The Mariner's Hauberk--only obtainable during the Yule Festival from a Bree-land giftbox--has been my most sought after hauberk. I still have 400+ "universal" tokens on several of my characters from 2012 when we had to grind three tiers of deeds for war-steed cosmetics. I broke down and spent some this festival on the boxes to grab this particular piece. If you weren't lucky enough to get this piece in previous years, keep in mind that you'll have to wait for next year's Yule Festival! Oh yes, keep an eye on the auction houses too!
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| Being near the water, Emeridir has an idea. He wants to try fishing, but can't seem to find the best spot for it. |
You see, the Mariner's Hauberk made me think of the White Ships that carried the Elves to the Undying Lands (also known as Aman or Valinor). The word "mariner" brought boats to mind and the intricate designs that vertically run down the center of the hauberk felt Elvish in nature. The trick was to find other pieces that looked Elvish without using heavy armor. Most pieces designed for Elves are generally pointy, very detailed, display a leafy emblem, or some combination of the three. It didn't take long to figure out that boots meeting those qualifications did not look appealing with this outfit! I had intended this to be more of a racial outfit, but this was one of those times when the pieces you've acquired send you in the opposite direction.
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| Now that he's settled and focused, will Emeridir ever be able to successfully catch a fish? |
Originally this was going to be a story-based post, which I haven't done in a very long time. I've had character-specific background stories in mind while designing several outfits. I've asked myself if my character (if I role-played on LOTRO) would wear this walking around Middle-earth? Was there a reason why this character has worn a particular piece? It's certainly a different approach to outfitting. I might have to spend more time on Landroval than I've done in the past. There have always been plenty of RPers on that server! All the same, I've added some captions to some of the pictures for a bit of random narrative.
Here's a bit of a LOTRO easter egg for the lore fanatics out there--did you know that if you swim as far south from Celondim as possible, you can see what is believed to be one of the White Ships from the Grey Havens? If you look at the picture above, you can see part of the mast rising between the hill in the middle ground and the treeline in the distance. It should point you in the general direction to the place featured below.
Shoulders: Ceremonial Shoulders of the Learned (Red, Helegrod cosmetic skirm camp vendor)
Back: Fancy Quiver (Sienna, Trestlebridge outfitter) (Optional piece for this outfit)
Chest: Mariner's Hauberk (Red, Yule Festival Bree-land gift box)
Hands: Leather Gauntlets of Vigour (White, world drop)
Feet: Brushed Leather Boots (Sienna, LOTRO Store or cosmetic skirm camp vendor)
I usually use that hauberk dyed blue, but in red it makes a nice contrast with the white parts, and it matches well with the gloves and shoulder piece :)
ReplyDeletethe white ship has always got me curious, a lot XD it is frozen there, like a constant reminder that the elves time in Middle Earth is getting short... it would be cool if certain days the ship is there and other days is nowhere to be seen, as if it really set sail periodically :)
- Gloredh
Thank you, Gloredh! Blue and all of its shades are among my favorite colors, and sometimes I use them far too often. I originally used ered luin blue for this (and I've used it in both recent and upcoming posts), but I thought red would be a wonderful change and allow me to compliment the warm colors already existing in my pieces. Maybe I should mention in a future post that sometimes I take my model's skin tone, hair color, and hairstyle into account when I outfit. Sometimes, those are the "cosmetic" pieces that brings an outfit together. This was my other reason for choosing red :)
DeleteI too have been curious about that ship. It seems there are many pieces left from the original LOTRO, which was called Middle-earth Online, and this ship was one of a few. Years ago, before I knew seamwalking was against the CoC, a friend had taken me to the hidden Hobbit village hidden west of Little Delving which was also a part of that game. I've also often wondered what those ruins across the river Lune from the Wardspire in northeastern Ered Luin and if they're related to the lore. Anyway, perhaps that will be the the very ship that carries the Ring-bearers to Valinor and we will indeed see it set sail.
Oh dear, it seems I've gotten carried away : )