucky young hobbits who try to “follow” the 24 Messengers - I will ask Elenna the Freestyle RPG Moderator to boot them out.) RULE FOUR: When the Messengers find Hobbits, they are responsible for them, in a way. You can’t just point West and say, “The Shire is that-a-way. Good luck finding it.“ You will be like the Wagon Master in a Western Movie, you will have to lead the Hobbits you find back to the Shire, while trying to find other Hobbits on the way. (Don’t forget to ask the Hobbits you find if they know of other clans and where they are.) The more Hobbits you find, the better. Remember, these are your people. Don’t leave them behind in the Wilderness! RULE FIVE Stick to your duties! None of the 24 Messengers may desert their quest. If you decide that this looking for Hobbits thing isn’t your cup of tea, and you’re gonna go look for the One Ring or Smaug’s gold instead, I will have Elenna the RPG Moderator boot you out. You will be counted among the six Messengers who never returned to the Shire, and you can go off and start your own RPG. RULE SIX If someone speaks to you, please respond! One of my pet peeves with many RPG is characters who “snub “ other characters because their idea what they want the character to do is “better”. Of course, the opposite holds too. If a story line is developing, please try to respect it, and don’t throw off-the-wall events at them in order to get the story to go in a “better” direction. OK, that’s the rules. See, that wasn’t so bad. Now, are there other roles besides the MALE HOBBIT Messengers? You bet. You can play: A LOST HOBBIT: There are still many hobbit tribes and clans out there, living a semi nomadic existence. Life in Middle Earth was probably pretty hard for a small people with no war-like tendency and no country to call their own. You might be living in a very small community, or with just your immediate family, or you might be living alone. But you are probably not living real well. Most of you might be very glad to hear the decree brought by the Messengers. Free land! A real country founded by Hobbits, for Hobbits? Great! Where do I sign? Or maybe you won’t. Will you trust this strange Hobbit, since you are a Stoor and he is a Fallohide? Does Grandpa want to stay where he is, ‘cause he wants to die by the banks of the Anduin? Is Mama, (or Papa) afraid of the journey? Is your sweetheart living with another clan, and if you go you’re afraid you’ll never see him or her again? Setting out on a long journey can be a very scary thing. There is no guarantee that your clan will even make it to the Shire. (Remember that only 18 of the 24 Messengers ever returned.) Is “the Balrog you know better than the Balrog you don’t know”? Most of you will probably want to go West. But there is no guarantee that everyone will want to go. Messengers: it’s your job to convince the wary and frightened, and to give heart to those who may fall along the way. FRIENDS AND FOES: There should be plenty of roles for people who are not Hobbits. You know who lives in Middle Earth. You may choose to be a friend, or foe, or you may think: “Hobbits! Yuck!“ and really not want to have anything to do with them one way or the other. You may be a friend or foe to the Messengers, or a friend or foe to the Lost Hobbit clans. You may play a temporary foe in one instance, then later in the story decide to play a different role as a friend. Just try to remember that not all conflicts on the road have to be full-fledge sword fights. You might just be rude. Or be so overly friendly that the Messengers will try to lose you! You can be any kind of friend or foe in Middle Earth that you want. Including an animal, or a mean, ol’ tree. Your friend or foe character might show up for a few pages, then be vanquished or disappear, or you may follow the characters all the way back to the Shire (But you won’t be allowed INTO the Shire, unless you are a Hobbit.) Please, we don’t need dozens of Elf Lords and Ladies in this RPG. Just a few will do. Please, I‘m begging you. Try a different character besides an Elf Lord or Lady. OK, that’s my RPG. I’m not going to play a long term role in this, though I may pop in with a character now and then. I hope you all enjoy it. Now, let's go hunt some hobbits!

08-25-2002, 07:51 PM	#2
Ithaeliel Cornus Caliga Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Five-hundred-twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes from here Posts: 710	This is an excellent idea, Birdland! Ingenious! I hope you don't mind if I join you this time. I might learn something from it [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]. Name: Adro Baggins (I'm assuming there were Bagginses around in the early days of the Shire) Age: 44 Race: Hobbit (Fallohide) Personality: Mild and polite, although somewhat eccentric at times, his motto is "one can never be too careful/prepared." He is well-liked by many. History: His family was one of the few Fallohides who migrated to the Shire (although in the beginning it was only because they wanted to see if it really was what people said it was), but they left behind many relatives who wished to remain migrant. Now he wishes to convince them otherwise, knowing now that the Shire is the place where he wants to stay for the rest of his days. Weapons/gear: He carries with him on the journey all the things that the other twenty-three messengers have, with a few extras: a 'sword,' really a large dagger similar to Sting (although not forged by the elves), a blank notebook with quill and ink to record what happens on the journey. If someone wants to be my 'buddy,' just tell me, or I'll ask to be someone else's 'buddy.' Thank you; I hope the profile is acceptable. __________________ That best portion of a good man's life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. .................William Wordsworth

08-26-2002, 12:25 AM	#4
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	Bird -- I will definitely join in on this. Give me a night to sleep on it, and see what kind of hobbit pops up in my dreams. sharon __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.

08-26-2002, 05:40 AM	#5
Cimmerian Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Aquilonia Posts: 382	How Quaint! I love this idea, big bird [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] . May I join... I can't be anything less than male... heh heh! And I do play a good headstrong hobbit, I do. Oh yeah, I promise not to get mushy with the female hobbits, if any, in this game. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] If you okay me, without lopping my big, fat head off [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img], I will post my character stats here. Cheers! __________________ IN STEEL I TRUST, BY CROM!

08-26-2002, 09:02 AM	#7
Elenna A Ghostly Light Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: My private bubble of innocence Posts: 563	Umm, I know you want me to be the strongarm here, and I'm all right with that. Can I play too, though? Name: Dinodas Millbanks Age: 23 Race: Fallohide and Stoor mix (loves water) Appearance: Dark red curly hair, 3'7" Personality: Young and merry, not very experienced in travelling. History: Came from a milling family on the banks of a river. Decided to leave home and have an adventure. __________________ If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."

08-25-2002, 09:17 PM	#3
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Ardo, go join the festivities, and kiss your wife or sweetheart good-bye. Try not to drink too much ale tonight, for you will all be leaving at dawn!

08-26-2002, 08:49 AM	#6
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Welcome Cimm. I take it you want to be one of the 24? I promise not to lop of your head just so long as you don't use "conversion by the sword" on the hobbits you find: "Whadya mean you don't want to go? The Shire is a loverly place, it is! (Whap!) Right! Now who else don't wanna go?" Go join the Mid-Year festival and find your traveling mate. You'll all leave at dawn! [ August 26, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]

08-26-2002, 10:08 AM	#8
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Great Elenna! Go post your character at the Mid-Year fest and prepare to leave at dawn. I hope people don't think this RPG is going to be overly controlled. I just very much wanted it to be a story about the 24 Messengers, and good hobbit characters are hard to find! Oh, and we don't literally need 24 hobbits, since you'll be scattered throughout Middle Earth in groups of two. The hobbits who have joined so far: Ithaeliel, Elenna, Cimmerian, and (very hopefully) Child, can team up, or make up their own traveling companion.

08-26-2002, 11:57 AM	#10
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	I love it! Nothing is ever simple, is it? Especially when you are dealing with people. Marcho might be considered a Joseph Smith type of character, bringing his people together into one place to support their way of life and protect them from "outside" influences. Some folk like that kind of life, (and I can't help but think if you are under 4' tall in a world of giants, the prospect does have its charms.) But not everyone is gonna think that way. And you're right, there probably will be some grumblers in the Shire, who don't want to share the land with even more people. Although I imagine most of them are only one generation removed from the Wilderness themselves. I remember reading about Benjamin Franklin grumbling about the influx of Germans and French into the American Colonies, (as if he felt he was being crowded!) You go, Perry, Conflict is good! At least in a story.

08-26-2002, 12:15 PM	#11
Gandalf_theGrey Visionary Spirit Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 633	Hullo Birdland, Congratulations on an excellent and exciting RPG idea! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] I'd very much like to participate. As for character(s), at this point, it's still in the planning phase. Looking forward to a grand and rich adventure, * bows * Gandalf the Grey [ August 26, 2002: Message edited by: Gandalf_theGrey ]

08-26-2002, 07:57 PM	#12
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6,003	Bethberry timidly raises hand. Me, too, please. Can I join? This sounds very intriguing. I guess you won't let Bethberry find any lost hobbits in the Old Forest [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] so can I take a bit of time to plan my character/s? I assume this means that there will be multiple narrative directions, for each 'team' of messengers will have its own particular direction and group of hobbits? smiles contentedly thinking of all the wonderful hobbit characters to play with Bethberry __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

08-26-2002, 11:26 PM	#13
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Oh, cool! Welcome aboard, Gandalf and Bethberry! Hey, once the Hobbits leave for their quest, they could wind up anywhere. If a couple don't stumble into the Old Forest, I'd be surprised.

08-27-2002, 07:13 AM	#14
Cimmerian Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Aquilonia Posts: 382	Thank you, Birdland. Do I make up an imaginary partner or should he be another RPGer? Here's my character... no wait, where is this mid year thing, we have to meet at? [img]smilies/confused.gif[/img] __________________ IN STEEL I TRUST, BY CROM!

08-27-2002, 08:51 AM	#15
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	You're already at the Shire's Mid-Year celebration, Cimm. Think of it as like a big July 4th party, minus the fireworks. (Gandalf hasn't introduced fireworks into the Shire yet, sadly.) We have two other "real" Messengers: Elenna as "Dinodas" and Ithaeliel as "Adro". You can ask to team up with one of them, or make up a "fellow messenger" to travel with.

08-28-2002, 01:59 AM	#16
Cimmerian Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Aquilonia Posts: 382	Cool, I am with Elenna! Here's my stats - Name : Barocas Headstrong Age: 29 Ancestry : Fallohide/Stoor (mix, maybe) Height: 4 feet 3 inches (quite a big boy in hobbit standards, not unlike Bandobras Took the Bullroarer) Weight : About 160 lbs (quite a well built fellow) Hair : Black. shoulder length and curly. Eyes : Blue as an evening sky. Clothing : White tunic, black breeches and boots, studded belt buckle and large hat. Weapons : A short sword and a dagger Skills : Fights well, Strong and can ride a horse. Will team up with Dinodas and go recruit hobbits for the shire... politely. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] __________________ IN STEEL I TRUST, BY CROM!

08-28-2002, 10:56 PM	#17
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6,003	Birdie, I see that you and I are the only ones on, so let me quickly say that Gandalf and I have tossed a few ideas around re: characters. I'll post them tomorrow as I edit this message. Good night, good riddler. Bethberry __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

08-28-2002, 11:08 PM	#18
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Looking forward to your ideas, Bethberry. Good night and good RPGing. Cimm - Hmmmmmm. 4'3" and 140 pounds? No wonder hobbit doors are round. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

08-29-2002, 09:51 AM	#19
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6,003	What have we got in our mindses? Birdie wants to know. Askses uss. Askses uss. Sss Sss Sss. Stoors we be, Gandalf and me. Its tricksy, for we won't see The Baranduin, Staying by the Anduin. Where we fishes and fishes, for some might hates us, yesss yesss, and not Gather usss. Ancestors we be of those nastiesss. Wizard wantses Smeagol and me takeses Deagol. Bethberry [ August 29, 2002: Message edited by: Bethberry ] __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

08-29-2002, 10:22 AM	#20
Aradaewen Haunting Spirit Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: stars and space before Earth was made... Posts: 80	Oooh, sounds GTM. (good to me) Looks like you need another Messenger. Check out AIM. lol. Here's me info: Name: Pippin (really, it's no nickname, and I don't have a last name either.) Age: 20's or 30's From: dunno- no heritage, a wanderer and orphan Weapons: Dagger and hobbit-bow Horse: actually, it's a pony [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] Carad'naur (Red Fire) Description: Friendly, always wearing green, loves his pony __________________ )(A Real Freestyler)( *I am Elf, Hobbit, Man, and Dragon-my children are the peoples of the everlasting world-my hands made the trees and rivers- I am Heriel Aradaewen-Kemen'mamil, the Earthmother.*****

08-29-2002, 10:52 AM	#21
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Aradaewen - Welcome aboard. Fine looking pony you have there. Looks like he'll take you anywhere you want to go in Middle Earth. Ithaeliel - Would "Ardo" like to adopt Pippin as his traveling companion on the road? Sounds like Pippin could use the guidance of an older, more experienced Hobbit, or he's likely to get eaten by a dragon or something. Elenna and Cimmerian - Can you say "Oscar and Felix"? [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] You two ought to make an interesting team. Bethberry - Smeagol and Deagol? I love it! Too bad they didn't find there way to the Shire. Think of all the trouble it would have saved. Of course, then the Ring would have been found by somebody else. I guess it was all for the best.

08-29-2002, 11:03 AM	#22
Aradaewen Haunting Spirit Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: stars and space before Earth was made... Posts: 80	Thanks- I'll buddy up with anyone who'll take me. Eaten by a dragon? Sounds like fun..... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] __________________ )(A Real Freestyler)( *I am Elf, Hobbit, Man, and Dragon-my children are the peoples of the everlasting world-my hands made the trees and rivers- I am Heriel Aradaewen-Kemen'mamil, the Earthmother.*****

08-29-2002, 12:02 PM	#23
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6,003	Hey, have a bit of pity for ole Gollem, Birdie. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] He's old but only around 600 or so when he takes the Ring into the Crack of Doom. And he's around 25 when Deagol finds the Ring in the Anduin. We're gonna be their ancestors when the Gathering occurs. Sort of setting things up for the fall, so to speak. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] Bethberry __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

08-29-2002, 01:05 PM	#24
Rose Cotton Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: A place worse then Mordor........School! Posts: 1,075	I really want to be a "plucky female Hobbit" so I guess I'll be a lost hobbit. Give me a while to think up a profile. Great idea Birdland. __________________ "There's nothing you can do, Harry... nothing... he's gone."-Remus Lupin "The closer we are to danger, the further we are from harm."-Pippin (now how can you argue with that logic?)

08-29-2002, 03:19 PM	#25
Ithaeliel Cornus Caliga Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Five-hundred-twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes from here Posts: 710	Thank you for the suggestion, Birdie, as I suppose that, though he may say being eaten by a dragon sounds fun, Pippin may not find it a pleasant experience once it happens to him. I suspect that I wouldn't either... gulp. I will team up with Pippin. Come along now, my friend! Loops his arm through Pippin's and they stroll off to post in the RPG. Aradaewen, tell me you're kidding down there... [ August 29, 2002: Message edited by: Ithaeliel ] __________________ That best portion of a good man's life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. .................William Wordsworth

08-29-2002, 03:22 PM	#26
Aradaewen Haunting Spirit Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: stars and space before Earth was made... Posts: 80	"Kewl!" Pippin walks away with Ithaeliel but within seconds is back again. "What's the RPG name again??" __________________ )(A Real Freestyler)( *I am Elf, Hobbit, Man, and Dragon-my children are the peoples of the everlasting world-my hands made the trees and rivers- I am Heriel Aradaewen-Kemen'mamil, the Earthmother.*****

08-29-2002, 06:00 PM	#27
Elenna A Ghostly Light Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: My private bubble of innocence Posts: 563	Birdie: Of course Cimm and I will be an interesting team! You must have seen our other RPs! Currently our relationship is proper little farmer boy (me) meets massive drunkard (him). It just doesn't get any better than that! __________________ If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."

08-29-2002, 06:04 PM	#28
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	Hey Rose -- I'm a lost hobbit too. Do you want to tag along together sometimes? I've already done two posts so you can see who I am. sharon __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.

08-30-2002, 12:30 AM	#29
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Welcome, plucky hobbit lass, Rose. Hope you enjoy yourself. But watch out for that Perry. No telling what he might be up to!

08-30-2002, 08:40 AM	#30
Cimmerian Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Aquilonia Posts: 382	Wuzzat? ...a hunnerd and sixty pound hobbit lad, tha's me. Well, round doors or no, they sure fall open when Barocas barrels through. Who's your primary character, Birdie? Do we pick up any actual players on the way or do we create imaginary hobbits to gather up? Let's go Dinodas, there's taverns and lasses aplenty we shall find.... YEEHHAAAH! __________________ IN STEEL I TRUST, BY CROM!

08-30-2002, 10:15 AM	#31
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Both, Cimm. (No, you cannot kidnap Bree hobbits and disguise them as "Savages"!) Hopefully, more characters will join in to give Shire Hobbits an eyeful of the wide world out there. I'm going to be creating a small family that I will post tonight or this weekend. Of course, they are clear over on the other side of the Misty Mountains, but may have to do some fast traveling, so there is a chance that one or more of the Messengers will find them. (If Perry doesn't find them first! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] )

08-31-2002, 01:50 AM	#32
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Aradaewen - "O.O.C." means "Out of Character". Means you're speaking in your own voice. Not as a character.

08-31-2002, 10:38 AM	#33
Rose Cotton Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: A place worse then Mordor........School! Posts: 1,075	Okay, I've got it all worked out...I think. Anyway, Name: Rosie Took (I know I'm not very creative) Race:Hobbit(didn't see that one coming)Fallohide Age: um....23 Apperance: Blond curls, blue eyes, hobbit dress, blue/grey cloak Personality: A plucky little hobbit lass. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] Bio: lives in northen Mirkwood with a small comunity of Fallohides. She has a mother a father and a younger brother. They are frequently in contact with elves and a hobbit ranger. Something special: She loves to climb and is very skilled in the trees. This, from my knoledge is a very rare thing for hobbits. [ August 31, 2002: Message edited by: Rose Cotton ] __________________ "There's nothing you can do, Harry... nothing... he's gone."-Remus Lupin "The closer we are to danger, the further we are from harm."-Pippin (now how can you argue with that logic?)

08-31-2002, 04:00 PM	#34
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	I've introduced Fina and Ceo. But I suppose I should give some background. Race - Harfoots. Age - 14 year old Twins. They dwell with their family in various places, but they can be found in the Vales of Anduin, between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood, just north of the Old Forest Road. Their Family is: Ruddoc - The Da. Enid - The Ma Osle - The Older Brother Avice - Osle's wife. (BTW, Child - "Ceo" is an Old Celtic name for "Jackdaw". [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [ August 31, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]

08-31-2002, 04:47 PM	#35
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6,003	Hi Birdie, This is just to let you know not to expect anything from me or Gandalf today. Gandalf is visiting me!!! And we are spending all our time "wool"-gathering as opposed to Hobbit-gathering! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] Bethberry Gandalf the Grey __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

09-01-2002, 07:32 AM	#36
Rose Cotton Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: A place worse then Mordor........School! Posts: 1,075	Birdie- I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed the Big-Folk opionion on hobbits and the Hobbit opinion on Big-Folk. Very clever! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] __________________ "There's nothing you can do, Harry... nothing... he's gone."-Remus Lupin "The closer we are to danger, the further we are from harm."-Pippin (now how can you argue with that logic?)