Culture
Bree - Ered Luin - Shire - Mithlond
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Breefolk culture is an expansive topic, and there will be overlap between these articles and the ones on the main menu. However, these topics are particularly helpful in guiding the creation of your character and to inform your RP for the most thematic "bree" experience. These are also great jumping-off points for starting scenes or coming up with plots. Does your character give the stink-eye to traveling strangers, or seek out pricey goods from dwarves? Are there upcoming holidays that you might celebrate with your family? Have questions about what kinds of tools you would use for an IC construction project? This is the place to look for answers.
Contents
Appearance
Physical
Humans: According to Tolkien, the humans of Bree were "brown-haired, broad, and rather short." Keep this in mind when you write your human's description-you don't have to fit it perfectly, and there's plenty of room for variation within those bounds. You should stay away from a) Being tall, dark-haired, and grey-eyed, as those are Dunadan characteristics or b) Having blonde hair and blue eyes. As far as heritage goes, Bree humans are distantly related to the Dunlendings, noted for their dark hair.
Hobbits: Most people have a better idea of what a typical hobbit looks like, but if you don't, here's what Tolkien says, in brief: Hobbits stand between 2 and 4 feet tall, usually toward the lower end of that range, but are not as broad as dwarves. They have curly, usually brown hair on their heads, wear no shoes. "Their faces were as a rule good-natured rather than beautiful, broad, bright-eyed, red-cheeked, with mouths apt to laughter and eating and drinking." Keep in mind that although these are only guidelines, if your appearance is too unusual, you'll get some strange looks from people ICly.
Clothing
When creating a wardrobe for your Bree character, think 'simple.' We're not too sophisticated, and don't have sewing machines, so avoid tight clothing and daring styles. Skirts and dresses are long; think ankle-length. No zippers; most things will be fastened with buttons or laces.
For fabrics, 'homespun and practical' would be the bulk of what was worn by Breefolk: cottons, wool, linen and leather, with those of greater means procuring velvet, silk or brocade from merchants trading in Bree. We do have dyeing capabilities, so don't feel like you have to stick to brown or black; but do remember that dyes cost money - with blues and scarlets being the most expensive and rare - and be reasonable in what you think your character could or would wear. The average Breelander is not given to frippery or flashy dressing; there aren't many occasions to show off!
Men: Most wear waistcoats/jerkins or vests, jackets or cloaks, shirts with buttons and loose pants/breeches with belts, and/or suspenders/braces, caps.
Women: Almost all wear dresses or skirts and blouses, laced bodices, aprons (sometimes several of them, layered over each other), petticoats, and shawls or cloaks. Older women are more likely to wear more clothes layered; young girls might just have a simple dress or pinafore over it.
- Click Hereto view photograph examples of Bree clothing!
Families
"The Men of Bree seemed all to have rather botanical (and to the Shire-folk rather odd) names, like Rushlight, Goatleaf, Heathertoes, Appledore, Thistlewool and Ferny (not to mention Butterbur). Some of the hobbits had similar names. The Mugworts, for instance, seemed numerous. But most of them had natural names, such as Banks, Brockhouse, Longholes, Sandheaver, and Tunnelly, many of which were used in the Shire. There were several Underhills from Staddle..."
J.R.R. Tolkien, 'The Fellowship of the Ring'
Following is a list of the established families in Bree, which all newcomers to the culture are invited to look at and pick from when they choose a surname. Each family has its own place of residence in its respective town.
| BreeProper | Archet | Combe | Staddle | |||||
| Hobbits | Longholes
Tunnelly |
Brockhouse
Whitlock |
Mugwort
Banks |
Underhill
Sandheaver | ||||
| Humans | Butterbur
Goatleaf |
Rushlight
Heathertoes |
Appledore
Thistlewool |
|||||
If you like to know more about one of those families, simply type +breeinfo <familyname>, and if you have decided on which family you like to join, set your family name accordingly (see +breeinfo C4). If none of these families appeal to you, you may choose to invent your own family name. In this case +mail BAD with a short history of your family.
Also, before choosing the name Butterbur, Goatleaf, or Ferny, please send a proposal to BAD explaining how you would like to be related to the character in the books.
Holidays
[this information credit of Wikipedia]
The calendar that we use in Bree is mostly based upon the Shire calendar, with two differences: Bree still uses the King's reckoning of years for the Third Age, which can be calculated by adding 1600 years to the Shire Reckoning date (So, 1424 S.R. translates to 3024 T.A.) The latter date would be used in Bree, though most would be familiar with both dating schemes. The names of certain months and holidays differ slightly in Bree, though the months and dates they correspond to are the same.
The length of the year is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 46 seconds, with 12 months, but all of 30 days. Five additional days were added to create a 365-day year. The months followed the lunar cycle.
Bree Calendar
| Month number | Name | Approximate relationship to Gregorian calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Yule | 22 December | |
| 1 | Frery | 23 December to 21 January |
| 2 | Solmath | 22 January to 20 February |
| 3 | Rethe | 21 February to 22 March |
| 4 | Chithing | 23 March to 21 April |
| 5 | Thrimidge | 22 April to 21 May |
| 6 | Lithe | 22 May to 20 June |
| First Summerday | 21 June | |
| Second Summerday | 22 June | |
| Third Summerday | Leap day | |
| Third/Fourth Summerday | 23 June | |
| 7 | Mede | 24 June to 23 July |
| 8 | Wedmath | 24 July to 22 August |
| 9 | Harvestmath | 23 August to 21 September |
| 10 | Wintering | 22 September to 21 October |
| 11 | Blooting | 22 October to 20 November |
| 12 | Yulemath | 21 November to 20 December |
| 1 Yule | 21 December |
Summerdays
The Summerdays, known in the Shire as Lithe, is the celebration of the summer solstice. It falls between Lithe, the sixth month of the year, and Mede, the seventh month. In most years there were three Summerdays. In Leap-years there was a fourth. The summerdays are a time of great feasting and merriment. Summerdays activities might include such things as large picnics by a pond, with swimming; contests of various natures (or, for children, field games such as sack races or crack the whip); dances; displays of musical or artistic projects; special markets; and sundry.
Yule
Yule celebrations lasted six days in total, including two days before and two days after the Yuledays. This six-day period was called Yuletide. It was a time of feasting and merriment. Breefolk might decorate their homes with candles and lanterns or boughs of evergreen and holly. The burning of the largest log that one can find is also customary for Yule. Other fun activities might include the making of fermented holiday drinks, or, always a favorite: fun in the snow!
Diplomacy/Cultural Attitudes
"The men of Bree belonged to nobody but themselves; but they were more friendly and familiar with Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, and other inhabitants of the world about them than was (or is) usual with Big People."
Bree stands at a crossroads and is a natural gathering place for travellers passing through, though there's fewer of those than there used to be. Still, if you're lucky (or unlucky!), you will get to ICly interact with player from a wide variety of cultures across Eriador, and sometimes from further off in Middle-Earth. Here's how most of us view Outsiders: your character's opinions might differ very slightly, but you should try to stick fairly closely to these guidelines.
Shirefolk - We're usually on good terms with our western neighbours, and trade with them for pipeweed, amongst other things. The Shirefolk, being peaceable hobbits, have never caused us any trouble (though they may not be able to say the same for us.) Bree hobbits regard Shirefolk as colonists - it's /our/ claim to be the oldest settlement of Hobbits in the world, after all, founded long before the Brandywine was crossed - still, some Bree hobbits have Shire relations.
Dwarves - Parties of Dwarves can often be seen journeying on the Great East Road, going to and from the Mountains. Although they may be a bit gruff, Breefolk generally like them because they bring money and goods and once rebuilt the South Gate. They can be rowdy on occasion, though.
Dunlendings - Our southern neighbours. We share some very distant heritage with the Dunlendings, having common ancestors who migrated north from the White Mountains. We occasionally receive their merchants, but otherwise regard these uncouth southerners neutrally. Their troubles are of no concern to us.
Rangers - These mysterious wanderers loiter around Bree and say very little. We regard them with suspicion - aside from their silence and height, it's rumoured they have strange powers of sight and hearing, and can speak with bird and beast. Oh, they can tell fine tales when they've a mind, but we don't befriend them.
Isendrim agents - We don't know that these folk are agents. To us, they're just other humans from around here or the lands down south, travelling merchants and the like. A suspicious-looking and rather ugly man has, however, sometimes been seen in the Pony...
Yfelwydan humans - Although not really a group in particular, these humans sometimes cause trouble and things go missing while they're around. Some are outcasts from Bree or have a history here; others we don't know. May be mistaken for Rangers.
Other humans - Occasionally we'll get a caravan or visitor from some strange place like Gondor or the other side of the Misties. Strange visitors are taken neutrally and judged by their own actions.
Elves - Breefolk rarely travel east (the lands are empty and the roads dangerous), and the Fair Folk are seldom seen by us these days. For some, Elves are becoming the stuff of legend: fragments of old tales and half-forgotten stories. If Breefolk do encounter one of those elusive Elves, we'd be polite but distant - after all, the business of the four villages is our main concern. Events outside our borders don't mean much.
Orcs - The Orcs of the Misty Mountains and foothills rarely make it to Bree, mostly due to the Rangers' control - but we don't realize this. To us, Orcs are the goblins of fairy stories, evil, twisted ... and far removed from everyday existence.
Trolls - In 3026, there was a major troll attack on the Breelands. The culprit is now dead (RIP Lou) but he managed to cause a great deal of damage to our South Gate. There has also been a troll encounter in the fields outside the North Gate. Trolls are not fun, but dangerous, and they eat our livestock and sometimes our people.
Wargs - Eat sheep. Not good. Rarely seen around Bree.
Travel
Travel Within the Breelands
The following chart shows travel times in hours between the towns in the Breeland, based on a Breeman on foot travelling on the road. For hobbits, multiply the times by 1.5. If going by cart, multiply by 2/3. If very old, young, or otherwise impaired, adjust accordingly.
| Bree | Staddle | Combe | Archet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bree | 0 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 5-6 |
| Staddle | 1-2 | 0 | 1-2 | 4-5 |
| Combe | 3-4 | 1-2 | 0 | 2-3 |
| Archet | 5-6 | 4-5 | 2-3 | 0 |
The variation in here occurs due to different routes that may be taken and the fact that Bree is not flat! For instance, one walks downhill to get from Staddle to Combe, but uphill going the other way. Please take the terrain into account when RPing travel between towns and see +breeinfo towns for more information about each location.
Walking -- Most commonly, about 2.0 to 2.5 mph (24-30 minutes per mile) can be maintained. If you're pushing yourself a bit harder, you can likely maintain a pace of 3.0 to 3.5 mph (15-17 minutes per mile). Short bursts of faster speed could be achieved, but not likely maintained by anyone unused to walking all day. This also assumes that you are travelling solely on a well-maintained road. If you are off the road, your speed will be drastically reduced depending on the sort of terrain. Slogging through a swamp, you may only make a few hundred yards in a hour.
Riding -- Ponies: 3 mph, walking. 5-6 mph, trotting. 11-12 mph, galloping. Keep in mind that you would not be able to keep up more than a walking pace for long periods without killing your horse. Assume that over a distance, a lone person riding a pony would be able to go approximately half again as far as a person on foot. Also, these figures presume a single person, not greatly burdened, travelling alone and able to set their own pace. A group will go at the speed of the slowest member.
Travel Outside the Breelands
Bree is a community largely concerned with itself - not really worried about seeing or participating in events in the outside world. Some amount of travel is necessary to maintain relations with 'neighbors' of course, but 99% of all Breefolk would never leave their home -- because they WOULDN'T WANT TO. The few of us who are PCs can be the unusual few, but it is far more thematic to never want to leave home. Bear in mind that if you travel outside of Bree, people in Bree will look at you funny and think that you're maybe not quite right in the head, and certainly not entirely trustworthy.
We encourage plots involving travel if they involve travelling in a group somewhere nearby; for instance, a trading caravan to the Shire. But we don't need to travel to meet and RP with folks from other cultures, because they come to us. :) At one time or another, there have been members of the Arnorian, Dunlending, Yfel, Shire, Erebor and Ered Luin, Isendrim, Mithlond and Imlad cultures in Bree, as well as Gollum and Gandalf.
Another thing to keep in mind regarding leaving the Breelands is that Eriador is, for the most part, a vast expanse of unfriendly wilderness. Rivendell is several hundred miles away, and to get there, you would have to either hike on foot or with a pack animal, and it will take weeks. There are additional things to worry about besides just the terrain; bandits and trolls and orcs, not to mention wolves and bears make travel dangerous for everyone. And especially for the relatively defenseless Breefolk. A group of hobbits and human farmers walking down the Great East Road would look like dinner! If you are attacked or killed, BAD will not intervene except in rare cases. To leave Bree is to accept the possibility that your character might very possibly be killed.
These guidelines only apply to travel outside of the Breelands, though. We always encourage local travel, so if your sister lives in Archet, feel free to go visit her anytime you want.
The following rules govern all travel outside of the Breelands:
- All traveling must be approved by the LAs of Bree as well as the culture you are traveling to.
- The only culture that Breefolk might travel to on a regular basis is the Shire. If your char has good IC reason to journey somewhere else, discuss it with the BAD team. See Diplomacy for information on our friends and neighbors.
- All IC travel must fall in line with IC travel time restraints.
- Travel will only be permitted for characters for whom it is IC to travel.
- Travel is most thematic for Breefolk when it occurs in groups. If, for some reason, you have IC reason to join a group of travellers from another culture remember to ask permission from BAD ahead of time, because you will also need time to get permission from the other culture.
- Travelling within the Breelands is always permitted.
Please note that travelling outside Bree is ICly highly dangerous! There are mean, mean, mean people out there who will not hesitate to kill your character just for walking on their road. BAD cannot and will not intervene on realistic dangers your character encounters while outside Bree.
From Bree to There, in Number of Miles:
| Weathertop | Forsaken Inn | Brandywine Bridge | Tharbad | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bree | 100 mi | 28 mi | 50 mi | 230 mi |
Combat
The word 'combat' is almost a misnomer of any activity involving weapons in Bree. We generally do not have anything which compares to combat in other cultures, but now and again there is a need for drawn weapons, and this file is to help you be prepared for when such times arise.
When there is combat, it is usually brief, more like a cowardly attack on someone than an ongoing fight. Also, we occasionally have the need for a fight with a beast. Combat in Bree is mild compared to other places. We don't cut off people's heads and show them to their mothers. We don't drink blood. We don't fry up intestines (well, you'll have to talk to Barliman about that). We attack; we win or lose; and we generally rue the fact that it had to come to blows. Even the baddies of Bree probably aren't too eager to fight - they are likely much more in favor of robbing someone's house while they are away at work, picking their pocket, or simply bullying their way into money. Blows -are- exchanged, but they aren't long-lived very often, and only in extreme cases do they ever reach the point of someone dying.
Weapons
The Bree Blacksmiths are able to forge axes, bows, clubs, dagger, short swords, and staffs. Weapons are available for anyone to purchase, though you must have a good reason for your character to have one to be able to purchase one. Weapons are not cheap - please see the pricelist in the Blacksmith Shop for specifics. If you wish to purchase a weapon, please +mail BAD stating that you wish to do so and giving your reasons.
NOTE: Barehands is likely to be the most often-used choice here. Not many people at all need a sword, and precious few would use an axe for anything other than chopping wood. Bow would probably be used mostly for hunting. Bandits and constables, as well as the few hobbits who would carry a weapon, are the only people who would generally have daggers. Staffs are probably popular among old men and those who need physical support. Club might possibly be the most thematic (non-barehands) weapon for Bree, as many people, upon being forced to draw a weapon, would completely fail to find one on their person and would likely pick up the nearest medium-sized stick.
Armor
The Armour Smith of Bree can outfit both Hobbits and Humans in all kinds of leather armour. Metal armours haven't been needed for so long in this land that the Smiths have all but forgotten this aspect of the craft.
It should be noted that the average Breefolk never ever needs armour. Purchasing it will require a very good IC reason.
Armour is not cheap - please see the pricelist in the Blacksmith Shop for specifics. If you wish to purchase some armour, please +mail BAD stating that you wish to do so and giving your reasons.
Combat Registration
Being combat registered is not required, nor is it necessary to enjoy your RP in Bree. However, it is recommended, as there are things that you will not be able to do if you choose not to register. You will not be able use the CS system, though you can still RP combat. You cannot +learn any languages (This is not something that most Breefolk would ever do, though.) And you would not be able to be a +healer. No player who is combat registered is required to engage in combat. However, registering will set your stats and allow you to carry weapons and armour, if appropriate for your character.
- A two-week period of activity in Bree is required before you can apply to combat-register. Once you've been around a few weeks and settled in to the culture, you should +MAIL MINION-BB and request a combat-quiz.
- When you receive the quiz, use the files under help combat to answer the questions and submit the quiz to MINION-BB.
- Assuming you passed, a member of BAD will need to run through a quick combat RP session with you, after which you will be approved for combat registration.
Go to the Registration Room, in the Combat Room, in the OOC Room, and follow the directions there.
Language
Much of the following information is referring to hobbits, but can also be extrapolated to and used for Bree humans as they have such a long and close association with hobbits.
- 'The Hobbits of the Shire and Bree had at this time, for probably a thousand years, adopted the Common Speech (Westron). They used it in their own manner freely and carelessly; though the more learned among them had still at their command a more formal language when occasion required.'
- '...the hobbits quickly adopted the Common Speech after they entered Eriador, and by the time of their settlement at Bree they had already begun to forget their former tongue.'
- 'Hobbit was the name usually applied by the Shire-folk to all their kind. Men called them Halflings.' - It seems that the Men of Bree would be an exception to this rule as Barliman specifically called them 'hobbits'.
- '...the divergence between the pronunciation and idiom of the Shire, and the Westron tongue in the mouths of the Elves or of the high men of Gondor, was greater than has been shown in this book. Hobbits indeed spoke for the most part a rustic dialect, whereas in Gondor and Rohan a more antique language was used, more formal and more terse.'
- 'The more learned and able among the Hobbits had some knowledge of 'book-language' as it was termed in the Shire; and they were quick to note and adopt the style of those whom they met.'
- 'In the case of persons, however, Hobbit-names in the Shire and in Bree were for those day peculiar, notably in the habit that had grown up, some centuries before this time, of having inherited names for families. Most of these surnames had obvious meanings (in the current language being derived from jesting nicknames, or from place-names, or - especially in Bree - from the names of plants and trees).' - Surnames in the Shire and Bree
- 'Since the survival of traces of the older language of the Stoors and the Bree-men resembled the survival of Celtic elements in England, I have sometimes imitated the latter in my translation. Thus Bree, Combe (Coomb), Archet, and Chetweed are modelled on relics of British nomenclature, chosen according to sense: bree 'hill' chet 'wood'.'
