The Shire - A Summer Historical Excursion

Post date: Aug 06, 2012 6:11:55 PM

Event details:

As any decent Shire history book will tell you, the lands of the Shire were once the realm of Men; the ancient kingdom of Arnor ruled by the high lords of Númenor from across the Sea. Although the great legacy of Men in these lands has long since faded, remnants of their dominion still persist even now amongst the rolling hills and green fields of the Four Farthings.

Bannockbury Hall Mathom Society, being great lovers of history and artifacts (as well as generally messing about outdoors) have a summer holiday arranged to take in these historic sights, and to enjoy the fine summer weather while it lasts!

~ Come to The Bird and Baby Inn in Michel Delving at 6:00 PM BST (British Summer Time) or 1:00 PM /servertime on Saturday the 11th of August to participate! ~

An adventurous summer holiday awaits the hobbits of Bannockbury Hall Mathom Society! We will get our tents packed, our bags loaded with supplies and provisions and meet at the Bird and Baby Inn in Michel Delving.

After an early breakfast and a warm by the fire, we set out in earnest at daybreak Saturday morning (Foredawn or Morning in-game, whichever comes first). We will visit many interesting locations during our excursion, walking the surrounding countryside on the way and setting up camp now and then as we go to get some well-earned rest and meals in!

There are five notable locations featuring Arnorian ruins that we will be spending time at during our excursion. When we are there, Adalbern will give a short talk on the history and significance of each, and afterwards there will be time for music, entertainment and so on should this be desired before travelling the scenic route to the next location. The route, and the ruins featured during the trip are as follows:

Stage One: Michel Delving to Waymeet - The Waymeet Pillars

The semi-permanent camp of travelling hobbits east of Michel Delving known as Waymeet is one of the few locations in the Shire still to bear traces of the Kingdom of Arnor. Amongst the cheerful caravans and rustic gardens, three curious pillars stand prominent close to the road - as well as a few fragments of collapsed walls and flooring. The nature of these pillars is a mystery, and require further study to interpret their original function.

After leaving town we will cut across country via Tookland before arriving at Waymeet.

Waymeet to The Floating Log, Frogmorton via Green Hill Country

We stop here for lunch or whatever meal is appropriate before heading on. This is also a chance for latecomers or stragglers to catch up with the main walking party.

Stage Two: The Floating Log to Bridgefields - The Bridgefields Road Edifice

Along the road north of Budgeford leading to Scary and Brockenborings there is an unusual and obviously ancient structure sitting beside the road; a recessed stone edifice flanked by pillars. The unusual shape, combined with the curved trough partly filled year-long with murky water and silt seem to indicate this was some kind of heavily ornamented and grand watering trough designed for many horses - a reasonable assumption if you take into account its position on the ancient dirt road and that the Shire was once the royal hunting-grounds of King Argeleb the Second during the days of the kingdom of Arthedain.

After leaving the inn we will head back onto the road, cutting through Budgeford.

Stage Three: Bridgefields and The Marish - Bridgefields Wall, Stocktower and The Yale-height

Bridgefields Wall is one of the few remaining signs of the ancient kingdom of Arnor within the bounds of the Shire. Farmer Puddifoot has been threatening to pull it down for years now to build walls for his own fields, but some of the richer hobbit families of Michel Delving have prevented him from doing so in the Shire councils, demanding that the wall is preserved for historical purposes. So it stands there still.

The Stocktower is a curious old Arnorian ruin standing guard near the Brandywine Bridge. Few such ruins still stand in the Shire - having long ago been dismantled by industrious Hobbits to construct more modern residences, but the Stocktower has become something of an icon and mischievous Hobbit children have been known to frequent the ruin despite their parents' admonishments to the contrary.

The Yale-height is a reasonably-sized hill in set into the relatively flat land near Woodhall and The Marish. Atop it sits another series of three stone pillars, though these are obviously much better preserved than the ones at Waymeet and are also noticeably larger. Its location in the landscape, the layout of the remains and its line-of-sight with Stocktower seem to indicate some kind of territory marker or watchtower structure, possibly indicating some important feature or information; long since lost to the passage of time.

We will tour the area containing these three ruins. We will also make camp on the Yale-height for a time to enjoy the spectacular view of the area. Afterwards, we will stop by at the Golden Perch in Stock to reflect and rest from our experience, before taking the Great East Road on foot back to the Bird and Baby in Michel Delving. Those who have to leave early can choose to leave before the walk back.

OOC details:

This is an RP event geared towards exploring the historic features and landscape of the Shire and RPing along the way. As it is a particularly long and involved event following the in-game day and night cycle (within reason e.g. lamps, camp fires and rest at night, stops for meals etc.) please take into account that it may last some time. If you plan to attend the entire event it would be a good idea to set aside about two hours for it. We will also be walking (not running) on foot to preserve realism. People are quite welcome to join the group later or leave early if they must, just as long as you catch up with main party.

As this is a 'camping trip' it's a good idea to come dressed in travelling clothes and pack (with appropriate supplies like camp fires), though please try to leave weapons behind (except simple travelling and wilderness survival weapons like knives, bows, wooden clubs, walking-staves and so on). Other races attending will be tolerated (but possibly not interacted with much), but are discouraged as this is mainly a hobbit-only event. No offence is intended; this is purely to preserve realism, much like the extremely well-known Green Dragon Fridays.

So come along for this important adventure!