Toolman's Treasure

On Sunday, September 23rd (2018), some hobbits gathered to search for a mysterious treasure. Here is a summary of what happened at the treasure hunt!

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A group of hobbits (and a dog) gathered in the Great Smials. Before Nimelia could mine more books into pieces, we started to study the mysterious note that had been found in the Smials library earlier, inside a recipe book. The text on the note was:

Toolman's Treasure

If you seek a treasure where the lilies are brown
walk this winding road all the way down
in a bush, between the hogs
the next clue is logged.

We went outside and decided to look for a bush with two hogs in it. Maybe Old Sally could help? We also tried to look for brown lilies, but none were around. Miss Lina wondered if the lilies referred to Lily Brown, who could be at the Cotton's Farm. Anyway, we didn't find two hogs in a bush, so we decided to try another road from Tuckborough. We tried the one that leads to Hobbiton, and it was a winding one. And, at the end of the road, there was the Ivy Bush! We stormed inside, and there, above the fireplace, were two hog heads on the wall! This must be the spot, we gathered.

And indeed, there was a carving on the mantelpiece:

Where enchanted princes hop
there’s a wall with a log.

This was easy! The "enchanted princes" must be frogs, and there's a log in Frogmorton, the Floating Log to be exact! So we went on hastily. We felt a bit guilty when we just passed the Green Dragon and didn't go in (I hope Barmy understands!) This was the most dangerous part of the journey, as some hobbits got stuck in the mud on the road. As we waited for them, Miss Lina discovered a high ledge near Frogmorton, a dangerous situation as well. Luckily, Miss Nimelia managed to hold her from her belt, so that she didn't have a chance to brave that ledge and jump down. I bet she would have gotten stuck in the swampy Frogmorton ground as well.

Then, we continued and came to the Floating Log. As folks started to order drinks, Miss Tibba spotted something on the wall: there was a log there! The next clue was there. Again, something was carved on the wood:

Time to reveal the secret spot:
yer treasure waits behind the highest rock!

Was the treasure a napping bounder behind a rock? Strange! We started thinking what this high rock could be. The Yale height maybe? Or the hill above Scary? We had just walked past one rock, the Three Farthing Stone. That's high too. So we decided to go there to search.

Once we got there, everyone started to search for a spot where the treasure could be found. No brown lilies anywhere, so probably we would have to dig the whole place up. And for that, we would need more shovels and pickaxes. Farmer Tom Cotton was nearby, so we went to him to ask for some digging tools. Farmer Cotton was a bit suspicious of us and our intentions, and we tried to convince him that we wouldn't dig on his fields or spoil the view. Just some minor digging to find a Toolman's treasure. We handed him the note that had been found in the library.

Farmer Cotton looked at the note and broke into laughter: You don't have to dig up anything! The treasure has already been found!"
We looked surprised and a bit disappointed, but he continued: "And this is not about a 'Toolman's treasure' but the 'Tolman's treasure'! Tolman is my real name, Tom is only my nickname."
We looked even more surprised. "So this was your treasure?"
Tolman Cotton nodded. "Aye, and I found it at this very spot! Look again at the note. It says: 'where the lilies are brown'. You know what it means?"
Most hobbits looked baffled, but Miss Lina got it: "Lily Brown!! Your wife!"
Tolman Cotton nodded again. "Yes, that stands for a lass whose name is Lily Brown. She's my wife."

Then, the farmer told us the story behind the note. When he was only a young hobbit lad, he fell in love with the sweet Lily Brown. Lily liked Tolman too, but she had some suspicious about the lad initially, and wanted to test his wits with some riddles. She left him a note at Tuckborough, leading to some clues, and if Tolman would solve all of them, Lily would be his lass. "So this is where I found her, pretty as ever, and with a picnic basket. A real Tolman's treasure! So when we married, I chose this spot as our home and farm," the farmer told.

Even though we felt a bit disappointed that there was no Toolman's treasure for us to be found, the grand tale we heard from Tom Cotton was a grand find too! But the long walk had made us hungry too, and Miss Lily's picnic basket had been emptied a long time ago. But we had brought some foods! We set a campfire at the farm and started eating Fall sausages Miss Lina had brought. Nimelia was happy that this search didn't lead into some silly marriages, like with the farmer. The others noted that there was still time for Miss Nimelia to find a suitor, pointing at the sturdy Cotton sons who worked tirelessly on the fields with their farming tools.

All in all, it was a grand search, and we learnt something new about our fellow hobbits! Maybe we will have another adventure like this soon, who knows!

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Here is a link to the original event post: http://www.lostmathom.org/threads/a-toolmans-treasure-sunday-23-september.2848/