A Short Stop in the Shire | Hobbit Welcome Centre

Originally posted by Arien Ellariel

"Hobbits are an unobtrusive but very
ancient people, more numerous formerly than they are today; for they
love peace and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and
well-farmed countryside was their favourite haunt.” -Concerning Hobbits, Fellowship of the Ring 

Welcome
to the Shire, a land of rolling hills, sprawling fields, little rivers,
and bustling towns. Hobbits are a peaceful people, who prefer sitting
down to a good dinner to working out in the fields all day.  The Shire
is a haven for all who enjoy relaxing strolls through the fields,
entertaining nights at the Green Dragon Inn, or just sitting on the
banks of the Brandywine and watching the sun set behind the trees. 

For the New Members:
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Feeling
a bit confused by the sheer size of the Plaza? Have a lot of questions
that you can’t seem to get answered? We’ve all been in your shoes
before; we were all new members at one point in time. Here, at the
Hobbit Welcoming Centre, Mayors Samwise Gamgee (Estel Underhill) and Rosie Cotton (Menolly),
along with members of the Shire, will try their best to answer any
question you have and give you a proper welcoming to the Plaza and to
the Shire!

And when you are feeling ready to start posting over
in the Shire Forum you will find a special thread to introduce
yourself, meet other Hobbits, ask questions and ease yourself into
role-playing. It is called the Great Tree Center for Newbies and
Visitors and a link can be found at the bottom of this post. 

Why Should I Become a Hobbit?

We can’t tell you what kingdom to join, but we can convince you to become a Hobbit for several reasons:

1) The Shire Offers a Large and Diverse Collection of Activities
- If you love to write, then you’ll find that the Shire offers a large
amount of Role Play Games, most commonly referred to as RPGs. However,
if Tolkien-Lore interests you more you’ll find your place on either our
Lore Drill Team or Debate Team, both of which have won many
Inter-Kingdom (IK) championships. 
2) The Shire Loves New Members
– We have several RPGs already available for you to become active in as
soon as you become a member of the Shire. Our Newbie RPGs are run by
several older Hobbits who are willing to assist you in developing your
new character and aid you in learning RPG skills that you’ll need for
all of your plaza-life.  We also have for all new members (or returning
members) the Great Tree Centre for Newbies and Visitors, here anybody
with questions can have them answered by one of our friendly Hobbits! 
3) Our Mayors
– Estel Underhill (Samwise Gamgee) and Menolly (Rosie Cotton) are always
eager to hear from you. If you have any questions, comments, or
concerns simply stop by the Mayor's Office (link at bottom of post) or
e-mail them at theshire@lotrplaza.com
4) The Community Spirit – It’s easy to make friends in the Shire!
5) You Get To Brag - How many other people have great foothair?
6)  You Get a Cool Icon –

What Does the Shire Offer Me? 

The
Shire offers any new Hobbit the opportunity to become an active member
of an online community as well as a large collection of games and
activities to keep you occupied:

1) Shire Guilds
-  Guilds in the Shire generally require membership, which is simple to
get! All you need do is fill out a form and off you go. They are a
great way to get involved in a community within the Shire. Here Hobbits
practice special trades from baking and knitting to pipeweed farming
and brewing! 
2) Shire Based RPG's – We in the Shire
are always coming up with different Role Playing Games which range from
the serious to the silly. RPG's are a great way to get your creative
juices flowing and a great way to let your imagination run wild. 
3) Games –
There are always different and original games running in the Shire.
Whether they be simple dice based games, or picking a square off a
board, or more difficult games which involve lore questions, hunting
down posts, making a fool of yourself in another thread with a crazy
dare or writing an odd letter to a stranger you're sure to enjoy some
or all of them. Games are open to all and are a great way to have some
silly fun.  
4) The Shire’s Special Festivals –
Throughout the year in the Shire we celebrate several different special
occasions. The first of the year is usually FriENTship Day, a combined
Fangorn/Shire event to commemorate the time Merry and Pippin met
Treebeard. Over the course of two weeks at the end of February/start of
March both kingdoms hold feasts, IC games and many other fun and crazy
activities. Our second event of the year falls during the summer when
we celebrate Lithedays. This takes place around July and usually lasts
a couple of weeks. We celebrate with many IC party threads, IC and OOC
contests, games, art and much more. In September we have the birthdays
of Frodo and Bilbo, usually marked with a party. And soon after the
entire Plaza dresses up for some Halloween fun! On the 31st of October
every year each Kingdom becomes something else for three to four weeks.
In the past Hobbits have been characters from Star Trek, Buffy the
Vampire Slayer, Monty Python and the Holy Grail/Spamalot and even the
Teletubbies! Finally as we close the year we celebrate Yuletide. These
celebrations usually last throughout December and consist of present
giving, a Yule Ball, winter games and contests.

The Shire’s Inter-Kingdom Teams

In
the Shire we are very proud of our hard working IK teams. But what do
our IK teams do? Inter-Kingdom competitions are when teams from
different kingdoms meet and battle it out, whether it is lore questions
in Drill, coming up with impressive writing in Poetry or simply
cheering on your kingdoms animals in Racing. Being on one of the teams
is a great way to get to know your fellow Hobbits, and a great way to
interact with those from other kingdoms. It is all taken very seriously
and not seriously at all. Everyone works hard but at the end of the day
they are all there just to have fun, meet new plaza folk and maybe
learn a little more about Tolkien’s writings. Our Teams are:

•    The Shire Drill Teams
– If knowledge of Tolkien lore is your forte you’ll find your niche
with the Shire Drill Team. With a Junior Drill Team designed for those
new to drill, or new to the Shire, you can get on the track to becoming
a Tolkien-lore fanatic!
•    The Shire Debate Team – Do
Hobbits wear shoes? Should Pippin have been allowed to interject during
the Council of Elrond? Do Balrogs have wings? If debating these
questions, or ones similar, interests you then you’ll find your place
with the Shire Debate Team.
•    The Shire Poetry Team – If
you enjoy writing poetry, then working with the Shire Poetry team is a
great opportunity for you. Being part of the Inter Kingdom Poetry Team,
this is a great way to show off your work against other kingdoms on the
plaza.
•    The Shire Word Sleuth Team - Like the well-known
game Scrabble? Then you'll thoroughly enjoy being a member of the Shire
Word Sleuth Team! This IK Team, in its first season, has been a major
success for both the members involved and for the Shire! They are
currently in the top of their league.
•    The Shire Coney Racing Team
- If you happen to be a Hobbit who loves racing and owns a coney you
should definitely join up with this successful Shire IK Team! This game
is exciting and always fun for everyone involved. 

Find out more about the Shire's IK Teams by clicking this little blue button! 
>><<
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Important Links:

         Longbottom         The Mayor's            Plaza FAQ               Shire FAQ              The Great              Shire Main            
Link Library              Office                                                                                    Tree Centre                Forum     

Wondering how to get to the above links?
Simply click on the corresponding picture and you will be taken straight there!

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Joining the Shire:

Interested in becoming a Hobbit?
Once you reach 20 Fanatics Points you are eligible to join a kingdom.
If
you feel that you made the wrong decision in joining a kingdom you are
always allowed to change! It will cost you 50 Fanatics Points, but it
is possible!

>>>>Click Here To Join the Shire<<<<