Aurora Maiden - Lanael of Gladden

I think in this latest stretch of my cosmetic compilations, you'll be treated to some outfits I never quite felt finished until recently. I started playing LOTRO in 2010, just after it went free to play. Not quite sure what I was doing at that point of the game, I bought a couple of cosmetics from the store in addition to the Lone-lands and North Downs quest packs. I used one of those store items here, the Cloak of the Northern Lights, and this was only time it's been used in any of my outfits successfully. It still hasn't felt quite right anywhere else because of the rainbow of colors and the limited dyeability. Even so, I love to just look at it in the dressing room window!

In essence, I wanted to capture the majesty of the Aurora Borealis. Only once have I personally witnessed such a nighttime spectacular. Where I live, extremely rare conditions need to be met for it to be viewed this far south of the Arctic...and even then, it doesn't last for long. When I did, I saw brilliant shades of violet, blue, green, and red dancing in the sky. Because that realistic combination would look awkward in any outfit, I focused my energy on the cloak used and worked with what was there. Rose, burgundy, white, gold and the gradients between them...all of them finally blended in a symphony of colors.

Due to the notion of eventually retiring from this outfitting career, I found myself sitting in a no-holds-barred position and going all out with these ensembles, using the strangest combinations of colors and pieces. It's ironic that these have felt like my best outfits to date. A significant amount of time, effort, care, and love has been invested in the past several months. What once was simple fashion to me has become both an art form and creative outlet. Sometimes LOTRO has felt more like a canvas than a game. Would you believe this all began with doodling in the margins of my grade school notebooks, an art class for an elective every year or semester, and a love for heavily story-oriented D&D? I would have never expected the road leading to this blog began years ago.

Head: Circlet of the Seven Stars (Default, classic skirm camp vendor, Annuminas section)
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Mighty Verse (Rose, Moria Minstrel class vendor)
Back: Cloak of the Northern Lights (Rose, LOTRO Store)
Chest: Tattered Robe of the Dunland Sage (Burgundy, Dunland quest reward)
Hands: Dunland Caretaker's Patched Bracers (Rose, Dunland quest reward)
Feet: Word-smith's Shoes (Rose, Moria Rune-keeper class vendor)
Special: Student's Rune-satchel of Dagor (White, any Rune-keeper class vendor)