Barrow-Downs Birthday Party at the Fields of Cormallen

[Laiedheliel]

"Yeah, I don't know if we'll make it tonight..." Laie frowns as much as possible while spinning and doing the happy *I'm a Wight* dance. "I posted twice too, and this nagging voice that I recognize out of a dream I had earlier is screaming at me. Do you think it was the wine?"

[Galadrie1]

Galadriel spins faster "HEY! i'm a wight too!!!!!! WAHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"

(btw, laie, awesome picture!!)

[Galadrie1]

Galadriel screams "PAGE TEN!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She stuffs her wine back in the mystery pocket, hugs laie, and starts walking off into the night "Buh-bye laie, i shan't be back to the party (unless i see something really exciting happening). Can i add you to my buddy-list? i'm going to, anyway, so naa naa!" She sticks her tongue out, turns around, and is gone..

[Laiedheliel]

"TEN PAGES! GALA, WE DID IT! WE MADE IT TO TEN PAGES! WOO HOO!" Laie screamed, slamming down the rest of her mirovur and spinning even faster! That nasty little voice called even harder.

*Thanks, Gala. It took forever to get it up. Thanx to Arlad if she reads this; she was the main reason it got up in the first place...*

[Laiedheliel]

Once Galadriel left, Laie figured there was nothing left for her to do at the party, so she found a can of Sierra Mist, raised it high in a final toast to the BW and the BD fourms, and disapeared into the woods on the far side of the field.

[Birdland]

C.7.A. is sitting in a corner, elven cloak clutched to her cheek, rocking back and forth.

"no way out...no way out...we've kidnapped Mithadan and sent him down the river...no way out...no way out..."

It's cool, it's cool, Child", mutters Birdie, "All we have to do now is write the note to the Bee-Dubya, and he'll shell out a fortune to get the REG back...and maybe a view bucks extra for Mithadan...but definitely a fortune for the REG."

Birdland shakes the keychain palantir and intones "Will we be successful in our endeavor?" She turns the milky orb over and reveals the answer: "Outlook not so good."

"No way out...no way out..."

"Get ahold of yourself, Child. You're hysterical!" screams Piosenniel, and she dashes a glass of miruvor in her face.

Sharon draws a deep breath, "OK, now I'm in pain...I'm wet...AND I'M STILL HYSTERICAL! (O.T. - Guess what movie C.7.A is quoting from, and win a prize!)

"So what did we get, Pio?" ask Birdie with a avaricious gleam in her eye.

"Let's see: cell phone, beeper, PDA, (no wonder his spelling is so bad,) a business card for 1-900-ELF-TALK, some silver pennies, badly tarnished..."

"The REG! The REG!" screams Birdie, "Where's the REG!!!"

Piosenniel looks up from the swag bag, her face suddenly ashen. "It's not here!"

********

Losthuniel crouches over the REG, and pulls loose a random wire, giving herself a shock. Hmmmmm, it's electrical.."

A sudden weight smote her, and she crashed forward. Then she knew what had happened, for above her as she lay she heard a hated voice.

"Wicked Elfffsss!" it hissed. "Wicked Elfffss cheats us; cheats Birdie! She mussstn't hurt the Preciousss REG. Give it to Birdie, yess, give it to us! Give it to uss!"

[ May 23, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]

[Samwise]

Primrose: PAPA! PAPA!!!!

Sam: *Finally reaching her by the bank of the Anduin* Tiny Rose--WHAT are you screaming about??

Prim: THAT!! *Points to an oddly-rigged trio of barrels floating down the river*

Sam: *Tilts his head* Eh?

Pimrose: PAPA--Mister Mithidan's in there!!!

Sam: *Scratches his head* What in the world are you talking about, child?

Primrose: *Jumping up and down, frantic* Papa, I heard voices, they were talking about how he'd be okay in there 'cause he's a spirit an' that someone'd pick him up later, and-----"

Sam: *Shakes his head* Okay, Tiny Rose, okay...*He reaches for his "belt" which is actually a length of rope wound around his waist several times* Odd how I thought I'm needing this at a PARTY of all places, when I didn't even think to bring one on our BIG trip....

Primrose: HURRY, PAPA!!!!
*She jerks the rope out of his hands, ties one end to the shaft of an arrow, and shoots...

THUNK!

Primrose: *Dropping her bow and grabbing the rope* PULL, PAPA, PULL!

Sam: I'm PULLING, Tiny Rose, I'm PULLING!! *He slides forward* Oh, dear....

[Thinhyandoiel]

Her garbage bag mysteriously gone, Thinhyandoiel blinks in wonderment. Then, she looks up and sees Mithadan on his laptop, a disapproving frown on his face. "Yeah, cleaning...at a party?!" She wonders aloud to herself. "Well, then again, it was getting kind of dead back there for a while, pardon the pun." She throws up her hands and wanders off to enjoy some lembas and wine, courtesy of the new food that Mithadan had just ordered in.
"Mmmmmmm...lembas." [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Child of the 7th Age]

(Er, is this the Tolkien web site, or is it the one for Mutiny on the Bounty. I seem to be getting some things mixed up....)

Child seemed a bit distraught and quite ill, although she was attempting to conceal it. She groaned repeatedly and muttered: "It is gone forever, and now all is dark and empty." These words coming from her mouth sounded vaguely familiar to her mind, but she could not place their source.

Child dropped quietly out of all the festivities of the Party. Few people seemed to know or wanted to know about her deeds and adventures in this matter of Mithaden. Their attention was given to the more outgoing and articulate conspirators. C7A's eyes glazed over and focused on a distant point.

Birdland, seeing her enormous distress, came over to reassure Child that the missing REG would be found, and Mithadan would surely come to no harm.

Child turned fiercely on her. Missing REG? Mithadan? Do you think that is why I am this upset? (Sighs heavily.) It is my annotated copy of the Silm which I worked on so hard; it has taken me MONTHS to read that silly book. I could barely understand it. Now, you have locked up my only copy plus the notes in a barrel going nowhere. I can imagine what Mithadin will do when he discovers it!

She flounces away in apparent anger, then thinks better of it and turns to Birdland. By the way, you do know where that REG is, don't you? I mean a stray REG could be quite nasty. Birdland, why are you looking at me like that?

[ May 23, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Veritas]

Finally they got the REG, she still didn't know what it was. But suddenly:
"Give me my stuff Back!!!!" Mithadan was hole red of anger.
"O hell!" Pio wispers "Here, the REG, hide it." and she handels the REG softly over to Birdie, who puts it into her pocket.
"What's your problem, Mithadan? Lost something?" Veritas asks nice.
"YOU PUT ME IN A BARREL A STOLE MY STUFF!!!"
"Are you sure?" Birdie asks.
"Yes I'm sure!" and Mithadan begins to hussle C7A by her shoulders.
"Okay, it was a joke, here are your stuff." Pio gives him his bag with stuff.
"Hmm..." Mithadan searches in the bag to see if everything's there, and in a way, Gollum wouldn't do it better.
"Yet he's going to say; my precioussss."
"Where is my preciousss?"
"O god, I'm just dreaming." Veritas is back on Middle-Earth.
"Where is my REG!"
"Your REG?" Birdie sais, "We didn't see any REG."
"No, we haven't seen a REG." admits Child.
"You know, A lil while ago I was talking to a dwarf who was talking thate he could get one, but we didn't accept, of course." Revenche to the Rude Dwarf from Veritas.
"Where's that Dwarf!"
"He went that way, a half an hour ago, or so."
"Okay, thanks for the tip...O, no thanks for my capturing." And Mithadan disappears.

[piosenniel]

: [img]smilies/redface.gif[/img]oc -- breaks in continuity of story line are simply residual effects from the loose green wire in the stolen REG!::

piosenniel needed an Excedrin(R). The plan, such as it was had quickly unravelled after the depositing of Mithadan in the river. She didn't know how much longer she could do the max and louis scene from The Producers with C7A and still maintain her own sanity. Birdie had gone a bit over the edge herself when she found the REG missing and a wandering spirit hunched over it getting her party kicks from the sparks of the green wire. Birdie's eyes had taken on a frightening luminescence and she looked like a used up ringbearer ready to bite the head off an unsuspecting fish.

'Veritas!' said pio in complete exasperation, 'For Eru's sake, get that unit away from that girl before she randomly reorganizes her biology and we have to explain that to the mythos committee'. Veritas approached the entranced elf from the rear, amazed at the arc of green light pulsing from the REG to her fingertips. Touching her lightly on the neck with her staff, she knocked the elf over and into a dreamlike trance. The green wire from the REG continued to arc into the air like a spitting cobra.

Birdie, having ceased her manic hissing at the prospect of losing a sellable item, quickly threw pio's elven cape over the REG and scooped the unit into a large fishing net lying on the bank of the river.

C7A had by this time pulled herself somewhat together. "We really had better get out of here and find someplace safe. We need to decide how to trade the goods for cash.' With the words 'trade' and 'cash' she reached into her mailsack once again and pulled out a calculator. Dreams of enlarging piles of silver pennies put a certain resolve in her outlook, and she marched briskly ahead of the others.

'What about little L, here?!' asked Veritas.

'Ah, load her in the cart. We'll take her near the party and leave her snugly asleep in the lower branches of one of the trees. She'll wake up when the sun hits her face and think she had too much of a good time.'

The trio marched off toward the main area of the party, deposited the sleeping elf, then turned toward the refuge they had agreed on.
A nice cave, not too far, and hidden -- Henneth Annun. From there they could send out the ransom notes for the REG.

pio rubbed her hands in anticipation of a little rest and good conversation in a safe place.

[ May 23, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child grinned and turned to meet the sunrise. Yawn. She really had not gotten enough sleep. Nevertheless, she was feeling immeasurably better.

The nightmares of the preceding evening had receded. Things were not quite so bad as they had first seemed. She had strange memories from the midnight before of lying on the floor and howling incoherent words.

She feared she had had some sort of hallucination where Mithadan had lost his Palantir and personally blamed Child for its disappearance. Now she discovered that the Palantir had not been lost. It was there and, wonder of wonders, that incredibly ingenious Birdland had located the REG.

Moreover, Mithadan had actually seen her, given her a glare and yelled at her, yet she was still intact and walking around the Downs. This was most reassuring. Most critical for her personal happinss had been the discovery of her dear annotated Silm.

In the remains of the infamous barrel, she had found the sodden pages of the precious volume. And, wonder of wonder, it was wet but still readable.

Altogether she was feeling much better. Birdland, Piosenniel, and Veritas also seemed to have recovered from the vagaries of the previous night.

Now, Child had a practical problem and one which was far more amenable to a hobbit who had a reputation of being an excellent bourgeois burglar. No more threatening people with swords, just the well understood business of counting up the anticipated pennies on the calculator and figuring out how best to ransom the REG for the largest possible sum. Oh, good, here was her calculator in the mailbag!

Oh, yes, this was quite up her alley and she was going to have fun. Her back stiffened with new resolve as she began to compose the
needed ransom note mentally in her head.

She scurried ahead up the trail until she reached the well concealed entrance of Henneth Annun. Turning around, she beamed at her companions: "Hey, come on, hurry up! I haven't got all day. I need those silver pennies to add on a new wing to my beloved hobbit hole since, as we all know, accomodations in the Downs are often less than desirable."

[ May 23, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Guo Si]

Suddenly, a lone figure in his mithril armor dashes in.

"Ack! How stupid of me to almost forget the party! Don't worry though, I made it!" Guo shouts, and he immediatly runs toward the buffet table, eating his fill. After his breakfast, Guo Si leaves the buffet table and wanders near a small tent "Well, lets take a look in here!" he mutters to himself...

[Mithadan]

Fuming, Mithadan stomped away from the refreshments stand with gritted teeth and an evil look in his eyes. "Yesss. I have been misssunderssstood and ill-usssed. But I will get my own back. Yesss, I will. People will sssee if I will ssstand being attacked, robbed then ssstuffed into a barrel! I have good friendsss now, good friendsss and very ssstrong. They will pay for thisss..."

Mithadan settled down to think by the edge of the Great River. He rearranged the dirty rags which covered his sickly pale white skin and ran his tongue over his six sharpened teeth. His bulbous lamp-like eyes glowed faintly green as he reached into the water and snatched up a trout. "Fisssh, nice fisssh. Yesss, they will all pay! I will sssummon Underhill, and Sharku, Gilthalion and the Barrow-Wight! We will change their passswordsss, give them sssilly sscreen namesss, delete their possst countsss, ssssend them endlesss private messsagessss. Yessss, nice fisssh..."

Mithadan shakes his head violently. His eyes shrink back to normal size and regain their grey color. His skin darkens to its usual healthy tan and his grey breeches and blue tunic reappear. "Wait a minute. I like sushi but this is ridiculous. No wasabi, no ginger, what's going on? Piosennial, Birdland and Child aren't thieves. They're respected adult members of the forum. Child's older than I am (one of the very few). What's happening?"

He turns to face the party field and his face turns ashen. A blue rain is falling from green thunderclouds. The refreshment stand has taken the aspect of the Netherworld from 'Beetlejuice". Mountains have reared up around the field blocking all exit. The party guests sit huddled on the grass guarded by two not-so-friendly looking dragons.

"The Random Events Generator," he whispered. "Someone must have reprogrammed it. But who?" To the East a large cage has appeared in which writhe a screaming mass of Orlando Bloom fans. Nearby, a figure dressed in a black cloak stands, arms raised high. She shouts "I have retaken what was mine!" Her hood falls back to reveal a wild mane of red hair... Mithadan's eyes narrow as he recognizes the figure.

[Durazor]

"Hmmm, if this is a party, THEN WHERE'S ALL THE MUSTARD!?!?" The large fat and hairy Gnoll howled, trying to scoop the hobbit he stood upon earlier from his foot.

[Guo Si]

Walking in to the small tent, Guo Si finds an extremly large, extremly hairy gnoll bouncing around. Guo Si, too surprised to think clearly, quickly mutters a few words in the Black Speech, and watches in horror as Gathblog, the Pink Balrog, appears. Howling in rage, Gathblog tickles Dur with his extra tickly whip of feathers. Unpleased with this success, Gathblog rampages off, tickling random party-goers.

"Oh dear Gandalf, what have I done?" Guo Si moans, and beats a swift retreat

[Mithadan]

"Take care in what you ask for, for your wishes may be granted," howls an otherworldly voice. 144 pounds of stale mustard drop from the sky onto Durazor.

[Durazor]

As Durazor is still recovering from the Pink Balrog's attack, and trying to lick the sticky mustard out of his furry hair [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] (That's going to make some nasty hairballs [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]), he summons his much feared Imp to deal with that little annoying Guo_Si, but much to Dura's displease the Imp is just going to dance at the party's disco:S:S:S...........

[Guo Si]

"Ack! Terribly sorry Dur! Its just bouncing gnolls are a bit scary!" Guo Si says as he tries to help Dur clean the mustard off. "But a bigger problem is... now that the Pink Balrog is loose... how are we going to defeat him? I was thinking a crusade against it...." Guo Si says as he thinks of a brilliant plan. "I know! I'll make a call to arms and get rid of that Pink Balrog and be remembered as the greatest general of all times! I'll be famous without fighting! Mwahahaha!" Facing a crowd of hobbits, Guo Si says "Thats right! A call to arms! Who here shall help me vanquish the evil Gathblog, Pink Balrog extroidernere?"

[Durazor]

(LOL, they could make a new "Disney Classic" out of this [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] )

Nah, Guo_Si, I don't think letting u get away with all the glory and fame seems all that right to me! I'll deal with that Pink Balrog!

As Durazor howls toward the skies a masterfull jar of Gnollish Mustard(C) falls out of the skies into Dura's paws. Armed for the worst with his jar of mustard Dura rages towards the evil Pink Balrog, as the demon is picking a few flowers and helping an old lady cross the street [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] ! Dura smeers the mustard all over the Balrog and eats it! The End! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[Guo Si]

"Curses! Curses to Dur, curses to that Pink Balrog, curses to the fame I never had!" Guo Si screams as Dur eats the Pink Balrog. "Oh well, I'll write a movie about this and show Disney! Then I'll be rich! Mwahahaha!" Guo Si laughs as hi goes off to write his movie.

[Durazor]

What Guo doesn't know is that Durazor is actually Disney!!! Mwhuhahaha!!!!!!! I'm going to pay u nothing but a full jar of mustard!!!

[Frodo Baggins]

*the mushrooms have worked Frodo's eyes snap open*
Saaaaayyy! Noth that's what I'm taling about, GIMMIE!!

Oh, and Rose thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you.
Porr Mithildan I hop he's all right.

[zifnab]

Zifnab cannot keep with such garrulous conversations, he had hoped that the 1420 would have made him a bit more expansive but it did not. Zifnab searches out for a less Insalubriousness climate. Stepping ouside for some fresh air and taking in some deep breaths, he feels rejuvenated and invigorated. 'Ah, much better now', he thinks as he strolls around the exterior of the party, wondering, if somebody had put something in his 1420. 'That Birdland!' he mumbles....

[img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[Mithadan]

Drawing a deep breath, Mithadan saunters over to the black-clad figure. He is painfully aware that he is unarmed, but is reasonably confident that this intruder will not harm him. One of the dragons hisses nastily as he passes.

Mustering a smile, he speaks to her. "Princess! We haven't seen much of you lately. How is your kitten?"

Her red hair blowing in the wind, the figure turns and fixes her wild gaze on the man. "Mith! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] How have you been?"

"Pretty good," he replies. "I see you've been rather busy though. May I ask what you have been doing here? This isn't the chatroom you know."

"I have captured the newbies and Orli-lovers! I have seized back what was once the province of the established members. All shall be as it was before the accursed Movie. The Old Times have returned!" she cried. "We may now chat without interruption and post on weighty matters again. No more inane threads on who your favorite character is! No more a/s/l inquiries! The Barrow is ours again! Bwahahahaha!"

"But at what cost?" asked Mithadan. "If not here, then where shall Tolkien fans congregate and speak freely, learning such lore as they may and acquiring wisdom with the passage of time?"

"Wisdom?" screeched the Princess. "There is no wisdom that they can learn; they are incapable! They exchange instant message addresses and engage in senseless quests. They speak of homework and teachers and MOVIE CHARACTERS! Join with me. We will use the REG to restore this site to its former greatness!"

"Some would say that the site is greater now than it has ever been," he replied quietly. "So, where is the REG anyway?"

She laughed. "I have it not! I control it from afar and the Ring --I mean the REG--is the key to the restoration of what was. It is my tool, my Precious."

Way too many Gollum references, thinks Mithadan. "Uh yeah. Right. Um. Would you like to read a draft of the latest Tales from Tol Eressea? Elrond's in it."

With a squeal, the Princess follows Mithadan to the former refreshment stand. Evil shapes loom and leer from the shadows, yet she seems to not see them. He hands her the draft then heads back out to the fields. The REG must be destroyed...

[ May 23, 2002: Message edited by: Mithadan ]

[Birdland]

(Pioseniel wins! "The Producers" was correctomundo! Just pick a prize off the Bee-Dubya's gift table. Hmmmm, not much left except the 1978 LoTR action figures. Seems we're not the only larcenous party-goers here...)
Everything had gone wrong with the beautiful plan, since that horrible hobbit-child Primrose had so unexpectedly appeared in the darkness. ("Wait a minute", thinks Birdie, "I usually think hobbit-children are absolutely adorable! What's going on here?")

C.7.A. is crouched over a sodden, dog-eared margin-scribbled copy of "The Silm", crooning "my precious, my precious" under her breath. "Ya know," thinks Birdie, "I really should try reading that someday, and find out what all the fuss is about."

Pioseniel, whistling nonchalantly, as if she wasn't the one to come up with this cock-a-mamie scheme in the first place, has grabbed a bottle of vin ordinaire and is wandering off with Veritas, perhaps to seek the truth.

And where is the REG? "In my pocketess?" Birdie pulls out some lint, 47 ticket stubs to LoTR:FoTR, a book of matches from the Prancing Pony, and a cheap gold Elven ring that she flips into the bushes. No REG.

In the fishing net? She rummages around, but it has disappeared from the supposedly "safe place", but all that remains is some bones and scales.

All she knows is that Mithadan is looking decidedly mithed...errr...miffed. "I better make like a Balrog and fly", thinks Birdie. Suddenly a whimpering Balrog with bloody stumps where his wings were runs by. Another not-so-good sign.

Suddenly, all REG heck breaks loose! A mysterious, thundering, red-headed who's-it looms above the party-goers, covering the fields in a not-so-nice cloud of doom and destruction.

"I have reclaimed what was mine!!!!"

[Sindacuion]

Sindacuion looks at Durazor. "You're Disney?! Uh oh.. Where is this world going to? A lunatic making childrens cartoons! What next?"
Sind feels the need for intelligent company and goes in search for Zifnab..

[Frodo Baggins]

Oh and I'm not intelligent company???!!!! FINE!!!!!! [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

[Sindacuion]

Who was talking about you not being intelligent? [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Durazor]

Yes, IM DISNEY, Im brainwashing young children like u Sind (Yes, even such mentally unstable) and turning them into my army of zombie servants FOR MY EVIL PLANS, WICKED, YES, UTTERLY WICKED, TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!! and perhaps even the galaxy and the Netherlands, who knows! Wait! HOLD ON! Who called me insane?... Err... Ehm, mustard?...

[ May 23, 2002: Message edited by: Durazor ]

[Durazor]

Sind? is that long poem underneath your far shorter post's perhaps supposed to make u actually look intelligent, like you are actually posting something? [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

(BTW, u want some mustard?) [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Sindacuion]

No thanks.. No mustard without pork!! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[Sindacuion]

Sindacuion gives Durazor the jar of mustard. "Uh oh.. No thanks.." Sind leaves to search for Estelyn. "She would sure lighten up the party.." As no Estelyn is seen, he goes to greet Zifnab. "How are you, carpet man? [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] " After a long discussion about the ins and outs of quantum mechanics, Sind is very thirsty. He heads for the buffet table, but he is halted by Durazor. "Are you sure you don't want any mustard?" "No thanks.." he replies and goes to the buffet table. He fills his glass with wine and retires to his tree. HE climbs it up and gets out his FotR. "Now, where was I.."

[Durazor]

"R u really, really, absolutely sure u don't want any mustard? I mean, REALLY? Just like that, like u don't want any at all? Or r u just pulling my leg, or paw, or whatever? So... No mustard 4 u then?"

"Alright..."

Durazor takes a seat at the buffet table and looks for some hobbits to smeer some mustard on. "Can't believe somebody doesn't want any mustard, hmm, I wonder, maybe Thali would want some?" While thinking such deep thoughts (believe me, 4 a Gnoll thats very deep thinking) Durazor sees a hobbit passing by. "Hey, ain't that Frodo?! Yummm!!" [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Sindacuion]

Sindacuion glares at Durazor, drooling after a Hobbit. "Erhm.. Is there something you haven't mentioned me?" [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child, Birdland, and Piosenniel raced out of the confines of the cave and stood in amazement. Everywhere they looked there were ashes and doom. The party pavillion was wrapped in a circlet of dark cloud and shadow.

Giant birds, black and red with long evil beaks, skirted dangerously low overhead, making harsh, raucous sounds. They swooped down intermittently onto the site where the party had taken place just a few minutes before.

But where, oh where, was everyone now? Where were Frodo and Samwise and his sweet little girl? What had happened to the spinning Galadriel? The tables, the food, the half tipsy guests? Even the carts filled with supplies and provisions.

It was difficult to see anything, but Birdland strained her eyes. She surveyed the scene with utter amazement and a surprising sense of detachment and calm. As the senior member of the trio of conspirators, she seemed to have an instinctive understanding of what had occurred.

For the first time in her entire existence, Birdland was unable to come up with a joke. She whispered softly to Child: "I'm not sure if there's anything left."

"What do you mean?," Child replied, "Nothing left. Those are my friends down there. Even that dreadful Mithadan. There has to be something left! We're already dead, so we can't be killed. Dead bodies don't just fly away."

Birdland and Piosenniel nodded slowly to each other. They at least understood.

Birdland gently explained to Child who seemed to be near the point of tears: "She,....she did it. She of the flying red hair who claimed to control the REG. Perhaps, for once in her life, she was not lying. And it might be possible, it just might be possible to sweep away everyone attending the party into an alternative universe, perhaps the universe where Sauron still rules."

"So what do we do now? I may live on the Barrow-downs, but I do not want to have that nasty Sauron as a neighbor. He was quite miserable to Frodo and Sam." moaned Child.

Birdland queried, "I can still see some possibilities. We, the three of us, could go retrieve the REG and either attmept to reprogram it or thrust it into the void."

"Also, there may have been some inhabitants of the Downs who weren't at the party, who were off posting on the boards. If some of them returned, they could help us search for that REG. And look, down below!"

A few miserable survivors were crawling out from under the dark cloud which had been the party pavillion. Vaguely, Child made out the form of Mithadan who appeared to be hobbling along on one leg. Who was that beside him? Perhaps Frodo Baggins and Rose? And look, her own pony was coming up the hill.

Child looked straight at Piosenniel and Birdland, "You two are the smart ones. Now tell me what should we do next?"

[ May 23, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Rose Cotton]

After reviving Frodo, Rose goes to help Sam and Primrose.

[Samwise]

*Primrose and Sam sit on the bank of the Anduin next to a destroyed barrel. Both are breathing laboriously.*
Prim: How do you like that? Goes storming off without so much as a 'thank you'!

Sam: Well, Tiny Rose, he was awfully upset.

Stacey: *Running up* What happened to you two? *Looks at the three barrels, one in peices, quizzically* Mithidan's back there yelling, and everythings--well, weird. "

Sam: *Shakes his head* I'm not really sure, Miss Stacey, this just has been one odd party.

Stacey: *Frowns and helps the two up* Well, let's at least go find Frodo. The last I saw he was awake.....

[Losthuniel]

Celeaewn is woken by blue rain on her fave and, a wild figre in a black cloak sceaming " i have come to reclaim what is mine!" celeaewen swore under her breath as many lound flashes, bangs, etc, followed thius announcement. then, suddenly a good deal of the people at the party dissapeared. Celeaewen swore again " i KNEW i shouldnt have touched that wire." Celeaewen tried vainly to collect her thoughts, but all she could peice together was that she had been playing with the pretty green wire, whenb someone had rudely innnterupted her by slapping her on the neck with a big heavy stick. beyond that, there was very little, propbably due tot the fact that her tender elvish brain had been totally overloaded. since there was nothing for her to do, and since the dissaperance of many partygoers did not bother her overmuch, she decided to get even with the ruder person who had inttereupted her tampering. being still slightly frazzled, she charged up to the hill where everyone else was heading, to give somebody what for.

[Mithadan]

Mithadan swiftly marshalled such guests as he could find who were not being guarded by the dragons. He explained the situation quickly. The Princess, a disgruntled member who wished for a return of the "Old Times" before the Movie had come out, had seized control of the REG and used it to capture many of the 'newbies'. The REG (Random Events Generator), normally a harmless plaything used to create humorous situations in RPGs, had become very powerful and dangerous. He had last seen it in the bar just before Piosenniel, Birdland and Child of the Seventh Age had assaulted him. The three, normally upstanding members of the Downs, had somehow become convinced he was evil, likely due to the effects of the REG. The REG, a simple black box with 4 buttons, must be destroyed, or the red-haired one would forever dominate the Downs.

Looking up, he spied Pio, Birdie and Child and ran toward them. To his surprise, they seized rocks and branches and raised them as he approached. "Ladies," he said. "We have a problem."

"Darn right," responded Birdland. "And if you come any closer, you'll have a big problem!"

He shook his head. "You don't understand. The Princess has seized control of the REG and greatly increased its power. It is very dangerous and must be destroyed. Do you have it?"

"If we did, you'd be the last person we'd give it to," replied Piosenniel swinging a branch at Mith's head. Mithadan ducked (after two years at the Downs, he has become very good at ducking) and stepped back holding his hands open and raised up.

"Listen," he began. "Its me! Mithadan! Child, you recall when I supported your controversial thread? And Birdland, I helped you identify your rare set of LoTR! And Piosenniel... uh, hi, pleased to meet you. Anyway, reprogrammed, the REG can generate virtually anything [a pun wraith appears and hands Mith a citation before disappearing in a puff of noxious smoke]. You name it. A troop of hill trolls, anything."

Behind him, a troop of hill trolls appear, weilding clubs and knives. With a roar, they advance upon the group of Barrow-Downers who turn quickly and run.

"Puff, puff, I think I dropped it over here somewhere," cried Piosenniel.