Wasn’t really expecting to make this outfit, but it kind of just fell together so I took some quick screenshots. Making a matching warsteed set was actually a bit harder given the lack of options when it comes to plated armor for horses, especially since I also wanted the look to have a strictly Rohirric feel.
Most of the armor pieces come from Rohan sets, including the armors available from Skirmish camps and the crafted T9 medium Westemnet armor. The shoulders, legs, and cloak are from other sets, but I picked them to match the dark green undyable parts of the Westemnet armor.
At first I really wanted to use one of the Rohan warsteed sets, but I quickly realized I needed something with either plate metal and/or chainmail to match the outfit. That’s also when I realized that plated armor options for warsteeds are kind of limited in game, and moreover, they often don’t dye very well. The set of the Great Alliance is a rare outlier, so I ended up going with that for the caparison, but not the headpiece, as I thought it was too bird-like.
Outfit: Head: Hardened Helm of the Rider (rohan green) Shoulders: Engraved Plated Harness (Rivendell Green) Back: Swift Wool Cloak of the Dwarf-Holds (rivendell green) Chest: Westemnet Combat Assault Armor (white) Hands: Rohirric Guardsman's Heavy Gauntlets (rohan green) Legs: Greaves of the Great Alliance (rivendell green) Feet: Steel Greaves of the Rider (rohan green) Sword: Boschi's Fall
Warsteed: Head: Head-Piece of the Dead City (rivendell green) Body: Caparison of the Great Alliance (rivendell green) Legs: Reclaimed Mountain Leg-Guards (default) Saddle: Saddle of the Dead City Gear: Citadel Accessory
Adso Haybank is annoying and has altogether too many requests. But Strider told him to ask for signs of the “Black Riders” — the Nazgul (he can hardly believe he is chasing down his own servants) — as he moves through Breeland in search of the other rangers. Mairon doesn’t particularly like Strider, either, but Olorin was insistent that he follow his instructions, and Olorin has always been held dear by the Valar.
The endeavor is not a complete waste. The nearby farmstead is swarming with brigands under the control of a man named Bill Ferney. There are an unpleasant folk, and some are most certainly at least half-orc. Adso asked him to get rid of them, so he does. It helps both to vent his frustration and to hone his control of this fana.
He finds the ranger Lenglinn just outside of Buckland. He seems like a sincere enough fellow, though Mairon has a hard time taking him seriously when he asks him to “blind the eyes of the Enemy” by killing some Crebain. Lenglinn is not so discerning as Strider, who almost instantly seemed to doubt him.
WTF. What is wrong with these hobbits.
Lenglinn sends him to Crickhollow in Buckland. His Nazgul have been here, the lingering chill in the air tells him even if the obvious damage to the home isn’t already apparent enough. But from the hobbit evidently stationed to keep watch there, he learns some valuable information.
His ring. His ring. The Nazgul are tracking a hobbit carrying his ring, and he is supposed to what? Help the hobbits?
He supposes there is no point in deciding now. He can decide what to do with his ring once he find the hobbit who carries it. But first he must track down the source of the crebain that keep terrorizing Buckland, and apparently that means headed into the Old Forest in search of a curious creature by the name of Tom Bombadil.
He finds him deep within the trees in an elven looking hut just off the banks of the Withywindle. Tom Bombadil is a strange figure. There is something familiar about him, something primordial, almost as if he was a fellow maia. But he is no one whose name Mairon knows, and even still there is something different. “Tom is Eldest,” Tom says, and he believes it to, if the surety of his voice is anything to go by. “Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn. He made paths before the Big People, and saw the little People arriving. He was here before the Kings and the graves and the Barrow-wights. When the Elves passed westward, Tom was here already, before the seas were bent. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless – before the Dark Lord came from Outside.”
Mairon purses his lips and listens. He is impressed little by this creature’s boast of existence – Mairon has been alive since before the dawn of Arda; he took part in its Singing. But he is curious when the yellow-booted maia-not-maia mentions a Dark Lord. When Mairon descended with his brethren into Arda, he was still a maia of Aule. A spirit of fire and the forge not-yet touched by the darkness. Even after, in the Days Before Days, long before the coming of the Firstborn and the Darkening of Valinor, never once did he step beyond the Walls of Night. As far as he knew, only Melkor had managed to retreat back into the Outer Darkness. So to whom is this Tom referring to when he speaks of a Dark Lord? Mairon? Or his former master?
The house of Tom Bombadil is altogether far too welcoming. He leaves almost at once. At Tom’s urging, he takes the Old Barrows Road East, where a foul sorceress and her crebain await.
The sorceress Andraste does not recognize him. Then again, she wouldn’t for all her skill, she is human. She was neither alive back when he took on an elven form nor is she able to see through to his fëa. It’s a little disappointing. He supposes it is quite humorous, though.
“You have failed utterly! When the master of the Nine returns, he shall learn of this – and of your untimely death!”
Such loyalty should probably be rewarded. He kills her, anyway. Around him the Barrows are cold and desolate. The stench of death is heavy in the air. The shrill cries of wights echo in his ears. Once upon a time he might have found it even more welcoming than the warmth of Tom’s abode. Now all he feels is a hollow chill.
Eru is not happy he is here, but Andraste said the Nazgul have gone deeper into the Barrows. He has no choice.
**This outfit is actually just an updated version of an earlier outfit, made to appear less orderly and a little more haphazard.** Outfit: Head: Lesser Secret of the West Helmet (black) Shoulders: Rare Mathom-Hunter's Mantle (black) Back: Swift Wool Cloak of the Dwarf-Holds (black) Chest: Jacket of the Aithlen Hands: Gloves of the Aithlen Feet: Lithe Boots of Thranduil's Power (black)
“Feanor’s only descendants were his seven sons, six of whom reached Beleriand. So far nothing has been said of their wives and children. It seems probable that Celebrinbaur (silverfisted, > Celebrimbor) was son of Curufin, but though inheriting his skills he was an Elf of wholly different temper (his mother had refused to take part in the rebellion of Feanor and remained in Aman with the people of Finarphin). During their dwelling in Nargothrond as refugees he had grown to love Finrod and his wife, and was aghast at the behaviour of his father and would not go with him. He later became a great friend of Celeborn and Galadriel.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien,The History of Middle-Earth XII: The Peoples of Middle Earth
Mossward is a quiet little town, though apparently orcs have been making it slightly less quiet as of late. The villagers are near in a panic, though to Celebrimbor a handful of orcs is nothing to write home about. Last time he was in and around these parts, it was crawling with Sauron’s armies. And even then, a single patrol of orcs is nothing compared to the balrogs he and his uncles faced at the Dagor-nuin-Giliath.
His travel clothes are far too elven for these regions – continuing to wear it would only serve to make him stand out from the crowd even more conspicuously than his pointed ears and bright eyes already do. The spare jacket Meneldir found for him will make a suitable replacement. It is slightly baggy around the middle, the rough fabric rubbing against his skin with every step. His calluses are gone, he has noticed, the once forge-worn skin now soft and pale like a newborn’s. Which, he supposes, he is. In a way.
A part of him wants to laugh. Never would he have thought to find himself in man’s wear, though much of his forge gear wasn’t all too dissimilar. Still, it is a nice change. His Noldor heritage did him little service in his first life – he sees no point in drawing attention to it now in his second.He is no elven lord, no ruler of grand halls or patron of craftsmen. He is not Celebrimbor, Lord of Eregion. Here he is simply Telperinquar, or Telperin to the men and hobbits who struggle to pronounce the old Quenya, a seemingly aimless traveller who sticks to corners and observes more than he speaks. Just a few moments ago a happy drunkard called out a slurred farewell as he stumbled back to his home. He had called him, “Telpe.” Silver. It is nice, Celebrimbor thinks. Simple. Short. A description, not a doom.
A local villager was asking for boar meat. Celebrimbor has nothing to do, and his fingers itch to wield something again, even if it be a bow and not a hammer. Perhaps a bow will be better. Sometimes even the thought of crafting is enough to make him wince.
He’s here for boar, not pheasant, but this particular fool might as well be asking to be hunted.
“Now Celebrimbor was not corrupted in heart or faith, but had accepted Sauron as what he posed to be; and when at length he discovered the existence of the One Ring he revolted against Sauron.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien, Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle Earth
It has been literal ages since he’s held a bow. But some things are hard forgotten, and though his passions always led toward the forge, his youth was filled with martial training. It had had to be, particularly after the swearing of the Oath and the trek to Middle Earth, and while Celebrimbor had not personally participated in the Kinslaying at Alqualondë (nor the two that thereafter followed), his hands were nothing if not stained.
Outfit: Shoulders: Rare Mathom-Hunter's Mantle (black) Back: Cloak of the Grey Company (black) Chest: Robe of Anorien Mercy (steel blue) Hands: Leather Gauntlets of the Leaping Stag (steel blue) Feet: Tough Boots of the Anorien Tree (black) Bow: Archer's Ally Mainhand: Defender of Gwingris Offhand: Maethigil
Steed: Head: Shimmering Breeze Head-Piece Body: Caparison of the Yield (black) Legs: Leg-Guards of the Gundabad Reclaimer Saddle: Hunter's Saddle Gear: Champion's Gear
Two things about the warsteed – 1) I will never be able to express enough how much it sucks that we don’t get all the same dye colors. Like where is steel blue for warsteed stuff, huh??? and 2) rolling a new toon and realizing all the fesival gear and warsteed cosmetics you have on other toons are missing and you have to wait a whole 6 months for the festivals to come around again. Sigh.
“When Sauron learned of the repentance and revolt of Celebrimbor his disguise fell and his wrath was revealed; and gathering a great force he moved over Calenardhon (Rohan) to the invasion of Eriador in the year 1695. When news of this reached Gil-galad he sent out a force under Elrond Half-elven; but Elrond had far to go, and Sauron turned north and made at once for Eregion. The scouts and vanguard of Sauron’s host were already approaching when Celeborn made a sortie and drove them back; but though he was able to join his force to that of Elrond they could not return to Eregion, for Sauron’s host was far greater than theirs, great enough both to hold them off and closely to invest Eregion. At last the attackers broke into Eregion with ruin and devastation, and captured the chief object of Sauron’s assault, the House of the Mirdain, where were their smithies and their treasures. Celebrimbor, desperate, himself with stood Sauron on the steps of the great door of the Mirdain; but he was grappled and taken captive, and the House was ransacked. There Sauron took the Nine Rings and other lesser works of the Mirdain; but the Seven and the Three he could not find. Then Celebrimbor was put to torment, and Sauron learned from him where the Seven were bestowed. This Celebrimbor revealed, because neither the Seven nor the Nine did he value as he valued the Three; the Seven and the Nine were made with Sauron’s aid, whereas the Three were made by Celebrimbor alone, with a different power and purpose.“
– J.R.R. Tolkien, Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle Earth
Celebrimbor did not give up the Three. In this, at least, he can hold some comfort, can retain some semblance of pride. He may have been deceived, but he did not succumb. Not in the end, at least. But there is no escaping his shame. Not even the Halls of Rest could heal the ache of that wound, self-inflicted despite his steadfast attempts not to repeat the mistakes of his forebearers. Then again, he was one of the Noldor, the last scion of Feanor. Perhaps he was doomed from the start. Perhaps after his death he should have lingered, condemenned himself to an eternity of drifting guilt. But Celebrimbor did not. In what he still cannot decide was a moment of cowardice or bravery, he heeded the Call.
“Each fea was imperishable within the life of Arda, and that its fate was to inhabit Arda to its end. Those fea, therefore, that in the marring of Arda suffered unnaturally a divorce from their hrondor [> hroar] remained still in Arda and in Time. But in this state they were open to the direct instruction and command of the Valar. As soon as they were disbodied they were summoned to leave the places of their life and death and go to the ‘Halls of Waiting’: Mandos, in the realm of the Valar. If they obeyed this summons different opportunities lay before them.(32) The length of time that they dwelt in Waiting was partly at the will of Namo the Judge, lord of Mandos, partly at their own will. The happiest fortune, they deemed, was after the Waiting to be re-born, for so the evil and grief that they had suffered in the curtailment of their natural course might be redressed.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, Morgoth’s Ring
Celebrimbor was a proud elf, once. Now he carries shame. No amount of rest would ever restore that, No amount of strolling through the cavernous halls of Mandos, formless eyes roving across the tapestries of Varie, searching for meaning. No, likely he would have to walk straight into the Void to find his pride once more, and even then, Sauron would walk with him. At least in thought.
“For there was, for all the fea of the Dead, a time of Waiting, in which, howsoever they had died, they were corrected, instructed, strengthened, or comforted, according to their needs or deserts. If they would consent to this. But the fea in its nakedness is obdurate, and remains long in the bondage of its memory and old purposes (especially if these were evil). Those who were healed could be re-born, if they desired it: none are re-born or sent back into life unwilling. The others remained, by desire or command, fear unbodied, and they could only observe the unfolding of the Tale of Arda from afar, having no effect therein. For it was a doom of Mandos that only those who took up life again might operate in Arda, or commune with the fear of the Living, even with those that had once been dear to them.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, Morgoth’s Ring
Celebrimbor has been returned to life. He is not his grandfather, doomed to reside within Namo’s halls until the Dagor Dagorath shakes the earth and the world is remade through the Second Music. Upon his death he heeded the call of Mandos, and now according to his kind, he has been re-embodied, through the grace of the Valar even allowed to return to the shores of Middle Earth. Perhaps he can refind himself here, even if a part of him still wishes that Celebrimbor, son of Curifin, son of Feanor, had died back in the wreckage of his city, along with the Gwaith-i-Mirdain, along with his hopes and dreams, forever to stay buried under the rubble he may as well have brought down himself.
Okay, normally I kind of resign myself to LOTRO toons looking kind of…uh…not great, shall we say, but dang. Celebrimbor turned out nice.
He arrives at the Grey Havens, passing swiftly through to Celondim. The elves of Middle Earth have continued to diminish, but there is something about seeing the once-familiar landscape rise around him in stoic collums and craggly rock-faces, something that twists his heart and wrenches his spirit, almost as if his fea was once again trying to separate from his hroa.
Celebrimbor does not want to be remembered. So he forgoes his Sindarin name, insisting instead on the Quenya, “Telperinquar.” The older elves will see through it in an instant – if they don’t recognize him by face first, that is – but that is no matter. The older elves are precisely the ones he wishes to avoid, and few men in Middle Earth will have knowledge enough of the elven tongues to parse through the barely concealed riddle.
His braids and clasps he chooses to forgoe as well, allowing his hair to fall loose at his side. Anything to distnce himself from the elf he once was.
A new hroa. A new start.
One last hail towards Aman. One last bow. Then he is off.
He leaves Celdonim at sunset, headed for Cardolan. His work on Middle Earth is nowhere near from finished, but if he is to start anew, he must first visit where things ended.
Outfit: Shoulders: Medium Nadhin Shoulders (steel blue) Back: Swift Wool Cloak of the Dwarf-Holds (steel blue) -- I know. I've been using this one for EVERYTHING. I just really like it. Chest: Alliance of the Third Age Hauberk (steel blue) Hands: The Bowmaster's Gloves (steel blue) Feet: Threadbare Boots of the Dunland Healer (steel blue)
Yay! Second lore-inspired character. And yes, he I know he’s usiing the same hairstyle as Mairon, but I really like it and lets be honest hair choices in this game for male characters are um…lacking. I do like the braided one I used in the earlier screenshots though, and that one will probably be making a reappearance at some point. I’m also kind of peeved that the outfit he’s waring in the Doom of Caras Gelebren skirmish isn’t available in game. It’s REALLY nice armor.
So it took a long time picking a class. Race and background were fairly straightforward – High elf from Nargothrond, as that was where he dwelled for a long while before coming to Eregion and establishing the Gwaith-i-Mirdain. But class gave me pause. I know in the character creater it says the class of runekeeper was inspired by Celebrimbor, and when it comes to knowledge of ancient lore and the workings of the world, I buy that. But when it comes to fighting style? Not so much. Part of that comes down to runekeeper being a “magic” class, and speaking lorewise, there are VERY few users of magic in LOTR. I definitely have other RKs that I love to play, and it made sense to me when making my Sauron-inspired character to give him the use of magic, but as for the elves, I just don’t see them lore-wise fighting without weapons. Elves have greater spiritual power than men, hobbits, and dwarves, and some of the older elves have even more inherent power, like Elrond and Galadriel and Glorfindel. But still, these elves don’t simply weild magic to fight like the Istari or the Ainur do. Plus, Celebrimbor is a descendent of Feanor, one of the Noldor, who fought in battles throughout the First and Second Ages. Even the in-game instance with him shows him fighting with a shield and a hammer. So I just couldn’t justify giving him a class that didn’t use a melee weapon. Nor did I think that Loremaster would be a good fit, as the main weapon is a staff. Honestly I would love LOTRO to consider adding some kind of class that mixes blades with magic, but magic is already such a weird topic when it comes to LOTR that I do appreciate them trying to keep those classes more minimal.
In the end (and with the help of World Chat — thank you in this instance for being constructive!) I decided on champion. I’ve played a bunch of champs before, so I wasn’t super thrilled at not being able to explore new class dynamics, but I thought it was the best fit. This way he can wield a bow (like any good elf lol), a sword, and an offhand weapon – like a hammer. This choice was definitely somewhat inspired by Celebrimbor’s portrayal in the Shadow of Mordor franchise, which, although straying substantially from plot points in lore, does actually do a lot to honor the legendarium.
Also I’ve been sleeping on this hauberk. I’ve had it for literal years, but since I didn’t have a male elf toon that was a heavy armor class, I just never thought to use it. Big miss on my part.
“Even then [Melkor] had secret friends and spies among the Maiar whom he had converted to his cause, and of these the chief, as after became known, was Sauron, a great craftsman of the household of Aulë.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien, The History of Middle-Earth X: Morgoth’s Ring
So it’s been a while since I really played LOTRO, but that doesn’t mean I’ve taken a break from Lord of the Rings in general. Over the past couple years I’ve actually gotten very invested in a lot of the Silmarillian lore, especially involving the creation of the rings of power (probably after hearing about the amazon show, and then after watching the amazon show feeling very disappointed that it hadn’t stuck to the lore I’d just become so interested in). But it all made me very interested in Sauron as a character. You don’t really see him at all in the books save for a few mentions, and while he doesn’t exist as a giant eye the same way he does in the movies, the image of an eye is about all we get as a metaphorical representation of him.
Lord of werewolves, shapeshifter, former maia of Aule. Unlike his master Morgoth, he wanted to perfect the world, not destroy it. In his quest for perfect order he was willing to break anything to make it fit into place. But unlike Morgoth, I really don’t think Sauron was evil to begin with. Smiths in LOTR tend to fall victim to the sin of wanting to surpass their creators. Something about the desire to create, unless coming from the creator himself, Eru, seems to lead people down the wrong road. Aule, Sauron, even Celebrimbor. Basically, the desire to create in the hands of anyone other than Eru Illuvitar often results in corruption.
Anyways, I’m a sucker for redemption arcs. Now, don’t get me wrong, lore-wise it’s pretty cut and dry that Sauron and Morgoth were doomed after their actions. Both actually had the chance to repent and turned it away. But the small voice in the back of my head who reads fanfiction keeps asking…”what if…?”
So anyways, long story short I created a toon in LOTRO with the basic premise of, “What if Eru found a fragment of Sauron’s spirit and gave him a second chance,” and so here he is. A High Elf fire rune keeper (because lets be honest, Sauron was always a talented sorcerer but his track record of melee combat isn’t GREAT) stuck helping the hobbits who destroyed his ring. Personally I’ve taken great pleasure in making him complete the Adventures of Bingo Boffin. 10/10. Currently he’s in Rohan getting a warsteed and regretting all his life decisions.
Just one pat…This isn’t so bad…Hmm…Maybe I should get one for myself…
Sauron was originally a maia of Aule by the name of Mairon. He was a maia of the forges, so I went with a fire-theme for the toon. Now, while I have gripes with the Shadow of Mordor franchise, I AM a big fan of their portrayal of Annatar. However, when making this toon I wanted to go with what I thought would be closer to his original form, or at least more representative of his original nature. So we got red hair and my attempt at golden eyes (limited by game-selection choices, of course). Also he’s got to be a jeweler and a smith. That part was obvious.
Okay, so it went like this, right? I had this AMAZING plan. I made the greatest jewelry. It. Was. Awesome. Then some tiny guy with furry feet pushed his distantly removed cousin into a furnace and now my life sucks. Could be worse, I guess. At least I have a physical form, again.
I haven’t thought out the specifics exactly. Like…is time travel involved? Is it just a fragment of Sauron’s scattered spirit? How does it coexist with the dark lord in the tower? Honestly, I don’t really care. Its a game, and its fun to make characters based on lore, which is a new one for me. I have another toon I’ll be introducing closely tied to this, too. But for now, I’m going with we’ve got Sauron trapped in the body of an elf with his powers limited, sent back to help the peoples of Middle Earth, KIND OF like how the Istari were bound in mortal forms with their powers somewhat sealed. I’m having a great time with it.
Time to find a horse.Found one!This is much faster.
Outfit: Head: Lesser Secret of the West Helmet (black) Shoulders: Embroidered Mantle of the Pathfinder's Artifice (black) Back: Swift Wool Cloak of the Dwarf Holds (black) Chest: Jacket of the Aithlen Hands: Gloves of the Aithlen Feet: Boots of the Ruithador
So this is rain…
Steed: Head: Tide-Breaker's Headpiece (crimson) Body: Caparison of the Dunedain (default) Legs: Fateful Thunder Leg-guards Tail: Tail of the Treasured Wellspring Saddle: Saddle of the Dunedain Gear: Dagorlad Accessory
*Sigh.* I forgot Middle Earth was this big. Onwards!
So yeah. I’m gonna be making a bunch of outfits for him inspired more by lore and what I think would correspond to Sauron’s character/style, as well as going through the quest packs that I think are more relevant. I did use one of my stored Aria’s of the Valar after getting him to about level 20 (I found it strangely satisfying to make him grind a few levels), that way I have my choice of quests. It’s been so long since I played, I don’t mind going back and doing random low level quests on an out-leveled toon. I think it will actually be fun!
“Sauron could not, of course, be a ‘sincere’ atheist. Though one of the minor spirits created before the world, he knew Eru, according to his measure. He probably deluded himself with the notion that the Valar (including Melkor) having failed, Eru had simply abandoned Ea, or at any rate Arda, and would not concern himself with it any more. It would appear that he interpreted the ‘change of the world’ at the Downfall of Numenor, when Aman was removed from the physical world, in this sense: Valar (and Elves) were removed from effective control, and Men under God’s curse and wrath. If he thought about the Istari, especially Saruman and Gandalf, he imagined them as emissaries from the Valar, seeking to establish their lost power again and ‘colonize’ Middle-earth, as a mere effort of defeated imperialists (without knowledge or sanction of Eru). His cynicism, which (sincerely) regarded the motives of Manwe as precisely the same as his own, seemed fully justified in Saruman. Gandalf he did not understand. But certainly he had already become evil, and therefore stupid, enough to imagine that his different behaviour was due simply to weaker intelligence and lack of firm masterful purpose. He was only a rather cleverer Radagast – cleverer, because it is more profitable (more productive of power) to become absorbed in the study of people than of animals.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien, The History of Middle-Earth X: Morgoth’s Ring
So I’m currently running around Middle Earth with my 130 Elf Huntress as I complete the Ballad of Bingo Boffin. As a result, I’m revisiting a bunch of low level areas, and have decided to make outfits to go with it. My last outfit was worn as I quested through the Barrow Downs just outside of Bree, and today I’m sporting a more stealthy outfit as I travel through the Lonelands.
I’m actually having quite a bit of fun with this. Bingo Boffin is a pretty demanding hobbit. He’s lazy, and I’m half-convinced he can’t do anything for himself. But running around as a skilled warrior helping out a curious hobbit does make me feel more immersed in the world of Middle Earth than I have in a long time, and I’m having a lot of fun getting into the experience. Feeling annoyance at Bingo, dressing up in area-appropriate clothing, feeling superior and awesome next to this bumbling hobbit…It’s pretty awesome.
I see you orcs. Prepare to meet your maker. DIE!!!!
I really had too much fun with this. But LOTRO is supposed to be fun, so that’s all that really matters. And as much as Bingo annoys me, questing for him really does make me feel like I’m back in Middle Earth.
So you want to dance, do you? Have at me, scum!Feel my wrath!
Moving on to a different orc camp to wreak more havoc…
They’ll never see me coming…ASSASIN!
Also, it’s really funny remembering that lower level mobs won’t attack you. You can literally run through the middle of an orc camp and they won’t even come near you. It’s like you don’t exist.
I’m supposed to kill you…but…you’re not attacking me…Look, if I don’t kill you, you promise not to hurt me, right?Hmm. Maybe you’re not so bad after all…Wait, what was that? Did you hear that?More orcs! Defend me my new friend!To battle!!
Alas, it was time to move on from my new friend. So I remounted my horse, and set off for Weathertop.
From here I must go on foot my friend.
Also, I just want to say, it’s moments like this — where I can just stand at a distance and look at the majesty of Weathertop that I’m reminded of how much I love this game. This view is just so cool.
Ahh! Crebain attack!
Lol I love how the feathers just float down after you kill a bird.
Outfit:
Head: Lesser Secret of the West Helmet (burgundy)
Shoulders: Pauldrons of the Mark (red)
Lesser Secret of the West Breastplate (crimson)
Gloves: The Bowmaster’s Gloves (crimson)
Legs: Spellweaver’s Leggings (red)
Feet: Lesser Memory of the West Shoes (black)
Bow: Exquisite Black Ash Bow
Sword: Defender of Gwingris
Dagger: Hero’s Dagger
Warsteed
Head: Head-Piece of the Northern Herald (Ccrimson)
Body: Harness of the Harbinger (crimson)
Saddle: Citadel saddle
Legs: Citadel Leggings (red)
Here’s another sort of Viking-inspired outfit, this time with a distinctly Rohirric twist. The helm and gloves are both from Rohirrim cosmetic sets. It also gave me a chance to try out the Snowbeast warsteed set, which I’d gotten for myself last Christmas but haven’t really used. The outfit is very much supposed to feel like a scrapped together set.
Try me, outlaw! My baby bear will mess you up!
Ironically (or perhaps unironically if the outfit is supposed to be scrapped together??) it’s actually my high elf modeling this outfit. I think my thought process was supposed to be somewhat along the lines of, “what if my elf huntress went to Rohan and decided to immerse herself in the culture?” I’m not sure the finished product reflects that so much…by the time I finished it I actually had this narrative of a daughter of one of the horse lords who wanted to take up her father’s sword after he died, but had to scrap together her own armor and weapons to do so.
Something slew this orc…we should investigate! Oh wait. It was me. I killed it. Oops.
I actually really had fun with this outfit. I don’t know why…It’s just fun. And less “put together” than what I normally strive for.
I like that you can just see my bear cup poking out between my legs. Like it’s ready to attack, but not ready enough to go out in front lol
Outfit:
Head: Helm of the Hornburg Defender
Shoulders: Embroidered Mantle of Bard’s Will (black)
Back: Cloak of the Skin-Changers (black)
Chest: Jacket of the Sunset hills (default)
Legs: none -- for some reason if you wear pants with this tunic, it will change the color of the tunic t the color of the pants. I'm not lying. I don't know why.
Hands: Gloves of the Isengard Dispeller
Feet: Lithe Boots of Thranduil’s Power (black)
Bow: Arinora’s Bow
Dagger: Bronze Dagger
Sword: Potent Dextrous sword of Finesse
Warsteed:
Complete Snow Beast set (dyed black)
I think going forward I want to make more of these “pieced together” looks. They’re really fun 🙂 It’s like organized chaos. My favorite kind of chaos (and organization, if I’m being honest).
So I did this outfit in two colors – one in steel blue to match the original color of the cloak, and the other in dark red. Funny enough, the red outfit formed first, and adding the cloak was a last minute decision. Once I decided to add it though, I decided I also had to do another color scheme that matched the cloak’s original version. I honestly don’t know which I prefer. I love them both.
I really like the way the white/silver of the shoulders matches the white designs on the arms of the tunic. It goes well with the snowflake design on the cloak.
Additionally, I decided to pick the medium Nadhin gauntlets and boots, since they have a sort of quilt-like texture that matches the tunic. It’s kind of amazing that they’re from different sets, actually (Although I guess both armor sets that they come from are from Gondor?)
So yeah, that’s it! I just really like this outfit 🙂
Red Outfit:
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Precise Bowmaster (default)
Chest: Lesser-Coat of the Fury Wielder (crimson)
Hands: Medium Nadhin Gauntlets (burgundy)
Back: Wintertide Cloak (crimson)
Feet: Medium Nadhin Boots (burgundy)
Blue Outfit:
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Precise Bowmaster (steel blue)
Chest: Lesser-Coat of the Fury Wielder (steel blue)
Hands: Medium Nadhin Gauntlets (steel blue)
Back: Wintertide Cloak (default)
Feet: Medium Nadhin Boots (steel blue)
Ahh…it’s been a while since I last posted. But with Yule Festival underway, I got to revisit a bunch of old outfits I’d been working on. So I figured I’d post some of the winter-themed ones (Also I tend to reserve outfit slots for unfinished/unposted outfits, and I was beginning to run out of new slots for new outfits…).
So this is just another sort of rugged look for my hunter. I wanted one that was more brown and neutral, with a “fur and leather” look to it.
Also I finally got the spotted warsteed skin to drop from warbands in East Rohan! I think this time it dropped off of the Warg Pack south of Harding – but in the past there doesn’t seem to be any pattern to which war band drops it most frequently. So sorry to anyone who was looking for advice
Also, I don’t know if this is happening to anyone else, but I’ve been noticing some shadow issues with the warsteed armor. There are rectangular patches where the in-game lighting isn’t reflected/absorbed properly, so they appear either super light, or – in the case of the warsteed of the hunter – just show up as black patches. You can see this on the front legs in the picture below:
Anyways. I did send a bug report in, but it’s probably not high on the priority list of things that need to be addressed lol.
Outfit:
Shoulders: Embroidered Mantle of Bard’s Will (black)
Back: Quiver of the Waking Wood
Hands: Gauntlets of the Hidden Blade (black)
Chest: Lesser Claw of the West Breastplate (umber)
Legs: Huneric Hundred-Slayer’s Garb (umber)
Feet: Lithe Boots of Thrandruil’s Power (walnut brown)
I’ve decided it’s time I get around to more of the outfits I tend to use as default looks for my characters. So here’s one I use for my hunter, which may or may not be but definitely IS heavily inspired by the tale of Robin Hood lol 🙂
Sorry, deer. It’s really not personal…
So this outfit ended up being REALLY hard to take pictures of because it blended in way too well with the surroundings. Which I guess is the point? But I knew from the get go that I wanted to take the pictures in North Mirkwood/Dalelands…and it just…it worked too well lol.
The warsteed was really fun though. After recently opening some lootboxes I’ve gotten a lot of new cosmetics, including the warsteed set of the wild hills. I really like how it looks on my hunter’s steed.
Um…so…yeah. Not much to say! Not a particularly interesting outfit, just fun and ranger-y!
Outfit:
Head: Worn Ranger’s Hood (Grey)
Shoulders: Potent Skirmish Pauldrons of the Mark (Olive)
Back: Fancy Quiver (Sienna)
Body: Potent Battle Armour of the Mark (Olive)
Hands: Enduring Gauntlets of the Traveler (Black)
Feet: Reworked Boots (Grey)
Bow: Polished Lebethron Bow of Precision
Warsteed:
Head: Head-piece of the Northern Herald (olive)
Body: Caparison of the Wild Hills (default)
Saddle: Saddle of the Wild Hills
Gear: Hunter’s Gear
LOTRO Adventurer 