Frodo Lives!

At last, the Ringbearer himself graces this very blog.
Thats right. 
Frodo Baggins is here!

Frodo had planned to leave Hobbiton with Gandalf and head to Rivendell, but Gandalf never returned from his meeting with the head wizard of his order. 
So he took it upon himself to start the journey and hopefully meet Gandalf at Bree.
With him, he took his gardener Sam, and his cousins, Merry and Pippin.

Here is the sleepy little village of Crickhollow in Buckland. 

So as not to appear suspicious when he left Hobbiton, Frodo bought this house in Crickhollow.
Then he told everyone he was moving to Buckland.

Back left to right: Pippin, Merry
Front left to right: Sam, Frodo

And here are our halfling Hobbit heroes!
They are proper 80s Citadel figures. 
As you can see, Frodo isnt messing around.  He is wearing his Mithril shirt and is carrying the magic sword Sting.
In our version of Middle Earth, Bilbo had the foresight to give Frodo his shirt and sword right away.
I like how big Pippin is.  He really is a bully of a Took.
Merry is a fancy Hobbit.
Sam is carrying all sorts of pots, pans, and sundry supplies.

They are anxious because night has fallen and there is fear among the townsfolk of Crickhollow. 
There are reports of enemies nearby.  The townsfolk have locked themselves in the cellars of their homes and Crickhollow is silent and dark.
They see dark figures, in the distance... is it Goblins?

At the end of the road a Hobbit and a pony arrive from the east.

It is Frumpy Bolger, the youngest brother of Fatty Bolger.

Frodo:  Hey there Frumpy!  Where is your brother Fatty, he was supposed to be here?

Frumpy:  Sorry Frodo, he joined Lobelia and the Hobbit Militia down in Longbottom. 

Merry:  Oh, I dont suppose you heard the news?  Longbottom was burned down by Orcs and Gobbos.  They say the defenders retreated to Willowbottom.  Im sure Fatty is ok.

Frumpy:  I hope so. 

Frumpy: My brother asked me to buy supplies for you in Bree and a horse.  This pony was the only one left for sale.  These are dark days.  Apparently everyone is buying horses these days to get away.  His name is Bill.

Frodo:  Bill the pony, huh?  I think he will do just fine.  Looks like he and Sam are getting along already.

Frumpy: (whispers and motions)  Everyone get down... there is someone across the road.  Its a Goblin!

The Hobbits creep up to the wall and peer over it.

Sam:  Thats no Goblin... its an Elf!

Its Legolas Greenleaf, Son of King Thranduil, Prince of Mirkwood Forest!

Legolas:  Do not be afraid, little Hobbits!  Elrond of Rivendell sends news and advise!  Gandalf the Wizard is missing and Rivendell itself is under siege. Elrond says, you should go west to the Grey Havens!  There you might find safety... for awhile at least.

Pippin:  We cannot go west!  Greenskins raiders have burned Hobbiton. I heard that Black Riders are watching the roads between there and the White Towers. 

Legolas:  Well, we cannot go east, hordes of evil forces are heading this way.  I suppose the only direction we can go is... south?

Frodo:  Yes, there is an alliance army forming in the south.  They say Hobbits, Dwarves, Humans, and Elves are gathering in Willowbottom.  There are enemies in every direction, but at least there, we might find safety in numbers.

Legolas:  Then let us go now, for I hear the howls of wolves in the distance.  Gobbo scouting parties are coming!

And so our heroes are off to Willowbottom.

Frodo:  Goodbye, my new house!  We hardly knew ye.

Legolas:  The enemy are already here!  Get off the road, Hobbits, while I deal with these Gobbos...

Frumpy:  Not only did I buy Bill the Pony at Bree... but I also got a pretty good deal with this used wizard staff!

Legolas fires off arrows at blinding speed to kill the Wolf riders before they can get more help. 
Frumpy tests out his wizard staff and fires off a fireball at the enemy.
Some poor wolves get their fur set on fire!

Frodo and friends get off the main road, but 2 brutish Orcs spot them!

Frodo:  For the Shire!

Legolas heads back and helps Frodo out.

Sam:  Dont hurt my pony, you villains!

Meanwhile, at the Crickhollow townhall, a couple of Orc archers are sniping at our heroes!

Frumpy carefully aims some Fireballs at the Orcs.

Frumpy:  Superior firepower always wins!

Legolas:  Ok, enemies all dealt with.  Anyone hurt?

Frodo: My Mithril shirt saved me, back there.

In the cellar of the townhall, the heroes find many civilians of Crickhollow. 
They persuade them to follow them to Willowbottom. 
As they head out towards Buckleberry Ferry, more and more Hobbit villagers join them.

Frodo and friends pass through the towns of Brandyhall, Rushy, and Deephollow. 
At each town they cry "Fear! Fire! Foes!" and the villagers join the evacuation of Buckland.

~~~~~

So, rolling dice for this small skirmish was hardly necessary. 
Legolas counts as a Wood Elf Noble with a Bow of Loren.
He gets Waywatcher too, so Forest Stalker, -1 to hit from enemy missiles and Scout ability.

And Frumpy?  Hobbit wizard in training.
Frodo with his Mithril shirt (3+ save) and Sting (counts as Sword of Sigismund; +1 Str and strikes first)
At any rate, this post was more of a fluff piece anyway.
Sets us up for the big showdown in the Shire...

On the other hand, if this skirmish was lost, I would have had to plan games where the allies are trying to rescue Frodo and the Ring before they are taken to Mordor.
That would have been fun too.
Be careful what you wish for though.
Because that can still happen!
Remember... probable doom and certain woe lurks around every corner of this blog.

Obviously, I have no problem straying far from the accepted canon of Middle Earth.
We are going to "wing" it, as the saying goes.

All I know is that there is no way that Frodo is going to make it to Mordor by stealthing it.
Or cheating by riding with the Giant Eagles over Mount Doom and dropping the Ring into the lava.
Oh, you thought that would work, Frodo?
No sir, something terrible has happened to your fine feathered friends.

Is that a chaos warp storm over the Eagles Eyrie in Hithaeglir?

Aughra: Another Great Conjunction coming up! Anything could happen! Whole WORLD might burn up! 

Ok enough with the spoilers!
Concentrate little Hobbits... one battle at a time.  Right now its time to save the Shire!

Next post:  Battle for Willowbottom