Scholar of the Isen - Faewynn of Gladden

I'm back today, with a bit of lore and a brand new blog design! It took a while making that banner, as I'm still not quite used to using Paint Shop Pro (though I have experience with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop) and all the little funky things you can do with the program. Two to three hours later, I had something that I was satisfied with, and given the upcoming expansion, I moved towards a Rohan theme of golds, whites, and greens. I hope you enjoy it! And without further ado, here's my next cosmetic entry : )

 

     "There stood a tower of marvelous shape. It was fashioned by the builders of old, who smoothed the Ring of Isengard, and yet it seemed a thing not made by the craft of Men, but riven from the bones of the earth in the ancient torment of the hills. A peak and isle of rock it was, black and gleaming hard: four mighty piers of many-sided stone were welded into one, but near the summit they opened into gaping horns, their pinnacles sharp as the points of spears, keen-edged as knives. Between them was a narrow space, and there upon a floor of polished stone, written with strange signs, a man might stand five hundred feet above the plain...

     ...This was the stronghold of Saruman, as fame reported it; for within living memory the men of Rohan had not passed its gates, save perhaps a few, such as Wormtongue, who came in secret and told no man what they saw."

-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers, "The Road to Isengard"

With eleven other courageous adventurers at her side, Faewynn finally entered the black walls of Orthanc in both an unorthodox and dangerous attempt to delay the plans of Saruman of the Many Colors. She climbed the maze-like tower, taking every chance she could get to examine the strange relics displayed on tables and quickly thumb through ancient texts of the late Second Age and early Third Age. Terrible, dark secrets were kept here; for even in these walls existed the partial, yet forbidden knowledge of ring-lore. Not every room was accessible in Saruman's keep...and she wondered what other treasures lay behind closed and hidden doors.

The teal raid gear from Orthanc is incredible to look at with the black base color and elegant silver accents. Sometimes, there will be shades of red and orange if you look close enough. Sadly, none of the teal pieces are dyable...which limits them for comsetic use. Everything looks good in black, so most of my friends say...but where's the fun in solid black? Liven up an outfit with color, I say! That's when I decided to work with the inner crimson layer of the Robe of Amaruith to bring out the potential of this outfit. It's one of the less frequently displayed items on Gladden. Lore-masters seem to be a very rare commodity where I play, and their class cosmetics even rarer.

It took a week or so to flesh this ensemble out fully. The robe was one of those pieces that needs to be matched with some of the more ornately designed gear obtainable in the game. Simple pieces with little color variety or minimal design just didn't fit right when paired with that robe. I almost used the Cloak of the Dove or the Cloak of the Ibis in the end. Luckily, after raiding Orthanc wings for 3 or 4 days, I won a roll on the elusive mantle, Trenarngol. Sadly, I had to reuse those bracers...there was no other way to keep the hands uncovered while keeping the forearms covered! That robe has some short sleeves otherwise : p

So far, this is my favorite outfit for my Lore-master.



Head: Circlet of Adamant (Crimson, LOTRO Store cosmetic)

Shoulders: Shoulderpads of Resolve (Crimson, purple Minstrel Ox-clan vendor)

Back: Trenarngol (Crimson, Orthanc T1 chest reward)

Chest: Robe of Amaruith (Washed, teal LM Orthanc class vendor)

Hands: Dunland Caretaker's Patched Bracers (Crimson, Dunland quest reward)

Feet: Brushed Leather Boots (Black, LOTRO Store)