{"id":31807,"date":"2016-05-22T06:00:27","date_gmt":"2016-05-22T10:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/?p=31807"},"modified":"2016-05-23T08:00:53","modified_gmt":"2016-05-23T12:00:53","slug":"lord-of-the-rings-online-13-the-ghost-busker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/?p=31807","title":{"rendered":"Lord of the Rings Online #13: The Ghost Busker"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is sunset and I find myself broke, poorly dressed, and in the town of Tuckborough.<\/p>\n

When these guys build a footpath, they don't mess around. I think that thing could support two-lane automobile traffic.<\/div>
When these guys build a footpath, they don't mess around. I think that thing could support two-lane automobile traffic.<\/div><\/p>\n

Also, I find myself slightly drunk. This makes all of the previous things I just mentioned a lot more bearable.<\/p>\n

Adelard Took is in need of help. The library in the Great Smials is apparently haunted! <\/p>\n

This door makes no sense. The threshold is basically a waist-high wall - which everyone knows videogame characters can't overcome - and the doorknob would literally require standing on tiptoe to reach.<\/div>
This door makes no sense. The threshold is basically a waist-high wall - which everyone knows videogame characters can't overcome - and the doorknob would literally require standing on tiptoe to reach.<\/div><\/p>\n

I tell the old boy that I was in there just a couple of days ago (I leave out the bit about how I was swiping an old ale-brewing recipe) and I didn’t see<\/em> any haunting going on. But Adelard is adamant. He’s sure that the ghost of the Old Took (roughly: a very famous Hobbit from a few generations ago) is haunting the library. He derives this theory from two observations:<\/p>\n

1) Strange noises in the library
\n2) The bears just outside of town are becoming aggressive. <\/p>\n

Guess which issue he wants me to investigate first? <\/p>\n

No. Wrong. The second one. Sheesh. Haven’t you been paying attention?<\/p>\n

Adelard had decided the best way to deal with a haunted library is to… kill some bears? His thinking is that since the Old Took was famous for killing one bear, then if I (the glassy-eyed drunk who just stumbled in) kill a whole bunch of bears, it will make the Old Took happy and he’ll go back to whatever he was doing when he wasn’t haunting the place. Moreover, he’ll pay me for my efforts.<\/p>\n

Maybe it’s the ale talking, but that sounds like a great plan! Sign me up!<\/p>\n

I don't know what these wavy particle lines are supposed to convey, but I'm going to assume it doesn't mean springtime fresh aroma.<\/div>
I don't know what these wavy particle lines are supposed to convey, but I'm going to assume it doesn't mean springtime fresh aroma.<\/div><\/p>\n

It’s a great evening in the Shire. I’m out enjoying the night air, making money and killing God’s creatures. What more could a Hobbit ask for? <\/p>\n

Adelard wants three bear pelts. Since not all bears have pelts, this means I’ve got to kill a goodly number of them in order to find the pelt-having bears. I wish there was some way to tell if a bear had a pelt just by looking at it. And I wish it was possible to be more sarcastic than I am now.<\/p>\n

By the time I’m done, my patience has run out, along with the heady ale in my veins and the local bear population. Sobering up is not a good thing to do right now, but staying drunk would cost money. <\/p>\n

No, I'm not going to do any bear puns for you. I'm in enough pain as it is.<\/div>
No, I'm not going to do any bear puns for you. I'm in enough pain as it is.<\/div><\/p>\n
Total bear kill tally: 16.<\/p>\n

Although to be fair, I actually got the third pelt from #13, but I had to kill a few more to get back out of the den.<\/p><\/div>\n

I return to Adelard with his bear skins, and he puts them in the library in order to appease the angry library-haunting spirit.<\/p>\n

Here are three massive, bloody, fleshy, floppy bear skins, each of which must weigh as much as a full-grown hobbit. You might want to wash your hands now.<\/div>
Here are three massive, bloody, fleshy, floppy bear skins, each of which must weigh as much as a full-grown hobbit. You might want to wash your hands now.<\/div><\/p>\n

It doesn’t work. (Duh.)<\/p>\n

His next plan is to appease the ghost with a meal. He sends me to see his niece Edilina and have her make us some boar ribs. The ribs were a favorite of the Old Took, and so if we… get some? And then put them in the library? And leave them there? Then… what? The ghost will eat them? Smell them? Order some breadsticks and leave a tip? What exactly is the goal here?<\/p>\n

Pop quiz:<\/p>\n

What ingredient for boar ribs will Edlinia be lacking:<\/p>\n

1) Spices, which can be purchased anywhere.
\n2) Salt, which can be purchased anywhere.
\n3) Water, which I have in my pockets.
\n4) Boar meat, which can only be obtained by running into the woodlands and killing dangerous wild animals because nobody has thought to just raise pigs.<\/p>\n

If you answered 1, 2, or 3, then congratulations! Your brain has not been warped from playing too many MMO games. You’re wrong, but healthy. I envy you.<\/p>\n

Oh how I envy you.<\/p><\/div>\n

She's just standing out in front of her house in the middle of the night, baking. You know. Like you do.<\/div>
She's just standing out in front of her house in the middle of the night, baking. You know. Like you do.<\/div><\/p>\n

Edilina is only too happy to make boar ribs for her uncle. (I don’t tell her they’re really for a ghost. I’m pretty sure the old geezer is crazy, and I want to get paid for my work before they ship him off to a home or have him put down or whatever it is they do for nutters around here.) But she’s out of boar meat. She suggests going out and killing three boars.<\/p>\n

“Three?”, I ask, wide-eyed.<\/p>\n

“Well yes. I’ll need three sets of ribs…”<\/p>\n

“We’re feeding one Hobbit<\/em>. A single boar would feed him for a week. Have you seen these boars? Three of them could feed the town!”<\/p>\n

“Three boars!”, she hisses at me.<\/p>\n

This job is really putting a dent in the local wildlife population.<\/div>
This job is really putting a dent in the local wildlife population.<\/div><\/p>\n

Three messy stabbings later and I return to her with thrice my body weight in raw boar meat. Is this really how people do things around here? Someone gets a hankering for boar, and so they draw straws to see who has to go out and fight one to the death? I think if it was, this town would either have a lot more vegetarians or a lot less Hobbits. <\/p>\n

Amazingly, I only needed to kill three boars to get three sets of ribs. Must have been a bug.<\/div>\n

I have to admit the girl is a really good sport about cooking three boars in the middle of the night. She whips up some ribs and I return to Adelard. <\/p>\n

Adelard is grateful, “Thank you friend! I shall put these in the library and hopefully we’ll all get some peace!”<\/p>\n

“Yes. I’ve heard that ghosts are pacified by being near a plate of slowly spoiling food.”, I say once he’s left the room. <\/p>\n

He returns. “The ghost problem is all cleared up and here is a big pile of money”, he fails to say. Instead he has a new theory on why this ghost remains obstinately un-exorcised. Last week he took some fireworks from the library. The fireworks were given to the Old Took by Gandalf, and up until a week ago they had been sitting in the library as a commemorative fire hazard. Adelard then had them sent to the Mathom House in Michel Delving. A museum, basically. <\/p>\n

“Are you seriously telling me you want me to recover antique fireworks<\/strong>?”<\/p>\n

“Yes! Then take them up the hill and set them off.<\/p>\n

“Just… set off some crackers on the festival hill in the middle of the night?”<\/p>\n

“Yes! Maybe he’s upset that I sent them away.”<\/p>\n

“Maybe he just wants them back.”, I suggest.<\/p>\n

“Maybe he wants to see them go off!”<\/p>\n

“Maybe the place isn’t even haunted.”, would be a very foolish thing for me to say at this point, so I bite my tongue. On one hand, I’m not so keen on marching all the way over to the Mathom House. On the other hand, those lame-brains have put hundred year old fireworks on display in a wooden building full of books and priceless heirlooms. No good can come of this.<\/p>\n

The Old Took was the great, great grandfather of both Pippin and Merry. I couldn’t find hard dates on when he lived. But for a fourth generation grand-sire, a hundred years sounds pretty reasonable. Probably even on the conservative side, given that Hobbits don’t really reach adulthood until they’re over thirty. <\/div>\n

You don't need me to sign for it or anything? Fine. If anyone comes looking for these heirlooms later, just remember: My name is Holly Hornblower.<\/div>
You don't need me to sign for it or anything? Fine. If anyone comes looking for these heirlooms later, just remember: My name is Holly Hornblower.<\/div><\/p>\n

A long hike takes me to the Mathom House, where they just hand out the historically significant item to me without asking any questions. Another long hike takes me back to Tuckborough. <\/p>\n

Steps, wood floor, carpet, banners, and streamers. Okay. Every single thing here is flammable.<\/div>
Steps, wood floor, carpet, banners, and streamers. Okay. Every single thing here is flammable.<\/div><\/p>\n

I go to the festival stage – the wooden<\/strong> festival stage – and set up the fireworks. Oh wait. There’s some old, dry carpet in the middle of the stage to protect the wood from sparks and fire. Much better.<\/p>\n

This seems like a momentous occasion. These fireworks were once owned by an important person from long ago. And I’m about to set them off. Shouldn’t we like, have a party or a meal before I light this stuff? But instead I’m doing this in the middle of the night. I feel like I should at least say something to mark the occasion.<\/p>\n

Hmmm….<\/p>\n

YOU HAVE SET OFF THE LAST OF THE ROCKETS. LIKE A BIG JERK.<\/div>
YOU HAVE SET OFF THE LAST OF THE ROCKETS. LIKE A BIG JERK.<\/div><\/p>\n

WAKEY WAKEY! RISE AND SHINE, HOBBITS! Wooooooooooooo!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The lights and noise rouse a few Hobbits who open their windows to curse at me before returning to bed. I don’t know about the Old Took, but I<\/strong> sure as heck feel better. <\/p>\n

I stomp out the fire and wait for the smoke to clear before I head back to Adelard. He consults the library to see if the ghost is at peace. <\/p>\n

He returns to let me know that the ghost is, in fact, not at peace. This news is so shocking, so astounding<\/em>, that I very nearly consider blinking. Once. Slowly. He’s tells me that he’s at his wit’s end, but I’m willing to bet his wits ran out long<\/em> before I showed up.<\/p>\n

He asks me to go and confront the ghost myself. He says the presence of the spirit is strongest in the corner of the room, near the small bookcase. He doesn’t explain what I’m supposed to do if the ghost actually appears. Serve it an eviction notice? Stab it in the face? Offer it some tea? Are any of those actually dumber than what I’ve already done?<\/p>\n

I really wish I had another sip of ale to take the edge off of this situation. And this hangover. Ah well. In we go.<\/p>\n

You can tell its a small bookshelf because it's the same hight as a full-grown Hobbit. We build all of our funiture to accomodate people of human proportions, obviously.<\/div>
You can tell its a small bookshelf because it's the same hight as a full-grown Hobbit. We build all of our funiture to accomodate people of human proportions, obviously.<\/div><\/p>\n

Okay bookcase, it’s just you and me now. I give the bookcase a shake and…<\/p>\n

This is the worst final boss I've ever seen.<\/div>
This is the worst final boss I've ever seen.<\/div><\/p>\n

A squirrel. <\/p>\n

I chase the little bugger out of the library. <\/p>\n

So let’s see, in order to chase away this squirrel, we killed nineteen wild animals, woke half the shire, blew up some antiques, and wasted a perfectly good plate of ribs. Adelard pays me my money and gives me some additional goodies to keep me quiet about the whole nasty business. <\/p>\n

I need to either leave town or burn down the rest of it. Both options are appealing in their own way.<\/div>
I need to either leave town or burn down the rest of it. Both options are appealing in their own way.<\/div><\/p>\n

The sun is coming up. It occurs to me that my night of drunken arson, poaching, and disturbing the peace has probably not made me any friends. I think I need to clear out of Tuckborough before everyone wakes up. <\/p>\n

Yeah. Get out of town for a few days. Preferably something far off.<\/p>\n

Next time: Tales of the Goblin Slayer!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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