I am Bautu of the Fallohides, though just a hobbit, outsiders might remark on my ability to sneak around and stay out of trouble, just like the famous Bilbo, who they call a Burglar.

I was strolling through the Shire, when I happened upon Bounder Boffin, who felt the night warranted extra caution. After quickly showing him I could handle myself, we happened upon even more nighttime travellers, Mr. Underhill with his friends, Peregrin Took and Samwise Gamgee. I swear I have seen Mr. Underhill before, but he gave no other name, and I decided that was probably his own business.

A strange feeling came through the night, and Mr. Underhill and his friends seemed very spooked, and ran off. Good riddance for them, for Bounder and I stood around to witness a terribly scary big rider come and ask for a Baggins. We luckily escaped through Odo’s leaf farm, but the spiders unnerved Bounder so much, that we had to hurry through, instead of hiding.

Just when we were about to get out of there, we run into Celandine Brandybuck and Mundo Sackville-Baggins, who are being chased by big folk. They are looking for Baggins as well, and capture us without much trouble – even if we weren’t Baggins at all.

While pondering what to do in their prison cells, a stranger who called himself Strider came by to break us out. Apparantly he was looking for someone else, who was not there, but he did not elaborate. His companion, Amdir, took the black riders blade, but we luckily escaped to a nearby big-folk village of Archet, where we are currently. I hope we can help Amdir recover, after he was wounded trying to rescue us.

Bautu is another of my placeholder characters – for the role of Burglar (I couldn’t in good conscience choose any race but Hobbit for that). I think this opening sequence might share some things with the human opening, at least I think I have seen the Strider sequence on Bramswulf – but I am unsure.

Christian