[Child of the 7th Age]

Can't you just see us pulling into Minas Anor with 20 swanships? And the hobbits are supposed to keep a fairly low profile!

......Cami looks sheepish and says, "Er, I never thought of that!"

Gandalf arrived about the year 1000. Let's say 950 so Cami will have a more peaceful life!

First possibility, dump the hobbits off at the mouth of the river and make them walk up the Anduin. The Fallohides will have a very long walk!

Second possibility, This is more complicated. The swanships park most of the hobbits back down on a secluded part of the coast along the Bay of Belfelas(not far from Umbar). Or, if you want, we could invent some island in the Bay.

Actually, whether the coast or an island, this is exactly where our voyage began, where we found Kali. The hobbits could be temporarily housed in the honeycomb caves where the hobbrim used to live.

Meanwhile, Pio and Mith and Gandalf, plus a few select hobbits (i.e. Cami, Rose, Gamba and their kids) head up to Minas Anor. Mith approaches his descendent and persuades him of our cause. The descendent then petitions King Ciryandil to relocate 800 refugees up river, described only as "mortal folk" who have been displaced by a great natural disaster.

I know this king had a ton of ships, and he spent a lot of time fighting in Umbar. Maybe he had ships coming to Harad, 3 and 4 at a time, with supplies. They would resupply the king's navy and army and then head north up the river to pick up more cargo, not just from Minas Anor but the entire length of the Anduin. Mith's relatives could volunteer as the pilots of these cargo vessels for the king.

Since they are coming back pretty empty, the ships could take the hobbits along with them. First group to go would be the Harfoot, then the Stoors, and last, with Cami, the Fallohides. BTW, Cami isn't stupid. She wants her Fallohides dropped off east of Rivendell. She intends to go banging on the door of the Elves.

Needless to say, we will be staying at the same little house in Mias Anor which was later discovered by us. Actually, that room and the house above it could belong to some of Mith's ancestors. Also, needless to say the kids spill the beans to a local artisan with a wild story about Ulmo and the hobbrim, which ends up in a work of art.

Mith, will any of this work? Or am I doomed to walk?

We have a more immediate problem. Cami, the great healer that she is, has already managed to give the entire community a severe case of sunburn. Do you think Meneltarma has any aloe vera?

[ November 06, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]