Hard work pays off

Khamrad has spent whole his life digging in dirt, searching for treasures, or even small chunks of shiny metal resembling gold. Most of the time he ended up with simple copper or iron, counting coins from day to day to afford some food and shelter. Often he had to sleep just under the night sky, dreaming of being wealthy one day.

When he's heard about the Low Lands Gold Rush, all the friends, family and fellow wanderers tried to talk him out going there. Hundreds of dwarves, hobbits, elves and men alike digging inch by inch of soil which was said to be full of gold chunks of palm size, usually to find only pieces not bigger than a poppy grain. However, Aulë smiled upon Khamrad and right the first digging site he visited contained the biggest treasure ever found in Low Lands! He was able to afford a good goat to carry all his wealth, gems for all lady dwarves of his family and a new fancy garb to be welcomed as worthy dwarf at home in Thorin's Hall. "My whole life's hard work has finally payed off!" he rejoiced. Let's hope he uses the gold wisely.

I was able to enjoy the Treasure Hunt for almost whole day on Sunday on three of my characters. I adore this event - mounts, cosmetics, emotes: what else can a cosmetic junkie wish for? :) I got everything I wanted except for Treasure Laden Pony for my main, hobbit Freyjuska and a Treasure Hunter's Rucksack (damn!). I am especially happy about the "Rich" emote and the Treasure Laden Goat, which I wanted to show off :)

The goat has orange and brown coat and I wanted the outfit to match it (at least a little) and show off the wealth of its wearer. I decided to give the unpopular orange dye a shot, although it usually makes outfits look a bit out of place. I wanted the top part match the goat's coat and golden horns, and the lower part of the outfit to match the treasure bags attached to the goat and its saddle. Any top without the grey undyable parts would work better, but I haven't found such chest piece with golden pattern which would look good on a dwarf. The shoulders are also rarely used, but here I went for them for a funny reason - they clip so horribly on a dwarf that they kinda turned Herald's Armour into heavier one naturally, as if the shoulders were part of it.

Please let me know your opinion in comments :) I'm also starting to list the emotes used, as they are a vital part of the screenshots and you guys often ask about them. I hope it's a welcomed change :)

Chest: Herald's Armour, orange dye (T6 crafted; shares appearance with other T6 medium crafted armour)
Legs: Leggings of the Brazen Call, orange dye (Moria level 60 captain teal set; also available as champion and guardian set parts with very small differences in looks)
Head: Hat of the Stone-student, orange dye (Moria level 60 lore-master purple set; shares appearance with minstrel's and rune-keeper's Moria pieces)
Shoulders: Forged-iron Dunlending Pauldrons, orange dye (Dunland quest)
Hands: Tawarwaith Gloves, orange dye (T6 crafted)
Feet: Rusted Boots of the Dunland Berserkers, default/white dye (Dunland quest)
Back: Treasure Hunter’s Pack, white dye (Treasure Hunt event)

Mount: Treasure Laden Goat (Treasure Hunt event, rare drop from Huge treasure)

Emotes:
./rich - first screenshot, drop from Huge treasure cache, also barterable for 300 buried treasure tokens (Treasure Hunt event)
./counterfeit - last screenshot, drop from treasure caches, not barterable (Treasure Hunt event)

Guest: The Lord of Gondor by Aridor Arthain

What did our ranger Aridor Arthain find here in the north? Kinsmen long forgotten defending a ruined city against a long forgotten foe. A rising threat that must be stopped lest it march south upon the rear of Gondor. The dirty ranger sheds his greens and browns for the raiment of war. A lord of Gondor, son of Númenor he fights endlessly to aid his kinsmen in the City of Kings. Wearing Heraldry awarded by Elendil he now fights to protect Elendil’s city.

Aridor said about this outfit: "This outfit is Aridor in his full heraldic armor. The blues mark his family’s link to the sea and the golden eagle represents their service to the kings of Númenor. The cloak bares the white tree of Gondor emblazoned on the blue field of the Arthains. The cloak was what really started this outfit. Nearly a year ago I found it and knew I had the key piece I needed for my character’s Gondorian noble look. I’ve spent forever trying to find all the right pieces to make a heavy armor look that avoided all the weird overly spikey armors. When I hit Mirkwood and found Tarchar, I knew I had the next piece. It is in my opinion the best most realistic helm in game. It looks so much like the movie’s helms for Elendil and Isildur that I knew I had to use it. The other armor pieces were chosen from the new RoI cosmetics for their plain steel look. I really wanted to avoid a fantasy look in the armor so these were perfect."

Chest: Hauberk of the Eagle's Crest, gold dye (Store)
Helm: Tarchar, gold dye (Mirkwood barter)
Shoulders: Hydre-axle, white dye (Dunland quest)
Hands: Hydre-folme, grey dye (Dunland quest)
Feet: Battered Dunlanding Boots, grey dye (Dunland quest)
Back: Radiant Cloak, Evendim blue dye (T5 crafted)

Joy of wisdom (and jewels)

Ladriell is a knowledge seeker. She is a scholar and a lore-master, always trying to broaden her horizons. She is still a girl though, and if she manages to buy some nice clothes and jewellery on her journeys to distant forgotten places, she is twice as happy. This is her scholarly outfit she uses when battle is far away, and she is alone in peace to study artifacts and ancient parchments.

This is the last of my submissions for the Fashion Week 2012 screenshot contest. I submitted it into Professionally Minded category, as a lore-master outfit. It's certainly not very original (I've seen many very similar outfits and even created some in the recent past), but it's something I see my lore-master Ladriell really wearing as it fits her personality. I also adore the cloak, which has amazing plastic textures in the correct light, and the dress shares this feature. The infamous red neckline of the shoulder piece matches the jewellery on the Anniversary dress, and I also tried to match Ladriell's hairstyle to the attire. I hope the result will please some of you as it did myself when I put it on Ladriell :)

Do you like this outfit? Please let me know in the comments! :) And I promise the next outfit made by me will be something heavier - too many dresses recently :D

Chest: Ceremonial Dress, default dye (Summer festival, white variant - watch out, there are 3 different undyable variations)
Head: Baladeer's Hat, white dye (Moria level 60 minstrel purple set; shares appearance with lore-master's and rune-keeper's Moria pieces)
Shoulders: Gwir-palvais, white dye (Drop from Isengard instance cluster)
Back: Anniversary Cloak, white dye (Anniversary event)

Winners of Fashion Week 2012 screenshot contest!

Turbine announced winners of Fashion Week screenshot contest today. For me, it was an amazing event which I loved for two reasons - motivation to create my own contest entries and seeing so many wonderful and original outfits of others in such a short time. Many people have awaken their creativity for this contest and came up with new combinations and untypical pieces, which I wouldn't think of using myself and they worked great!

I didn't comment on the finalists on forums, because I was part of the jury for Fashionista's Choice category and didn't wanna reveal my opinions before the results were announced. After today, I'm just an ordinary member of outfitting crazies public :)) and I'd like to use this opportunity to express my thanks and comment on the TOP 10 outfits in Fan Choice and Fashionista's Choice meta-categories.

Disclaimer: These are just my personal opinions and expressions of my own taste. I'm not trying to play a reviewer here, especially as outfits are very personal thing and there are as many fashion tastes as there are people, elves, hobbits and dwarves in the Middle-earth :)

Very good and original outfit - certainly one that would catch great attention. It matches the mount perfectly. I'm a little sorry I can't see more screenshots of the outfit - side view usually don't show much, but I can imagine the rest of the pieces and I think they work pretty well together. The only part I'm not sure about is using sleeveless top for such a massive battle outfit.

I don't really wonder this outfit won the Fan's Choice. It's purely amazing. It's very original - the chest piece is rarely used. The cloak, boots and gloves are a perfect match for the chest & legs combo. If I wanted to find one flaw on this outfit, I'd maybe say that when the Everstout (chest piece) is used, it's almost always paired with the Leggings of the Sun-lands (I did the same terribly unoriginal thing myself and it's still one of my favourite self-made outfits :)) and I would have wanted to see other so well matched combo. But as I don't wanna find any flaws, I say this outfit is just perfect :)

I have a weak spot for this outfit. When Kemendin sent it to me a few months ago as a guest submission, I was left speechless. I love crimson and Kemendin used to it create an intimidating attire for a lore-master with it. He also made his elf look very handsome and manly, which can be an issue with elven stature. Kemendin is also master of screenshoting and this is one of his dark atmosphere shots, which appeal to me a lot. Draigoch armour pieces are used very often recently but Kemendin made them look unusual by combination with other pieces.

Beauty lies in simplicity. This attire proves it. It evokes serenity and peace as well as cuteness (who wouldn't adore the two feathered hobbit hat!). Also the screenshot is perfect. However, if I'd meet the character ingame, I wouldn't probably notice the uniqueness on the first glance - many people wear Extravagant Festival Dress dyed purple and with lower details and distance from character, the hat would be nearly unnoticeable.

My personal No. 1 favourite. I was astonished when I saw this - I don't know who is the author of this outfit, but I suspect it's Cookiereth and enhanced version of the outfit she submitted to my blog last year (her staff seems to confirm that! :). If it's her or not, it's a very original outfit and I haven't seen anything like that except for the two occurrences (Cookie on my blog and the contest entry). I love how exotic this combination looks and how well-matched it is. Boots, "belt", golden details on shirt and shoulders add nobility. Mask, grey chest parts and black skirt parts create feeling of danger. The sabre cat adds to the whole atmosphere. The only downside is the screenshot - I read many people didn't vote for it in the fan choice simply because the homestead's surrounding was... inappropriate for the battle outfit. Unfortunately, I must agree - the outfit would look so much better in Moria, Forochel or for example Dunland. Anyway, despite the contest being called "Fashion Week screenshot contest", I prefer to consider it an outfit competition, because I know how long it took me to take proper screenshots myself (and I'm still not perfect) - so I'd love to see this entry as a winner :)

Charming outfit and a great screenshot - sort of "Lara Croft of the Middle-earth" :) I can see that the character wearing this is a lore-master, but the outfit would fit basically any explorer or scholar, and I would definitely wear it for my woman burglar if I had one :) Very pretty.

An extravagant and stylish outfit using non-typical colours - I like that. However, I can't help myself hating the chest piece on females. It damages the feminine body shape so much that the lady suddenly looks like a male elf :( Using gentler top, this could have been a really nice outfit.

Great outfit and I'm very happy it won Professionally Minded category. I love the bright metallic colour of the steel armour (I've tried something like that for my first dwarven outfit - with much less success though). The only thing I don't like is the helm - I would pick another one, but the rest is just perfect and very suitable for a dwarf.

When we were voting for Fashionista's Choice, I gave this outfit full points for every criteria (dye bledning, integration of pieces, overall impression) except for one - originality. I've seen so many outfit using this hauberk - and I can take part of the blame, I use it regularly myself. There is a reason for that - it can be styled in a thousand ways and always look good. Here with the bandana, it works amazing, and if this really was a screenshot contest, it would be the absolute No. 1 for me. I can't imagine how the author managed to take such a great screenshot - it looks like a cut from a movie scene. Bravo!

This is the only outfit I commented on before. I was very surprised when I saw it posted on the forums, as I made exactly the same outfit on the same day Valkrist posted it (only shoulders being different). I remade it a little (really just a little) and submitted it to the Fashion Contest anyway - you can see the result as my outfit to be published today. However, Valkrist looks absolutely gorgeous wearing her creation and the screenshot quality just took my breath. This outfit won Fashionista's Choice category, because we all agreed it's a demonstration of pure elegance. And I'm very happy about our choice :)

Congratulations to everyone who made it to TOP 10 and to everyone who took part in the contest. You guys are wonderfully creative and made me, an outfitting freak, really happy! I'm looking forward to more events like that. Thank you Turbine for organizing it, and my wonderful judging partners Hymne and Devonna for fun we've had while picking winners in our category!

Guest: In the Presence of Saruman by Kemendin

The words of Galadriel before her Mirror surface in your memory.

 'The prize of knowledge, it waits, ripe for the taking.'
'A library at the pinnacle of the black spire, secrets untold.'
'Enemies without...and within....'
'How far will your heart take you for limitless knowledge, Lore-master?'

Instance: In the Presence of Saruman

Kemendin shared the story of this outfit creation: "This outfit was born out of a two-fold inspiration. The initial glimmerings came to me when Kemendin first entered the instance "In the Presence of Saruman" while being held captive in Isengard. Wandering around, I was struck by the elegance and majestic colour scheme of the tower, and I felt distinctly out of place in the outfit I was currently wearing. So I resolved to find a new outfit more fitting to the surroundings, to show Saruman that Kemendin is not a Lore-master to be taken lightly. And then, with the arrival of Update 5 and new armour to drool over, also came the Prized Isengard steed. Robe met horse, and with a loud bang and flash of light... okay, not quite. But you get the idea."

This is was also one of Kemendin's entries for LOTRO Fashion Week screenshot contest. I had his outfit scheduled a long time before that, but after he posted the mounted screenshot on forums, I immediately fell in love with it! Prized Isengard War-horse is very rarely seen and even more rarely with such amazingly matching outfit.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments! :)

Chest: The Ancient Master's Robe, default dye (Isengard level 75 lore-master purple set)
Head: Hat of Deep Lore, crimson dye (Moria level 60 lore-master purple set)
Shoulders: The Ancient Master's Shoulder Pads, default dye (Isengard level 75 lore-master purple set)
Hands: High Officer's Gloves, crimson dye (T6 crafted)
Feet: High Officer's Boots, crimson dye (T6 crafted)
Back: Linen Cloak, black dye (T2 crafted)
Mount: Prized Isengard War-horse

Starlight

A Elbereth Gilthoniel
silivren penna míriel
o menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-díriel
o galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
nef aear, sí nef aearon!

O Elbereth Starkindler,
white-glittering, slanting down sparkling like a jewel,
the glory of the starry host!
Having gazed far away
from the tree-woven lands of Middle-earth,
to thee, Everwhite, I will sing,
on this side of the Sea, here on this side of the Ocean!

A Elbereth Gilthoniel, Elven hymn to Varda

This is one of my submission to the Fashion Week 2012. It's basically a variation of this outfit, but in different colour scheme. I sent to to category Formal Extravagance, which awards "Extravagant in Starlight" forum title, and I took the title literally as theme for the outfit. I love the Elf-queen's Dress because of gentle tones it dyes into, and also because parts of it sparkle in appropriate light. I tried to use this and dyed the dress gold. It doesn't shine as much as in white, but adds a warm gentle feeling to the outfit.

Do you like this outfit? Please let me know in the comments! :)

Chest: Elf-queen's Dress, gold dye (Store)
Head: Baladeer's Hat, Ered Luin blue dye (Moria level 60 minstrel purple set; shares appearance with lore-master's and rune-keeper's Moria pieces)
Shoulders: Gwir-palvais, Ered Luin blue dye (Drop from Isengard instance cluster)
Back: Cloak of the Ibis, Ered Luin blue dye (Store)

Guest: The Ranger by Aridor Arthain

Long have the noble men of Gondor spilled their blood in defense of middle earth. Long have they fought. Allies they have few and enemies many. What dangers lurking in the north might threaten the White City? What allies might be called from the distant north to aid Gondor in her hour of need? Questions such as these must be answered. Whom will go? I will says a grim dirty covered old veteran of war as he steps from the shadows. I will be Gondor’s eyes if she needs them he say. To the north he rides alone to carry out his mission prepared for war. What does this old lord of Ithilien find in the north? Friends or Enemies? Hope or despair?

Aridor said about this outfit: "Simple greens and browns were chosen for the stealth. My attempt with this outfit was to emulate the film’s rangers as much as possible. This character, being in an infantry unit within the rangers,  fights his battles mainly close in with the sword, hence his choice of chain mail for the extra protection. The guerrilla nature of fighting in the Ithilien necessitates that they are armed to the teeth, so he carries a boot knife as well as a fighting knife in his dagger. The desire was to make the uniform look as practical as possible while still maintaining small heraldry like the Star of Elendil."

Chest: Jacket of the Nightshade, umber dye (Isengard quest)
Helm: Fine Grey Company Hood, olive dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)
Shoulders: Fine Grey Company Wrap, olive dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)
Gloves: Lesser Secret of the West Gauntlets, ranger green dye (Ost Dunhoth burglar level 65 set)
Boots: Fine Grey Company Boots, umber dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)
Back: Cloak of the Grey Company, olive dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)

The pony and the rider

When passing through Celondim, Grulka noticed an usually beautiful pony stabled in the town. She asked the stable-master who is the wonderful animal's master. "She has no master," he replied. "At least no one still alive. Some time ago, a very powerful dwarf controlling the fury of runes rode from the Blue Mountains, visited his friends here in Celondim and then died. He knew it was coming, so he left the mare to me and told me to let her choose her own master. Since then, she refused to bear everybody who's tried riding her, knocked off even the noblest of dwarves and elves." "Perhaps she doesn't want noble elves and dwarves, maybe she just wants somebody with a bright mind and light heart, not to mention light stature," Grulka replied rudely and tried to mount the pony. Since then, they've become friends and ride everywhere together - sometimes a magical horse has enough magic on its own and all it needs is a master with tender soul and hand :)

When Hymne posted her guide on Outfitters' selection, I noticed the undyable parts of Elven Hauberk and Elven Tunic and Pants match the Steed of the Rune-keeper's weird greenish blue perfectly. I've been to the Celondim outfitter countless times, but never realized that before. So, here comes another Steed of the Rune-keeper matching outfit, previewed also on a dwarf and an elf for your convenience :) It was also my submission for the LOTRO Fashion Week's screenshot contest.

When I won the Steed of the Rune-keeper in a lottery for my baby burglar, first thing I've thought was "damn" :) I love the mount very much and was secretly hoping to win it for my elves or my dwarf, to be able to play with outfits matching this challenging steed. But later I realized that I'm terribly lucky anyway and who knows - maybe a hobbit riding the Steed of the Rune-keeper will at least catch more interest! So I made it a warden outfit :)

For the dwarf and elf preview, I switched the Warden's Pack for the Sage's Pack and added Westfold boots. Please excuse that the backpack and boots are navy dyed - I didn't want to waste Evendim blue on a preview. I think that even though the hauberk itself is elvish, the whole composition suites dwarves the best.

Do you like this outfit? Please let me know in the comments! :) And check the previous outfit matching the Steed of the Rune-keeper I made for Ketani.

Chest: Elven Hauberk, Evendim blue dye (Outfitter in Celondim)
Head: Pathfinder's Helm, Evendim blue dye (Moria level 60 hunter purple set; shares appearance with warden's and burglar's Moria pieces)
Shoulders: Vibrant Calenard War Pauldrons, navy dye (T7 crafted)
Hands: Worn Ranger's Gauntlets, Evendim blue dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)
Back: Warden's Pack, white dye (Outfitter vendor)

Guest: Eodread of Nimrodel

Eodread, a man of Rohan with Dúnedain blood, has seen many battles and enemy's blade has scratched his breastplate countless times. Recently he helped defending Fornost from the terror of Angmar, protecting it from repetition of destiny which has made this once great city a sorrow place. If only he had been there that time - maybe we would now be attending a ball among the decorated castle walls...

Eodread said about this outfit: "The inspiration was to distinguish my character from other ranger outfits, but still keep a Grey Company look." I think he achieved his goal, what do you think? Let us know in comments! :)

Chest: Lesser Cry of the West Breastplate, black dye (Ost Dunhoth captain level 65 set)
Legs: Lesser Defender of the West Leggings, black dye (Ost Dunhoth warden level 65 set)
Head: Fine Grey Company Hood, default dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)
Shoulders: Fine Grey Company Wrap, default dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)
Hands: Secret of the West Gauntlets, black dye (Ost Dunhoth burglar level 65 set)
Feet: Battle-leader's Boots, black dye (Barad Guldur captain level 65 set)
Back: Cloak of the Grey Company, default dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)

Have you entered LOTRO Fashion Contest?

Yesterday, the LOTRO Fashion Week 2012 ended. Celestrata of Turbine Community team reported that we have a LOT to look forward to from judging perspective. I can't wait to see your guys' submissions!

According to the poll I ran on this blog during the Fashion Week, most of you were interested in the screenshot contest. I hope all the votes for "I'm planning to" translated into some beautiful outfits in the end :)

In the next poll, I'd like to know how did you find this blog. Have you come here from official forums? Read my announcement ingame? (That must have been a loong time ago, I haven't been spamming glff for a long time :)) Please let me know!

Crimson ranger

The Rangers of the North, the last of the Dúnedain silently protecting Middle-earth, are rarely seen because of their inconspicuous clothing of green and grey tones, blending into the environment. However, there are times when the tide of battle can be turned by drawing attraction towards oneself. Maney knows that. For the battles where disguise is meaningless, he wears this crimson garb, ensuring the enemy will notice him just a moment after he charges out of stealth and just a moment before he delivers the killing blow.

This is the last of the crimson outfit series, as the Fashion Week 2012 ends today. Don't forget to use your last chance and submit your entries to the screenshot contest! I've enjoyed process of creating crimson outfits (as it's my favourite dye) and I'm happy about this one, although it might not be the most original outfit seen nowadays :) It's also not very lore-appropriate for a ranger to wear striking colours, but I couldn't resist when I found out how amazingly the crimson dyed chest & legs piece match the epic ranger cosmetic rewards. I picked the lighter pieces, because they dye better, and the dark shoulders, because they have more interesting features. To match them, although they come from different ranger cosmetic sets, I dyed the headgear and cloak crimson, while shoulders are red.

Use your last chance to grab a crimson dye for free today! Before the end of Fashion Week 2012, grab a free crimson dye off the store with our exclusive coupon code!

Do you like this outfit? Please let me know in the comments! :)

Chest: Arth-crus, umber dye (Drop from Update 5 instance cluster)
Legs: Rhuvel-socas, umber dye (Drop from Update 5 instance cluster)
Head: Worn Ranger's Hood, crimson dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)
Shoulders: Fine Grey Company Wrap, red dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)
Hands: Fingerless Gloves, umber dye (Yule festival)
Feet: Worn Ranger's Boots, umber dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)
Back: Worn Cloak of the Ranger, crimson dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)

Guest: Captain of the Iron Garrison by Urur

Urur started his carer in the garrison just when the dwarves entered Moria to reclaim it. In the mines he quickly showed his worth as a fighter, as well as a leader, and quickly rose through the ranks. His weapon of choice is his two-handed axe, Nambalanta, which is a gift from the Lord of the Golden Wood himself. He was given the axe after successfully having lead an expedition into the depths of Moria to slay the Mistress of Pestilence herself.

Urur said about this outfit: "It might not be the most creative outfit, but I love it. I have used it for years, I have made several other outfits, but none of them stuck like this one (I think it's those shoulders - dwarves just look so badass wearing them :P)" And I completely agree! :)

Crimson is LoTRO Fashion's colour of the week during the Fashion Week! If you want to recreate this outfit, grab a free crimson dye off the Store! 

Chest: Chestplate of Durin's Guard, crimson dye (Moria level 60 guardian teal set)
Legs: Leggings of Durin's Guard, crimson dye (Moria level 60 guardian teal set)
Head: Circlet of the Helmingas, default dye (Isengard pre-order)
Shoulders: Barrow-warrior's Shoulder Guards, crimson dye (Skirmish barter - classic, Great Barrow)
Hands: Barrow-warrior's Gauntlets, crimson dye (Skirmish barter - classic, Great Barrow)
Feet: Boots of Durin's Guard, crimson dye (Moria level 60 guardian teal set)
Back: Wyrmscale Protector's Cloak, default dye (T7 crafted from Draigoch's scales)

Heritage of Cardolan

Many generations vanished since Amarilwen's family had been part of Cardolan's prominent royalty. Not even her great-great-grandmother remembers those times. It was over 13 centuries ago when Cardolan, once a great kingdom, dissolved once the last of its loyal citizens died of plague encamped in Tyrn Gorthad. Those few, who fled before the Great Plague struck, returned back and were driven away by the Barrow-wights. Amarilwen's ancestors among them - fleeing to Bree never to see such horrors again.

In Bree, their lineage continued up to present, thriving and bearing the most noble sons. Some of them developed manors their family owned, the others famed their name in battle. Amarilwen was raised to be a worthy woman in Bree's little 'high society', but she chose different path. Along with her brothers, she serves as a captain of Free People's army. But once in a while she takes a break from fighting and dedicates her time to diplomacy. Here we caught her travelling through Lone-lands, once also a land owned by her ancestry, to Rivendell with important news. She intends to replenish her fellows' armoury and weaponry there, so she carries a satchel of gold she means to spend.

I can't get tired of the Stone-student's Hat. I know I've used it in an outfit quite recently, but when I tried it dyed crimson, I couldn't resist using it again. Amarilwen, as a rich royal descendant, is very wealthy and loves gemstones. Being dressed in red & gold, she adds a little detail to stand out by a few turquoise gems. Three gems on the hat, one turquoise brooch on the waist and turquoise satchel full of golden coins adds to the rich feeling of the outfit, as well as match her eye colour.

Do you want to create a similar outfit, rich in crimson tones? During the Fashion Week 2012, grab a free crimson dye off the store with our exclusive coupon code!

News: From the feedback I receive I've realized you guys love big scenery screenshots. Therefore I've decided to publish original screenshots (in some cases a little cropped). You can see them after clicking on the opening and closing shot in this post.

Do you like this outfit? Please let me know in the comments! :)

Chest: Long-sleeved Summer Dress, crimson dye (Summer festival)
Head: Hat of the Stone-student, red dye (Moria level 60 lore-master purple set; shares appearance with minstrel's and rune-keeper's Moria pieces)
Shoulders: (Resplendent) Tactical Shoulders Pads of Lothlórien, crimson dye (T6 crafted)
Back: Treasure Hunter's Satchel, default dye (Treasure Hunt event)
Mount: Blonde Sorrel Horse (Hengstacer Farm)

Wrath of Oromë

Wasabito has always been the weirdest hobbit ever born in Waymeet. Despite being from decent family of a gardener and a lady cook, who managed to dig out of Waymeet's poor conditions into serving the richest hobbits in Michel Delving, he could never value peace. Since his early childhood, he was thriving for fight, sang songs and wrote poems about battles. Not surprisingly, as he was an outcast among hobbit youth, he left home as soon as he reached 33 years. 

You can imagine how big was the surprise of his kindred, when he returned a few years later, "for vacation", dressed in gold and crimson velvet, with a cart full of precious mathoms and food they've never tasted before. "Thank Oromë for these gifts," he said, and told many stories of his amazing journey, joining the elves travelling from Caras Galadhon and helping their war efforts against servants of the Dark Lord with his songs and ballads full of hope. 

Oromë, one of the Valar, is also known as Loud Trumpeter and the Lord of Forests. He carries a great horn (the Valaróma) and was the first Vala the elves met after their awakening in Cuivienen. Oromë called them the Eldar. He led them to Valinor and later, they fought against the first great Evil, Morgoth. Our little minstrel Wasabito calls to him when he feels demoralized, and knows that Oromë is here not only for elves, but for everyone bearing courage in their heart.

Do you want to create a similar outfit, rich in crimson tones? During the Fashion Week 2012, grab a free crimson dye off the store with our exclusive coupon code!

Do you like this battle-minstrel outfit? Please let me know in the comments! :)

Chest: Cel-crus, default dye (Drop from Update 5 instance cluster)
Legs: Tavol-socas, white dye (Drop from Update 5 instance cluster)
Head: Helm of the Silver-voice, crimson dye (Skirmish classic barter - Helegrod light; also available as part of Ettenmoors minstrel set)
Shoulders: (Resplendent) Shoulder Pads of Lothlorien, gold dye (T6 crafted; also available as part of Moria minstrel/rune-keeper/lore-master purple sets)
Hands: (Resplendent) Gloves of Lothlorien, gold dye (T6 crafted; also available as part of Moria minstrel/rune-keeper/lore-master purple sets)
Back: Map-maker's Travel Pack, gold dye (Skirmish cosmetic barter; also available in Store)

Thuringwethil, Woman of Secret Shadow

"Once we were many, now I alone remain. This is the book of my nights that I write in my seclusion during long days in my silent hall which sunlight never enters. For I am vampire, the vampire I suppose these days, the last of my kindred. 
There was a time, in the Spring of Arda, when I enjoyed the feeling of warm light on my wings. The light of Illuin and Ormal and nothing less, and the light of the oldest stars. I was a spirit of the air, a servant of Manwë. A faithful servant I was and as messenger swifter even than Eönwë. I wore white wings like a swan. I weep now to remember my innocence, yet if I lived those times again I would make the same choices."

Thuringwethil's Memoirs, fanfiction.net

Thuringwethil was a Vampire servant of Sauron at the beginning of the First Age. She was his messenger, known for changing form into a bat to find valuable intelligence. For this, she is thought to be a Maia. However, she was caught in the battle between her master and Lúthien at Tol-in-Gaurhoth ("Isle of Werewolves"). She was probably slain by the Hound of Valinor, named Huan. He brought Thuringwethil's hide to Lúthien, which she used to sneak to Angband ("The Iron Prison").

I never knew vampires were mentioned in the Middle-earth's lore, until a reader of this blog,  Beorneoth, mentioned it in the comments on an outfit I've created based on wish for vampire theme. I was excited to find that Tolkien indeed mentioned vampires and werewolves in Silmarillion. It's a huge pity they didn't survive the First Age, but who knows - maybe Thuringwethil's brood is still hiding in the deep caves sunlight never penetrates and waiting for the right time to change the course of the war. 

As I mentioned earlier this week, I've created this outfit with remote inspiration from the True Blood series. In the Season 4 finale, Jessica appears disguised as a Red Riding Hood during Halloween's night. It's one of the most beautiful costumes I've ever seen - although it doesn't really shine on static pictures. The real beauty strikes when she moves, covered in the velvet cloak. Cloak of the Galadhrim available in LOTRO resembles it very much. Unfortunately, I don't know of any red & black top which could simulate the lace corset, so I used red & violet combination instead. I also love the body shape which this outfit creates on an elven maiden.

This is also my first outfit to promote LOTRO Fashion's colour of the week during the Fashion Week! If you want to recreate it, grab a free crimson dye off the store with our exclusive coupon code!

Do you like the outfit? Please let me know in the comments! :)

Chest: Elven Cloth Shirt, crimson dye (Light armoursmith in Rivendell; short-sleeved variant)
Legs: Tattered Leggings of the Dunland Sage, crimson dye (Dunland quest)
Shoulders: Padded Mantle of the Dunland Soothsayer, crimson dye (Dunland quest)
Feet: Rhydhid-lhopan, violet dye (Dunland quest)
Back: Cloak of the Galadhrim, crimson dye (Quest: Vol. II, Book 7, Chapter 9: The Worries of Lord Celeborn)