Interior Imp

You'd think that Brina had all the treasure any Tookish Hobbit could dream of, but then you'd be wrong as she was last spotted robbing the kinship house belonging to the Elves of the Wood!

Not expecting much from a humble home in the Bree-lands, Brina knocks nonchalantly on the door and makes sure no one is home to catch her on her little raid, before using that little dagger on her arm to pick the locked door open. To her surprise, the floor is literally littered in gold that clinks and clanks whenever she takes a step. What a gold mine!

Of course, this find calls for a celebration which she has on her own at the expense of the Elves of the Wood. She never has to worry too much about being caught however, for her dark-toned outfit allows her to blend much easier into the dark walls and crevasses - as though her skills as a burglar weren't enough.

Inside the home, this impish thief is in awe by the many trophies from past battles with legendary foes on display. She wonders how much she could vendor those shiny blades for, as she is certain they're way too big for her to lug around into battle if ever she needed to.

Thankfully, the Elves of the Wood are vigilant enough to place the armour of General Talug in the centre of the living room for any unsuspecting Brinas to stumble upon and discourage to continue their raids any further. Now, what more could a Hobbit burglar do against such an evil presence? Nothing! - so she races away blindly and ends up exhausting herself on the bed. I hope, for her sake, nobody comes home and catches her...

Head: Makeshift Ranger's Mask (white);

Shoulders: The Huntsman's Shoulder Guards (ranger green);

Back: Tattered Cloak (gold);

Chest: Lesser Secret of the West Breastplate (olive);

Hands: Ceremonial Secret of the West Gauntlets (walnut brown);

Legs: Shabby Leggings (navy);

Feet: Ceremonial Boots of the Gloom-bane (ranger green).

The Master over Lore and Life

I made this outfit a very long time ago, as Celebindil was of one my first characters made. Some of the pieces are different from before to make the overall look more brutal. 

With Celedindil, I wanted a rather different approach to the term "Lore-master." I was looking through the Auction House and found an amazing breath-taking head piece which really interested me. Needless to say I bought it on the spot. Then I started picking out outfit pieces from all over the Auction House. To me, this really looked like a Lore-master gone berserk. Back then, I was desperate to finish the outfit and bought almost any piece that fit the colours well enough, as you can see from the boots especially. But I still liked it enough to keep it until this day. It's almost like a relic from my past in LOTRO. 

When I had characters like Eadyth and Isenbran up at the upper quarter of levels (75-100), I was thinking of deleting Celebindil and making a new Lore-master, but thinking back on the many hours I've spent repeating Attack At Dawn for weeks just to level him up to level 50 to begin Moria (as that was the only other expansion/quest pack I bought). I told myself that if I could survive that long on him, then he couldn't be bad enough to delete. So I let him stay.

Of course, I got him through Moria, and Enedwaith and Dunland after that. He didn't seem too bad a character to play, but I started dying a lot quicker and more frequently than before. I was so put off by this that I thought of deleting him once again, but then I tried switching to yellow line, pushing my pets to do all my dirty work for me. It worked out for some time, until I missed being able to destroy a whole crowd of enemies at once with Ring of Fire.

Back to red line I switched, and it was then that I realised how poetically perfect this outfit was. This light armoured character has been through a lot of change and potential defeat, but after a lot of change he comes out stronger than ever, and all this is reflected in the new armour he wears today. Much more metal and plate compared to before, and definitely some stronger boots, as well as much more powerful weapons.

After all this, I thought it was only appropriate to call him the Master over Lore and Life, as he ultimately defied me, his creator, when I wanted to kill him off. After all, would you not think him to be Death himself if you saw this demonic being riding toward you casting spells of inferno and storms left and right?

Head: High Officer's Helm (grey);

Shoulders: Vibrant Campaign Pauldrons of the Rider (walnut brown);

Back: Supple Scholary Cloak of the Wold (umber);

Chest: Combative Eastement War Armour (sienna);

Hands: Superb Campaigners Gloves (black);

Feet: Vibrant Westfold War Boots (black).

Sindar in Sunshine

Even the magical elves need to unwind and indulge in Hobbit hobbies from time to time, and what better time to do so than the Summer Festival. Of course, a new summer-themed outfit is in order. I know this is late, but I already had a scheduled order of outfits up to Halloween, so I hope this outfit isn't too irrelevant. 

Erinil, guardian of Eriador, looks out at the home of the Hobbits not to defend them, but rather to find the 5 missing items (especially that damn teapot which, though unknown to her, is behind her somewhere). Also, she scouts for the numerous crashed kites she has to collect as well as for the groups of overheated patrons she has to cool off by spitting water at, a deed she feels is unhygienic and would be considered rude by her kin, but she does it anyway. 

But all that fishing is tiring, leaving Erinil in a state of hunger and thirst. Unfortunately, the Eating Contest is only open to Hobbits, making her decide she has to run around when nobody is looking and sneak a sip of the ale and a bite of the bread. Her defense: elves already behave themselves throughout the year, so let her have some fun for a few weeks. 

I made this outfit based around the design of both the cloak as well as the cosmetic shield she uses (I'm sorry I forgot to take the pictures of her weapons). I had the shield kept in a vault of an alt for a long time, waiting to be used in an outfit, but when I made Erinil out of boredom and was throwing together an outfit, I noticed that the Summer Festival had a perfect cloak to match the shield. One piece came after another and this was the end result.

Usually, I don't like how narrow cloaks are on tall female characters, which is why I don't play many tall females - Eadyth usually carries a quiver, and cloaks seem okay on Brina. But for some strange reason, I really like the look of cloak on Erinil. I think it has to do with her battle stance (another thing I forgot to take a picture of. Sorry!). But it's amazing how the slightly blue tint of the dyeable part matches so perfectly with the helm as well as the shield. I think it's close to Belegaer Blue.

Head: Ceremonial Helm of the West-tower (orange);

Shoulders: Shining Shoulder Guards (orange);

Back: Cloak of the Summer Sun (white);

Chest: Westement Battle Armour of the Vigilance (sienna);

Hands: Ceremonial Gauntlets of the Quiet Step (orange);

Feet: Lesser Cry of the West Boots (rust).

Happy Halloween!

Jack-o'-lantern Jester

Happy Halloween guys! You're only seeing this because I made this outfit almost right after Halloween, if memory serves. So here it is, almost one year later!

Here, we see the Jack-o'-lantern Jester awakening in his humble slumber-chmber, a comfortable little tomb sized perfectly for him, adorned with cryptic symbols and the countless cobwebs made by his favourite pet spawn of Ungoliant. He wakes, seeking to out-scare the numerous wights and barrow-spirits who share his lodgings.

With his housemates in the backkground of the picture, Gildomir the Jack-o'-lantern giggles as he knows full well how they absolutely abhor having their picture taken. This clown of a creepy quality owns a jest so nonchalant that he wears a smile painted on his pumpkin-helmet face to battle. Thankfully, dread reduces in-combat morale regeneration and fear makes enemies flee in the opposite direction. Ask the Nazgûl - they're pros at it!

Yes, folks - your eyes do not deceive you. He is levitating. While dancing. Very specifically to scare any foolish enough to venture into the barrows (that includes me, the photographer!). But I must say, his choice in cloak is stunning as it gloves with the flame. Perhaps that's why it's called Flames of the Deep...

I honestly think I made this outfit as a joke, because of the many joke-masks in LOTRO, and since Isenbran wore a chicken head for nearly 50 levels. But as I continued to find pieces, I thought it turned out pretty well, considering I spent only about 20 minutes coming up with the outfit (again, if memory serves). The combinations were natural and the colour scheme was simple: green and orange, the colours of Halloween. To me, at least.

Head: Pumpkin Festival Mask (dark green);

Shoulder: Ceremonial Shoulder Guards of the Porbad (grey);

Back: Flames of the Deep (dark green);

Chest: Nelegham (orange);

Hands: Resiliant Eastemnet Battle Gauntlets (rust);

Legs: Greater Valorous Leggins of Penetration (black);

Feet: Threadbare Boots of the Dunland Healer (grey).

Adventures in Angmar

As an outsider, Calonice had to earn the trust of the Trév Gállorg when adventuring into Angmar and helping stop the shadow in the North. To do this, she both had to perform a Fém as well as dress up as one of them.

Any player in LOTRO knows how underused yellow is, simply because it looks horrible on most pieces. However, this outfit emerged when I jokingly dyed the leggings yellow just to see how the colours contrasted. I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw, and soon enough, I had dyed other pieces yellow as well. 

Honestly, I didn't have Angmar in mind when I created this outfit. The colours of the leggings were the basis of the entire piece. However, I was beginning questing in Angmar and noticed the similarities between the shades on Calonice's garments and theirs, and decided that this was the perfect outfit to wear throughout my adventures there.

I'm quite thankful I used quite a decent amount of yellow. As Angmar is such a gloomy place, much like Moria or Mirkwood, the yellow gave me brightness in the darkness; that would ultimately be the reason I managed Angmar, as I easily get discouraged and bored in dull environments, just like Calonice evidently does.

I was also - and am still - amazed by how well the Steed of Rivendell goes with this outfit, despite it being from a completely different faction and a colour scheme for a completely different purpose. Still, it's good that the mount uses a lot of yellow, which almost justifies my use of yellow in my outfit. 

Head: The Beast-keeper's Hat (gold);

Shoulders: Fine Mathom-hunter's Mantle (burgundy);

Chest: Isengard Prisoner Shirt (yellow);

Hands: Elven Steel Gauntlets of Courage (burgundy);

Legs: Ceremonial Trousers of the Stone-student (yellow);

Feet: Ceremonial Boots of the Brazen Call (yellow).

Watcher West of the White City

Eadyth returns, now dressed in the garb of Gondor, to watch over Dol Amroth, west of Minas Tirith. All along the watchtower she stands with her fellow sentinels keeping a look out for any corsair threats that may engage Prince Imrahil and his people. 

I created this outfit only after I emerged from the Paths of the Dead, as I felt that after spending such a long time in Rohan and in my Rohirrim outfit , I needed something new and fresh. Besides, it seemed wrong to wear anything else than a Gondor-themed outfit whilst running around defeating corsairs by the Bays of Belfalas. 

I love how half the outfit are Dunland quest rewards and yet fit so well as Gondorian armour, and I especially love how versatile the chest piece is by simply changing the colour - I think I've seen players use it for Rohirrim outfits too. Simple touches like the shoulder cloth Eadyth wears that bears the White Tree does enough to remind anybody of Gondor.

The helm has a nice winged shape on the sides that, while is not exactly the same as, reminded me of the Heavy Nadhin Mask, and instantly I thought it would be the perfect helmet for a Gondor-themed outfit. Though the patch of bronze patch on the helm is the only one of its colour throughout the entire outfit, it doesn't seem out of place as it blends nicely with the silvers, almost acting as a rusted section of a once silver-coloured section. 

Another colour that is one of its kind in this outfit would be the dark green found on the sleeves of the hauberk. This is undyeable, and has caused me a lot of trouble in the past with other outfits that never made it to the blog, but for some reason I felt that it looked well here, adding another tint to the almost-full blue outfit; I just think the green adds an interesting flavour to the overall navy. 

Head: Helm of the White Mountains (navy);

Shoulders: Medium Nadhin Shoulders (white);

Back: Fine Elven Quiver (white);

Chest: Forged-Iron Dunlending Hauberk (navy);

Hands: Fel-durnvol (walnut brown);

Feet: Burnished Dunlending Chain Boots (grey).

Leaf-shaded Lore-master

I'm not even going to pretend anymore that these alliterative names aren't becoming ridiculous, but if I can keep it going, why not?

There's not much to say about this outfit. It's simple and basic, something a new player might throw together; and did a new player throw this together. This is the oldest outfit on the oldest character I have on my account. I haven't enjoyed playing the Lore-master all that much ever since I had other characters, but I can never bring myself to delete him to start anew or simply for another character slot for I keep reminding myself of the work I put in to getting him where he is: Attack At Dawn-ing from the Lone-lands to Moria!

Thankfully, I've begun to enjoy him slightly more of late, especially with outfitting as I get to experiment on a male elf character. I don't think I've mentioned it, but I really hate the neutral stance of the elves in the game, especially how the male elf has to stand at an angle and chest slightly out (at least it looks that way to me). I don't know what I hate so much about it, but I do. Nonetheless, it's different and it provides me a different canvas to paint on. Also, I just realised the horrible overlap of pieces in the picture to the left and I apologise greatly for that.

I remember calling this outfit The Green Dragon when I first made it, and the name came to me in Agamaur whilst removing wights. I liked seeing it there as the bright green stood out from the gloomy red that engulfed the area, making Celebindil seem almost like a beacon of light in the midst of chaos. It was rather hopeful and reassuring.

Head: Thick Quilted Hat (dark green);

Shoulder: Ceremonial Beast-master Shoulders (forest green);

Back: Ceremonial Treiglur-clog (dark green);

Chest: Lissuin Robe (forest green);

Feet: Soft Leather Boots (washed).

Wickie de Viking

Daar is Wickie, hier is Wickie! It's no secret that I've recently become almost obsessed with the Dutch musical Wickie de Musical (based on the characters from Wickie de Viking), even to the point of actually learning Dutch. I was on LOTRO one day while listening to the songs on Youtube when the idea hit me to make an outfit as tribute to my new favourite viking.

"Vikings val aan!" schreeuwt de kleine viking. I based his appearance on Remi De Smet's portrayal in the musical, mainly because I wasn't able to recreate the slightly blue colour of metal in both animated versions of Wickie. Also, it made more sense as I am more attached to Remi's Wickie than I am to the animated series', much the opposite of most fans of the musical who would have had Wickie as a part of their childhood. 

The helm was a no-brainer, and I particularly love it for the undyeable orange on the sides mimicking the orange bob-hairstyle worn by the viking boy. The shoulders were simple enough to decide on, but it took me a while earning Turbine Points just to buy Mithril Coins to make the purchase in Laila's Market, specially for the pinkish lining at the top as opposed to simply using the Mathom-hunter's Shoulder-pads because it has a dark blue.

The chest piece however was a real challenge, as I initially had the Lesser Cry of the West Breastplate which I had ready for use in my wardrobe. The problems was that it had a thick design, making it pop through both the shoulder-pads and the purple bracers on the arms which I felt was essential. I looked around for a decent chest piece with mail and almost couldn't find any until I remembered that Eadyth was an armourer. I logged on her and looked through what she could make and took a leap of faith. Thankfully, it fits well with the other two pieces.

Despite still having a duty to defend Middle-earth, Isenbran doesn't take his cosplaying lightly, and even arms himself with the appropriate sword and shield, though they be not as strong as his other weapons and protection. It's really a fine thing that he's a minstrel, and doesn't have to charge head-on into the forces of darkness. No number of prayers to Lieve Freya can protect him from folly arm choices, and orcs are definitely more intimidated by the Dwarvish Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu! than the Dutch Vikings val aan!, mainly due to the language barrier. 

For a viking, Isenbran isn't a good boatman, losing his ship to the Storm op zee. 

Head: Ceremonial Helm of the Aurochs (white);

Shoulders: Ceremonial Shoulders of the Mighty Verse (white);

Chest: Elven Iron Armour (grey);

Hands: Leather Bracers of the Learned Stag (purple);

Legs: Ceremonial Leggings of the Graven Word (purple);

Feet: Ceremonial Thrill-seeker's Boots (gold).

Blue-Mountain Berserker (with Halygr of Gladden)

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the famous Halygr who has been graciously helping me take pictures of outfits on my own characters. A tough fighter, he is, with an unquenchable determination to grow (in might, as he can't really grow in height anymore) as he defends his kin living in Ered Luin. 

Seeking Dourhand threats in the mountains, Halygr sacrifices some heavy-armour to match the maneuverability and agility of hunters, but keeps a handy horned helm to both protect himself as well as to intimidate his foes, especially in the dark. But all can agree that nothing is more intimidating than seeing this fierce dwarf charge at you, screaming Khazâd ai-mênu!

Armed with a slim long-sword, Halygr may be a whirlwind with a blade despite his stout figure. Unfortunately, my computer isn't the best one for taking screenshots so the images aren't as sharp as his blade. 

What outfit post of a defender of peoples is complete without a picture of said defender /look[ing] into the distance for threats. Funny enough, you'll see that the Dourhand infestation Halygr is seeking was behind him all along.

Below, you can see Eadyth's first reaction to seeing Halygr suddenly appear with both an amazing outfit and a request to be a guest feature. I want to thank him for all the time he spent taking pictures of my outfits, and welcome him to the My Middle-earth Mode page as a (hopefully returning) feature! 

Head: Ceremonial Helm of the Aurochs (evendim blue); 

Shoulders: Rune-maker's Shoulders (evendim blue); 

Chest: Ceremonial Jacket of the Shield-wall (evendim blue); 

Back: Dusty Seafarer's Cloak (evendim blue);

Hands: Ceremonial Gloves of the Gloom-bane (evendim blue); 

Legs: Ceremonial War-captain's Leggings (evendim blue); 

Feet: Far-arrow's Boots (evendim blue).