The Story of the Thieves and the Birthday Present 1.0

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In the dark shadows of Middle-earth, where the battle between good and evil teetered on the edge, there existed a peculiar fellowship, twisted and fragmented by deceit and ambition. Three individuals stood at the center of this tale: Saruman the White, once a powerful wizard who had fallen, Gríma Wormtongue, the sly and treacherous advisor to King Théoden, and Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, a hobbit with an insatiable greed for power and an agenda that opposed Saruman’s every move. Together, they were united not by trust, but by necessity.

It all began on a cold evening when an unexpected item crossed their path: The Birthday Present, an ancient and mysterious gift. This artifact was no ordinary object; it held an untold power, and it was bound by the rules of the Riddle-game. Saruman, ever the strategist, saw an opportunity for control. His plan was simple: he would take on the role of the “thief,” which would give him the chance to claim the Birthday Present as his own. But there was one problem: Saruman’s ambitious plans had a flaw. One he had failed to account for: Lobelia Sackville-Baggins.

Lobelia, a hobbit driven by her desire for wealth and status, was not one to follow anyone’s lead, least of all Saruman’s. She had her own designs, and she would stop at nothing to thwart the wizard. Her plan was to steal the Birthday Present from Saruman once it had been claimed, bypassing the rules of the Riddle-game in a clever move of her own. Saruman’s arrogance had blinded him to the possibility of betrayal, and Lobelia took full advantage of it.

The moment of the theft came with swift betrayal. Saruman, with his pride and the Birthday Present in hand, failed to see Lobelia’s approach. She stole the gift from him, much to his fury. But Lobelia’s victory was short-lived. Saruman, enraged and humiliated by the loss, knew he had to play his hand carefully. He allowed himself to fake his death, for he understood that his fake death would only serve to further his plans. The rules of the Riddle-game were clear: the thief had to perish before the contract could take full effect. By allowing to fake his death, Saruman hoped to circumvent the power that bound him, but Lobelia’s triumph would not go unpunished.

The second part of Saruman’s plan was already in motion: The Houses of Healing. This ancient ritual was the key to his return by event. In death, Saruman was able to rise again, not bound by the contract, but free to wield his power once more. And this time, his wrath would be directed squarely at Lobelia.

When Saruman returned, he was no longer the defeated figure he once was. With newfound power and purpose, he seized control, bringing Lobelia back under his grip. Her cleverness had temporarily outsmarted him, but now, Saruman would make sure she would not escape his influence again. Lobelia, once a source of rebellion and mischief, was now firmly ensnared in Saruman’s plans.

Gríma, ever the schemer, stood quietly in the background, observing the shifting tides of power. As Saruman’s plans evolved, he knew that his role in the game had changed. Now, it was Saruman who would rise, and Lobelia who would be crushed beneath his heel. The balance of power had tipped once again, but this time, Saruman would not let it slip from his grasp.

The story of Saruman, Gríma, and Lobelia was far from over. In fact, it was only just beginning. The Riddle-game had set them on a dangerous path, and Saruman, now free from the bonds of the contract, would stop at nothing to ensure his victory. His enemies, however, were many, and his greatest adversary had only just begun to show her true colors. The shadows of old magic and power would continue to shape their destinies, and the game was only getting started.