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).