The Forsaken Inn

[Valandil]

This is a WHOLE DIFFERENT KIND of RPG. It's a 'come-and-go as you please / pull up a chair to the fire' kinda thing.

This is set at 'The Forsaken Inn' in Eriador - a day's travel east of Bree, starting in April of the year 2904 of the Third Age (and time will progress as in 'our' world - +900 years and in the 3rd Age). To let you know what this means:

* Bilbo is a lad who turns 14 later this year, living at home with his folks, Bungo and Belladona.
* Gerontius, 'The Old Took' - is still living.
* Aragorn's great-grandfather, Argonui, is chieftain of the Dunedain. His grandson, Arathorn, is a young man - but Gilraen hasn't been born.
* Thorin and his people are still living in The Blue Mountains - and Smaug still broods over the treasure of Erebor.
* Far away, Turin II is Ruling Steward of Gondor, and Fengel has just become King of Rohan.
* The 'Fell Winter' hasn't happen yet and Tharbad hasn't yet been flooded under all that melted snow and ice - but Tharbad's not that big a place anymore.
* There's 'trouble' with orcs, wolves and trolls from time to time, and rumors of things even worse in Mirkwood beyond the Misty Mountains.
* Some still talk about Elrond at his place of Rivendell, away east - but not many seem to know exactly how to get there - and the Elves, or others who might seem to know - they just won't say very much about it.

The Inn itself... a small place. A room with a few tables and chairs and a fireplace to the right wall from the front door. The back wall has a bar - and a door leading back to the kitchen. The family who runs the place - Old Innham Mize is the innkeeper and his wife and a bunch of mostly-grown children who help out (and dream of places they hear about from travelers) - hard to say if they're more like the Bree-folk or descended from Numenoreans or a mixture, or something else. They're friendly though, but they like customers who pay, especially as not many folks pass through these days. They have a couple rooms for folks to spend the night, but they usually like to see your money first. There's some old stables around back, but most folks like to tie their horses outside unless the weather is particularly bad - as the stables look even more forsaken than the inn - and nobody wants them collapsing on their horses.

There used to be a town of sorts around the inn... and there's remnants of a few other buildings in various states of disrepair and decay. The only other inhabitant of the town is the old smith, 'Smitty' - well past his better years, but still able to shoe a horse in a pinch and tell stories of the old days.

Who comes here? Well - a few farmers from hereabouts, but mostly travelers on the Great East-West Road: those strange rangers, dwarves, Elves sometimes, even an occasional wizard and a more adventurous halfling or two (Tooks, more than likely).

So - stop on in at the inn, inntroduce yourself, pull up a seat by the fire or stake out a spot at the bar (there isn't exactly anybody gonna elbow you aside), order up some grub and liquid refreshment, and join in telling and hearing tales.