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'At the Sign of the Prancing Pony' (Every Saturday, 3:00 PM)

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The smell of pipeweed and the sound of merry laughter drifts from the open door of the Inn of the Prancing Pony. It is a Highday, and like every Highday, Barliman Butterbur has opened his  common room to guests from lands near and far to sample his beer in exchange for coin, conversation, and a promise 'not to go up into thin air, thank you very much!'

This Week's (October 18, 2025) Hook

Ghosts at the Prancing Pony!

Strange groans sound from the inn’s kitchen. ‘Like the rattle of a dead man, if you’ll pardon me for saying so,’ a frightened Barliman whispers to a patron. ‘Old Bill Willows’s ghost, I fear, come to stay at the Pony for the rest of his long days!’ Others among the inn’s staff have different theories to Barliman's. Bob, who has worked as an ostler at the Pony for many years, believes that Barliman’s late father has returned to haunt the establishment: ‘Those groans are just his, I’m telling you! Old Mr Butterbur used to let out an awful sound when Miss Thistlewool (the beer-wife at that time) would leave her pots out; he was always banging his fat feet on them! When I heard that sound in the kitchen the other day, dear, oh dear, I thought I was forty years back! Bless my toes!’

Now, on this Commons Day, the Pony’s staff are hesitant to enter the haunted kitchen, leaving food and beer in short supply. Those looking to refill their mug may need to aid Barliman and friends to seek out the source of the kitchen’s morbid moans. Assuming, that is, they have the courage to do so....

Date:
October 18th, 2025
Time:
3:00 PM Server Time
Location:
The Prancing Pony, Bree-town

Event details:

What, When, and Where

'At the Sign of the Prancing Pony' is a weekly story-based roleplay event series held every Saturday at 3:00 PM at LOTRO's Prancing Pony. Each week features a unique story "hook" that sets the theme or tone of the event, sometimes shifting the atmosphere within the inn or inviting characters to go out into the wider world of Bree-town and Bree-land.
 

Please note that these events will not feature a DM: you are free to run with the weekly hook as you choose, and to come as early or as late as you’d like.

Bree Commons Day

These events are part of the Bree Commons Day ("BCD") RP initiative, which provides the town of Bree with a simulated economy and set of town laws active each Saturday. For more information on BCD, check out ⁠this link. 

Because the Pony is a shared community space, however, event attendees are not required to engage with BCD’s systems or rules.

Nonetheless, many ‘At the Sign of the Prancing Pony’ hooks will encourage characters to engage with other characters, organizations, and narrative events associated with Bree Commons Day. If a character chooses to do so, they should observe BCD’s systems and rules. Furthermore, the Pony should not be considered a "safe-house" for those who choose to participate in BCD: if you break town laws at RP associated with BCD, watchers can and will pursue you into the Prancing Pony!

Why

While roleplay in the Prancing Pony is nothing new, the intention of this event is to offer: 1) disparate members of the RP community a single time and place for RP, 2) new or inexperienced RPers a chance to RP and connect with other RPers, and 3) a launchpad for other adventures; consider using this event as a “lobby” for RP—maybe you can stop by the Pony to find a Ranger who will join you on a quest to banish brigands from your farm, a Dwarf-merchant to go into business with, or adventurers to join you on a treasure-hunt. Use this event as a means to develop your own stories!

OOC details:

Rules

Players who attend these events agree to the following guidelines. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in you being asked to leave an event or barred from attending future events. All players who attend these events will:

  1. not harass or troll players who attend these events; this extends to critiquing other players’ RP or spamming OOC emotes, consumables, and items, such as fireworks, and forcing other players to engage with BCD's systems or rules.
  2. not have a history of abusing or doxxing other players.
  3. If you are deemed to be disrupting this series or its attendees in any other way, you may be asked to leave an event or barred from attending future events.
Website:
https://discord.gg/dnqFVATpj6
Contact:
Angrinc, Elegost, Frimsi, Nenaras, Sho

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