Five Hexes Around Michel Delving

An installment of my hexmap for Middle-earth project. Follow the "Middle-earth Hexmap" tag for all entries in this series.

Michel Delving, as the chief settlement in the Shire, deserved an especially large entry--outside the bounds of what I'd normally like to dedicate to a hex. But I suspect that you can run an entire campaign built off of the plot threads in this city!

Map credit: Idraluna Archive. Click for the full map.

48.54

MICHEL DELVING. The chief settlement of the Shire and the Hobbit's "capital." The Town Hole, where the mayor resides, the museum known as the Mathom-house, and the storage tunnels known as Lockholes can all be found in Michel Delving. There are several taverns and public houses to be found in the city, but the best is the Bird & Baby Tavern. In the center of the town are statues of Marcho and Blanco, the founders of the Shire. Outside of town, there is a golf course.

✦ - OFTEN HERE: 1. Rosie Heather (hobbit - cleft chin and buckteeth, free-spirited, shopkeeper's daughter) is good at hustling chess games for free drinks at the Bird & Baby, 2. Penny Cotton (hobbit - pleasantly plump, proper, tea seller) is always on the look-out for interesting people to come to her famous tea parties, 3. Neville Periwold (hobbit - wet-eyed, offensive, under-jailer) laments that the Lockholes haven't been used to lock anyone up in a generation, 4. Miles Sittish (hobbit - dandy, charming, haberdasher) offers to patch or mend any travel-worn outfits the fellowship is wearing, 5. Peck Whitfoot (hobbit - freckled, good natured, smith) wishes he had more time for artistic pieces, but mostly spends his time hammering out horseshoes, 6. Three dwarves—Erik (dwarf - tall, hasty, butcher), Baleog (dwarf - fierce, grumpy, baker), and Olaf (dwarf - stout, cheerful, chandler)—plying their wares.

! - FLOWERS for HEARTBREAK: Miss Tilly Whitfoot (hobbit - pretty, practical, debutante) needs to end her engagement with Master Jon "Stony" Gorges. To this end, she is looking for someone to assemble and send the perfect flower arrangement. Hobbit gentry use coded meanings for each flower: white rose means "I cannot," pink roses mean "yes," and so on. The actual text of the flower message is up to the sender, but it must be clear that it breaks their engagement, must be firm, and must be kind.

Fellowships without Hobbit Lore can inquire at the Mathom-house to find the appropriate array of flowers. Once the correct bouquet is selected, they must be picked in the wild. Then, they must be hand delivered to the hole of the Gorges family.

TOWN HOLE - MAYOR PITT PROUDFOOT: The current mayor, Pitt Proudfoot (hobbit - ostentatious, puttering, lawyer/mayor) is the only real official in the Shire. The mayor's role is mostly ceremonial, presiding at marriages and settling informal business disputes. In addition, the mayor is the nominal head of the Shire-post and Messenger Service and serves as the First Shirrif. The mayor also operates as a lawyer in his spare time.

! - CHEESE SYNDICATE: Mayor Proudfoot has been trying to get to the bottom of the city's cheese shortage. The dairy farmers claim to have had good years with better-than-normal yields, but the grocers report empty shelves. He's looking for a worthy person with a good brain to investigate. Requires at least one hobbit character to be deputized.

In truth, the Cheesemongers Guild has a scheme to fix prices in Michel Delving. They've hidden the cheese shipments from farms outside the city in the Lockholes, getting access by way of a junior under-jailer (named Neville Periwold) until the grocers agree to pay their outrageous fees. They use bullying and intimidation to keep the matter hushed up. The head of the guild is Mrs. Goldilocks Curdletoe (hobbit - mean smile and gold tooth, conniving, businesswoman).

(It's worth noting that hobbits have very few actual laws, but this sort of bullying is universally understood as practically criminal behavior.)

If the adventure has a satisfactory outcome, Mayor Proudfoot will give hobbit characters an indefinite honorary deputyship.

! - MISSING MESSENGER: A messenger for the Quick Post, Mrs. Adelia Waymoot, didn't return from her rounds last night. Her normal route is between Michel Delving and Little Delving (46.53) every other day.

Those with Wilds Lore who follow the road between the two towns can see a place where feet left the track, seemed to lay down against a tree, and then rejoined the road. Tufts of red fur are found nearby.

Messenger Waymoot can be found in the Three Rose Pub in Little Delving (46.53), practically hiding in a cup of beer. She admits that she took a nap on her route and woke to find her satchel of letters being pulled away by a clever fox (Under Hill, By Water, p. 86). She tried to recover it, but gave up when it began to get dark.

The fox has hidden the satchel in the bowl of a tree. Every day that goes by before solving the mystery loses 1% of the satchel's contents to the weather.

MATHOM-HOUSE: A point of interest. The Mathom-house, a Hobbitish museum, displays antiques and trinkets for which Hobbits have no particular use. It is also the chapter house of the Mathom-house Curators, who keep small collections throughout the Shire. A couple, Malva and Bingo Slowfoot (hobbits - old, crotchety, curators) tend to the hoard. Here, you can see antiques such as a pair of sparkling diamond studs once belonging to Gerontius Took, a wheeled contraption called a 'velocipede' constructed by Thattle Sandyman, and the first tobacco pipe used by Tobold Hornblower himself, in addition to genealogical records, cook books, and maps.

While in Michel Delving, you can ask questions about Hobbit Lore for 1 silver. You can use the Mathom-house to conduct the Research downtime action.
[Credit: TOR2E - Starter Set - Shire]

! - TRANSLATION TROUBLE: The Mathom-house has acquired a parchment, allegedly a record of the deed to the Shire and the election of the first thain, Bucca of the Marish. The Sindarin written in the mode of the kings of Arthedain is difficult for the lore-masters of the Mathom-house Curators to translate (the ambiguity of the genitive ending for the first and second declensions). The Curators are hiring someone who can do first-hand research to resolve the dispute.

A lore-master with both Ranger Lore and Elvish Lore could translate the relic directly. If no member has this combination, they must travel outside the Shire to seek these specialists. The stone found by Farmer Maggot (50.60) could also be used to settle this argument.

FREE FAIR. During the three intercalary days of Lithe (midyear's day), the Free Fair is held outside of Michel Delving. It is so named because booths may be erected without paying a fee. The wizard Gandalf the Gray regularly attends these fairs and puts on a fireworks display. Every seven years, the Free Fair is also used to elect the next mayor; the next election is next year.

47.53

WHITE DOWNS. Hills turfed with grass, with limestone and white chalk showing bare at the tops.

THE BIG MAN. A point of interest. A chalk hill figure said to resemble a tall warrior of the Big Folk. Drawn long ago, currently maintained by Burgo Bracegirdle (hobbit - freckled, friendly, farmer).

47.54

WHITE DOWNS. The road between Michel Delving and Little Delving runs through chalk hills turfed with grass, with limestone and white chalk showing bare at the tops. Small farms lie in the combes of the downs, raising mostly ponies and sheep (the region is agriculturally poor).

KNOCK HILL. A point of interest. Not technically the highest point in the Shire, but the one that commands the best view; can see all four farthings.

48.55

OLD WINYARDS WINERY. Farmlands, rich with grapes. The Shire's oldest winery, Old Winyards, is the chief landmark in the region. Owned by Old Tallyman Mazer (hobbit - beesting nosed, exacting, wine-maker), who's quite advanced in years but has no successor to the business. (Except his eldest daughter, Lavender ((hobbit - ginger, capable, farmer's daughter)), who has helped capably at the farm for all of her 33 years. But Old Tallyman doesn't consider hobbit maids to be worthy successors to such an esteemed institution.)

Bottles of the wine make excellent gifts: last year's bottles (3 pennies), 2935 vintage (7 pennies), 2930 vintage (1 silver).

! - LETTER OF SHOP TALK: Old Tallyman regularly corresponds to other brewers and vintners in the region, but the Post doesn't carry letters out of the Shire. Willing to trade a case of his 2934 vintage for delivery of a letter to Mr. Thad Butterbur, The Prancing Pony, Bree (47.66).

49.54

ROAD. The road runs between Michel Delving and Hardbottle. Outlying farms, staple crops, and tobacco fields lie on either side of the road.

(1-3) - OLD GUS: An ornery goat blocks the path ahead. If the fellowship approaches, it lowers its head and charges. Stats as bear. (Won't fight to the death.)
(5-6) - HOBBIT-IN-A-HANDSOME: A passing hobbit in a pony-drawn cab warns you about Old Gus, a mean goat that patrols this stretch of road.

48.53

ROAD. The East Road stretches between Michel Delving and Greenholm. The White Downs rise to the north and tidy farmlands stretch out to the south.

(1) - BEES!: Hobbit children off the side of the road, playing at throwing stones as the fellowship passes. All who pay attention to the game test Understanding Δ4. Those who succeed see them throwing at a bee hive. If not stopped, the furious bees chase the fellowship. Those without a clever plan to avoid the bees must test Strength Δ8 to avoid 1d6 damage.
(6) - TRAVELING TINKER: A dwarf's traveling wagon is stationed by the side of the road. Vestri (dwarf - forked red beard, amiable, smith) is selling a small collection of metal tools, weapons, and cookware. Will sharpen any edge for a penny (+1 to hit for the next 2 weeks).