Our chapter-by-chapter discussions on the middle installment of J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings are coming to a close. Later today in Hall of Fire at 5pm EST we’ll be discussing the chapter that takes Frodo, Sam and Gollum to the edge of Ithilien as the Black Land itself broods and gathers its strength for some vast assault upon the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.
My scouts and watchers have all returned, even some that have crept within sight of the Morannon. They all find a strange thing. The land is empty. Nothing is on the road, and no sound of foot, or horn, or bowstring is anywhere to be heard. A waiting silence broods above the Nameless Land. I do not know what this portends. But the time draws swiftly to some great conclusion. Storm is coming.
The Two Towers. Book 4, Chapter VII: The Journey to the Cross-roads
Leaving Faramir’s company, Sam and Frodo are forced to once once more put their faith in the guidance of Smeagol — a Smeagol who “forgives nice Master’s little trickses”. As Faramir intimated, the land of Ithilien is no longer the haven that it was just a few days ago. Now it feels like a place about to be beseiged. And Sam is uneasy for other reasons. When Smeagol disappears — hunting, or scouting — he expresses hope that the Ring’s former owner has gone for good even as Frodo hopes that he’s come to no ill.
Come join us later today at 5pm EST (please note the time change!) in the Hall of Fire for what’s sure to be a lively discussion!
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:
5.00pm EST (New York)
4.00pm CST (Chicago)
3.00pm MST (Denver)
2.00pm PST (Los Angeles)
Europe:
10.00pm GMT (London)
11.00pm CST (Paris)
Midnight EEST (Helsinki)
Asia-Pacific
8.00am AEST (Sunday) Brisbane
9.00am AEDT (Sunday) Sydney, Melbourne
11.00am NZDT (Sunday) Wellington
How long do your topic chats go for?
Our chats usually last from an hour to ninety minutes, 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. You can connect instantly via our embedded Mibbit client that works inside your web browser.
Alternatively, you can install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer and just plug in the following connection details.
Server: irc.theonering.net
Port: 6667
Channel: #thehalloffire
