Little they ate and little they spoke. They could not count the passing of time; and they scarcely dared to move, for the whisper of their voices echoed and rustled in the tunnel.

It is hardly a pleasant thing to be trapped in a dragon’s back hallway, and Thorin and Company are soon compelled to find a way of escape, right through Smaug’s treasure chamber. Due to Bilbo’s quick action, the dwarves were saved from Smaug’s first onslaught, but what now is to become of them? Again it is Bilbo who takes the lead, offering to spy out the Dragon’s lair a third time. But Smaug is nowhere to be found. When the dragon’s away the dwarves will play, and there is much joy at the first sight of the tremendous hoard. Thorin rewards Bilbo with a dazzling mithril coat, and Bilbo himself finds a treasure worth all the rest combined, the great Arkenstone, Heart of the Mountain.

Escape is finally made and comparative safety found, but larger questions loom. Will the Dwarves lust for wealth overcome their good sense? Even if they could get out the treasure, how would they get it home? Has Bilbo been seduced by the lust for riches? How will they survive the oncoming winter? Most of all, where, oh where, is that Dragon?

Come join us this week in #thehalloffire as we discuss The Hobbit: Chapter 13: Not At Home.

===
Upcoming topics:

Sept 11-12: Middle Earth’s Greatest Hero
Sept 18-19: The Hobbit: Chapter 14: Fire and Water
Sept 25-26: The Downfall of Numenor
Oct 2-3: The Hobbit: Chapter 14: The Gathering of the Clouds

===
Place:

#thehalloffire on theonering.net IRC server. Need instructions? Go here:
http://www.theonering.net/barlimans/instructions.html

===
Chat Times:

Saturday Chat:
5:30pm EST (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 7:30am Sunday morning AEST]

Sunday Chat:
8:00 pm (20:00) CET
[also 2:00pm (14:00) EST and 4:00am Monday morning AEST]

EST = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AEST = Australian East Coast

Dust off those pointy ears! Even as we speak, TORn is at Dragon*Con. This year, our guests include author Anne Petty, jeweler Paul Badali, and Tolkien expert Michael Martinez. We are also most honored to welcome those crazy Kiwis Craig Parker, Bruce Hopkins, and Sala Baker. Our updated schedule is on the site, and we hope we see you there! [Dragon*Con 2004 Schedule]

‘The Greatest Adventure’ is what lies ahead for those who remember Rankin/Bass’ The Hobbit. But this time you won’t hear Glen Yarbrough warbling! The upcoming film Ringers: Lord of the Fans features one of Southern California’s best indie bands, Arlo, performing a fabulous rocking new version. The first ‘rough cut’ of the documentary is almost ready — visit the Ringers site for upcoming news about LOTR actors and legendary rock stars appearing in the film! [More]

TORn Dragon Con shirt revealed! ATLANTA – Three new shirts will make their premeir at Dragon Con in Atlanta this weekend! All three will be available on line after the convention along with a fourth golf style shirt with a TORn embroidered logo. [More]

Angela writes: Howard Shore’s The Lord Of The Rings Symphony is set to be on Bravo! station at 8:30 p.m, on Saturday September 4. It’s listed as an hour long intermingling with interview clips as well. Get that VCR tape out!

Hollywood star Jack Black will take to his mountain bike, Adrien Brody will make music and Naomi Watts will kick back with a good book. Those were the little things the world learned when media descended on Peter Jackson’s studios in Wellington yesterday for the first look at his $200 million King Kong, fronted by the three stars and their director. [More]