Tomorrow, (6pm EDT New York time) Hall of Fire returns to The Hobbit as we delve into the events of Chapter 14: “Fire and Water”.
“The dragon is coming or I am a fool!” he cried. “Cut the bridges! To arms! To arms!”
The Hobbit: Chapter 14: Fire and Water
Thus the people of the lake-town, Esgaroth, are warned of their approaching doom. As Smaug vents his fury on these innocent villagers, it seems that nothing can save them from the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities. But things are never quite as bad as they seem…
Tolkien’s children’s tale finally grows up. Gone are the foolish trolls, goblin songs and doggie waiters. Now the themes of life and death, honor and courage, trust and revenge get full sway.
Was Bilbo responsible for the tragedy at Esgaroth? Is the mysterious thrush just an ordinary bird, or is there more to it than meets the eye? And what of Bard? Was this grim-faced man an early version of the warrior heroes later met more fully in Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion?
These questions may be asked and answered, but what we have here is one of the most exciting parts of a most exciting tale!
So if, like the dwarves, you wish to hear news of Smaug, join us this Saturday August 8 at 6pm EDT in #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net as we look at “The Hobbit: Chapter 14: Fire and Water”.
Upcoming discussions
Saturday August 8: The Hobbit: Chapter 14: Fire and Water
Saturday August 15: Orcs and goblins
Saturday August 22: The Hobbit: Chapter 15: The Gathering of the Clouds
Saturday August 29: Gildor Inglorien
Smaug destroys Lake-town by John Howe.Time zone conversions
Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help. Alternatively, check our handy Event Announcer over on Time and Date for the correct time in your area.
America:
6.00pm EDT (New York)
5.00pm CDT (Chicago)
4.00pm MDT (Denver)
3.00pm PDT (Los Angeles)
Europe:
11.00pm BST (London)
Midnight CST (Paris)
1am EEST (Helsinki)
Asia-Pacific
8.00am AEST (Sunday) Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne
10.00am NZST (Sunday) Wellington
How long do your topic chats go for?
Our chats usually last about an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation! However, our main room, #theonering.net is open 24 hours a day. We don’t always talk Tolkien there, but if you have a burning question, you’ll usually find one or two of “the regulars” up for a chat!
Where — connection details
Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net — the TORn IRC server. It is based on internet relay chat technology (that means it’s hella old skool). It’s a text-only, moderated chat room full of eccentric Tolkien fans. We’re open 24/7 (although some times are busier and more active than others).
There are many ways to connect to the chat server. However, the easiest is generally to use a browser-based client. We usually direct folks to Mibbit:
* TORn Mibbit Widget
* Mibbit direct (as opposed to the widget above, this allows you to see others joining and leaving)
If you’re more oldschool or technically adept, you can install one of the scores of standalone chat clients that available for desktop and mobile devices. Just plug in our server details (see bottom) into the client and connect.
* Xchat: http://xchat.org/ (Windoze PC and Linux. Free)
* mIRC: http://www.mirc.com/ (Windoze PC. 30-day trial)
* AndChat: http://www.andchat.net/ (Android app for mobile. Free)
* Colloquy: http://colloquy.info/ (Mac OS and Apple mobile devices. Free)
Our server details:
IRC server name: irc.theonering.net
Channel/room name: #theonering.net
Port: 6667 (6697 for SSL connections)
