A YJA Moment - Hobbits

There is none so mysterious an ancestry as the Hobbits, a diminutive people who first were discovered living on Middle-Earth during its Third Age.  There are no records, not in the annals of the immortal Elves or even within the Hobbits themselves of their origins.  They have never been known for their use of magic or technology, yet there are enclaves of Hobbits throughout known space.  In short, they are a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

In almost every enclave, which they all refer to as The Shire, life continues on at a technological level of pre-industrial England.  In an agrarian culture, the Hobbits spend their time tilling the soil, producing foodstuffs, and managing the other needs of their settlement.  Only a few law enforcement representatives, named Bounders exist to keep the peace, which usually involves neighborly disputes or rough-housing at the local pub.

The original Shire on Middle-Earth only came about during the Third Age, long after the War of the Last Alliance had defeated Sauron for the first time.  They did not involve themselves much with the other people, save for setting in and around the village of Bree, one of the main human settlements in eastern Eriador. Indeed, the very thought of "adventures" was anathema to the dwellers of the Shire, and they viewed anyone who enjoyed such endeavors with suspicion.

During the War of the Ring, they remained sequestered save for a handful of Hobbits who undertook one of the most important missions of the entire conflict.  Two of them had stumbled upon the One Ring, the dark magical trinket infused with the power of Anti-Life.  They traveled across the continent to the dark lands of Mordor, where they cast the ring into the magma beneath Mount Doom, ending Sauron's resurrection once and for all.

Beyond the countless worlds and populations where Hobbits inexplicably find themselves represented, there are two main Shires in Known Space.  The Grey Shire lies on the planet Valinor, the only non-Elven settlement allowed by the White Council.  There, under the magical energies of Alfheim, the Hobbits enjoy long and healthy lives.  The second is the original Shire which still exists in a pocket dimension crafted by Gandalf, who set secret passages in hidden locations known only to a few.