TOR2: T'was the Eve of Midsummer

It is the year 2965 of the Third Age and the Shadow is returning. Twenty-four years ago, an alliance of Elves, Men, and Dwarves defeated a horde of Orcs and Wild Wolves, under a sky darkened by Giant Bats, inaugurating a new era of prosperity for the Free Peoples. But two decades is a long time for peace to last, and in many dark corners of the earth a shadow is lengthening once again.

Rumours of strange things happening outside the borders of civilised lands are spreading with increasing regularity and, while they are dismissed by most as fireside-tales and children’s stories, they sometimes reach the ears of individuals who recognise the sinister truth they hide.

These are restless warriors, curious scholars and wanderers, always eager to seek what was lost or explore what was forgotten. Ordinary people call them adventurers and, when they prevail, they hail them as heroes. But if they fail, no one will even remember their names.

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TOR2: T'was the Eve of Midsummer

Post by silverfoxdmt73 » Thu Mar 16, 2023 6:48 am

“The Inn of Bree … was a meeting place for the idle, talkative, and inquisitive among the inhabitants, large and small, of the four villages; and a resort of Rangers and other wanderers, and for such travellers (mostly dwarves) as still journeyed on the East Road, to and from the Mountains.”

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It is the morning of Midsummer’s Eve and you awake in your room at the Prancing Pony, the inn that stands in the centre of the village of Bree. Early morning sunlight reaches around the edge of the curtains, brightening your room and you can smell cooking bacon and other delicious smells as the proprietor Barnabas Butterbur and his staff prepare breakfast for you and the other guests that stayed the night. The Pony is busy at this time of year and you were fortunate enough to get rooms, with the village of Bree filled with visitors from the other Bree-land villages and little folk from the Shire too. The Midsummer’s Eve celebrations are known through the lands as a festival to rival that of any other and so travellers come from miles around to take part in the ale drinking, singing of songs, dancing and of course the Summer Smoke Ring Festival too.

Out in the middle of the village, the Green has been filled with temporary stalls, wagons and booths covered in colourful canvas awnings and bunting hangs from every available post and tree. Yesterday more hobbits came from the Shire and other folk arrived from the other villages of Archet, Staddle and Combe, much to the chagrin of the rarely busy Bree-Wardens, the peacekeepers and guardians of the usually quiet village of Bree. Among the visitors is none other than Bilbo Baggins himself, a hobbit of some repute since his adventures around the time of the Battle of the Five Armies and his involvement in the death of the great dragon Smaug! Several Big-Folk (humans) were sat in a darkened corner of the taproom, hoods covering their faces in shadow and heads close together. A woman was among their number, her bearing regal but subdued.

Now the morning has come, some have very sore heads and the sounds of the inn staff moving tables and chairs cause many to groan as they gingerly break their fast. Among those waking up this Midsummer’s morning are a party of dwarves, a hobbit and a number of men of Middle-Earth. They have all gathered at The Pony, among the festival-goes, for their own reasons but soon their journeys may be more entwined than they imagined.

So, as it is mentioned in the introduction text, it is midsummer’s eve, there is a festival beginning later today and you have all been in Bree for at least a day already, with perhaps the exception of Periwinkle who may have just arrived. It is of course up to you what you want to do, but it would seem rude to leave on the day of such a festival.

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Jon
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TOR2: T'was the Eve of Midsummer

Post by Jon » Thu Mar 16, 2023 10:04 am

Late morning Periwinkle emerges from the stables, some straws still clinging to her curly head. Having arrived late the evening before, and with feet too tired to partake in the still ongoing festivities, she had climbed up to the hay loft and fell to sleep immediately. Due to her rustic nature she sleeps just as well on a patch of moss under a hazel bush, or in a hay barn, as in a soft bed with down filled beddings. This way she can save some of her hard earned pennies, but now it’s time to spend them!

Periwinkle steers her feet towards Ulfhild's bakery, already imagining the scent from of a mountain of pastries and a heavy clay mug of coffa-berry brew. Hopefully Ragnarr, that talkative husband of hers, is awake too, ready to gossip about what happened yesterday. Maybe some interesting guests have arrived from near or far, as is often the case this special day of the year? Periwinkle smiles to herself and fastens her steps, then starts humming a song of midsummer she has learned from Mr Bilbo, very much out of tune.

In time she will deliver the message to Mr Butterbur, but first breakfast!

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TOR2: T'was the Eve of Midsummer

Post by RorytheRomulan » Thu Mar 16, 2023 10:58 pm

Fargrim gets a twinge of melancholy when the smell of hot grease reaches his nostrils. He's tempted to lounge away the entire morning in his lodgings, but the young lord would be out carousing with the surface people, so needs must. Like as not, Fargrim will be in a better mood when he's had his fill at breakfast. He heads out to tell one of the servers to draw a warm bath for him, then returns to his room alone to sponge up. He takes his time to carefully braid his own beard, and once he is clean and fresh, he leaves again to head down for breakfast proper, following the smell of grease and expecting to find Vidar among the merry gatherers with their hotcakes and fried black pudding.

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TOR2: T'was the Eve of Midsummer

Post by Muskrat » Fri Mar 17, 2023 10:55 pm

Fargrim does indeed find Vidar at breakfast. As always, he listens more than he speaks, taking in as much as possible around him. He is packing away a healthy amount of hotcakes and black pudding as well. When he finishes his breakfast, he rises from his table, but only to move about, seeking to make the acquaintance of more folk. He eyes the hooded humans in the corner, taking them for Rangers. He considers approaching them, but they seemed absorbed among themselves and he did want to be rude. Instead, he settles among a group of hobbits and Bree men to catch up on the latest news of the area.

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TOR2: T'was the Eve of Midsummer

Post by RorytheRomulan » Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:32 am

"Good morning, lad. What news?" Fargrim claims a seat near to Vidar's from where he can mind him. He loads up a plate of sausages, eggs, and beans, and calls for a tankard of ale. He eyes the cloaked men for just a moment too long before turning to the men and hobbits present to acknowledge them with a grunt, perhaps smelling some hair of the dog at the table drunk by those who made a little too merry the previous night. He proceeds to dine.

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Re: TOR2: T'was the Eve of Midsummer

Post by Bohemond » Sat Mar 18, 2023 6:18 am

Ragnarr enter the inn and gives himself a stretch. He had already been up for several hours, helping set up the booth for his wife's bakery. Although the shop itself was closed, the ovens, pantry, and kitchen would be working without stop. Ulfhild had purchased some wide serving bowls made of forest glass, and was planning no less than three trifles for sale in the afternoon. The barding smiled at the thought of his wife being more prepared than many of the men he traveled the trade routes with.

With his wife's business taken care of, it was time for Ragnarr to head to the Prancing Pony. The inn would be teeming with visitors looking for men to hire. A perfect opportunity for Ragnarr to earn a fair bit of wealth and maybe find some prospects for starting his own enterprise. Seeing a familiar face, the Barding makes his way to Periwinkle's table.

"Any chance you could use some company?" Ragnarr says to the messenger.

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Re: TOR2: T'was the Eve of Midsummer

Post by Jon » Sat Mar 18, 2023 11:22 am

“Oi! Mister Ragnarr! Pleasure to see!”
Periwinkle’s face lights up as she gestures to Ragnarr to take a seat.
“Life seems to fare well with you, If you don’t mind me saying. How are you and the family doing?”
She pushes over the tray with bread, cheese, pastries and large blood red spring-raspberries for him to take what he want.
“Think I was so lucky to be sent here just in time for the midsummer festival! My favourite place on this favourite day of the year. Look at all the people coming from near and far.”
Dreamily, she looks around the bustling room and nods towards one of the many nooks and corners.
“See them rangers over there, for example, all hooded and mysterious! Really splendid folks. I met one of them the other year, actually. Saved me skin, he did, honestly. Else I would’ve been a wolf meal. Or at least a snack. At first I was almost as scared of him as of the wolves he saved me from. All tall and grim-looking, he was, but turned out he was a real nice fellow. Towering and silent, yes, grim-looking, yes, but really nice and helpful.”
She takes big bite of the pastry she holds and wipes the crumbs from her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Mmm, your wife really make the best blueberry buns! Did you se the booth for the toymakers from the lonely mountain by Ulfhild’s stall, by the way? They were unpacking when I went by. Oh my, if i had a mountain of pennies I would buy one of them colourful jumpety-hoppety thingies they make. So clever and just marvellous to look at, don’t you agree? My youngest sister would just love to have one of them.”
Periwinkle lets her eyes dart over to where a company of dwarves sit, barely visible behind trays and bowls of steaming sausages, potatoes and big, foaming tankards of breakfast beer.
“Talking about dwarves, see those fiery fellows a the table over there? I think the young master must be a prince or a nobleman or something. Look at those fine clothes! And his stern-looking companion must be an advisor, if he isn’t a nobleman himself, looking at that finely braided beard of his. They are from the blue mountains i believe. Think I ran into them a few years back, when I was a newly minted postman, but I can’t remember their names. Fargorn? Fregrim? Vidum? Blast my scatterbrain, if I could remember, I’d go talk to them.”
She sighs.
“But, dwarves are quite particular about names and such.”
Periwinkle’s brow furrows for a moment, then her round face lights up again.
“Oh, and Mister Bilbo Baggins is here, I have heard from a good source! I must introduce you to him, you won’t regret it, I promise. I guess he’s taking his second breakfast in his room. He is famous, you know. Have I told you about Mister Bilbos adventures?”

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Re: TOR2: T'was the Eve of Midsummer

Post by Muskrat » Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:58 pm

Vidar turns to Fargrim and says, "Good morning. No news yet to speak of. Just enjoying the breakfast and the morning conversation." He pushes some blue berry scones Fargrim's way. "Try these--they're quite good."

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Re: TOR2: T'was the Eve of Midsummer

Post by Bohemond » Tue Mar 21, 2023 9:24 am

"The Men of the Lake are quite familiar with Smaug and the Battle of Five Armies, I can assure you," Ragnarr says with a smile. "As well Mister Baggins." The Barding was quite familiar with Periwinkle's inquisitiveness. "I just came from helping set up my wife's booth. She has it all planned out, of course. Morning, midday, and afternoon offerings. Last I checked, she was setting up muffins with crushed walnuts, powdered breakfast cakes, and pepper bread. The last one is popular with dwarves, at least those near the Lonely Mountain."

Ragnarr takes a piece of cheese from the offered plate, but also asks a passing serving girl for two rashers of bacon, some corn cakes with butter, and a pint of small cider. "I don't know much about rangers. Good warriors to have walking the road with you, but they keep their own company. Dwarves at least open up once they have a warm fire and fine ale. However, anyone who keeps my favorite post messenger out of a wolf's stomach will never hear an unkind word from me."

With the arrival of his breakfast, Ragnarr offers Periwinkle to help herself to his plate. "So, has the post master allowed you to stay in town a while? Ulfhild is still trying to get you to visit for a proper meal."

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Re: TOR2: T'was the Eve of Midsummer

Post by ManWithDoor » Tue Mar 21, 2023 6:06 pm

Targon stands out from a crowd, even among other humans. His muscular frame can't be hidden by the standard dark cloak of the Rangers, and he moves carefully among the smaller folk. Not in a condescending way, but just a recognition of how much space he takes up, and not wanting to knock over a perfectly innocent hobbit every time he shifts about.

The man orders his own large portion of food, and finds his own corner to sit in. After taking a taste of the black pudding he grimaces, and shoves them to the side of his plate. He appears to like the rest of it though, as he digs in with gusto.
I'm assuming that I'm independent of the group of Rangers with the regal woman. If I'm wrong, I can edit this post.

Periwinkle - is your claim about a Ranger that saved you from wolves about Targon? If so, very cool and a ready-made connection. If not, no worries.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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