Barliman's Chat This weekend, Hall of Fire resumes chapter discussions as we examine the events of The Ride of the Rohirrim.

The Rohirrim — secretly accompanied by a very unwanted-feeling Merry — discover the road to Minas Tirith is barred by a strong force of orcs.

‘Let Ghân-buri-Ghân finish!’ said the Wild Man. ‘More than one road he knows. He will lead you by road where no pits are, no gorgûn walk, only Wild Men and beasts. Many paths were made when Stonehouse-folk were stronger. They carved hills as hunters carve beast-flesh.’

The Return of the King: Book V, Chapter V – The Ride of the Rohirrim

However, in an odd echo of Merry’s own earlier change in fortune, another way opens when the Woses of the Druadan Forest approach the host of Rohan with news of the city.

Theoden accepts their help and the Rohirrim press towards Minas Tirith through a long-forgotten road that Gondor carved through a narrow valley in ages past. But will they arrive in time to save the city? And who are the mysterious, solitary denizens of the Druadan Forest?

Join us this Saturday at 6pm ET (please note the time change in the USA because of Daylight Savings!) in the Hall of Fire for what’s sure to be a lively discussion!



Upcoming discussions:

March 22: Denethor and Theoden. A study in contrasts.
March 29: ROTK Book 5 Chapter 6: The Pyre of Denethor

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:
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