Board Thread:Suggestions forum/@comment-122.60.109.148-20170124224656

I'll get straight to the point; at the present, the places where and concentration with which Pipe-weed spawns are incorrect when compared to lore.

I refer to the prologue (written by Tolkien himself) to The Lord of the Rings, included in the 50th Anniversary edition that I know of, in the first volume. The second sub-heading reads 'Concerning Pipe-weed', and underneath is a short note explaining pipe-weed, followed by an excerpt from Herblore of the Shire by Meriadoc Brandybuck stating his theory of the history and origins of pipe-weed. I quote the last paragraph of this eminent work included in the prologue:

'All the same, observations that I have made on my own many journeys south have convinced me that the weed itself is not native to our parts of the world, but came northward from the lower Anduin, whither it was, I suspect, originally brought over Sea by the Men of Westernesse. It grows abundantly in Gondor, and there is richer and larger than in the North, where it is never found wild, and flourishes only in warm sheltered places like Longbottom. The Men of Gondor call it sweet galenas and esteem it only for the fragrance of its flowers. From that land it must have been carried up the Greenway during the long centuries between the coming of Elendil and our own days. But even the Dunedain of Gondor allow us this credit: Hobbits first put it into pipes. Not even the Wizards first thought of that before we did. Though one Wizard that I knew took up the art long ago, and became as skilful in it as in all other things that he put his mind to.'

I have made several observations from this paragraph, and emboldened (is that the word?) key points of interest. These lead me to suggest he following changes to the mod:

-Pipe-weed may spawn in Meneltarma, in plant form (other plants obviously survived there according to this mod, so why not this?)

-Pipe-weed no longer spawns wild in the Shire, but now only spawns as the crop variant in hobbit farms, though quite commonly there as it is a favourite with hobbits. It should also spawn in farms in Bree at some point in the future.

-Pipe-weed (plant) will spawn very commonly in Gondor, but not in crop form.

-Perhaps there should be distinct types of Pipe-weed, starting with Northern and Southern, and in the future maybe even Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby, etc, as found in Concerning Pipe-weed?

This is just a small change, but an important one, if Tolkien found it important enough to include in his prologue to The Lord of the Rings.

~A wiki user not logged into his account 