Tales From the Bloated Spider

Prologue

Myfanwy was part of a group of men travelling from the Long-Lake over the Misty Mountains. As the company travelled through Mirkwood, Myfanwy somehow became separated from the rest of the group and soon found herself all alone in the suffocating blackness of Mirkwood.

After days of wandering blindly, Myfanwy stumbled upon a group of Wood-elves gathered around a fire in the middle of the forest. Excited by the smell of food, she ran forward into the circle and before she knew what was happening, the fire was kicked out and she fell fast asleep on the ground.

When she awoke, she found herself in a small, dark room with a locked door. she thought to herself, At least I'm not still out in the forest!.
Suddenly, the door to her cell opened and she was led down a corridor, up some stairs, down another corridor, around a corner (you get the picture) until she stood before King Thranduil himself.

When Thranduil heard from her that a group of men had been travelling through Mirkwood he was worried, and he imagined his precious treasure being carried away by the chest-full. Therefore it was decided that Myfanwy was not to leave Mirkwood, lest she gave away the location of the halls to any greedy men.

Myfanwy wasn't too disappointed with this ruling, as she was a dim-witted woman, and most of the people in her village were sick of her. Indeed, the reason she was part of the van over the mountains was so that she could be dumped in Bree.

However, Myfanwy missed her inn, and so it was that she opened the first pub in Mirkwood and called it The Bloated Spider. Part of the reason, she said, was to cheer up those miserable Pointy Ear'ds.

Now follows a tale from the smokey haven that is the Bloated Spider...