Blue Serenity - Nathrien of Gladden

Whenever I find myself stumped cosmetically and never know what direction to take, sometimes I'll ask in kinship chat for a random piece of gear or a specific color. Believe it or not, getting a random response actually helps me focus. If it's a color, I'll hunt for pieces that dye well. If it's specific gear, I'll search for similar stylings or matching set armor. It's certainly a challenge but it's also fun to let someone else provide you with the foundation of your next creation and not deviate from it.  At a friend's request, I focused on ered luin blue.  : )

It's been at least three months since I made an outfit entirely from elven-styled pieces. Elven gear is arguably the most elaborate in design, if not in beauty. Despite the detailed, leafy ornamentation and frequent streaks of white and gold, having too many of those pieces can make an outfit feel overdone. When you start working with raid gear from Barad Guldur and Dâr Narbugud or the elf inspired Moria sets, it's often difficult to avoid doing just that.  Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying to avoid these particular pieces. I suggest using them sparingly.

Random question for all the LOTRO players--has anyone noticed how the sunlight always comes from the south? Even though the sun visually rises in the east and sets in the west, the light never shines in from either direction. If it's been like that since day one, I don't know why I haven't noticed until now or what cloud my head's been stuck inside for the past four years. I've never bothered to look at the compass. All I've done is just spin my character around until I had the light I needed.

Here's my moment of realization.

There's this one place in southwestern Evendim, the Rushingdale, that makes for a gorgeous backdrop. There's a still pond, hollowed out logs, green mossy rocks, and a fantastic waterfall. It's got an eastern exposure, which means that an early morning sun would provide the best light for a few screenshots. At least that's how it should be, right? WRONG. I'm wondering why almost everything is in shadows while facing eastward, directly into the sun. And then it dawned on me where the light was actually coming from...and this has bothered me ever since.

Head: Balladeer's Hat (Ered luin blue, Moria light armor medallion vendor)
Shoulders: Songmaster's Shoulders (Ered luin blue, Ost Galadh Minstrel medallion vendor)
Back: Radiant Cloak (Ered luin blue, T5 tailor recipe)
Chest: Robe of the Lady's Wisdom (Ered luin blue, Caras Galadhon Lore-master class vendor)
Feet: Rock-climber's Shoes (Ered luin blue, T6 tailor recipe)