Thursday 21 April 2016

Mace and Mistress


You can tell it was hard to construct a name using alliteration when I refer to Eafrith's weapon as a mace instead of a Guardian's Great Club of the Second Age. Anyway, that's what this outfit was modeled after, and I tried to imitate the colour scheme and even shape of the weapon as much as possible. 


Now, I know that this outfit is very similar to Nathrien's Captain's Arm outfit, and that we both created our outfits based on the look of the weapon. In my defense, I hadn't yet seen her outfit by the time I finished making this. It's no surprise that we would do this though as cosmetic weapons are a fairly new addition to the cosmetic system in LOTRO, and I guess we're just outfit-holics trying to make use of the system as much as possible. But as I've told all my friends (in real life, anyway) Nathrien is a huge inspiration to me in the fashion of LOTRO and I have the utmost respect for her and her work. So please, if for some strange reason you know of my blog but not hers, go on and follow her, keep yourself updated, because her outfits are extraordinary! 


I love the detail on the different pieces of armour, especially how there is chainmail in almost every piece, and how it all matches in design and colour despite being from completely different sets (we all know how chainmail can differ from each other). I especially find it amazing how well the foot-piece fits with the entirety of the outfit, despite coming from an armour set that I wouldn't normally associate with the rest of the pieces. I remember trying out countless numbers of boots with more interesting designs, but in the end I realised that perhaps what I needed was something simple to fill the gaps, and that's when I turned to the 'heavy armour' filter in the Auction House. 


As you can see, I tried to recreate the star-like shape of the weapon using the shoulder and head pieces. I also deliberately used red on the gloves to imitate the small red gem-like ornaments on the handle of the club. Also, to compliment the star-like design, I used a leg piece that included an insignia of a sun also in gold. 


The location is Duillond as I love how the blue and gold stand out from the beautiful purple and green of the scenery. Aside from that, the outfit is what I thought a really high-ranked elf warrior would wear. The spiked edges are reminiscent of the sharp edges that the elves wear in Jackson's Middle-earth adaptations, but overall this outfit is more fantastical than the more realistic Lord of the Rings trilogy (well, I thought it was pretty realistic for a fantasy). Even in the darkness of the night does this outfit look beautiful against the purple sky. 


Again, let me thank my good friend Halygr for helping me take these amazing shots. I admit, this outfit has some of my favourite screenshots ever, and those could not be achieved without help from another player.

Head: Ceremonial Dragon-scale Helm (sea blue);
Shoulders: Ceremonial High-protector's Shoulders (sea blue);
Chest: Ceremonial War-captain's Breastplate (sea blue);
Hands: Sermaib (red);
Legs: Ceremonial Thunderstruck Trousers (sea blue);
Feet: Enduring Scale Shoes of Fleetness (walnut brown).

Sunday 3 April 2016

Bree-town Burglar


Another day, another dollar! or at least that's how it is for Brina. Unfortunately, a burglar is only as rich as the people she burgles from. This mischievous young thief roams Bree-town as she normally does looking for her next victims.


Ooh! Looks like she's found two unsuspecting men. "Well, they should be on the lookout since I've been at it for such a long time," she thinks. With her long coat ready to store all the new loot she'll be picking out of people's pockets, she puts on her hat and begins the hunt.


Slowly, carefully, hoping her soft green boots will keep her footsteps quiet, she sneaks behind the unwilling victim of her next rob. But, always looking to cause more a bit more trouble and have a lot more fun, she runs around pouncing on anyone she comes across.


I honestly forgot what made me give Brina a colour scheme such as this, although I know the brown and burgundy came from one of my Lore-master's outfits. The green however seemed like I cool idea, I guess, and I'm pleased with the way it fits. Her shoulder-piece is one of my favourites as it is versatile and fits most combinations of armour or cloth. They also can be used to simply add colour as they aren't big and bulky as other shoulder-pieces that cover that amount of surface area.



Thankfully for the inhabitants, Second Watcher Heathstraw is always around to tell Brina off. But what is a Bree-land burglar who stops burgling? At least, that's Brina's philosophy. That's why until this day, no matter how many times she gets caught, you will still see her making mischief, robbing the rich of their money and giving to who she thinks is poor - herself - despite carrying a pouch of gold whenever her coat can't hold any more loot.


A shout out to my friend Halygr who helped me take these pictures! Without his help, I wouldn't have been able to capture the entirety of Brina without sacrificing clarity and detail as zooming in would only distort the image on my laptop.

Head: Adventurer's Hat (burgundy);
Shoulders: Fine Mathom-hunter's Mantle (olive);
Chest: Tattered Robe of the Dunland Sage (umber);
Back: Treasure Hunter's Satchel (burgundy);
Feet: Ceremonial Boots of the Learned (olive).