Iron Garrison Miner

It's been a long time since I've entertained role playing on this blog. I used to write stories--short blurbs may be more accurate--for my characters that matched the outfit and images contained within a given entry. It's been years, probably five or six, since I last did that. I almost wrote a brief story, but I decided to let the images themselves tell the tale of an often exhausted dwarven miner, hard at work, deep within the darkness of Moria.

Last year, shortly after the release of U23, LOTRO had added a new store cosmetic, the Dwarven Miner's Helm. Players were given the coupon code STARTMINING which, when redeemed before December 31st, would reward a free copy of that helmet. Naturally, I used the code immediately. I noticed that on ultra high settings, the candle inside the helmet produced a faint glow.

Quickly, it went to my shared storage and sat there as a reminder to use it. I tried pairing it with the Prospector's Garments, obtainable from any Outfitter in LOTRO's starter areas, but it didn't quite suit my purpose. As fitting as the design was, especially with the dirt stains, I didn't care for how it dyed. Only the outer tunic changes color. However,  the Dwarf-smith's Jacket, which had a dyeable undershirt and a fantastic leather work apron, better fit my vision.

The only regret about this outfit was not having the Dwarf-make Prospector's Pack. If only I'd had the foresight, I would have bartered for one during the Anniversary Festival. I could have waited another two months, but, in all honesty, any of those mining backpacks would do. I settled for the Elven Prospector's Pack instead, for it's simple, uncluttered, and uniform design.

Overall, I was really happy with the final product. It made Moria a little more immersive and entertaining. And it made for an unexpected and hilarious moment in the Barrow-downs saving a low level player that pulled one too many wights. Imagine being saved by a dwarf wildly swinging a massive pickaxe meant for mining minerals from rock formations, not the useless minerals from bone formations!

Head: Dwarven Miner's Helm (Sienna, LOTRO Store)
Back: Elven Prospector's Pack (Default, T3 Tailor recipe)
Chest: Dwarf-smith's Jacket (White, Dwarf-hold Rewards Quartermaster in Skarhald)
Hands: Heavy Plated Dunlending Gloves (Umber, Dunland quest reward)**
Feet: Dunbog Studded Watcher's Boots (Umber, Dunland quest reward)**

Main-hand: Heavy Battle Pick (Purchased from the weapons vendor in Esteldin)

**In case the quests that reward these are already completed, Devonna at LOTRO Stylist has compiled a list of alternative ways to obtain these skins.