 |
| "You are surrounded by adventure. You have no idea of what is in store for you, but you will, if you are wise and know the art of travel, let yourself go on the stream of the unknown and accept whatever comes in the spirit in which the gods may offer it." -~Freya Stark, Baghdad Sketches |
NOTE: Good news! The outfit panel bug appears to have finally vanished for me, so I can finally resume blogging. I have a lot of content to upload, and I hope to take advantage of this major blizzard raging through the northeastern US. Thank you for being patient. Without further delay, I present this next outfit...
Before I challenged myself to use masks on this Hunter, who has now reached the Walls of Moria, I made a single outfit. And, as you may surmise from the quote above and the blog entry title, I wanted some traveling attire. Fresh out of the gate, ready to explore, honest to goodness traveling attire. In a way, it was a symbol of a new beginning. First new character after the server consolidations. I knew nothing of the Peregrin community. I had yet to experience the Before the Shadows expansion. And the hunter class were had in 2025 was nothing like the hunter I'd retired back in 2019. For all of these reasons, this cosmetic appearance felt appropriate.
It might be a tad on the fancy side, but it feels like a realistic outfit. No winged capes. No spears with serpents coiled around the head and butt. No clothes emblazoned and accented with golden leaves. Just something humble and practical. It reminds me of my early days as a LOTRO blogger, before I became enamored with the decorative, bright, high fantasy style that became my brand of outfits. By no means will I stop making those, but I will do my best to create more practical appearances.
Hopefully, by now, I'll have taken my first steps into Gundabad. Possibly even Harad. I purchased Corsairs of Umbar and Legacy of Morgoth during the Black Friday sales. I have every intention of taking my time and collecting as many new cosmetics as possible. If the expansion bonus clothing is of any indication, the quest and instance rewards should look stunning. Here's to more first time adventures!
Head: Circlet of the Night Watcher (Ashenslades green, Lore-master class vendor in Dol Amroth)
Shoulders: Embroidered Mantle of the Towers (Steel blue, High Enchanter NPC in Mordor)
Back: Snow-strider's Mantle (Sienna, Yule Festival barter reward)
Chest: Jacket of Hidden Peaks (Ashenslades green, bartered with figments from Rowan Raspberry)*
Hands: Heavy Plated Dunlending Gauntlets (Sienna, reward from the quest The Auction)
Feet: Ceremonial Town-saver's Boots (Ashhenslades green, skirmish camp Cosmetics vendor - under medium Rift armor)
Bow: Sealed Hunter's Bow of the Third Age, level 95 (T9 woodworker recipe)
Swords: Belegmegil (Bukot T2 challenge chest, Tower of Orthanc)
*At the time of writing, Rowan Raspberry has this cosmetic. Likely to be moved to the Curator in the future.
