Raising The Shire

Posted By a Hobbit on August 21, 2011

Pareth traveled to Michel Delving to buy some supplies and to also make use of the expert cooking facilities that the hobbits had there. Many aspiring chefs traveled for miles to learn from the best cooks in Middle Earth. Hobbits loved to eat and so it comes as no surprise that many of them excel at cooking.

Pareth decided to teach some of the local hobbits how to make Lothlórien waybread, a recipe taught to her by Bassiril, an Elf who lived in Egladil. Some of the hobbits chuckled and said “It’s just bread. Surely none can compare to our delicious breads in the Shire!” And they looked on with amusement, while Pareth gathered the ingredients she needed: lots of fresh cream, Winter barley flour, mixed herbs and mixed spices.

The smells coming from the ovens nearby were delightful. The hobbits never needed an excuse to turn an outdoor cook-out into a party. Soon tables were set and a huge assortment of foods was placed on them. Pareth thought there was almost too much food and she made a comment to a nearby hobbit who chuckled and said, “There could never be enough food! We hobbits like to eat a lot and often. But Pareth, surely you knew this already, for I know you have a home in the Shire and I’ve seen you at another one of our famous feasts.”

Pareth laughed and nodded. She loved to watch hobbits eat. They enjoyed their food and didn’t try to hide it. And they loved to show off their culinary skills and some of Pareth’s favorite recipes were hobbit family secrets, passed down from generation to generation.

Pareth’s waybread was ready and she placed it on one of the tables. A hobbit named Folco Twofoot took a big piece of it and ate it. Pareth watched him and noticed the look in his eyes. He was surprised and delighted and declared to the curious onlookers, “This is most excellent and simply delicious. This lady knows how to cook, my friends. You must try this!”

Pareth smiled and said, “I cannot take the credit for this recipe. For the Galadhrim Elves from Lothlórien taught me how to make it. It is the best food to use as rations on the battlefield, for one small piece can sustain a person for hours, and believe me when I tell you there are times when we go without a real meal for days.”

The hobbits laughed out loud and shook their heads in disbelief. But Folco confirmed Pareth’s statement for he said “My goodness! I’m quite full. I wouldn’t have believed it either, if I hadn’t just eaten some of this Elven bread.”

And then another hobbit, Bidoc ‘Headstrong’ Smallburrow, yelled out, “Old Folco’s been into the brew already and that is why he’s so full! There is no way one small piece of bread can fill a person up!” And he proceeded to take a rather large chunk of waybread and with a mocking look at Folco and a cheeky laugh in Pareth’s direction, he shoved the whole piece in his mouth and it was gone before you could say “the Shire”!

About two minutes later Bidoc declared that he was full also but he eyed Pareth suspiciously and said that it was some Elvish trick that she had played on all of them. He was ignored for the most part, as he was well known for being a bit of a grouch. He never believed anything or anyone and thought he knew everything, according to what other hobbits said about him.

The rest of the nearby hobbits all took a sample of the waybread, and all of them reacted the same way. They were full and complained that now they weren’t able to eat the other goodies. But they did anyway. For no hobbit could see good food go to waste! And the food was truly delicious. Pareth enjoyed herself very much that night with the other chefs of Michel Delving. It was so good to leave the battlefield behind, if only for a short while.

Pareth would bake another large batch of waybread the very next day, but this time the hobbits would not get to eat it. It was for the road. And the day would come sooner then ever, when Pareth would leave the Shire again to travel East, always battling evil so folks in the Shire could live peacefully for as long as possible. And when she left, the best cooks in the Shire spoke of her often, for she had earned their admiration and respect.

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Posted By a Hobbit on August 9, 2011

Pareth of Gondor received a message from her friend Brynje to come and assist her and a few other warriors in Enedwaith, at a place called Thrór’s Coomb. After traveling for many days, Pareth made the treacherous climb to Nar’s Peak where she was welcomed by Brynje and her companions, a young hobbit named Kilderkin who was swift with a bow, and a Elven loremaster named Emondir, who had a way with animals.

“Well met, Pareth!” cried Brynje as Pareth approached the group and was quickly introduced. Pareth had been to this part of Middle Earth before. Besides Dunlendings, who served the evil Saruman, Thrór’s Coomb was home to evil Giants and Gwibers, deadly fire-breathing creatures that attacked anything or anyone who got too close to them. Pareth had defeated the Gwibers before and had suffered some serious injuries at the hands of the Giants, so she was determined to help her companions rid the area of both creatures.

The four warriors were a force to be reckoned with. They worked incredibly well together, each of them masters of their own skills and weaponry. And they worked fast. They didn’t stop until they had defeated every last Giant they encountered in Thrór’s Coomb, and exhausted and bruised, they emerged victorious because of Brynje’s unfailing leadership abilities.

No one spoke after they were done, and they rode together in silence back to Nar’s Peak, where Nar himself was impressed by their tales of victory. The group humbly accepted his praise but all that was on their minds was food and rest, of which they would get plenty of in the next few days. And for that, Pareth was especially grateful.

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Posted By a Hobbit on July 26, 2011

While Tearose Underhill of the Shire was being spoiled and tended to by the Elves of Duillond, a brave Elven hunter from Lothlórien traveled to the perilous red waters of Agamaur.

Laerchel of Lórien fought the evil minions of Angmar, the undead, the malicious Gloom-water creatures. They were pure evil and Laerchel killed many such creatures as well as the Shambling wights that tried to defeat her, but she was quick with her bow and had some skills with her sword and dagger as well.

Wearily she returned to report to Eriac the Strong, and he praised her bravery. But Laerchel did not seek recognition, nor did she feel brave. She would give anything to return to Lothlórien and live in peace for the rest of her days, but she knew that the Free Peoples of Middle Earth needed the help of the Elves who stayed behind, forgoing the ships that sailed from the Grey Havens.

So she rested briefly, for there was much to do in the weeks ahead. She would spend the next few months in Agamaur and also with the Rangers in the North Downs, for their resources were stretched thin as they too were invaded by the evil forces of Angmar.

Soon Laerchel would seek the assistance of other brave warriors, for there were forces in these lands far more powerful than she was and to try to battle them alone was sheer folly and she knew it.

She found companionship from unexpected sources – brave young hobbits who had left their peaceful holes to try and do their part, courageous men and woman from every corner of Middle Earth, yes, and even hardy dwarves. Some would say that the dwarves caused a measure of the troubles that existed, but Laerchel was no longer so quick to judge them. For she saw first hand how they bravely defended their allies and tirelessly jumped into battles, waving their axes and their swords in fury.

Laerchel was wise enough to realize that every race must be united if they were to rid the land of all that was evil. She knew that old grudges existed between some Elves and dwarves but she chose to remain neutral and for that she earned the loyalty of many dwarves who came down from the mountains and traded their mining tools for weapons.

Together they would join forces and defeat the creatures in Agamaur and Garth Argawen, and they would be victorious, though they would suffer many injuries and a few losses in the process. Such was the way things happened in these troubling times of Middle Earth.

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