Filling the Gaps: following in the footsteps of the Wildwood and the Angle

[TesalionLortus]

the far more interesting tale is uncovering precisely how "Sharkey" tricked the Sackville-Bagginses in the first place, a very significant gap in the lore. Also, that all that pipeweed in Isengard suggests there was a major schema, a fast network perhaps through trade, coercion, or both, and precisely why "Sharkey" was even bothering himself with all this Shire stuff (*and had just that 1 lone southern dude in Bree spying on Frodo for him instead of having all his ruffians trying to catch Frodo before the Nazgul could), etc.

That's more interesting to me; not the shamed, broken villain just taking a mean walk along the Royal Road to the Shire to give some extra hurt to Frodo and company. To me, all the intrigue involving the South Farthing and the Royal Road is precisely what Saruman was up to with the Shire in the first place, the lines between the lines, not only what the lore and Tolkien tells us outright and him trying to figure-out Gandalf's interest in the place but - why - that was so and - how - he tricked those people.

Sure, but we can explore all of that in any place on the timeline, really. If you go to "Royal Road" it wouldn't really be Saruman you run into, unless it's a flashback. Pre-defeat or not, he has no business actively going around the place to command some ruffians, he's got stuff to take care of home (or straight in Shire, so that would be a quick walk and not much of scheming in the area). As for Lotho, it wouldn't be a part of this zone (most likely) so when they finally decide to add it this might be done Yondershire-style and on lower level, so we might still get into some 'Lotho backstory' there. But anything too straightforward wouldn't work though, the thing with Halros was brilliantly framed and even then, all the stuff from Yondershire, even with a few 'hired' lowlifes involved, didn't immediately scream "I gonna take over the place! muhahaha." It has that odd Shire silliness around it with Lotho being a worrisome villainous figure (for a hobbit) but then again also very much a hobbit. Let's assume you play this and have no idea about the book - you wouldn't expect the total takeover. Something less disastrous at best, use some mercenaries to enforce your silly will because you're stubborn and hobbitsy and you don't like something. Or come up with some scheme to successfully - but legally - take over the Bag End, so it's finally theirs. Stuff like that... Would be nice if the content doesn't provide you with any direct indication of just how big ambitions he has or that he's already involved with a literal army of spies and half-orcs.

For example, did he himself sneak up there in person and actually present himself to Lotho the way Gandalf did with Bilbo and Frodo? Is there a very sad, tragic tale of how Saruman tricked these Hobbits into thinking he was a good guy? What exactly - did - happen in the South Farthing and along the Royal Road between those places and Dunland? You see, Yondershire and the extent Shire areas did a good job at "starting to set-up"
this stuff from the perspective of Hobbits that weren't directly involved - like Fredregar Bolger and the Yonder-Hobbits. What where did this start? How did it creep out?

True that LOTRO might paint a more detailed picture here but I don't think Saruman would be doing any 'tricking' of Sackville-Bagginses here. He was just that much into pipeweed and wouldn't risk Gandalf finding out, not to mention walk among the hobbits (he despised Gandalf for doing so... and also for pipeweed... but that he just couldn't resist in the end..). Other than piepweed he clearly had an interested in a spy network that's why he put resources into it (so there might be interesting details about how that relationship worked, with brigands and half-orcs from the South). But anything to do with Lotho was probably Lotho's own idea in the first place which only adds to his villainy. He was approached by/saw those brigands and thought he could use them rather than be used by them, perhaps wasn't even discouraged when some half-orcs turned up one day (which would make sense if we assume he had no idea about the 'Sharkey plans" and all that invasion-sounding, nefarious, very organized matters). And it's only after Saruman enters the Shire when things spiral out of control and crowds of half-orcs enter. Maybe.

Hehe I would say though that we have to remember that Frodo goes straight up to Rivendell and actually stays there for a bit. So, a lot would depend on the timing of what happens when. They'll decide what they will I guess

In practice, his journey from Gondor to Dunland might last like a year or two irl :P and that's already the point when we are send to do the Scouting (or whatever) and get back before he reaches Rivendell. Still, I would really love it if they finally put the gears into motion here, they've been sitting idly in Minas Tirth for a long long time now and that was already in Mordor when we got serious feelings of home from our hobbits



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It's the same precise kind of stone as in Elderslade as well as with the flora and fauna. BUT- when I went to Elderslade, no geography corresponded at all with the terrain.

I also thought of Elder Slade at first but didn't sit right with me. Makes me hopeful either way, we shall see.