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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

A Spring Festival Horse Outfit

I was so excited when I first saw the 2011 Spring Festival horse.  It was so . . . springy!  Within a couple of days Gelmirian bartered spring leaves for both the horse and the spring hauberk  During the festival, both Gelmirian and Luivia wore the hauberk, dyed Rivendell green.  After the festival, however, Gelmirian needed a different outfit that would go with the mount.

The mount is blonde with a grey mane, but really the only thing one notices is the bright, cheery, yellow and green blanket and leg braces.  The outfit has to match or complement the yellow and green. Fortunately there was an easy solution: the dwarf-make chain hauberk.  This cosmetic item has bright yellow accents, and it dyes nicely with rich jewel tones.

Full Details:
Head: White rose circlet
2011 Spring Festival barter item
Chest: Dwarf-make chain hauberk (forest green)
cosmetic item, purchased from Othrikar outfitter, often appears on Auction Hall, no level restrictions
Hands: Forge-crafted gloves (umber)
T2 single-use metalsmith recipe (monster drop), heavy armor, min. level 20
Feet: Thistlewool's shoes
optional quest reward (Quest: "Thistlewool's Sullied Name"), medium armor, no minimum level restrictions

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Luivia's Shire

Luivia has never been beyond the bounds of the Shire.  In fact, she's hardly gone further north than her birthplace of Hobbiton or further west than Tuckborough.  She grew up in Hobbiton, and one of her favorite views is on Old Mr. Baggins' porch. With the Sackville-Baggins in residence, however, that once peaceful overlook is no longer available.  On one of Luivia's errands to that curmudgeon Lobelia, she quickly but firmly fixed this image in her mind to carry with her as a reminder of the many fond memories.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Luivia's PAX East Mount Outfit

Luivia was the grateful recipient of a PAX East mount code through a friend of the blog, Casual Stroll to Mordor. The challenge of course was to find an outfit for her to use for riding, and it was a challenge.  The difficulty for me lay in the mix of colors; the horse is a creamy blonde but the mane is grey while the tack is red, pure white, and blue.

My first attempt was simply dying red her starting female hobbit outfit of shirt and leggings.  It almost worked, but the red was too bright.  I went through everything in the wardrobe (Gelmirian has amassed quite a selection that somehow magically alters size when Luivia takes it out . . . can we get one of these magic wardrobes in real life?).  I used the dressing room to check what various pieces would like in the red and blue dye families.  I finally found that the simple hooded cloak in navy didn't clash with the blue on the tack.  And then I clicked on the white ceremonial dress.  It worked.  White with red accents cloaked in blue.

Full Details:
Dress: Ceremonial Dress
non-dyable white cosmetic item, summer festival barter item, no min. level required
Back: Hooded Traveling Cloak (navy)
cosmetic item available at all outfitters, no min. level required

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Gelmirian's House

Gelmirian has a basic house in the Falathlorn Homesteads.  The current decorating style for the ground floor is "cozy elven".  What does that mean?  Well, almost all the furniture is Elven (red chair, red bookcases, elven rug, elven candlesticks), and it's arranged to feel intimate.  As you enter the door, your first sight is the cheerful fire flanked by two bookcases filled with enticing reading.  Right in front of the fire and within arm's reach of the shelves is a chair begging for you to sit and stay a while.  And next to the chair is a table topped by the cutest windmill ever (that conveniently doubles as a fan should you start to feel a bit warm). 

The dark, jewel-tone furniture and walls lend to the cozy den or library feel, and the gold floor contributes to the richness of the whole room.  The rectangular rug helps define the living area in the otherwise bewildering octagon with stuff stuck on the edges.  A pleasant surprise is that the green accent on the wall matches the cloth on the windmill's table.

The two walls flanking the main entrance are still in progress.  Currently, there are two pictures up, but they don't sit at the same level on the walls, and the asymmetry is irking me.  I do like the silver candalabra, which is currently next to the stairs, but I may move it upstairs. There's also a vacant second thin furniture hook behind the windmill to consider.

Full Details
Wall Surface: Detailed Plaster, painted navy
purchased from Falathlorn housing vendor
Floor Surface: Interlocking Wood, painted gold
default Hobbit floor, purchasable from Shire housing vendor
Large Wall Hooks: red scholar bookshelf x2
Tier 3 woodworking recipe purchased from Falathlorn housing vendor, item often on Auction Hall
Large Furniture Hook: red chair
chair is actually a small furniture item, purchased from Falathlorn housing vendor
Small Floor Hook: large white leaf border rug
T2 tailor recipe purchased from Falathlorn housing vendor, item often on Auction Hall
Thin Furniture Hook 1: silver candalabra
item purchased from Falathlorn housing vendor
Thin Furniture Hook 2: vacant

Anniversary Dress

When I first saw a picture of the fourth anniversary dress, I knew Gelmirian wanted it.  The basic version is white with gold embroidery and sea blue trim.  Now, the sea blue trim certainly limits the number of dyes that look reasonable. I have found two that work well.  Dyed gold, the dress becomes even more elegant. Sea blue makes the trim appear less disconnected and is preferable if only the dress is being worn. But for a full outfit, I decided to embrace the sea blue as an accent.

To do so, I dyed both the anniversary cloak and the shoulders sea blue.  The shoulders came out a tad darker, but I think that mirrors the two shades of gold. To reinforce the color scheme, I added the turquoise Circlet of Men.
In the front view you can also see the unfortunate clipping issue with her feet sticking out of the dress.  I tried various shoes and boots in white, gold, and sea blue, but I finally settled on the Elven Leather Boots dyed in white because they seemed the most unobtrusive.

Full Details:
Head: Circlet of Men 
anniversary box, cosmetic item, no level restrictions 
Shoulders: Cotton Shoulder Guards (sea blue)
min. level 22, T3 tailor, dropped recipe
Back: Cloak of the Shining Star (sea blue)
2011 Anniversary cosmetic barter item, no level restrictions
Dress: Silken Dress of Golden Splendor (gold)
2011 Anniversary cosmetic barter item, no level restrictions
Feet: Elven Leather Boots of Vigour (white)
min. level 30, Monster drop



One last thought: I generally try to ride a steed that goes with the outfit, and of my current limited options, the chestnut served best.



Friday, May 13, 2011

The Beauty of Middle Earth

In my non-Lotro life, I enjoy nature photography.  It's no surprise then that I take a lot of screenshots while playing Lotro.  I'll be in the middle of a quest, riding from one place to another, and suddenly I'll notice the way the light is playing on a mountain or a majestic ruined arch.  Unless the quest is timed, I stop and play with angle and zoom, taking many screenies.  Later I sift through them, cull out the best, and neatly file them in the appropriate folders.

Gelmirian's house is in the Falathlorn Homesteads.  Here is a view of the homesteads from across the river and below Duilond

.The whole Falathlorn area is peaceful and life-giving with the ever-blooming spring flowers.  Even on a rainy day, Gelmirian can find beauty near her home.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Mae Govannen

This blog is a place for me to organize my thoughts and resources for playing Lord of the Rings Online. Perhaps it will be useful and interesting to others as well.

To give some in-game info:
I currently play on the server Elendilmir. My main is an elf-maiden guardian.  She is also an advanced prospector, forrester, and tailor.
Gelmirian converses with Mithrandir in the Prancing Pony.

My only alt is a hobbit-lass minstrel who excels in cooking.
Liuivia crossing the Hobbiton-Bywater Bridge.
These ladies will be seen often on this blog modeling outfits and sharing pictures and stories from their explorations of Middle Earth.