Watchman of the Brandywine Bridge

Rate:

{[["☆","★"]]}

"I can't believe it!" Wasabito yelled in joy when he heard the news. He's spent many years helping the Wardens of Annúminas encamped in Tinnudir. Being the only hobbit, hence small-folk in the squad, he was gathering intelligence about the tomb robbers and Angmarim movements, intercepted some of them and thus helped saving many lives, even the Rangers' ones. For this honourable service, he was given his own Steed of the Dusk-watch by the Wardens and was officially pronounced the Watchman of the Brandywine Bridge. Can there be a bigger honour for a hobbit patriot, born in Buckland, who used to look up to the Bridge's watchmen with admiration since he was a little lad?

For you, coming from far away and not understanding the honour within this duty, let us read from the ancient parchments:
"The Bridge of Stonebows, as the Brandywine Bridge was once called, was built originally by the Men of Arnor as a causeway across the Baranduin River on the Great East Road. When the founders of the Shire were granted their land by the king of Arthedain, the price was simple: to maintain and care for the Bridge so that travel into the West would never be impeded. The hobbits of the Shire performed their duty, even long after the North-kingdom failed, and maintained the great stone bridge, denying none passage, man, elf, or dwarf. Though the river's name was changed to the Brandywine and the bridge itself became "the Brandywine Bridge", the hobbits of the Shire continue to care for and keep watch on the Bridge."

From now on, Wasabito is responsible for guarding the Bridge and overseeing the maintanance. He will only let the righteous pass. He will guide the lost children back to their mothers and lost merchants to their destinations. From time to time, he will have a good beer or two with his good friend Gundering Grubb, but he will never drop his guard. There's this weird feeling in the bones that his warding skills might be once needed even in these peaceful lands...

I'll be quite honest - I don't like the Steed of the Dusk-watch. For me, it has weird, boring colour scheme and it lacks the personality of Nuts :) However, what I really like about it are the glittering bronze-like parts of its harness, so I wanted to make those the main matching element of this outfit.

Most of outfits matching this steed work with the Wardens star, which is very fitting, as the mount was originally meant to be second reputation reward mount for Wardens of Annúminas fraction. However, I wanted to be different, so I incorporated just a little star detail on gauntlets. Otherwise I left the stars for the pony to bear :) I tried to match all the shades of blue blanket as far as I could, so it came handy that the pieces I chose dyed navy in various intensity.

Please let me know what do you think about the outfit in comments, or simly rate below the post's title :)

Chest: Ceremonial Spear-shaker's Jacket, navy dye (Skirmish cosmetic vendor - Helegrod medium)
Legs: Leggings of the Great Bow, navy dye (Moria level 60 hunter teal set; I used this because I didn't have warden's Leggings of the Hall-warden, which would fit the outfit better)
Head: Extravagant Festival Cap, navy dye (Yule festival)
Shoulders: Ceremonial Spear-shaker's Shoulders, navy dye (Skirmish cosmetic vendor - Helegrod medium)
Hands: Worn Ranger's Gauntlets, navy dye (Quest: Volume III, Book 5, Chapter 1: Separate Ways)
Back: Summer Travelling Cloak, navy dye (Summer festival)
Mount: Steed of the Dusk-watch (also called Warden's Steed; Anniversary event)

Emotes:
./think
./toast (Anniversary event)
./look
./mountrearup (Store exclusive)

Merry bounder

Rate:

{[["☆","★"]]}

Wasabito, a courageous warden of Michel Delving, is a merry hobbit fellow. However, even though wants to look bright flirting with joyful hobbit lasses, he also needs to be serious on duty, not to be made fun of by some noisy kids! In this armour, he shall never be overlooked. Beware while you travel through the Shire, you never know where you will meet the hand of law!

Yellow dye is one of the most underused ones from my perspective. It makes many cosmetics look rather funny. Luckily, especially hobbits can wear really extravagant outfits and they really shine in them. For this bounder outfit, I decided to go for grey accents to dominant bright yellow hauberk and shoulder pad. I also used lovely Harbringer's Cloak, which I love for very interesting pattern it bears.

Chest: Reinforced Leather Dunlending Jacket, yellow dye (Dunland quest)
Shoulders: Scout's Weathered Leather Shoulder-guards, yellow dye (Dunland quest)
Hands: Heavy Plated Dunlending Gauntlets, grey dye (Dunland quest)
Feet: Hill-man's Cracked Leather Boots, grey dye (Dunland quest)
Back: Harbringer's Cloak, grey dye (Mirkwood pre-order bonus)

Guarding home

Rate:

{[["☆","★"]]}

Even though most of free people now fight for Middle-Earth far away from their hometowns, nearly every one of them thinks of their home in the first place. Wasabito, a hobbit guardian of great merit, thinks of his home in Shire with every shield bash or sword strike he deals to his enemies. Recently he has come for a visit and realized the place he needs to guard the most is the Shire. Pride aside, he signed up in Brockenborings militia and now serves as a proud defender against the goblin assaults. In the coming dark times, his fellows will greatly appreciate his experience from the battlefield.

Chest: Dwarf Steel Jacket of Might, evendim blue dye (world drop)
Legs: Rift-defender's Leggings, default dye (Rift guardian level 50 set)
Head: Extravagant Festival Cap, evendim blue dye (winter festival)
Shoulders: Shining Dwarf Leather Shoulder Guards, ered luin blue dye (world drop)
Hands: Rift-defender's Gloves, default dye (Rift guardian level 50 set)
Feet: Rift-defender's Boots, default dye (Rift guardian level 50 set)
Back: Cloak of the Sunset Wood, evendim blue dye (store)

Mysterious gentleman

Rate:

{[["☆","★"]]}

Jack Lewisdown, Owen Farfield and Carlo Williams have recently had a very pleasant visit. An old friend stopped by and had a lengthy talk about books and who knows what else - these three hobbits are a gossip topic for the whole Michel Delving themselves, not even this honourable hobbit of unrevealed identity. Was it Ronald Dwale himself? And who was his lovely company? One of the patrons heard him referring to her as "his Lúthien", but given his beer apetite that day he might have been just mixing up what he's heard and some elven stories. Or...?

Note: I really recommend this Wiki page to everyone interested in LOTRO's references to life of J.R.R. Tolkien. Jack Lewisdown, Owen Farfield and Carlo Williams refer to real members of The Inklings - literary discussion group and most probably friends of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Today's and yesterday's outfits are my tribute to Professor and his wife. On their gravestone, they are referred as Beren and Lúthien, which we can consider a proof of what the inspiration for the most beautiful love story in the Middle-earth was. Thank you, Mr. Professor, and thank you, Mrs. Edith Mary Tolkien for supporting you husband for 55 years.

19 years old J.R.R. Tolkien and 16 years old Edith Mary Bratt, inspiration for Lúthien Tinúviel and Arwen Evenstar

Chest: Lawgiver's Robe, black dye (store)
Head: Extravagant Festival Hat, black dye (Winter festival)
Shoulders: Rock Climber's Shoulder Guards, grey dye (T6 crafted)
Hands: Extravagant Festival Gloves, black dye (Winter festival)
Back: Ceremonial Defender's Cloak, black dye (store)

Shire Peace-keeper

Rate:

{[["☆","★"]]}

Wardens patrol the borders of civilized lands, preventing the encroachment of fell creatures from the Wild. This is one of them, Honourary Shirrif Wasabito, at service of all peaceful folk of Shire. He has risked his life many times in battle - the eyepatch is a remembrance of an encounter with a vile boar. But he asks for no rewards for his great deeds protecting his fellows - except for a nice meal and beer... about every hour or so :)

Chest: Everstout, olive dye (world drop)
Legs: Leggings of the Sun-lands, olive dye (world drop)
Head: Mariner's Eyepatch, default dye (Pirate event)
Shoulders: Westernesse Shoulder Guards, olive dye (T4 crafted)
Hands: Fingerless Gloves, rust dye (Winter festival)
Back: Cloak of the Peace-keeper, default dye (Collector's Edition - many EU players got it during migration to US server)