The following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on October 23:

  • Smaug searches the mountain (1341)
  • Bilbo returns to Smaug’s chamber (1341)
  • Smaug smashes the secret door (1341)
  • Smaug attacks Lake-town (1341)
  • Lake-town in the aftermath (1341)
  • Elrond’s third day in his battle to save Frodo (1418)
  • Gandalf and the hobbits make their way home from Rivendell (1419)
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Flight to the FordThe following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on October 20:

  • Bilbo and the Dwarves think of what to do next at the Hidden Door (1341)
  • Escape across the Ford of Bruinen (1418)
  • Gandalf and Elrond perceive the Black Riders at the Ford of Bruinen (1418)
  • Frodo is brought to Rivendell (1418)
  • Return of the King is published (1955)
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Weathertop Nazgul attacks FrodoThe following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on October 6:

  • Thorin requests supplies (1341)
  • Gandalf heads for Rivendell after escaping Weathertop (1418)
  • The camp under Weathertop attacked at night. Frodo is wounded (1418)
  • They cross the Ford of Bruinen; Frodo feels the first return of pain (1419)
  • Frodo is again ill (1420)
  • Samwise returns to Bag End (1421)
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September 29 The following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on September 29:

  • The company of Thorin recovers in Lake-town (1341)
  • Frodo reaches Bree at night (1418)
  • Gandalf visits the Gaffer (1418)
  • They come to the Grey Havens (1421)
  • Frodo and Bilbo depart over the Sea with the Three Keeper (1421)
  • The end of the Third age (1421)

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Baggins BirthdayThe following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on September 22:

  • Birth of Bilbo in the Shire (1290)
  • Bilbo and the barrels reach Lake-town just after sunset (S.R. 1341)
  • Birth of Frodo in the Shire (1368)
  • A long expected party!! (S.R. 1401)
  • Bilbo and Frodo’s birthdays (S.R. 1418)
  • The Black Riders reach Sarn Ford at evening (S.R. 1418)
  • Gandalf overtakes Shadowfax (S.R. 1418)
  • The hundred and twenty-ninth birthday of Bilbo and Frodo’s fifty-first birthday (S.R. 1419)
  • Sharkey in the Shire (S.R. 1419)
  • Bilbo’s hundred and thirtieth birthday. Frodo’s fifty-second birthday (S.R. 1420)
  • They meet the Last Riding of the Keepers of the Rings in Woody End (S.R. 1421)
  • Master Samwise rides out from Bag End (S.R. 1482) 

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It’s Thursday, and already the Marriott hotel in downtown Atlanta is pulsing with music, crowds and excitement. DragonCon is upon us! And staffers from TORn are looking forward to connecting with our fellow fans.

We’ll be at our ‘fan table’ in our usual spot (Hyatt Exhibition Level, opposite the entrance to the Art Show). We have some awesome new buttons for sale, as well as this year’s shirt designs – the Prancing Pony Club:

And Bilbo from the Rankin/Bass The Hobbit:

Please come by the table and say hi. As an added bonus – if you come and tell us something Boromir would have done (in the style of Denethor, a la ‘Boromir would have remembered his father’s need…’), we have a special secret prize for you!

Join us in Bree!

Friday night is of course the annual ‘Evening at Bree‘, starting at 8.30pm. We’re in the Grand Ballroom in the Courtland Grand (same venue as last year), and we’ll have the Brobdingnagian Bards and Beth Patterson playing again, as well as a new (to Bree) band this year, the duo Kinnfolk. The Elf Choir will sing for us, and of course we’ll have the costume contest. (If you’d like to enter, please sign up before the event, either at the High Fantasy Track room: Marriott L401, or at our table.)

Panels

There is lots to enjoy for Tolkien fans this year. TORn’s own panel, ‘An Hour with TheOneRing.net’, when staffers deej, Madeye Gamgee and greendragon will be joined by TORn’s good friend Knewbettadobetta, is Saturday 5.30pm in the Hyatt International South. You can also find greendragon on The Rings of Power Season 2 panel (Friday 1pm, Marriott A601), and join many excellent Tolkien scholars and friends of TORn for ‘Harmony and Dissonance: Creation in Tolkien’s Mythos’ (Sunday 1pm, Marriott L401). For those who stay right through the end of the con, come and Scour the Shire with us at 11.30am on Monday, Marriott L401.

Dance Party

The High Fantasy Track’s ‘Goblin Ball’ goes 90s this year – and our own deej will be DJing once again! Put on your plaid shirt and DMs, apply some frosty lipstick, and come and party 1990s style. We’ll be dancing in the Marriott A601 from 10pm on Sunday night.

As if that weren’t enough…

Tolkien lovers abound at DragonCon this year! Artist Donato Giancola is well-known to fans of Middle-earth, and he’s this year’s Guest of Honour in the Art Show – so be sure to stop by and visit him there. Another featured guest is singer, songwriter, actor and well-known Tolkien fan Jason Charles Miller, who will be performing and appearing in a couple of panels.

So much to do and to enjoy – let the games begin!