Ranhoth

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1 Charter
2 Guildmasters
3 Location
4 Notes
5 Related Pages
6 External Links

[edit] Charter

The founding charter for the Ranhoth guild

It is the Third Age. War rages in Gondor, and the peoples of Middle Earth brace themselves for the onslaught of the Dark Lord and his minions. Far to the northwest, seemingly hidden from strife, lies the Shire, home of the Hobbits.

All was mostly calm after Frodo and company departed for parts unknown. However, men began to enter the Shire. Their numbers were small at first, but they soon grew, and so did their trouble-making.

The hobbits didn't realize it until it was too late. Lotho Pimple, an entrepreneur who came to be known as "the Chief", had struck a deal with the leader of these men, known only as "Sharkey". Now, the men had a foothold in the Shire, and their mistreatment of the Hobbits began.

The ruffians began to seize up the Hobbits' livelihoods. Pipeweed and alcohol were slowly made off limits to the Hobbits. The Chief put a series of draconian 'Rules' in place, including rationing and restrictions on travel. Things began to look dim.

Not all were helpless to the subjugation, however. Many Hobbits resisted. The Tooks of Tookland, with their deep delvings and steady arrows, held the invasion at bay. Fredegar Bolger lead a band of Rebels who took up residence in the Brockenbores in the hills of Scary. Many others throughout the Shire also desired to rid the Shire of the ruffians that plagued it.

A time came when the groups that worked against the Chief and Sharkey became aware of each other. A resistance movement soon formed, pioneered by Fatty Bolger's band and some more daring of the Tooks. Fatty dubbed the group 'Ranhoth', a name taken from a book of poetry that he received from Bilbo about a company of hobbit archers that marched to the aid of King Arvedui and never returned.

As word of the movement spread, many Hobbits pledged support, especially those Shirriffs and Bounders not loyal to the Chief. Pipeweed farmers, brewers, and other craftsmen who became disgruntled at their livelihoods being ruined also joined the movement.

Assistance came not only from within the hobbitry, however. The Rangers of the North, silent protectors of Eriador, had long kept the borders of the Shire safe. Though most went to fight in the War of the Ring, their captain Aragorn instructed a group to stay behind and guard against evil.

The existence of the Rangers was discovered by Bounders within Ranhoth. Rumours of men not loyal to Sharkey, men who lived in the wilderness, were confirmed by the patrols of Hobbits out 'beating the bounds'. The Rangers kept their mission secret at first, but soon realized the dire position of the Hobbits. The captain of the Rangers pledged his support to the Ranhoth movement, and sent some of his men to be counselors and tacticians. That support was limited, however, as many of the Rangers were occupied defending the wilds of Eriador from evil creatures such as Orcs and Wargs.

The captain of the Rangers was a friend of Gildor the Elf Lord, and Gildor soon learned of the movement. Gildor was very fond of the Shire; it was his home during much of the year. He knew of the oppression of the Shire and the Shadow that lapped at it's borders. After much thought, he pledged a small number of his elves to aid the cause.

Thus the Ranhoth was formed and bolstered, and it became an underground movement throughout the Shire. Protection and assistance was offered to merchants and artisans in the face of the ruffians' persecution. There was also made a safe haven for defecting Shirriffs, who no longer wanted to serve the Chief.

Ranhoth now works to rebuild the morale of the Shire by spreading information, holding parties and events in spite of the Rules, and restoring the luxuries that have been stripped from the Hobbitish way of life. It also works to restore the infrastructure of the Shire by fighting the corruption in the Shirriff and Bounder ranks, and ultimately by ridding the Shire of the Ruffians and their bosses.

Clan theme:

Clan Leader: Mithgil Description: The Shire is to say the least in troubled times. Hobbit moral is low and it is to try to combat this Ranhoth was created. Initially we tried to fight back against Sharkey's men but have come to realise that there is a power far greater than that of man or Hobbit involved in this.

In more recent times Ranhoth has become an underground movement, almost disappearing for a time to finally re-emerge in our new role. Where once we fought with weapons now we fight with words, where once we tried to force the enemy from the shire now we try to make things easier for the Hobbits, once we ignored the people and tried to combat the problem with force, now we try to fight back by supporting the people themselves.

In order to achieve our goals we now publish a local newspaper and organise secret celebrations of events dear to both our hearts and the hearts of all Hobbits, these events are free to all and funded by us.

Our membership is limited to primarily Hobbits, although our numbers do include a few Elves and Dunedain.

If you wish to join we have an interview process before any new members are accepted, either contact me or apply and one of our leaders will contact you to try to arrange a time for interview.