Solve-A-Mystery and Costume Contests - October 19 at 4:30pm

[Kiralynn]

The Solve-a-Mystery contest and Halloween costume contest are tomorrow afternoon!
The events will take place at 9 Chestnut Street, Raglan, Bree-land homesteads.
We'll be giving away some amazing prizes to the top three winners of each contest.
First prize is a code for the premium pre-order edition of Helm's Deep!
We'll also have some door prizes and a drawing to give goodies to volunteers.

[Kiralynn]

Greetings, investigators!

The solve-a-mystery roleplay event is only a few days away!
Here are some tips that can help you win the code for the premium pre-order edition of Helm’s Deep!



Each of the four suspects in the mystery will be located inside their home. The homes are located in the northwest area of the neighborhood, not far from the ranch. Items in each yard will help you identify who is inside.

3 Fountain Street is the home of Mundagar, the hobbit wheat farmer. It is located just east of the ranch, at the end of a narrow path. There is a large windmill in his yard.

4 Garden Street is the home of Mivenir, the woman poulterer (chicken farmer). It is located at the edge of the pond. There are two chicken coops in the yard.

7 Chestnut Street is the home of Yahr, the dwarf scholar. It is located down the hill at the water’s edge. You will find a pet cave-claw and a stone tomb in his yard.

8 Chestnut Street is the home of Glingil the elf painter. It is located next door to the ranch. You will see a Lorien lamp and a Gil-galad statue in her yard.

9 Chestnut Street is the home of the retired hunter, Mr. Umbridge. It is the scene of the crime. It is the largest building, with menacing stone trolls out front.

If you get lost, you can ask Dellphinia the Road Warden for directions.


Here is a map showing the location of the suspect’s homes.

[Nevanna]

Excitement Builds!!

[Kiralynn]

Congratulations to the winners!

In the solve-a-mystery contest, first prize went to Swafro, second to Mosby, and third to Yuraim, with Celendara as the runner-up.

In the costume contest, first prize went to Sajynna, second to Carica, and third to Kilni, with Shuggie as an honorable mention.

Thank you to the volunteers who made this possible (Lennidhren, Byrcha, Runesdaeg, Nevanna, Kaerri and Talechaser) and to the decorators who loaned their rare items (Nevanna, Carica and Bluebonnett). Also thank you to Turbine for donating the prizes!

[Kiralynn]

Congratulations to the winners!

In the solve-a-mystery contest, first prize went to Swafro, second to Mosby, and third to Yuraim, with Celendara as the runner-up.

In the costume contest, first prize went to Sajynna, second to Carica, and third to Kilni, with Shuggie as an honorable mention.

Thank you to the volunteers who made this possible (Lennidhren, Byrcha, Runesdaeg, Nevanna, Kaerri and Talechaser) and to the decorators who loaned their rare items (Nevanna, Carica and Bluebonnett). Thank you to Lilikate for bringing a band. Also thank you to Turbine for donating the prizes!

[Kiralynn]

Several days before the night of the big event, a decorating crew rode into Raglan. It was quite a task decorating the ranch, two deluxe buildings, two standard houses, and their surrounding yards. Nevanna, Carica and Bluebonnett brought an assortment of rare items and trophies. Although positioning all of the furnishings was a challenge, the most difficult part of the job was wrangling livestock -- a dozen noisy chickens, a prickly cave-claw, and an unruly hound.



Visitors who arrived early gathered around a bonfire to watch a troupe of hobbits light up the night sky with an amazing display of fireworks. The bright flashes helped guide guests through the neighborhood to the ranch.



After the Fellowship Walk completed its weekly fundraising, the final guests arrived and it was time to head indoors. The air was filled with anticipation.



Die Meisterbarden von Bree, a famous band who won top honors at this year's Weatherstock, arrived to entertain the crowd. The Halloween-themed music quickly put everyone in the mood for a party.



Of course, no party is complete without dancing! The chests were opened to reveal a large stock of pipe weed, ale and snacks. Kiralynn announced the beginning of the solve-a-mystery event. Chief Investigator Eliwren introduced the mystery and the suspects. Two paper mache trolls had been set up at the front door of Mr. Umbridge's house overnight. When he discovered them in the early morning, he thought they were real and took a fright. He fell down the stairs, twist an ankle, and hit his head. After he was taken to a healer, he identified four suspects as the likely culprits -- Glingil, Mivenir, Yahr and Mundagar. Investigators were tasked with determining which had perpetrated the prank.



Road Warden Dellphinia helped investigators find each of the suspect's homes. Here is the house of Glingil, elf painter and cartographer. Glingil answered questions and sang a song to show her love of wildlife. She hated Mr. Umbridge because he hunted and fished to excess, decorating his house with gruesome trophies and bragging about it in public. Glingil's paint had gone missing the night before.

[Keli]

That looked like a great event, congratulations Kiralynn.

[Kiralynn]

Saturday’s party and costume contest started with music and dancing, thanks to “A Rock and A Hard Place”. The band performed a number of Halloween-themed hits that attracted a crowd of over forty dancers. Hobbits, men, elves and dwarves arrived from all over Middle Earth in the hopes of winning the grand prize.




The crowd included a motley assortment of goblins, animals, ghosts and villains. Twenty-four contestants signed up to compete for the premium pre-order edition of Helm’s Deep. The expansion will be released on November 18th.




The avian costumes were popular this year and the birdies lined up for a group photo.




The audience voted for the winners. Almost everyone received a vote but a few of the costumes earned special approval from the audience. An honorable mention was awarded to Shuggie for an impressive metal mask, white beard, and black robes. Kilni won third place, while Carica took second, both going home with 1,500 Turbine Points. It was Sajynna in the guise of Little Red Riding Hood who won by a wide margin.




Click here to see screenshots of all costumes.
(My apologies if I spelled any names wrong. With such a long event and dozens of contestants, it was sometimes difficult to keep up with the chat window.)

Many thanks to “A Rock and A Hard Place” for making the evening musically memorable, rockin’ the kinhouse, and keeping everyone entertained during the counting of votes. Special thanks to Sapience of Turbine for providing the amazing prizes.

The next Windy Acres event is the Haunted Derby, scheduled for November 16 at 2:30pm /servertime. This is a wild race from Buckland to the Barrow Downs and back, winding through the Old Forest. All standard horses and ponies are allowed with any speed enhancements that you care to use.

Happy adventuring and we hope to see you at the races!