What Balmar Grubb celebrates his third IC birthday party on Elendor. Who Olfo Diggle (#16690)..........Balmar Grubb Dharlon Took (#27754).........himself Slago Goodbody (#17818).......himself Filby Pott (#29680)...........Daranas Brandybuck Willowfoot Baggins (#26040)...himself
It is six o'clock in Oatbarton; not terribly late at night, and most hobbits are still sitting upon the front porches of the smials, enjoying the night-time air of a cool Astron evening.
But a particular rabble raises from the Oaten Pipe Inn, a familiar tavern in the area, whither come hobbits from all about the Shire, some traveling in carriages; others in simple wagons--Shirriffs, upper-class hobbits, and even a good many working-class file into the great inn of Oatbarton for a most memorable event.
Indeed, it is no normal, simple night, but Astron Seventh, night of the birthday of Balmar Grubb, healing herbalist, and his birthday is held steadfast at the afforementioned inn.
Within the inn, Balmar scurries about frantically-- greeting guests, arranging mathoms and foodstuffs, and just generally preparing the smial for the vast number of on-coming holbytlas. "Oh, hullo Miss Drinkwater! Mister Proudfoot! Good of you to come! How -are- you, Mrs. Bracegirdle?"
Dharlon enters in through the inn door, and removes a shirriff hat and cloak. However, before proceeding into the main comtion, he reaches into his cloak, and pulls out some papers, and hands them out to a few party goers, who look at him strangely. He is also saying a quick something to each one, and you manage to catch on of his little slogans "The Bearded Folk don't deserve the Yolk!"
Slago walks in and hangs up his things, he then walks over to Balmar and apologetically says, "Sorry I'm late I just got off of patrol and couldn't get here, and Happy Birthday my friend!"
"Slago!" Balmar exclaims with an obvious excitement--plainfully having met the Shirriff in the past. "Good evening! Excellent of you to come! And thank you! Feel free to the food table," he says with a smile and a nod. "Perhaps we'll talk later."
With that, Balmar moves on toward the door, greeting the steady flow of guests into the inn.
Daranas Brandybuck steps inside the inn, nodding to other attendees as he encounters them. "Aye, g'day, sir. Hallo, mum. Goodeve' to ye, gov," he grins as he weaves through the crowd. As he nears the food table, Daranas smiles and pats his stomach, eyeing the food with apparent happiness.
A slight commotion is heard from outside the Inn door. Willowfoot emerges through it with a hedgehog. "Happy Birthday Balmar", and presents it to him, wrapped in a pink bow.
Slago nods to Balmar and makes his way towards the food, "Wow I am starved, " he mutters under his breath as he starts piling the food onto his plate.
You walk over to the table, and sit in your seat.
Slago sits down at the table.
Slago lifts up a bowl of salad from the table.
As he approaches the hobbit carrying the spiked beast, Balmar smiles brightly and approaches him, exclaiming, "My! Hullo Willowfoot! What a pleasure!" Seeming dimly unaware of the fact that the hedgehog happens to be his gift, Balmar says, "You'll have to leave your pet outside, I'm afraid."
It takes a moment... and then the pink ribbon tied around the beast's torso catches Balmar's eye. "Oh... it's for -me-?! Willowfoot! You shouldn't have! I-- thank you!"
Sitting at the food table, Daranas smiles to himself at the sight of such food. "Ah, wot a wond'rful display 'tis, eh?" he asks to Slago. "Mister Grubb certainly knows how to entertain a group!" He laughs and serves himself a healthy portion of mushrooms.
You take one of the tasty looking mushrooms.
Dharlon continues to walk around, handing out flyers. Most of the costumers either disregaurd the flyers or act as if they or profane, though a few, very few, pick them up a read them.
After a few minutes, he notices the food table. A wide grin crosses his face, nad the flyers get second best in priority, as he sets his flyers next to him and sits down.
Imp says, "Ready gang? Let's do this. A one, a two, a one, two, three, four!" The band immediately breaks into a fine version of The Shiny Chocolate Fork, a baritone ayre... ...do-run-run, do-run-run, fiddle-dee-dee, ka-plung, la-la-de-la...
Slago nods his face full of salad. He swallows and answers, "That he does, best food I've had in quite awhile." Slago reaches for more salad as he keeps eating his first one.
Slago lifts up a bowl of salad from the table.
Willowfoot bows to Balmar, "He's a bit thirsty, like myself." Heading towards the bar, picking up a slice of ham on the way, he orders a large ale. Munching away at the ham, he grins at the other hobbits."Mghmh grummd fmupgh"
[Willowfoot] Sits at the table, eyeing a rather succulent mushroom, he pounces on it knocking over a salad bowl. 'Pardon me' he grins as he sits on down and unbuttons his trousers, for safety reason's, he intends to do justice to the meal !!
Slago finishhes his salad and get's up, "Better check the mathoms before i forget."
"Aye," smiles Daranas as he sups on his mushrooms. "Wonderful mushrooms, too! Hah!" The old Brandybuck gently elbows Slago. "But I'll 'ave to talk to Mister Grubb, and get a mathom!" He nods to the Goodbody as he gets up.
Slago looks over the collection of mathoms.
Willowfoot drains his mug of ale, and lets out a 30 second ripsnorter of a burp in e-flat. Looking at the impending Mathom fight between the Hobbits, he graps another slice of ham, 5 mushrooms, a loaf of bread, another larger slice of ham, half a chicken, and a small onion.
Dharlon sits down at the table.
Slago looks at his mathom then walks over to Balmar, "Thank you for the mathom, i'sw what i always wanted, " Slago runs and sits back down at the table and pulls out his book.
Dharlon sits down at the table.
Dharlon takes a dripping slice of ham from the table.
Slago looks at his mathom then walks over to Balmar, "Thank you for the mathom, i'sw what i always wanted, " Slago runs and sits back down at the table and pulls out his book.
Willowfoot turns to Dharlon "So when's the frog licking contest start then?"
Dharlon notices something in the Mathom Pile that catches his interest, as he abandends the remainder of his ham for it and his flyers, walking over, he pulls out some feathers and smiles "Perfect, mine was fading!"
Willowfoot, seeing the abandonment of Daranas's dripping gooey ham, quickly eats it!
Slago suddnely rushes to the door and runs out without his hat or cloak!!
Slago leaves through the red door.
Slago has left.
[Willowfoot] feels a sudden bowl urge too and quickly stands up, his trousers falling around his ankles, he stumbles towards the door.
As the last of the attendees of the party file into the Oaten Pipe and the gusts of cool autumn wind are severed from the outside, Balmar smiles a different smile... releif. Quickly taking to the front of the inn, and setting his new hedgehog on the table in his front and calls everyone's attention.
"Hullo! Hullo! Welcome to my party! As you can see, I didn't -intend- to hold the party -here-, but I thank all of you who took heed to my later messages and drove to Oatbarton.
It's been a great year, and I thank you for helping me welcome the new one. Still, I ask you... remember the hobbits in Buckland, who are at this very moment suffering, while we drink ale and party! And think of my dearest... Henna... off over there helping them.
At any rate, don't forget to pick up your mathom-- and stay as long as you want!" With that, Balmar picks up his hedgehog, and departs to the seat marked "Birthday-hobbit" at the head (or foot) of the table, and takes his place there.
Willowfoot returns, and sit's at the table.
Daranas smiles to those near him and stands, turning to Willowfoot and smirking. "Aye, enjoy yourself, laddy." He chuckles and walks across the inn to Balmar's place.
"Good-birthday, Mister Grubb!" He pats Balmar lightly on the back. "And many happy returns!" He smiles. "Aye, I don't s'pose ye'd mind should I take a wee peek at me mathom then, eh? O' course not, of course!" He laughs to himself and looks over the mathom pile.
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A pile of gifts of various sizes and styles bearing neatly written labels...
From Balmar,
on the occasion of his birthday.
"How nice of you to come!"
Looking at the pile of mathoms, it appears that EVERYONE has a mathom! To pick up your gift, just GET MATHOM. (You can look at anybody's gift with MATHOM Willowfoot realises he has just sat on somebody's mathom.
You pick up your gift, gratified by the generosity of Balmar.
The note attached to the mathom reads:
"Oh, hullo Mister-- sir. Good to see you could make it!" says Balmar as he scoops a particularly large slice of ham-meat onto his plate and multiple mushrooms. "Yes, the pile's right over there," he says with a guesture, and looks back to his food.
"Aha!" smiles Daranas as he picks up Balmar's gift. "A walking-stick, eh? Well, thank'ee kindly!" The Brandybuck laughs. "Indeed, I've a friend in Michel Delving that'd most certainly enjoy recieving this on my bithday!"
Willowfoot gets another attack of the griping bowls and runs to the door again.
Dharlon nods as Balmar makes his speech, and moves for his flyers, back at the seat were his meal still resides.He walks over in Balmar's general direction and says "Hullo and Happy Birthday!" He holds out a set of coloured feathers and says "Thanks you very much for these! How did you know I needed new feathers? I hope your..." He pauses for a slight moment then continues "... Friend doesn't catch the flu. And speaking of which-" He stops for a minute, then smiles "rambling again, sorry about that oh by the way..." He holds out a flyer to Balmar, which has DPP in large letters written on it, under which in smaller letters are Dwarven Peace Party and in even small letters is written 'Peace with the taller folk is better for all!' "In case you are interested..." He smiles weakly.
Daranas nods interestedly and wanders over to Dharlon. "Eh, the D.P.P., eh?" He chuckles and looks at the flyers. "I don't suppose ye could fill me in on this, eh? Anything like them Shire Patriot folks what wants to take over the Buckland, eh?" He quirks an eyebrow at the Took.
"Hullo Dharlon... thank you for coming!" Balmar says, swallowing a large slice of ham just before saying so. "Yes, I knew you'd like the feathers. Always the Shirriff! Have a good night," says the healer, going back to his food.
As Dharlon places a flyer on the table beside Balmar, he looks up, and nods with a bit of a smile. However, after chewing the next occupant of his mouth--a mushroom-- he says, "Well, thank you Mister Took... but I tend not to join these orginizations, I'm afraid. The E.B.S., and so on. Good night, sir!"
Dharlon eyes widen and he shakes his head "I don't beilive this, I'm compared to the EBS and the SPP in five minutes!" He then turns attention away from the uninterested hobbit to the inquiring one "Why, absoltly not. The SPP is almost our exact oppisite. We beilive that good relations with Bucklanders, Dwarves, and the Big Folk, or as they call themselves 'Humans' can inspire more trading and prosperus ecomny. Whereas egg throwing will onyl incite anger and cause trouble for innocent folks!"
Daranas smiles to Dharlon. "Well, I see... I'll certainly support your group then, if it'll make things easier for my folk (and harder for that awful Clodo Baggins)! Haw!" He smiles and brandishes his cane. "Welp," he grins, addressing this to Balmar, "thank'ee kindly for the food! And the gift, eh? Happy birthday to you again!" The Brandybuck grins broadly and walks out the door.
Feeling refreshed, you head back to the village center.
Type: MHELP for help setting up the Mathoms.
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Daranas looks over the collection of mathoms.
"For Daranas Brandybuck: A elegantly carved walking-stick, the head in the shape of a bird."