Geoffroi’s House of Leather

Well, a very Happy New Year to all my readers.

Now it is common at this time of year to make fresh starts, make resolutions and the like. And I have been thinking that now I have settled in Bree and bought a house, I need to find something to do with my spare time.

Of course I have The Andune Ensemble. And looking after those recalcitrant reprobates is almost a full time job in itself. But still, there must be more and especially something that brings in an income. For some strange reason, our audiences insist on showing their appreciation with pies rather than coin.

I’m much taken with the facelift and rebuilding in Bree undertaken by our Mayor and I spent a goodly amount of time nosying around. It occurred to me that we will be getting an influx of new citizens soon as Bree’s fame spreads and there is a severe lack of entertainment establishments to cater for them. Oh sure we have the Pony but frankly that is getting a little tired now. And the new stage opposite will draw custom away. Oh, by the way we played there last week for the first time, sketch below.

And we have Madame Celestine’s and, er, not much else. So I am planning a new club and have identified premises.

Geoffroi’s House of Leather will be a grand establishment with unbounded luxury. My limitless ingenuity will make this a venue for the connoisseur and especially those who enjoy the satisfying feel of leather in all it’s manifold aspects.

We will be an equal opportunities club, even Dwarves of the opposite gender will be welcome to wear dresses and quaff cocktails without fear of ridicule.

Of course, such an establishment cannot succeed without the proper staff. I have yet to make appointments but my dream team is:

• Reception and Front of House services – Lady Cennwyn
• Catering – Carica and Bluebonnet. Be sure to request a taste of their muffins
• Security – Slab the Troll
• Exotic Substances – Beorbrand Beorning
• Exotic Services (Ladies) – Aegthil of Gondor (also in charge of bat fur supplies)
• Exotic Services (Gentlemen) – to be filled after personal audition of several cute elf chicks by Geoffroi
• Dwarven Specialities – Keliax The Depraved
• Hobbit Specialities – Tomrica and Byrcha (will work together if requested)
• Music and jolly sing-songs – Anarwald of the purple horn

A fine team, I’m sure you will agree. Now to see if I can secure their services.

Many other staff will be required. If you think you have the necessary credentials please apply to the address below. All applications considered but contortionists are especially welcome. Whips will be provided.

Geoffroi’s House of Leather

Hanky Panky Passage

Grope Lane

The Return of Seolferwulf

Ah, my friends, how good it is to talk with you again!

You may recall that a year ago I suffered grievous injuries in Annunimas. I was engaged in a fierce fight above the city when I stumbled and fell from the cliff. At least this allowed me to escape from my foes but I lay smashed at the foot of the cliff until I was found by the wardens of Evendim and eventually taken to Rivendell.

Here I have been cared for by Elrond and many other Elves skilled in the healing arts. It took six months for my injuries to heal and I have spent the last six months in intensive physical training to recover my strength. And the Elves have taught me some new fighting techniques too!

My Great Aunt Keli has been here with me for much of the time but I have also spent a great deal of time with that estimable hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. Eru, he does love his riddles and he has tormented me with them on many a day. But I do love the old fellow and listening to his tales has been a joy. Recently, he has been urging me to travel to the Misty Mountains, as he once did, and do some exploring. He referred me to his old friend Gloin as a starting point.

But first, I have to finish some tasks here.

Elladan told me that Barachen reported seeing one of the Onodrim somewhere in the wild and wants me to talk to him about it. He said “Barachen’s camp is in the South Trollshaws, west of here. Look for Rochwen along the road…she has been keeping watch for those journeying in these lands and can guide you to Barachen’s camp”

So off I set to find Rochwen, no difficult task. My, it was pleasant to be roaming the land again. Rivendell is wonderful but I longed to get away after a year there.

I eventually reached Barachen who told me “I have long believed that the Onodrim of legend have walked among the wooded areas of the Trollshaws, but I have never seen one for myself until now. As I climbed the High Moor towards the Imladris to bear messages from Rochwen and Alphlanc, a curious mood took hold of me. I strayed from my path, walking south down a great slope into the valley of giants. From a great distance I beheld one of the Onodrim standing like a mighty tree, its leaves turning red. As I watched, it turned slowly and moved behind a great boulder and was lost to my view. Seek him out Seolferwulf but be careful on your journey, for the giants of that valley are formidable. Speak with this Onod. He may know the location of the Nazgûl Elladan seeks”.

Barachen told me that The High Moor was far to the east, above the Bruinen, and that a path slopes southward into the valley of the giants.

As I entered the valley, I saw the Onod standing beside a tree with red leaves before it turned and vanished behind a large boulder.  I caught up with him and The Onod stared at me with expressionless eyes. It’s bark-like skin coiled with corruption,, and it’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly. Suddenly, the deep wells of its eyes ripple with anger and he attacked.

I fought him and it was a tough fight. I was rusty and he was very strong but eventually I wore him down and he fled the field.

I returned to Elladan who expressed some surprise “The Onod attacked you? The tree-herders of old were peaceful and more wont to stand unnoticed among the tree than treat with strangers, with peace or violence. I do not know the meaning of these signs, Seolferwulf. Our problems may be more far-reaching than I had supposed”.

“You are fortunate. The creature which you faced could not have been a true Onod. You could not possibly have faced the might of one of the Old Ones nor would you have to, for the Onodrim are friendly to the Free Peoples on the rare occasion their paths meet. The great forests are less-travelled now than they were in days past, and few now ever see one of the great tree-herds.

A small company of Elves from Mirkwood has come to Imladris to consult with my father. Perhaps one of them will know what manner of creature you faced. Speak with my father to arrange an audience”.

And so I shall.

It’s good to be back! I wonder how all my old friends are, especially Twobeers and Nutkin. Well, there will soon be a grand winter festival and perhaps I shall run into them again there.

The Pie

I have been thinking about pie a lot recently. Specifically a fruit pie, possibly rhubarb and apple. And, even more specifically, about the lady who baked the pie.

Let me explain.

I recently realised that, despite my plans to roam the lands of Middle-Earth and discover exciting new places, I had spent the last 8 months in Bree. What with playing with The Andune Ensemble and enjoying the lively action in The Prancing Pony of an evening, time had just passed me by. Well, life is comfortable at the moment, the only danger round here  being the risk of getting trampled by a frenzied goat escaping from Beorbrand.

The only thing that grated a little was staying in a poky room at the Pony. As well as being constrained, I was finding Butterbur’s cooking to be, shall we say, limited. Plus, I was always at risk from being seen with that bald dude with the pink hotpants and flowered headband, something I decided was not good for my reputation.

So, I decided to buy a house at the Bree Homestead. 4 Garden Street to be specific, an idyllic spot with it’s own fishing stream.

Now, this is where it gets interesting.

I explored the new neighbourhood and discovered that Cennwyn also had a house here. For those that don’t know, Cennwyn is a band mate that I have recently taken to thinking about a lot. That is, she seems to be invading my thoughts at unguarded moments. In an appropriate manner of course!

Anyway, I was checking out her fine house when I noticed that there was a fresh-baked pie on the windowsill. Oh my, it did smell good. I looked around and there didn’t seem to be anyone about so I gave serious thought to liberating said pie. But what if she caught me? That would be too embarrassing. Would she speak to me again or give my theorbo those sly little glances I had noticed her doing? Time for a proper think.

I went back to my house and dug out my old fishing rod then settled in my back garden for a contemplate. I didn’t bother baiting the hook, I wasn’t interested in catching any cold slimy fish. That would spoil the mood.

 I realised that I didn’t know a thing about Cennwyn other than that she liked music. What did she like? I hadn’t seen her walking about the town or had a proper conversation with her. Would she even like a Gondor educated Haradhrim? Did she even like men; who knows these days. Oh Sweet Eru, had she been with Aegthil!

Banish that image swiftly and get back to the pie. Any lady that baked a pie like that had to be a fine lady, surely. And, thinking about it, her house was bigger than mine so a lady of substance as well. More and more intriguing. I think I need to find out more, ask around in Bree. Yes, that’s it, a little research is needed. In the meantime, I’m just going to lie back and daydream of that pie.

And the lady who baked it.

What a generous lot you are

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Yesterday we played for the Casual Stroll To Mordor Fellowship Walk. During the concert over $900 was raised for the charity Child’s Play taking our total to $3,500. This is astounding generosity from the Lotro community – you should be proud of yourselves.

The Fellowship Walk continues and you can still make donations or bid at the fabulous auctions. Full details are at http://casualstrolltomordor.com/2012/09/childsplay2012/

Here is a picture of the band performing – I can only apologise for the pink hotpants and assure you that it’s not me wearing them (I am the character on the right with the theorbo). No prizes for guessing that you are looking upon The Rose Rockstar himself, the infamous Aegthil of Gondor.

On the passing of a Kinmate

Last week, the player behind a beloved kinmate, Shinarra, passed away suddenly. The Kin and, indeed, many on Landroval were stunned and affected by this tragedy and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. In particular, why should the passing of someone who you have never met affect people so?

There are many people who say that on-line friendships somehow don’t count. That it’s not real unless you see each other face to face. They are wrong. It may be a different form of friendship but it’s still valid. Many of the people I have met on-line and, in particular, within LoTRO have enriched my life in various ways. In fact, I have also met some in real life too. You can spend a great deal of time each day talking (either via text or voice) to other players and you get to know them and they you. There are many players who I actively look forward to speaking with to the extent that it is less about playing a game but being within a social environment.

I think my kinmate Byrdie summed it up best: “I didn’t need to know her eye colour to know that I wanted to be her friend”.

Shinarra was one of those people who lit up everyone’s lives. The extent of this has been shown by the hundreds of tributes that have flowed in to the Kin. At an informal concert for her last Sunday, enough people attended to force additional layers to be created. It was quite remarkable. To our joy, we discovered that members of Shinarra’s family were also in attendance and I believe they were touched by the outpouring of support. I should mention that Shinarra’s (real life) boyfriend is in the Kin and the characters recently married in game.

I’m rambling a bit because I don’t know quite what I want to say, only that I need to say it. Like many others, I have been affected emotionally by this and it surprised me. I’m not going to say any more but I would like (with permission) to reproduce a sampling of the tributes for Shinarra.

One of the brightest stars in Middle-earth has dimmed as our dearly loved Shinarra has departed into the West. She was a joy to all who knew her. We admired her elegant dancing with Estellost, the light of her life, and the beautiful music they shared with us when not dancing. Shinarra extended warm, gracious welcomes to all who passed her way and she was a firm friend and comrade-in-arms. The Undying Lands must seem yet more alive today, having welcomed her among them. Farewell, Shinarra, requiescas in pace!

 

I always remember Shinarra dancing at an Andune concert to our song Walking On Sunshine. And that is exactly how I remember her, walking on sunshine and bringing light to everyone around her. Shinarra, may your beautiful soul find a peaceful place to dance and watch over us.

 

The dancing, that’s what I’ll remember. The joy she showed when she and Estellost would dance together. It inspired my imagination to not just dance in a line.

 

When we recorded the LMB anthem and ran out of voices and needed more, Shinarra was amongst those who followed the call. We had that hilarious singalong-event on ventrilo and we had such a good time there and she was a big part of it. Her laughter was infectious and when it came to the singing she did it with a lot of zeal, joy and pride. She was always kind and good-humored and many a bander loved her dearly for that, me included. And to see her dancing with Estellost -which almost always was with close body contact- was ever so enjoyable and brought a big smile on our faces. All this will be missed very much.

 

Whenever there was music, she was always there, laughing and dancing. She was such a loving soul, brightening and cheering those around her. May she rest in peace beyond the Western Seas.

 

Thank you, Shinarra. You made our hearts dance with joy. Rest in peace.

 

I suppose Shinarra had flaws, she was human after all, but if she did I never saw them. What I did see was kindness, generosity, intelligence, wit, a sense of humour and something I can’t quite put words to which made her a much-loved, well-liked all around good friend and pleasant person.

 

It surprises me: having feelings for someone I’ve never seen. Thinking of Shinarra, I mourn. Kind, generous, funny as can be – I didn’t need to know her eye color to know that I wanted to be her friend. I realize now I did see her, not her face, but her heart. My heart has been enriched for knowing her. My heart will miss her.

Shinarra, you will be missed very much by many people. Our sorrow is only evidence of your worth.

 

I have only just heard the news and I am truly shocked and speechless. What a terrible loss. I didn’t know Shinarra well but I always loved seeing her at concerts with her fantastic dancing and wonderful friendship to all. The world has lost a special person and I send thoughts and prayers to all who knew her.

 

Shinarra was always a delight.. like a gentle summer breeze carrying the scent of the flowers and the sweet tinkling music of a brook. I always enjoyed watching her and Estellost as they danced. In fact it gave me the incentive to level enough to get the man 3 dance. The music of middle earth is dimmed without her.

 

I was so very sad to hear of her passing, but I’m also glad I got a chance to know her just a bit. Every time we spoke she was kind to me, and from what others here have said, I know that kindness must have run deep indeed.

 

The first time I ran into Shinarra while playing my hobbit Eustoma we started chatting. I mentioned how big her eagle pet was. She put away the big scary eagle that was big enough to fly off with a hobbit lass, and pulled out Supper. She then told me the story of why Supper was so named. She said every time a hobbit saw her rabbit they would yell “Supper” and now Supper wouldn’t come to any other name.