Swan Keeper - Lanael of Gladden

I've always had a fascination with such a lore-rich and beautiful landscape--this time with Dol Amroth. You see, Lothlórien was the last area to leave me feeling truly enamored. The towns in Rohan and Dunland never inspired me. Even though they were well designed, they were missing that special spark, that spark that moved me to create an outfit the moment I entered one. When I had my initial encounter with this city during beta, it was love at first sight. I stopped questing immediately to locate both the skirmish camp and bank. Testing the content was supposed to be paramount, but I was already neck-deep in my wardrobe before I remembered that tiny fact.

I ran through several possibilities between beta and live release, mixing and matching, until I settled on something I felt captured the essence of Dol Amroth. I would have preferred incorporating some of the Nadhin pieces, but that was neither possible on beta nor on live at the time. Focusing on the image of the swan itself, I used gear that would dye largely white (pure white if possible) and have either textures or images that pertained to birds. Of course, the Arrow of the West shoulders from Ost Dunhoth and the Winged Circlet from the skirmish camp immediately came to mind. Those were my central pieces.

Already having the Erebor chest for my Rune-keeper when 85 was the cap became a blessing in disguise. Actually, I had the entire set stored in her vault (and I was getting close to discarding it too). After discovering it could be dyed, I learned it had a pure white base. There was enough brown in it to balance the shoulders, which is what made this outfit successful.

Speaking of the Erebor raid armor, did you know the prices were dropped unannounced with the 14.1 patch? However, the deed gating them is still there. They're easier to obtain in terms of currency, the cheapest one of any set sitting around 900 marks and 300-something medallions.

Head: Winged Circlet (Washed, skirm camp cosmetics vendor)
Shoulders: Lesser Arrow of the West Shoulder Guards (Sienna, Ost Dunhoth Hunter armor medallion vendor)
Chest: Jacket of the Erebor Thunder-caller (White, skirm camp light armor vendor, Erebor Rune-keeper armor)
Hands: Lesser Voice of the West Gloves (White, Ost Dunhoth Minstrel armor medallion vendor)
Feet: Stout Padded Shoes (White, T1 Tailor recipe)