The Easterly Inn

The Easterly Inn is situated near a little brook that flows out of Mirkwood towards the Great River, approximately twenty miles south of where the Forest gate opens along the eaves of the wild wood. A small stone bridge arches over the babbling waters, and just beyond that stands the inn. The Easterly Inn consists of a small but comfortable wooden inn containing the common room and a few guest rooms for Big Folk, some outbuildings and stables, and the Hobbit-hole beneath where Dindy, Dody, Agatha and Dody’s two young sons live.

Although it only opened a few months ago, the inn is gaining a reputation as a good stopping point for journeys east of Mirkwood. The beer is good, the food is excellent, and Hobbits make wonderful hosts. In truth, the success of the inn has less to do with Dody’s beer or even Agatha’s delicious food, and owes more to Beorn’s promise of protection and the curiosity of travellers come to see the strange Halflings. Still, if someone comes to shelter from bandits, and stays for the food and the soft feather beds, that is still gold in Dody’s pocket.

Indeed, if the inn survives, it may become the heart of a new village, just as Bree sprang up at the crossroads around the Prancing Pony.