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
“Among those of [Melkor’s] servants that have names the greatest was that spirit whom the Eldar caled Sauron, or Gorthaur the Cruel. In his beginning he was of the Maiar of Aulë, and he remained mighty in the lore of that people. In all the deeds of Melkor the Morgoth upon Arda, in his vast works and in the deceits of his cunning, Sauron had a part, and was only less evil than his master in that for long he served another and not himself. But in after years he rose like a shadow of Morgoth and a ghost of his malice, and walked behind him on the same ruinous path down into the Void.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion
Sauron. The Abhorred. The Abominable. A name derived from the Quenya adjective saura (foul, vile). A name befitting of Morgoth’s greatest servant. His Sindarin appelation, Gorthaur (the Dread Abomination) held a similar meaning. But just as Morgoth was named Melkor before Feanor cursed him and named himm the Dark Enemy, so too did Sauron once carry a different name.
It’s now pretty common internet lore that Sauron’s original name was Mairon, the Admirable. But unlike with Melkor, the origin of this name is much harder to find. It’s not listed anywhere in The Lord of the Rings, nor in the Silmarillion or any other book published by the Tolkien estate. Instead, he name comes from Parma Eldalamberon Issue 17, a linguistic journal dedicated to compiling and studying Tolkien’s notes on his created languages, including Sinardin, Quenya, Blackspeech, Dwarvish, and even some Rohirric languages. While not published by the Tolkien estate itself, the writings examined in the journal were provided and edited by Christopher Tolkien, and the journal was published with his permission and encouragement.
“Sauron’s original name was Mairon, but this was altered after he was suborned by Melkor. But he continued to call himself Mairon the admirable, or Tar-mairon ‘King Excellent” until after the downfall of Numenor.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, Parma Eldalamberon 17: Words, Phrases, and Passages in Various Tongues in the Lord of the Rings
Mairon, like Sauron, is a name derived from a Quenya adjective joined with a masculin suffix (-on). The adjective in question is mai, or maira, the same adjective from which the word Maiar (the lesser members of the Ainur, of which Sauron was one of them). It can be translated to mean “admirable,” “splendid,” “sublime,” “excellent.” But maira also has another meaning, another interpreation:
Precious.
This is not actually all that different from the definition of “admirable.” After all, “admirable” refers to something worthy of admiration, something of excellence, something sublime. According to Merriam-Webster, “admirable” is defined as “deserving the highest esteem; excellent.” In general, we often think of the word “admirable” as pertaining to individuals or actions, whereas the word “precious” is more often used in regard to objects, something that holds high value, for instance a “precious jewel” or a “precious metal.” In fact, there is another Quenya adjective describing this exact meaning: ‘
“MIR- “prcious.” only = ‘fair, beautiful’ by implication. Q mire (miri) ‘precious’ adjective and “precious thing” noun, especially but not solely a gem, jewel).”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, Parma Eldalamberon 17: Words, Phrases, and Passages in Various Tongues in the Lord of the Rings
But “precious” can also hold the more abstract meaning of “highly esteemed or cherished.” The implication here is that the value comes less from rarity or price, and more from inherent excellence, hence the distinction I make here between the Quenya prefixes mai– and mir-:
“MAY –, excellent, admirable…From MAY are also derived: Q maira, admirable, excellent, precious: maina, a thing of excellence, a treasure; S maer, excellent (also from the next); maen, a treasure.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, Parma Eldalamberon 17: Words, Phrases, and Passages in Various Tongues in the Lord of the Rings
Unlike mir-, which seems to relate more to the value of physical objects, mai- seems to praise the inherent nature of something. Whereas the word saura is a statement of condemnation, the word maer is a word of praise.
Mairon. The Admirable. The Excellent. The Precious.
“[Gollum] possessed a secret treasure that had come to him long ages ago, when he still lived in the light: a ring of gold that made its wearer invisible. It was the one thing he loved, his ‘Precious’, and he talked to it, even when it was not with him. For he kept it hidden safe in a hole on his island, except when he was hunting or spying on the orcs of the mines.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Gollum is not the only one to refer to the One Ring as “precious.” Bilbo did also, as did Frodo, Isildur, and even Saruman.
“He only needs the One; for he made that Ring himself, it is his, and he let a great part of his own former power pass into it, so that he could rule all the others.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
When Sauron forged the One Ring, he poured a great portion of his own spirit into the it. The Ring, therefore, is not merely a means to focus Sauron’s power, but an actual, physical object containing part of his spirit. His life. The Ring is not a mere trinket, it is a part of Mairon himself.
Precious.
“Sauron was not a beginner of discord; and he probably knew more of the ‘Music’ than did Melkor, whose mind had always been filled with his own plans and devices, and gave little attention to other things.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, Morgoth’s Ring
Unlike Melkor, who was discontent from the time of the First Singing, Sauron was not inherently evil. He began with good nature and positive purposes. He saught order, not chaos.
“[Sauron] still had the relics of positive purposes, that descended from the good of the nature in which he began: it had been his virtue (and therefore also the cause of his fall, and of his relapse) that he loved order and co-ordination, and disliked all confusion and wasteful friction. (It was the apparent will and power of Melkor to effect his designs quickly and masterfully that had first attracted Sauron to him.)”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, Morgoth’s Ring
Even after Morgoth’s second defeat, remnants of this good remained. He even, for a time at least, returned to his original goal of healing the desolation of Middle-earth, this time some of it caused by his own hands.
“In the Silmarillion and Tales of the First Age Sauron was a being of Valinor perverted to the service of the Enemy and becoming his chief captain and servant. He repents in fear when the First Enemy is utterly defeated, but in the end does not do as was commanded, return to the judgement of the gods. He lingers in Middle-earth. Very slowly, beginning with fair motives: the reorganising and rehabilitation of the ruin of Middle-earth, ‘neglected by the gods’, he becomes a reincarnation of Evil, and a thing lusting for Complete Power – and so consumed ever more fiercely with hate (especially of gods and Elves).”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, the Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Tolkien doesn’t say why Sauron refused to go back to Middle-earth here, but the Silmarillion lays out that he is ashamed. Afraid of humiliation, of punishment. Whether he truly repented, whether he truly wished to heal the desolation of Middle-earth, will never be known, though certainly it seems his actions were already tainted by pride and a desire for power.
“When Thangorodrim was broken and Morgoth overthrown, Sauron put on his fair hue again and did obeisance to Eönwë the herald of Manwë, and abjured all his evil deeds. And some hold that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented, if only out of fear, being dismayed by the fal of Morgoth and the great wrath of the Lords of the West. But it was not within the power of Eönwë to pardon those of his own order, and he commanded Sauron to return to Aman and there receive the judgement of Manwë. Then Sauron was ashamed, and he was unwiling to return in humiliation and to receive from the Valar a sentence, it might be, of long servitude in proof of his good faith; for under Morgoth his power had been great. Therefore when Eönwë departed he hid himself in Middle-earth; and he fel back into evil, for the bonds that Morgoth bad laid upon him were very strong.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, the Silmarillion.
Two notes to end on.
1) On the meaning of the name Mairon:
To be clear, the one time the name Mairon is actually mentioned, Tolkien gives it the definition of “the admirable.” But as someone who speaks multiple languages, I can assure you that translating is not a one-to-one science. More so than the word maira meaning “admirable” OR “excellent” OR “precious,” it is more likely that the Quenya word encompasses ALL of these meanings. There is simply not an equivalent english word that captures the totality of its significance, and therefore multiple alternatives are provided to help the reader better grasp the meaning. For example, our english language does not distinguish between “precious” in the terms of inherent excellence and “precious” in terms of financial value. In other words, the word “precious” would be appropriate to use in either setting. But in Quenya it could well be the case that maira is NOT a substitute for mir, and interchanging the two could fundamentally change the meaning of a sentence. Or they could be the exact same, or maybe Tolkien never even thought it through that far. My point here is that there is rarely such a thing as one-to-one translation, and often we try to capture the meaning of a foreign word by providing several adjectives that together encapsulate a meaning that a single word in our own language cannot capture.
Names, however, are different. It is often necessary to provide one particular translation, and in practicality this often comes down to choice – sometimes arbitrary, more often we try to pick a translation that best represents the meaning, even if it is not wholly complete.
2) On the distinction between power and spirit:
So I have heard it said that power and spirit are different, and that while Sauron poured his power into the ring, this did not affect his spirit, or fea. But we do, in fact, know that Sauron’s fea was – although not destroyed, significantly diminished after the destruction of the Ring. Tolkien writes:
“Since no fea can be annihilated, reduced to zero or not-existing, it is not clear what is meant. Thus Sauron was said to have fallen below the point of ever recovering, though he had previously recovered. What is probably meant is that a ‘wicked’ spirit becomes fixed in a certain desire or ambition, and if it cannot repent then this desire becomes virtually its whole being. But the desire may be wholly beyond the weakness it has fallen to, and it will then be unable tow ithdraw its attention from the unobtainable desire, even to attend to itself. It will then remain forever in impotent desire or memory of desire.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The History of Middle-Earth X: Morgoth’s Ring
For another thing, “power” in Lord of the Rings seems to be a direct consequence of the spirit. The Valar and the maia are compared in terms of “greater and lesser” spirits, and Melkor is said to be the most powerful because he had greater spirit than his brethren.
“Melkor was not Sauron. We speak of him being ‘weakened, shrunken, reduced;’ but this is in comparison with the great Valar. He had been a being of immense potency and life. The elves certainly held and taught that fear or ‘spirits’ may grow of their own life (independently of hte body), even as they may be hurt and healed, be diminished and renewed. The dark spirit of Melkor’s ‘remainder’ might be expected, there-fore, eventually and after long ages to increase again, even (as some held) to draw back into itself some of its formerly dissipated power. It would do this (even if Sauron could not) because of its relative greatness.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The History of Middle-Earth X: Morgoth’s Ring
Just as Sauron poured his spirit into the One Ring, so too did Melkor pour his spirit into Middle-earth in an attempt to corrupt and control it, leaving him weakened and diminished.
“But in this way Morgoth lost (or exchanged, or transmuted) the greater part of his original ‘angelic’ powers, of mind and spirit, while gaining a terrible grip upon the physical world.”
—J.R.R. Tolkien, The History of Middle-Earth X: Morgoth’s Ring
By the time of his second capture, his spirit was so diminished that the destruction of his body and his “execution” effectively left him powerless and impotent:
“It was then made plain (though it must have been understood beforehand by Manwe and Namo) that, though he had ‘disseminated’ his power (his evil and possessive and rebellious will) far and wide into the matter of Arda, he had lost direct control of this, and all that ‘he’, as a surviving remnant of integral being, retained as ‘himself’ and under control was the terribly shrunken and reduced spirit that inhabited his self- imposed (but now beloved) body. When that body was destroyed he was weak and utterly ‘houseless’, and for that time at a loss and ‘unanchored’ as it were.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The History of Middle-Earth X: Morgoth’s Ring
Fun fact, the basis of spirit is also why elves have super-human abilities and better mastery over magic.
“From their beginnings the chief difference between Elves and Men lay in the fate and nature of their spirits. The fear of the Elves were destined to dwell in Arda for all the life of Arda, and the death of the flesh did not abrogate that destiny. Their fear were tenacious therefore of life ‘in the raiment of Arda’, and far excelled the spirits of Men in power over that ‘raiment’, even from the first days (28) protecting their bodies from many ills and assaults (such as disease), and healing them swiftly of injuries, so that they recovered from wounds that would have proved fatal to Men.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The History of Middle-Earth X: Morgoth’s Ring
Outfit: Head: Lesser Secret of the West Helmet (black) Shoulders: Expeditionary Camail (black) Back: Swift Wool Cloak of the Dwarfholds (black) Chest: Breastplate of the Ruithador Hands: Gauntlets of the Ruithador Legs: Trousers of the Cudur Feet: Boots of the Porbad
“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)
This one’s just a fun, casual outfit I made once I realized that the Lesser Claw of the West set, the Isengard Dispeller set, and the Great Alliance set all share a similar default color. That’s literally all it took. I got excited that I wouldn’t have to dye much, and I made this outfit.
I also realized I’d never used these leggings for anything. So…yeah. That’s about it.
I think this outfit is going to become one of my faves for my elf huntress.
Outfit:
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Isengard Dispeller
Back: Quiver of the Waking Wood
Chest: Lesser Claw of the West Breastplate (default)
Hands: Gauntlets of the Hidden Blade (evendim blue)
Legs: Greaves of the Great Alliance (default)
Feet: Threadbare Boots of the Dunland Healer (walnut brown)
Bow: Sealed Hunter’s Bow of the First Age
Sword: Sealed Reshaped Champion’s Sword of the First Age
Dagger: Invader’s Stiletto
Warsteed:
Head: Head-Piece of the Northern Herald (navy)
Body: Caparison of the Great Alliance (default)
Feet: Starlight Leg-Guards
Saddle: Saddle of Blackroot
Gear: Snow-Beast Accessory
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).
I don’t often make use of “reward” cosmetics granted for buying an expansion or as a reward for being VIP. Maybe because they seem too easy? Or because I know they aren’t accessible for a lot of players? But I finally decided to try and make an outfit based around one – specifically the Isengard Dispeller set. What can I say, I’m a sucker for blue things.
I actually ended up being quite a big fan of this outfit. It’s not my RK’s normal style at all, but I kind of put myself into roleplaying mode for a bit, and was like, “okay, my elf is in Rohan, her armor is all worn out, so she gets some stuff from the locals and makes do.” Which…normally I honestly don’t make up stories to go with outfits, but this one ended up happening organically. Maybe that’s why I’m such a big fan of the outfit now?
I also wanted to showcase one of the light caparisons that you can get just from questing in Rohan, as that also fit the narrative. So I went with the light caparison of the Norcrofts (which is a favorite of mine anyways, if I’m being honest).
If you’ve followed my warsteed outfits at all, you’ve also probably noticed that I tend to use the same bridle for EVERYTHING. Which, yes. I do. It’s the head-piece of the northern herald, and is (in my opinion) the best basic bridle in game, because it is so far the only regular looking bridle I’ve found that doesn’t change the horse’s default mane at all (if you ever play around with your warsteed’s appearance, you’ll notice that it has a differently shaped mane when it has no saddle or caparison on, versus once you put the saddle on. I’ll let this lovely wild horse model what a “naked” mane looks like:
Now compare that to the more “blocky” mane that the warsteed adopts once you put most saddles/caparisons on it:
See the difference? Anyways, that’s why I almost always use that bridle. I like the look of the first mane better, it seems much more natural. Anyways – back to my elf –
Outfit:
Head: Rune-Maker’s Hat (navy)
Shoulders: Rare Mathom-Hunter’s Mantle (evendim blue)
Back: Woven Heavy Cloak of the Abyss (evendim blue)
Chest: Hauberk of the Isengard Dispeller
Hands: Gloves of the Isengard Dispeller
Feet: Threadbare Boots of the Dunland Healer (walnut brown)
Warsteed:
Head: Head-Piece of the Northern Herald (evendim blue)
Body: Light Caparison of the Norcrofts (evendim blue)
Saddle: Saddle of Lebennin
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)
LOTRO Adventurer 