After a night of narry a wink of sleep, the companions set out at first light on what would be one epic day.
Winding country lanes called their name and they answered. Among the winding mountainous roads they found one of Radagast’s hidden dells of unspoilt nature, The Wildwood Rabbitry. The two sisters who call this haven their’s were strong and of the earth, like the Entwives of old.
Among many Shire-like services they did for the community and the land itself, they bred giant Rhosgobel (Flemish Giants) Rabbits, the ones that in times past pulled the woodland sleigh of the Brown Wizard. They fed the weary band with homemade rolls that would’ve made Beorn himself blush, crystal clear spring water reminiscent of the Ent draught of legend, and desert cakes that Bombur could only dream of.
Beginning last Saturday and running through to September 4, TheOneRing.net is hosting a Pledge Drive (see the banner at the top) as well as a bunch of auctions for some really cool memorabilia and collectibles.
The day-to-day operation of the website, and the events we host, require a lot more resources than when we first started nearly 15 years ago. We sometimes find it hard to ask our readers for the help we need to keep running, so we began discussing what it is that makes TheOneRing.net worth helping out. It started out as a search for the Top Ten Moments of TORn, but the list got so long because each staff member had their own idea of important moments in TORn history. Here, instead, is something more encompassing: Ten Ways TORn helps serve Tolkien and Lord of the Rings fandom (listed in no specific order).
And, if you enjoy what we do, consider a donation (no amount too small, because every bit does help!) to keep us running!
If you can’t, that’s fine as well — keep reading, commenting and contributing. Because TORn is as much you as it is us!
If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.
Buoyed by their educational experience from the day before, Cryptozoic and TheOneRing.net’s Road to Dragon Con fellowship set out in high spirits. Before hitting the road proper, they stopped at a treasure trove entitled Toys R Us to seek out jointed, miniature busts of their favorite heroes and villains, not to mention replicas of legendary weapons.
On the way out of the trading metropolis of Denver they picked up a new member, Katalena! A master of masks and trickery, makeup and mirrors. She joined them to be a player in the masquerade that is Dragon Con.
The flat, empty, fly-ridden plains of Kansas opened up like a hungry maw before them, they had no choice but to enter and cross. All across the never-ending plains they shared stories with their companions watching via crystal slab, and chatted awhile with Cliff the Unmoving, The Adamant Wizard.
Finally the weary band made their way in the outskirts of Kansas City, where after multiple tries they found an inn to rest their weary heads.
What is next in store for the Fellowship of the Dragon? Moridan himself can’t tell you that secret.
– Doug Brochu
We’d like to continue to thank Cryptozoic – our official sponsor of our Road to DragonCon! Cryptozoic has an amazing line-up of trading card and traditional games, including their recently released Hobbit Board Game and soon to be released The Two Towers Deck-Building Game (Aug 28th).
Enjoy the pics below and as always, please support our adventures and our 2013 pledge drive!
Over the next couple of weeks TheOneRing.net is conducting a pledge drive to raise funds to keep our servers running. We have some unique auctions going on over at ebay, including something very special and truly one of a kind that highlights a key event that TORn put on for fans earlier this year — a signed canvas with autographs and drawings by many of the artists who participated in our “Unexpected Art Show”.
We were proud to present this one night only gallery exhibit held on February 22, 2013 at Lot 613 in the historic arts district of downtown Los Angeles. In this cool space, we featured a variety of artists who use many different mediums and are creatively inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth universe. The all volunteer TORn staff spent hours setting up the space, coordinating and meeting with artists from around the world, and cleaning up after a wonderful night of music and artwork. We then had to hurry over to help set up for our next event — the Oscar party we threw the very same weekend! As you can imagine, it was quite tiring but very rewarding to see and meet so many fans admiring the beautiful artwork and having a chance to mingle with such an incredible group of talented artists. It was a true celebration of how much J.R.R. Tolkien’s works mean to all of us.
Acclaimed artists Tim Kirk, Donato Giancola, and Jerry VanderSelt were on hand to meet fans, sign prints, and in the case of Tim, get a portrait of yourself drawn as a playful Hobbit! They also took the time to autograph and draw on a special TORn stretched canvas panel for us. Tim drew Smaug, Donato drew Gandalf, and Jerry sketched Strider. Eleven other artists who attended the show also signed the canvas including LEGO artists OneLug, graphic artist Nancy Steinman, stained-glass artist Christie Wood, and more. You can own this truly unique and one of kind piece of artwork from this spectacular TORn event by bidding today!
The Road to DragonCon team is frolicking around the mountains of Colorado today on their way to the first fan meet-up in Denver. Details on that in a little bit! First a bit of a recap from yesterday.
Justin, Doug and Ryan woke up in the rain at Lake Powell, Utah – allowing them only 4 hours of sleep that night. Rain in the desert is not as uncommon as one might think! They made their way to a local Denny’s where the manager and waitress gave them the all-star treatment.
After a night of narry a wink of sleep, the companions set out at first light on what would be one epic day.
Buoyed by their educational experience from the day before, 
