Silver Whispers

It's a shame that cosmetics bartered with Figments of Splendor don't see much use, at least from what I've observed. I have a handful of them myself from over the years, generally bartering for them as the seasonal vendors change or from the elusive Curator, who only appears at specific times of the year. Honestly, I think the Curator should be available year-round that way good cosmetics don't go to waste. It would encourage players to convert excess motes and embers into figments for bartering, versus holding onto them and wasting them when currency caps are reached. However, that's my humble opinion. SSG has been petitioned in the past, but to no avail. I can remain hopeful that it may change someday, but I won't hold my breath.

Two figment cosmetics are featured here, central to not just this outfit but to my self-imposed theme of masks. Those two pieces would be the Jacket of the Wild Hills and the Mask of the Golden Forest Defender, both of which are only obtainable from the Curator. It's an eclectic ensemble for sure, intertwining cosmetics suiting the Mirkwood, Morgul Vale, Elderslades, and Gondorian areas. Despite how busy this clothing combination is, I feel it flows well. And it breathes some life into pieces that have been available for several years.

As much as I love the chestpiece, it's one of the more difficult pieces to incorporate into an outfit. Only the areas beneath the leather straps on the upper arms and waist will dye. Bright dyes don't work very well, as they tend to create garish color combinations. Should some of my readers use this piece themselves, I strongly recommend subdued or earthier colors.

Head: Mask of the Golden Forest Defender (Moria silver, bartered from the Curator)

Shoulders: Shoulders of the Anorien Fields (Moria silver, rewards from Several Mendings)

Back: Morgul Explorer's Heavy Cloak (Moria silver, Reclamation of Minas Ithil reputation barter reward)

Chest: Jacket of the Wild Hills (Moria silver, bartered from the Curator)

Hands: Gauntlets of the Anorien Fields (Moria silver, reward from The Broken Causeway)

Feet: Boots of the Anorien Fields (Moria silver, reward from The Seven Gates)

Swords: Ceremonial Sword of Rivendell (Reward from any Rivendell Supporter Pack)

Bow: Cumaeth (Reward from Vol 2, Book 9 Epilogue: Cúcheron's Bow

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And now for some extra content on this post. I had been so enamored with the Jacket of the Wild Hills and the combination of another mask that a second outfit was born from this one. In the past, I've shown behind-the-scenes work that goes into what my characters wear. I frequently experiment with both colors and gear and, if time and resources permit, I burn extra dyes and take the test outfit into the game world. I can't stress enough that, given how well something can look in the dressing room, flaws, mismatching colors, clipping and other oddities don't present themselves I interact with the outdoor environment. I also shared these alternate versions with Discord community members and take feedback to heart.

The final version of the appearance below will be the next blog entry, which has already been drafted and scheduled. Consider these a teaser, the second one being closer to the upcoming outfit...

Whimsical Autumn

I apologize for the unexpectedly lengthy absence. Unfortunately, there's only so much I can control between two jobs. I'm often exhausted when I get home. I seldom have the time or energy for gaming, let alone LOTRO. Despite that, my desire to continue making new outfits is still going strong. I'm on vacation in the upcoming weeks and I plan to upload as much as I can for scheduled content.

If you've been lucky and are on the LOTRO Official Discord server, you may have noticed I'm periodically dropping screenshots of new outfits either in progress or completed.

Brief Blog Update

 Greetings everybody!

I apologize for the lack of posts here lately. I haven't stopped blogging. In fact, I've had little time for LOTRO. I've been working multiple jobs, a sign of financially supporting a family in this precarious US economy. Keeping a roof over our heads comes first and foremost, which I hope you understand.

As such, I generally have two specific times that I don't work. Sunday afternoons and Wednesdays. Not the most convenient windows for gaming, I assure you. Sundays have gone towards leveling for my kinship's upcoming progression raid, The Anvil of Winterstith. Wednesdays are LOTRO's weekly maintenance day. And, as of late, those maintenance days have become extended maintenance days (ugh), where either all servers or specific servers are down into the late afternoon or early evening. When that happens, I can't play. As a result, I've neither had time to craft new outfits nor time to screenshot ones I have yet to share here.

I'll be back eventually. Hopefully, sooner than later.

~Nath

Crimson Sands

Recently, I rolled a fresh Warden. With the smoother performance of the 64-bit servers and a noticeable reduction in skill lag, this class is once again, at least to me, viable to play. There is an upcoming Rift of Nûrz Ghâshu raid on June 1st for Perwethien's birthday celebration and I'll be bringing a red line Warden to the event! This event will be run on the Peregrin server on-level with a group of level 50 players. At the time of writing this, there are some spots still open. The group is looking for a second  tank and three DPS. Hopefully we'll get it filled by then!

Simple Fashion - Robes, Pt. 2

When I was blogging prior to 2021, I was obsessed with filling every outfit slot. If something was missing, I felt naked or that an outfit felt incomplete despite it looking fully functional. Sometimes I had an actual theme for my character's appearance, but most of the time I shoehorned circlets (still obsessed to this day) and cloaks when they weren't actually necessary. Since my return, I've been leaning towards simpler outfits. This would be the third "Simple Fashion" entry in four months, as opposed to six entries between 2012 and 2021.

The downside to this particular posting category is that I burn through outfits at a rapid pace. Personally, as much as I've love making these, I've never felt the need to give each one their own blog entry with lengthy exposition or pictures from multiple angles. These outfits these have always been intended as quick ideas to inspire the community. 

Anyway, after ten and a half years, enjoy the second set of "Simple Fashion" robes!

Head: Fine Elven Circlet (Default, Anniversary Festival barter reward)

Shoulders: Disused Mantle of the Dunland Soothsayer (White, reward from the quest Mean, Old Big Bloodtusk)*

Chest: Robe of Leisure (Dark mossy green, LOTRO Store)

Feet: Westemnet Campaign Shoes of Fate (Dark mossy green, crafted from the Westemnet Campaign Shoes tailor recipe)

Ocean's Whisper

I apologize for the delay between blog entries. It took approximately three weeks in March to transfer from Gladden to Peregrin. And I've also been incredibly busy outside of LOTRO, including but no limited to, picking up a second job. I hope nobody thought I stepped down from blogging again. I haven't run out of outfits I'd like to share yet!

This week's elven outfit is inspired by a few things. The first being the shoreline. While Packing up my island kinhouse, I would often find myself staring, peacefully, at both the ocean horizon and the mainland. Second, the yearning to return to Valinor the elves experience, which I often equate to a beckoning whisper carried on the wind that only they can hear. Lastly, I had been skimming through the Tolkien Companion at the time, reading about Mithlond, Círdan, the Teleri, and the grey ships.

In the end, I find myself with what could be called an elven mariner's outfit. Wouldn't quite consider this my take on one of the Teleri. Just an ocean-inspired ensemble.

Echoes of Eventide

Eventide, a poetic word to describe the time of day between late afternoon and evening. In this case, specifically, sunset.

With the exception of the cloak and circlet, this is the first time I've used many of these pieces. I had purchased the Ultimate Edition of Before the Shadow before I left LOTRO in early 2022. Two cosmetic sets came with the top tier package, the Valiant Armour of the Dúnedain and the Armour of Flowing Silver. I didn't have the chance to experiment with those sets back then, nor was I able to explore the alternative leveling path through Cardolan and Swanfleet. I've been prioritizing this blog and uploading new outfits over experiencing the new story, but I hope to create a new character and adventure through the new intro zones.

Simple Fashion - Dresses, Part 3

Honestly, I'm surprised that I never posted another installment for dresses before leaving in 2021, especially under the Simple Fashion tag. For those of you new to Material Middle-earth, my Simple Fashion category is designed for mostly minimalist outfits using as few cosmetics as possible. Most will use two or three pieces and, on the rare occasion, four. In addition to dresses, I've tackled hauberks, tunics, and robes. To find all of those easily, either click the Simple Fashion tag at the bottom of this entry or follow this convenient link here, covering everything created under this umbrella category over the years.

Without further ado, here are three dresses.

 

Head: Circlet of Fresh-picked Flowers (Turquoise, Farmers Faire barter reward)

Shoulders: Ascot Scarf  (White, Farmers Faire barter reward)

Chest: Picnic Dress (Turquoise, Summer Festival barter reward)

Lavender Resolve

“She danced along the edges of life, like lavender in the wind, delicate yet resilient.” – Unknown

Lavender. The least used color in my shared storage. Why use it now? I've used rose, purple, violet, indigo, and shire plum on multiple occasions, but I've only ever used lavender one other time. That and...I had sixty-something vials collecting dust. While I was mixing and matching the pieces seen here, I had a flashback to a particular heavy armor outfit from Cosmetic LOTRO called "The Rose." I've wished the community embraced purples and pinks. In a game where colors have primarily been masculine, earthen tones, I've believed there's always been potential for softer, more feminine colors to be used in a way that preserves strength, authority, and resiliency.

Verdant

 

It's been a cold, bitter winter this year and I've been yearning for warmer weather. And every year, the season has felt like it's getting progressively longer. Even the trees felt like they've taken forever to bloom. To scratch that itch, I decided to make something green, something floral. In the end, this outfit, at it's core, became a delightful and eclectic mishmash of Spring Festival and Midsummer Festival pieces. 

Shadow of the Vale

 

Between 2012 and 2021, I've uploaded over 200 outfits to Material Middle-earth. I'm still astonished by that number. It wasn't always a labor of love. Not all of these outfits came together easily or naturally. There were some that were a genuine struggle that took days or even weeks to feel like they were complete. And there were some, though not very many, that never felt worth uploading.

This particular appearance was one of them. I don't know why—in fact, I don't remember why—I left this one in a folder labeled "Unfinished Ideas" in 2020. In that folder, there are screenshots of outfits that never made it beyond the in-game dressing room panel. Perhaps it took the full three year absence to appreciate the unique blend of contrasting styles and armor types seen here.