A few minutes after the destruction of the Shadow, Baldor helps Findegil and Krogen haul Mal and Anar from the bottom of the well and away from the bones and alien carcass. You spend the rest of the day (15) and the next (16) recovering from your brush with death at the tentacles of the evil Thing in the Well: There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world. The tangible proof of the Shadow weighs heavy on your soul like a stone causing you to be much more Shadow weary than ever before. Light-hearted conversations are impossible.
You emerge from the Mirkwood and camp at the Forest Gate on the next night (17). The weight of the Shadow lifts like taking a clear, deep breath after exiting a smoke-filled room. Mal takes over from Cereidh as Guide. He explains that they will first stay at the Easterly Inn. The Easterly Inn is situated near a little brook that flows out of Mirkwood towards the Great River, approximately twenty miles south of where the Forest Gate opens along the eaves of the wild wood. A small stone bridge arches over the babbling waters, and just beyond that stands the inn. The Easterly Inn consists of a small but comfortable wooden inn containing the common room and a few guest rooms for Big Folk, some outbuildings and stables, and a Hobbit-hole beneath, where the hobbit owner’s family reside. Although it only opened a few months ago, the inn is gaining a reputation as a good stopping point for journeys east of Mirkwood. The beer is good, the food is excellent, and Hobbits make wonderful hosts. In truth, the success of the inn has less to do with Dody’s beer or even Agatha’s delicious food and owes more to Beorn’s promise of protection and the curiosity of travelers come to see the strange Halflings.
The lights of the Easterly Inn shine with a warm welcoming light in the gloom as the company approaches. It is late Autumn, andthe dusk air has a chill in it that heralds the changing of the seasons. A dog strolls out of the twilight to sniff the characters’ hands and see if they are worth barking about.
Inside, the inn is half-full. At one table, there are a trio of Beornings with great tankards of ale and a big plate of Agatha’s sausage rolls; these Beornings are hard, fierce men, forged by long years battling for survival in the wild, but Agatha still insists they use napkins. At another table, the innkeeper Dody is talking to some Dwarf travelers. He leaps up and greets the company when they enter.
"Dodinas Brandybuck, I've brought you guests. Where are your boys to help us with a caravan of ponies?" Mal greets the hobbit innkeeper. Unlike Mal, Dody is a plump, Shire bobbit with ruddy cheeks and clean clothes.
"Malaric, welcome back indeed. Settle your company at those tables over there. Dando! Rodry! You've got work to do!" Dody greets the wild hobbit by name and calls for his boys.
Still feeling like a torn rag from the encounter with the Shadow, Cereidh smiles benevolently at all of the halflings, bemused and overwhelmed by the hospitality. She's only met Mal so far, and while she hadn't thought that Mal was representative of his species, she still hadn't figured out quite how much of an outlier he was.
Findegil greets the owner with a smile.
"A fine welcome to a warm place!"
"thank you kind sir, this is most welcome."
The player characters settle into a table leaving three open chairs for Mal, Belgo and Baldor. Those three head back outside to prepare the ponies for the night and secure the caravan goods.
After checking on the table of three Beornings and other table of two dwarves, the plump hobbit innkeeper approaches you with a tray of drinks. He serves Cereidh and Findegil fine wine, Anar receives a tankard of Blue Mountain ale, and Krogen gets a pint of mead. He is clearly trying to curry favor with these drink choices.
"Good evening. Beds are two silvers for the night. Supper is five coppers a plate, and drinks are three coppers. Agatha's serving her famous sausages tonight. What can I get for you?"
"Hail to you for your hospitality!"
"Aye, any news?"
Anar and Findegil get the dwarves chatting. The Dwarves just crossed over the mountains from the west, and they bring stories about Goblins. It seems that Orcs are creeping south once more from their fortresses under Mount Gram and Mount Gundabad, and travelers in the High Pass are once again under threat of their attacks.
One of the Dwarves speculates that something will have to be done about the matter, and wonders aloud if King Dáin or one of the other rulers of the North will act. The victory won at the Battle of Five Armies should not be thrown away through lack of vigilance.
A more cynical Dwarf argues that the Misty Mountains are far away from Dale, and that this new era of prosperity and brotherhood will soon wither away and the Free Peoples will once again grow suspicious and insular.
Findegil just hears more tavern talk.
Cereidh is still sunk in her gloom, enough even to refrain from commenting on political talk for which she has distinct Opinions.
By this time, Mal, Baldor and Belgo return from the stables ready to eat and relax. Dody the innkeeper serves up his wife's famous sausages that live up to expectations. He also keeps the drinks flowing, because knights and dwarves are rich.
After your meal, the innkeeper sits next to Anar who made the best introduction, so he can conspiratorially with the companions.
The plumb hobbit requests a favour between friends. Dody gives the company a brief history of the Easterly Inn that you already received from Mal.
He name-drops shamelessly, referring to Bilbo Baggins as his ‘business partner and chief investor’. He explains that his brother Dinodas (‘Dindy’) went West earlier in the year, and was supposed to return by late summer. Dindy sent a letter some months ago, saying that he had arrived and was gathering supplies for the long journey east. Since then, Dody has heard nothing of Dindy.
Dodinas asks the company if they are travelling west, and if so, will they set his mind and ease and look for signs of his brother. He offers a small purse of coin, 20 silver pennies each, and some family silverware to the recompense, bringing the reward up to 40 silver pennies for each companion. Plus, he offers free lodgings for all companions and their direct relatives at the Easterly Inn for the winter. He also promises that he will consider their future employment as caravan guards. Finally, he unfolds four letters of introduction from Bilbo Baggins.
These are very impressive legal-looking documents, stamped with red wax on fine paper and written in Bilbo’s best handwriting. The letters start off with lengthy greetings to the recipient, reminding them of their past associations with Mr. Baggins, and then ask that the recipient ‘give aid, shelter, hospitality, assistance, friendship, trust and all manner of like good favor to the bearer of this missive’.
Mal explains that you have to pass Beorn's House anyway to go west through the High Pass, because you must cross the river at the Old Ford.
"Of course," Cereidh says, not worrying much over what seems like a trivial request, and glad for the chance to show her competence in something.
Nods Of course gentle sir we can help you"
"Aye, I will gladly aid ye!"
Over pints, Findegil's thoughts turn to the thing in the pit.
"Whatever that horror was, it came too close to slaying several of us."
"I'll drink to that. I am drinking to that."
Relieved that the companions agreed to find his brother, Dody is happy to refill everyone's drink bring out dwarven ales for all.
Cereidh wrinkles her nose in affected offense at Anar and continues to drink, trying to live up the Thranduil's reputation for merriment.
And perhaps trying to find forgetfulness at the bottom of her tankard.
drinks slowly and carefully as they all talk.
It's late. Belgo was a asleep at the table. He's at that age that he did not want to appear as a child and leave the adults. But his body was overwhelmed by exhaustion of the road and the Shadow. So, he slumped at his chair with his head of the table.
Baldor clears his throat and says, "Dody has gladly extended his off to winter here to Belgo and myself. The Forest Road was much more dangerous this year than ever before. We're going to spend the winter here and recuperate. I want to thank you. Without you, we would have not arrived at Thranduil's Court, let alone survived the the Forest Road."
"I promised you 50 silver pennies each in coins or goods. When you leave tomorrow, you're welcome to select what you want from my caravan. But, it will never be enough for what you've done for Belgo and me." Baldor takes another long pull of his tankard of dwarven ale. You can see moisture around his eyes.
"My thanks, Baldor. I hope that your wintering is a wholesome one. Pay attention to your son. Spend time with him, and renew bonds. You surely are up to the task."
"As Findegil says. Should our road become even darker, I for one am glad to know that we've done a little good here. I hope that as the seasons turn the road will become more hospitable to travelers and that Belgo can form better memories of my Lord's court in due time."
"Do any of you need coin for supplies or equipment? I would rather spend it here than have it fall from my grasp on the battlefield for want of foresight. I aim to resupply rations if nothing else."
You have long farewells from the Easterly Inn from Baldor, Belgo and the hobbits. Two days traveling south through the East Middle Vales of the Anduin, you make it to your destination: Beorn’s House.
Others say that Beorn is a man descended from the first men who lived before Smaug or the other dragons came into this part of the world, and before the goblins came into the hills out of the North… At any rate he is under no enchantment but his own.
Only your gift to Beorn gets you in the door. One thing that hasn’t changed since his solitary days is that Beorn still doesn’t like Dwarves and ‘beggars’ — his contemptuous name for all strangers other than Woodmen — and rarely invites foreigners into his house. Requests to see Beorn are usually immediately turned down by whoever met the applicants, unless they are persuaded of the importance of the matter with clear evidence.
Beorn appears as a huge man of indeterminate age with a thick black beard and hair. Powerfully built with strong arms and muscular legs, he laughs a great rolling laugh. ”Dwarves and beggars! Bearing gifts!”
And with a growling voice, he asks, ”What?”
Cereidh bows deeply. "Gifts, good sir, the hungry stomachs and cold feet you must have come to expect from your visitors, as well as a question, although this last isn't ours per se."
Findegil bows respectfully, as he would to any lord of the Free Peoples.
"Beorn of the Vale, I am Findegil, knight of Gondor. The lords of the Free People at the first Gathering of the Council of the North bade my companions and I to bring you an invitation that could not be carried by bird. We have done so, but would appreciate the opportunity to enter ourselves also."
“All this talking is hungry work!” declares Beorn. He claps his hands, a door at the back of the hall opens, and in comes a whole flock of sheep and several shaggy hounds. The sheep have trays of food on their backs, and the dogs can stand on their hind legs to serve their master. The food consists of fresh-baked bread, a stew of herbs and vegetables, mead, and then honey-cakes for dessert.
You are joined at dinner by other Beornings coming from the nearby homesteads.
Findegil is wide eyed at the trained flock.
"A rare feast indeed!"
He begins to introduce himself to the Beornings, and try to forge bonds with these vale folk. And find out what ails them.
Cereidh is delighted and charmed by the animals and perhaps overindulges in the mead.
So, you have a reasonably good time with the Beornings. You share your intention to look for the missing hobbit in the High Pass. They wish you well, because it’s a dangerous trek, especially near the beginning of winter.
At the end of the night, Beorn offers you beds in his hall. During the middle of the night, you hear the noise of some tremendous animal growling and snuffling somewhere by the house of Beorn. Before you can do something about it, the sound swiftly dies away.
The following morning finds Beorn in a good mood. One of his dogs leads you back to his hall, where they find the big man happily making toast and cheese for breakfast.
The Beornings tell you that you’ve a day to the Old Ford, then another three days travel to the foot of the Misty Mountains and the High Pass.
"Thank you. Is there anything we should know, beyond what woodcraft has brought us this far?"
"Likewise, you have my thanks, good Beorn."
At Cereidh's question, Beorn grunts in guffaw spilling food from his mouth. "An Elf, asking me for information, times really are changing."
After a pause, he answers, "within the vale, you will be safe. The mountains are untamed."
"Good bye and good fortune, Beorn!"
[B]"Beorn thank you for your hospitality "