Northern Lights - Faewynn of Gladden

This week's cold weather outfit was inspired by a bit of lore and a casual nighttime stroll through Forochel for some Lossoth recipes. Did you know that Forochel (or properly known as the Ice Bay of Forochel) is only the southernmost fragment of the land once known as Forodwaith? This region was once the great frozen expanse north of the Iron Mountains in the First Age. The land itself was unnaturally frigid, due to its closeness to the Gap of Ilmen, where the moon disappeared as it traveled around the world, the Helcaraxë, the icy waste connecting Aman and Middle-earth, and the evil cold generated by Melkor himself. At the end of the First Age, the War of Wrath occurred (the final battle between the Valar and Melkor) and the world shattered. Beleriand sunk into the sea along with most of the Iron Mountains and Forodwaith. However, Melkor's cold lingered well after the war.

Sometimes it's nice to learn about the history of a region!

Now you have the lore behind my choice for a cold weather outfit this week...but that's only half of it. History lesson aside, though brief, I had mentioned earlier my ventures to collect some recipes at night from Forochel. Enamored by both the aurora and the late evening sky, as I always am, I decided to capture this atmospheric phenomenon in clothing. The trick, however, was finding some combination of gear that would accommodate teal and purple shades while staying visually appealing. The Ceremonial Bear-fur Cloak was the place to begin, as it easily could contain both. The robe followed suit, as it matched the fur when dyed, then the shoulders to counteract the excess of purples, and then the shoes and gloves for the finishing balance of color.

Certainly, it is an odd combination of elements, but I think it works! I would have taken these screenshots at night, but with the lack of light and the way the personal lantern works, this would have been too hard to see.

On a side note, somehow, and I do mean somehow, I've managed to not use the Shoulders of the Mighty Verse in my outfits for several months. Even though it's by far my favorite piece in the game, I use and abuse it to no end because it goes with almost anything. However, it was a must-have for this particular ensemble. Aside of the fact that it dyes any color wonderfully, it includes a spot of undyeable violet at the neck to match the bulk of this week's feature and enough gold to accentuate the robe itself.

Back: Ceremonial Bear-fur Cloak (Sea Blue, LOTRO Store or Lossoth reputation vendor in Sûri-kylä)
Chest: Stone-reader's Robe (Purple, Twenty-first Hall Lore-master medallion vendor)**
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Mighty Verse (Sea blue, Twenty-first Hall Minstrel medallion vendor)***
Hands: Lesser Mark of the West Gloves (Sea blue, Novice's Quartermaster at Harndirion)****
Feet: Stout Padded Shoes (Sea blue, T1 Tailor recipe)

**This robe can be substituted with the Ceremonial Robe of the Stone-student purchased from any skirmish camp cosmetics vendor. I'd recommend dyeing this robe violet to approximate the cloak.
***Skin is also available at Lalia's Market at the time of posting.
****Most of the medium and light armor gloves from the Ost Dunhoth sets use this skin.