Middle Earth PbP (In Character)

[glimmerrat]

Chapter 2: A Sorry State of Affairs

After deciding to go speak to old Hornblower, the following morning you gather your gear and with Bella and Gorbo’s aid take the East Road to Waymoot, and then travel south, past Tookbank.

After a brief chat with a pair of Bounders, asking what such a diverse group is up to, you trek down into the valley of Longbottom, finally arriving in the early afternoon. The town consists of several dozen Hobbit holes and wooden outhouses along the wide, uneven sprawling valley floor. The shallow lower slopes house the Longbottom leaf plantations, and it’s fairly obvious that the last harvest of the season has already been brought in.

There appears to be very few people living here, certainly too few for the size of the place, and a number of the Hobbit holes are boarded up. Now that you think of it, the whole place looks like it has fallen upon hard times. You eventually find someone sat in their front yard, picking a few meagre vegetables. They point you in the right direction, and within no time you find yourself knocking on the door of the Hornblower burrow.

After explaining to Mrs Hornblower why you’re here, she reluctantly invites you inside to speak to her husband. Mr Hornblower is a rotund old Hobbit with grey hair and ruddy cheeks, and a small pair of spectacles resting on the end of a bulbous nose. He insists on making sure you are well supplied with cups of tea and crumpets before he’ll even discuss the situation, even though it’s fairly obvious from the lack of furniture (and the pale patches of wallpaper showing where paintings have been recently sold off) that they really can’t afford it.

“So you wants to ‘elp me with me boy, eh?”

[Antilles]

Brannadan finishes his cup of tea, and replies to the old hobbit, "Yes, we do. We have heard mostly rumours though, could you tell us the facts of the matter?"

[Girlfriday]

Bella looks around at the others, obviously a little uncomfortable. Her mouth is stuffed full of crumpet.

"Doh look at me mate, i'm wi' them..."

She tries to sip tea without swallowing the crumpet she's chewing.

[ahzad]

Kyan looks about the room saying
"Thanks for the tea and crumpets, but as Brannadan says we'd like to more of the facts of what's going on here. Why are so many of the homes empty?
Kyan reaches around in his pack and pulls out his pipe and some leaf and prepares to light it, before stopping and looking at his hosts
"Do you mind if I have a smoke?"

[glimmerrat]

He rubs his stubbled chin thoughtfully, then tucks his hands into the pockets of his brown and yellow striped waistcoat, then leans forward to offer Kyan a light. Mrs Hornblower brings in an ashtray.

“If you really wants to ‘elp, first let me explain the situation. You might change yer mind when you sees ‘ow serious it is.”

“Yer see, we’ve ‘ad an ‘ard time of it ‘ere in Longbottom, on account o’ the last few years ‘avin such poor ‘arvests. We ‘ad to… borrow some money, and the only folks as would lend it to us was them there Sackville-Bagginses. That was two years ago when we ‘ad our first bad ‘arvest. Then the next was bad too and din't make enough to pay off the loan, so with the interest this one is really our last chance to pay off the debt. See, its due at the end of the season, and the end of the season is the end o’ next month. A lot o' folks 'ave upped and left, gone to work at one o' the other plantations. The financial damage 'as almost crippled the town.”

He sighs deeply and rubs his eyes with the thumb and forefinger of his right hand, obviously finding it hard to talk about this.

“So, when we ‘ad a good ‘arvest this year we ‘ad to do somethin’ with it. Me son, Saradoc, e’ was ‘sposed to be takin’ the ‘ole shipment to that wizard, Saruman. ‘E likes ‘is pipe weed, e’ does, and ‘e’d agreed to buy the lot. Saradoc took three Hobbit mates with ‘im, and a Dwarfish friend of ‘is. Chap named ‘Gror’ or somesuch.”

“Know that if’n you fail to find Saradoc an’ that pipe weed, we’ll lose Longbottom to the Sackville-Bagginses, an they intend to plough over the ‘ole of the plantation to grow more ‘o that Old Toby muck that they’re so bloody fond of, an’ evict everyone to bring in their own staff. That sod Otho Sackville-Baggins said as much.”

He looks at you expectantly.

“So, nows you know the long and short of it, will ya still be wantin’ to ‘elp?”

[Girlfriday]

Bella leans forward, intently listening.

"Now we cor ave' that - bloody Sackville-Bagginses are buyin up the 'ole Shire. I'll 'elp just to put one over on 'em."

[Antilles]

Brannadan is a little confused over the whole tale, as the hobbit seems to be more concerned about his pipeweed than his son, but he chalks it up to hobbit eccentricity and gives his reply.

"Well, yes, that is serious, but not enough to put us off this task. We will look for your son and the cargo. Do you know anything about these rumoured bandits who might have taken your son and his friends?"

[ahzad]

Kyan leans forward to light his pipe

"My thanks for the light."

and sits back to hear the tale. After old Hornblower is finished Kyan says

"Aye we'll help and do our best to see that those Sackville-Baggins don't run you off your land. That old Toby isn't near as good as Longbottom."

[Bill Whitmore]

Gorbo rolls his eyes at the implication that Longbottom weed is obviously superior to Old Toby weed, but doesn't say anything about it.

"We'll be needin' to know exactly 'ow yer son was gettin' to Isengard.  I remember from lookin' at some of Bilbo's maps of Eriador, the easiest way would be to take the Ol' South Road through the Gap of Rohan.  Iffin it was me, that's the way I'd go.  We can just follow and ask around until we find them.  How much weed are we talkin' about?  Were they takin' sack fulls, pony fulls, or wagon fulls of the stuff?"

[glimmerrat]

Old Lotho smiles broadly, and is about to thank you all for the offer of help when Mrs Hornblower bustles into the room and blurts out:

“Well? Tell ‘em about the ring then!”

He fixes his wife with a baleful glare, and she scowls back at him, hands on her hips. After a moment he relents, and his shoulders sink a little.

“Aye, ok Martha. What me wife refers to is a special ring. A magic ring. It was given to me great-great grandpappy by a Dunedain King of old, and it’s very valuable. We sent it on with Saradoc to see if ‘e could sell it to Saruman, bein’ as e’s a wizard an’ all. If the ring and the Longbottom leaf is gone, then we’re bankrupt, an’ all these folks around ‘ere will lose their ‘omes.”

“I know others ‘d think only o’ one thing in the circumstances, but bein’ in charge of a community means I ‘ave to think o’ more than just me and mine… I know I’ve asked ye to find the cargo, but please – don’t fergit me’ boy.”

Lotho suddenly looks a lot smaller than he did at the start of the conversation. He sinks back into his chair.

“I… I can provides you all with a fast cart and a good pair of ponies to pull it – you’ll need it to carry the leaf as there was a full cart load. Me son ‘ad our other cart an’ ‘orses with ‘im. The one we’ll give yer is the last one we got.”

“If Saruman accepts the leaf and the ring, you can keep a quarter of what he offers. That should be a fairly nice sum o’ cash. If’n you should negotiate to get more money for the shipment, I’m sure we’ll understand…”

“As fer bandits, I feels it’s much more likely that if foul play ‘as befallen me lad, it’ll be hillmen or orcs. Vile things both.”

He shudders for a moment then smiles weakly, not looking like he feels very hopeful about your chances of success.

After insisting that you stay the night, in the morning you find yourselves outside the Hornblower warren. Lotho brings a small but very sturdy looking cart around to the roadway and has hitched up a pair of young ponies to it. You've eaten a hearty Hobbit breakfast, and even Kyan admits that he is most full.

“Saradoc crossed the Brandywine at Sarn Ford just over a day south of ‘ere, then as young master Gorbo ‘ere says, ‘e was gonna follow the old South Road across Minhiriath. They was gonna cross the Greyflood into Dunland at Tharbad, then ride on to the Gap o’ Rohan. ‘Course, then it’s just a short ride north into Isengard.”

Mrs Longbottom shuffles out of the house with a small burlap sack in one hand and some oven gloves in the other. Without hesitating she dumps the sack in the back of the cart.

“I’ve baked yer all some pies an’ such, fer the journey like. There should be enough fer about a week. That’ll get you at least 'alf way there” she says.

Lotho nods in agreement.

“Aye, with a cart like this ‘un, you’ll be Isengard in a little over a week and 'alf if you ride 'ard.”

He steps back and puts an arm around his wife’s waist.

“Best ‘o luck lads… and lass! Bless the lot ‘o ya.”

[Girlfriday]

Bella scrambles up onto the cart and starts looking through the bag of pies.

"Thanks missus 'ornblower. Ey up lads, let's get goin' then!"

[Antilles]

Brannadan shakes both Lotho and Martha's hands, thanking them for the hospitality and reassuring them that they will do their utmost to find and return home their son and the trade goods. Then he turns towards his companions.

"She's right, let's be off."

[Bill Whitmore]

Despite the gravity of the situation, Gorbo seems quite excited the following morning.  During the work of loading up the wagon and hitching up the ponies, Gorbo is whistling a merry little tune.  Once everything is ready, Gorbo pauses to address Lotho and a Martha.

"Don't you two be worryin' none.  I'm sure everything is fine.  They probably just had some wagon trouble and they couldn't get the weed to Isengard.  We'll just catch on up to them and help finish the job.  We'll be back here before you know it."

As they set out, Gorbo takes up position next to the cart to keep his eye on the ponies.

[ahzad]

At the mention of orcs Kyan's jaw tightens and he spits out

Filthy Orcs! We encounter any of their kind they'll feel the bite of me axe upon their necks. Much thanks for the vittles Mrs. they'll be a mighty fine replacement for the trail rations.

Kyan steps up to her to shake her hand, and moves to shake Hornblower's hand

"Don't worry about your son, we'll keep a look out for him and get him home to you as soon as we can. Thanks for the use of the cart and ponies."

Turning back to the party, Kyan says

"I'm not much of a horseman, or a pony man for that matter, so I'll ride along on the cart, or these short legs of mine will slow us down considerably."

Clambering up onto the cart Kyan gives a playful poke at Bella saying with a grin

"Oy there, make sure you don't sample all those pies until there's none left for us"

[Wolverine]

Erkenwulf remains grimly silent in stark opposition to the seemingly positive attitude of the two Hobbits. He remembers his last journey through Dunland. Even if Saradoc had only suffered a broken axle, he could still have run afoul of a much worse fate.

Filthy Orcs! We encounter any of their kind they'll feel the bite of me axe upon their necks.

Best keep that at the ready, friend Dwarf. I fear that we'll be needing it before too long.