Book 3: Act 1 - Of Leaves and Stewed Hobbit

[Eilandor]

Wren gives Agatha a polite wave, "No more food for me, but if you could top off my drink that would be nice." He hands her his empty plate and returns to Dody's tale regarding his brother Dindy. When the conversation turn to the whereabouts of Gandalf, Wren states in a thoughtful tone, "Sooner or later? How long should we linger?"

[Vardaen]

Dody waves for his wife to top off the mugs of those offered to save his brother from whatever trouble he might have gotten himself into crossing the mountains from here to the Shire. "Linger? Well I've been open for months now and haven't seen Bilbo's friend yet, so I hope you don't plan to linger till he might stop by before going off to search for my brother Dindy."

[Eilandor]

Wren looks at Dody who is clearly not enamored with the idea of just waiting around. "I understand, but we were tasked with this meeting prior to yours and I was simply inquiring to my companions what we should do." Wren does not mean to be cross with Dody, but the prioritizing of tasks is a harsh reality that results in difficult decisions.

[Trogdor]

"Do we have any clue where Gandalf might be?" Pipkin asks. "For my part, I know he can sometimes be found to the west, in the Shire, even. Why his fireworks are always the talk of the Shire. I managed to see them twice and they were a cracking good show."

"So might we look at least as far west as Bree for Gandalf? If he goes to and from the west to the Shire, he must frequent Bree. It's the obvious stop in between the two."

[Vardaen]

Dody listens, "Well I don'y think Dindy is going be that far west. When his letter reached me he was about to leave the Shire and come east again. I worry that he ran afoul of orcs, like you said are about, perhaps in the High Pass, or else where in the mountains. If you had to go all the way to Bree I would be very surprised indeed." He thinks a moment, "If you like you could leave word with me, and if Gandalf does come through I can let him know you were looking for him or perhaps give him a letter from you if you like."

[Shurijo]

Borir sets down his mug and then says, "I believe it's easier for a wizard to find us than it'll ever be for us to find him. He'll know we were here and we're looking for Dindy."

[Muskrat]

Varuthil says, "Well, the person who gave us this letter,"--she is careful to avoid mentioning it was Radagast in front of Dody--"seemed sure that Gandalf would pass through here sooner or later. And, while we ideally we would hand it directly over to Mithrandir, he did give us permission to leave it in the safekeeping of the inn-keeper if necessary." She looks at Dody as she says this. She pauses a moment to think, "And the one who sent us would surely not want to stop us from mounting a rescue party. We've only just arrived. What if we passed a day or two here to recuperate and restock our provisions, then set out looking for Dindy, leaving the letter in the care of Master Dody here?"

[Trogdor]

That certainly sounds agreeable to me," Pipkin replies, savoring the thought of having the opportunity to enjoy more of Agatha's fine cooking, as well as a proper hobbit-sized bed.

[Vardaen]

Dody nods, "A day or two, yes that would be a good idea. Not much longer, fall is on us, and the Passes get snowed in early. Now about these letters. If you like I can put them in my strong box and if Gandalf comes through I'll be sure to give it to him."

You spend the next day and a half at the Easterly Inn getting to know Dody and Agatha and their two kids Dando and Rodry. While you are here resting and eating 'like a proper Hobbit should' you run into a dwarf tinker-smith who has been traveling the roads between the Misty Mountains and the Iron Hills for years. Turns out the dwarf helped build the inn, and has signed on as their carpenter/blacksmith/farrier/assistant bartender/woodcutter and general axeman in residence. Frier is fond of the Hobbits and fonder still of the money they pay him. After many years of wandering, the Easterly Inn is a good place for him to rest his feet. Knowing one of the Khazad is about puts Borir's mind a bit more at ease as well.

Dody has you stocked up and supplied, and the beds have really given you a solid rest that you need. Its all very comfortable making it a bit hard to leave, but the Hobbits urge you to not delay, and since there has been no sign of Mithrandir, or hint that he might come by soon you have no reason to linger.

You are 'filling up the corners' of breakfast on the 25th of August and its time to think about heading out.

Folk of the Inn

You learn the following either from interacting over the time with them or from Dody's constant conversations.

Dody Brandybuck: The owner and bartender of the inn, Dody is exceptionally gregarious and friendly, even for a Hobbit. He could talk the hind legs off any creature in Middle-earth; if Dody had ended up in Gollum's cave instead of Bilbo, then he would have lost the Riddle-Game, but the Dwarves would have found Dody by following the noise of a drunken Gollum singing about fish. He is everybody's best friend.

Dindy Brandybuck: Dody's younger and more nervous brother. Unlike his garrulous sibling, Dindy never wanted
to travel in the Wild. He always dreamed of opening an inn, but assumed it would be in Buckland or maybe the Eastfarthing, not over the edge of the Wild. Still, if things keep going smoothly, then the Easterly Inn could make the fortune of both Brandybuck brothers, and he could move back to the Shire in a few years with chests of silver and gold, just like Bilbo Baggins.

Last spring, Dindy returned to the Shire to obtain vitally needed supplies, such as handkerchiefs, umbrellas, spiceracks, silverware, barrel-spigots, feather-bolsters and round doors, as well as trade goods like pipe-weed and Shire-beer (which, to be honest, could also be counted as ‘vitally needed supplies').

Agatha Brandybuck: Dody's wife, a quiet woman of Tookish blood. She is much more sensible and hardworking than Dody; she lets him keep the customers entertained while she organises the rest of the business. For example, she buys supplies off the Woodmen and the Beornings – and even, rarely, the Elves – and sees to the security of the inn. Underneath her businesslike, bustling demeanour, she's absolutely enchanted to be out here in the Wild meeting all sorts of strange folk.

Her two sons Dando and Rodry both run wild around the inn and the surrounding countryside. She intends to send them to foster with relatives in the Shire in a few years.

Frier: Frier is a Dwarf tinker-smith who has travelled the roads between the Misty Mountains and the Iron Hills for years. He helped build the inn, and has signed on as their carpenter/blacksmith/farrier/assistant bartender/woodcutter and general axeman in residence. Frier is fond of the Hobbits and fonder still of the money they pay him. After many years of wandering, the Easterly Inn is a good place for him to rest his feet.

Shadrach: A stray dog that was ‘adopted' by the Hobbits – or, more accurately, that adopted them.

[Trogdor]

Pipkin is in heaven for the next couple of days. Not that he regrets his decision to leave the Shire to come out east to explore the wide world. But it was nice to have some homey pleasures once in a while. Days find him sitting on the front porch of the inn, simply enjoying doing nothing. Evenings find him sitting with Dody - at the bar or on the porch, as business requires - chatting away and blowing smoke ring after smoke ring from his pipe.

By the second day, he even offers to cook a meal for his hosts. It would be such a pleasure, he explains, to be able to cook in a proper kitchen for a change, that it would actually be a treat. And without a proper oven, he hadn't been able to use any of his cake recipes for ages. Besides, he argues to Dody and Agatha, don't they deserve a rest every once in a while too?

By the morning of the third day, however, he knows that his time of idleness is over. There was a job to do, and if Dindy really was in trouble, and not lost or something, then he needed them to leave today. "Well friends," he says to the others. "Shall we pack up and head west after this fine breakfast?"