Out of Bounds Birthday Stroll

Post date: Sep 16, 2013 5:41:43 PM

by Lina Willowwood

Respectable hobbits stay in the Shire. They would never stroll out of bounds to visit far-off lands, celebrate birthdays and even meet elves. No no. And definitely not Saturday September 21st!It is that time again, to remember the birthday of Bilbo Baggins. Mad as a hatter, some say he was. That he left the Shire TWICE would certainly indicate so. And no hobbits should ever follow his example and travel out of bounds. Which is why all respectable hobbits should stay away from The Golden Perch in Stock, Saturday September 21st. Why? Because it is rumoured that some hobbit rascals will travel far, far away from the Shire to see if there is still some life in master Bilbo Baggins. That they will bring gifts from home to help him celebrate his birthday. That they even encourage adventurous youngsters to come along if they want safe passage to somewhere called Rivendell, where rumours say that Bilbo spends his current days.

Surely you’re not such a strange hobbit? That’s right, we thought not!

Date: Saturday September 21st

Time: 7:30PM UK (2:30PM servertime)

Location: Meet outside The Golden Perch in Stock, then we’ll set off towards Rivendell

OOC information

What: This is a combined walk/run/escort from the Shire to Rivendell, so the local hobbits can meet Bilbo Baggins and start celebrating his birthday (which is really the day after). Obviously, few hobbits ever took that journey in the books, which is why we sneak off in secrecy so our Shire-bound neighbours won’t find out! Most of the journey will be a leisurely stroll through Middle Earth, marvelling at the sights and snacking on good hobbit food. And should we find master Bilbo in the faraway land, I am sure there will be both music and dancing once we’re there!

Levels: We encourage any low-level players who would like safe passage to Rivendell to join us; we’ll take good care of yer through the Lone-Lands and the Trollshaws towards Rivendell. There may be some birthday quests for Bilbo as well, which is another grand reason to visit him this weekend.

Route: Just walking from the Shire to Rivendell takes about 2 hours, so we will look at ways to speed up parts of the journey (for instance, by running parts of the way). A tentative route is:

• • Start in Stock, cross the Brandywine and walk towards Bree

  • Use pony masters for travel from Bree West Gate to South Gate, and from there to Breeland Homesteads

  • Walk from the homesteads through the Lonelands and Trollshaws to Rivendell

  • Some bursts of running in dangerous situations may occur!

Non-hobbits:While we’d love for the walk to start out with just hobbits, players from other races are of course welcome to hook up with us along the way, once we cross the Brandywine Bridge and get ever closer to Rivendell: Dwarves travelling east, elves headed for Rivendell etc. Low-levels are once again very welcome!

Preparations: Bring sturdy travelling clothes, food, lanterns, a butter knife and whatever else yer need fer the travel. We may stop a few places and tell yer a little about the lands, but else, feel free to chat and have fun with yer travelling companions on the road!