[Kalimac]

I like Pippin a lot, but I have to agree with those who think that he'd probably be the next to go. Aragorn et al would feel the lure, but they'd know it for what it was and would resist for a long time, but once Pippin felt the slightest curiosity, that would be it. He wouldn't feel any overwhelming desire to be master of the world or anything like that, just the same nagging curiosity that prompted him to throw the stone down the well, and to look into the Palantir - the "Just this once" mentality.

The thing is, Pippin hasn't really been tempted by the Ring up to the point where the fellowship breaks; nobody really seems to have been tempted to the point where it really affected their behavior (except for Boromir). But I would guess that being near the Ring, day after day, is working on them bit by bit. With the others, the Ring would need to work pretty hard even after it had first made a little crack into their minds, because they would be trying to fight it. With Pippin, that one little crack would arouse his curiosity, and he has a bad history of giving in to small curiosities. He wouldn't put on the Ring for the same purpose as the others would, but the end result would be the same.

Merry, on the other hand, would be an excellent choice for alternative Ringbearer - but I went into that on the other thread [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img].