Harvestmath Series - Soothsayer

I have to start this post by saying that in no way, shape, or form, has the art department at Turbine come close to the level of design and form-fitting gear that Rise of Isengard provided to the community. No bodies were distorted while wearing that expansion exclusive gear. No arms or legs clipped through clothing while moving. Shoulders did not float above the model. There were three distinct sets for each armor class obtained as quest rewards. Never has an expansion made a character's appearance so individualized within its own content. When I ran my alts through Dunland and Isengard, I made sure to collect whatever I hadn't on previous runs. Did you know that Massive Black was the company to create a majority of the RoI expansion concept art?

Harvestmath Series - Gularan Caretaker

Halloween is around the corner, which means the time for costumes and disguises is here! To kick of the season, I thought I'd introduce something along the lines of an Angmarim. Specifically, this costume would be something between what an Angmarim High Priestess and an Angmarim Commander would wear. The robes, the spiked garments, the typical blacks, reds, and whites...all of the trimmings that would make the wearer look like one of the corrupted Men under the dominion of Sauron.

It might not be the most innovative outfit for the season, but it at least attempts to reclaim a class of enemy NPCs not seen after progressing past Mirkwood, at least storywise. As far as I know, the last Angmarim-like creature to be included in LOTRO is the roaming Priestess Bethan, a high level warband found to the west of Marton. I don't miss the punting, fearing, and blood pacts, that's for sure...but I've gotten tired of Orcs and Uruk-hai!

Harvestmath Series - Harbinger

Black, when used in the right proportions and places, can work wonders for any fashionable ensemble. The greatest strength of this dye is the ability to make all other colors appear brighter and draw the eye towards them. Unfortunately, that strength is also its Achilles' heel. The darkest colors will sometimes reveal subtleties in undyeable areas normally not noticeable. Half the time, those other colors don't match or blend together very well. (It's something I often see in LOTRO's major hubs where unprecedented numbers of players have dyed their clothing black.)  This is why I avoid making outfits more than seventy-five percent black. However, I thought I'd make a simple one for this week....and besides, this a great way to kick off the upcoming Harvestmath season!

Nomadic Easterling - Aerthain of Gladden

Ah, my next steel blue creation. Unlike my last attempt, Midnight Magic, the blueish properties of the dye are more noticeable. The more I've been experimenting with the color, the more I've come to the conclusion steel blue is best used on place, chain mail, or scale mail. Not to stereotype the dye, but eighty percent of the cloth and leather skins look too metallic. If you've got a muted or darker base on light armor, you'll have a bluer shade.

Spring Series - Lord of the Dragonflies

It's been a crazy two weeks for me and I wasn't able to make a special post this past Monday, April 21st, but I would like to take a moment and wish Material Middle-earth a Happy Second Anniversary!

Anyway, I'm more than certain there's no such thing as the Lord of the Dragonflies in the lore. It's just that I've been so hellbent on using that Cloak of the Dragonfly, I had to name this outfit after it. That cloak is probably the most unique-looking one in the game due to the crazy assortment of colors found in it. I've literally spent the past two months focusing on it, making it the central piece to an outfit. That seems to be the only way to work with it, otherwise it looks shoehorned when added to a nearly finished outfit. Kudos to those of you have successfully integrated the Cloak of the Dragonfly into your creations!

Midnight Rune-scriber - Lanael of Gladden

The extinct "Their Weapons Shall Not Harm Us" skill animation. It was removed with Helm's Deep.

Black has been a dye color I often avoid for three reasons; it's not easy to make, it's expensive to purchase via the auction house, and it's a very common color. But, when it works, it works! I was in the mood to make something Elvish-looking, especially after using the Exquisite Elven Dress in a recent outfit. Plus, anything primarily white has always looked wonderful at night. Black enhances the soft and somewhat glowing effects of the moonlight. (This was also an outfit designed for the Halloween season, but its publication was delayed!)

Winter Series - Steel-clad Santa

It began with a simple shout-out in GLFF meant to relieve a bit of boredom waiting for this year's festivities to start. I jokingly dared someone to cosmetically challenge me for the holiday season. I seriously wasn't expecting to hear anything. Then BAM! A single tell rolled in from an anonymous player--"Make a Santa that rides to war in Rohan!" My initial reaction? Forehead met palm with a loud smack. Good grief. I kinda dug myself a hole and I had to find a way to climb out of it. It took about three days, but here we are...a chainmail-wearing, pauldron-toting, backpack-slinging interpretation of St. Nick that can still deliver gifts to children scattered across the open plains of Rohan. Isengard and Mordor beware!

Thane for a Day - Morghann of Gladden

It wasn't until the release of the Wildermore on Bullroarer that I was able to find an appearance worthy of a Thane. After all, my captain had recently completed building Hytbold and the closing quest chain to go with it. It's not often I'm in a role-playing mood, but walking around with the title "Thane of Hytbold" without the proper accompaniment felt wrong. Lo, and behold! Here came the medium Wildermore Armour recipes, providing me with an elegant, gold-trimmed tunic dyeable in the most heavenly ways! Even the Wildermore Pauldrons are lovely!

Harvestmath Series - Lady of the Golden Harvest

Golds and light greens are still seen into late Autumn. They're some of the last colors to fade before Winter arrives, a symbol of the remaining warm weather and the last major Harvest--at least where I live. Thanksgiving is coming at the end of November for me, and I wanted to make an outfit capturing all of this. Unfortunately, there are no turkeys in Middle-earth...but I can certainly toss feathers into the air and pretend there are! This will give me a chance to wrap up this year's Harvestmath Series.

Harvestmath Series - Stylish Drake-slayer

Combining a love of the lore, my anticipation for the second Hobbit film, and a current obsession with the Harvestmath season cosmetics, I found myself making this outfit. It started with the Gown of Autumn Nights, but it wasn't exactly about the color at first. The pattern on the hem and at the waist of dress is what grabbed my attention in the most unusual way. If you look closely (even at the set matching Cloak of Autumn Nights) this is supposed to be some sort of intertwining leafless tree montage. Instead, I saw a forest burning brightly, and after a chain of freely associative thoughts, I found myself thinking of a dragon's fiery breath.

Harvestmath Series - Lord of the Autumn Nights

Until this year, I never had any particular use or interest in the Autumn Nights gear. No matter what I used or what I combined with anything out of the set, I simply could not get those pieces to jive. I was determined this year, and there was a single piece that made such an outfit possible--the crafted light armor Wildermore shoulders. I snagged that guild recipe recently and have been combining it with as many other cosmetics as possible! And I never realized the array of Autumn colors in the leaf pattern of the cloak until I dyed it black.

Harvestmath Series - Scarlet Witch

It's mid-October and Halloween (some of us refer to it as All Hallow's Eve) is fast approaching. Last year, I had a triple feature post with ideas for outfits and costumes related to the season. This year, I'm expanding the costume theme to a general Harvestmath theme, using gear and colors appropriate to the festival or the spirit of the season. I'll be occasionally posting outfits of this nature until mid-November. If I'm feeling creative, I might even attempt to reclaim some of the lesser-used Harvestmath cosmetics.

Musical Series - Resplendent Lutist

I found this outfit sitting unpublished in my blogger archives. Originally, I had it slotted for release in January, but I had been on break by then. While I'm working on new outfits, I'll gladly post this for everybody to see! With the 6th Anniversary Festival just around the corner, running from April 16 to April 30, this outfit feels appropriate.

Nathellia takes pride in her ability to perform. An uplifting song, a festive dance, and a genuine smile is all she needs to bring joy to the lives around her. She throws herself fully into each note and deliberately placed step. With the festival on the way, she takes the time to practice!

Musical Series - Joyous Bagpiper

Autumn Series - Harvest Spirit

Halloween Costume Collection - Triple Feature

It's that wonderful time of year again. Black cats, bubbling cauldrons, sticky cobwebs...and all sorts of little tricks among the treats. I am actually holding a kinship Halloween Costume Contest this season for Turning of the Tide. I've given them the task of creating either something scary or finding an ingenious way to dress like a character from LOTR lore. The submission deadline will be October 26, after which the players will be able to vote for the top 3 outfits until November 2. I'll be revealing the winners on November 3, each receiving a prize for their efforts. I'll be posting all the outfits submitted on my blog : ) If I knew I was going to judge a server event sooner, I might have opened this up to everybody!

In an attempt to inspire kinnies to create the best outfits they can create, I'll post some of my ideas here. I've opted to move towards the scary and away from the lore for now. I might post a few lore-based outfits in a couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Black Pyromancer

Infiltrator of Angmar - Lanael of Gladden