Stone-cleaver

 

In honor of purchasing Gundabad, my first impulse was creating another dwarven outfit. Two cosmetic bundles came with the Ultimate tier, the Fateful Gundabad set and the Gundabad Reclaimer set. I didn't particularly like the Reclaimer one, given how bulky and plain it was. Neither did it dye very well. However, the Fateful set offered far more flexibility. Largely a grey colored set, dyes affected the  dwarven patterns etched across the midsection of the chestplate and the central cloth tasset of the leggings. 

I've always been curious as to why, as of Update 23, Where Dragons Dwell, dwarven clothing became characterized by a stylized celtic block pattern. It made it easier to coordinate what other pieces I'd mix with the Fateful set. I drew, mainly, from the Ironfold crafting tier and Grey Mountains reputation vendors.

Unfinished Appearances & Outfitting Reflections

Every now and then, I've made an outfit that leaves me with mixed feelings. I've let those sit for a few weeks then revisit them and reassess the work I've done. Sometimes they've made it to this blog. Sometimes they haven't. Sometimes an outfit's sat there indefinitely because something feels off, but has the potential to be finished without any indication as to how. And that would be this outfit. The Watchman of the Northern Lands, which was posted last month, was the redesigned product. I still have this original version saved to an outfit slot, still not quite sure what to do with it, but my hopes of completing it have dwindled. Since Material Middle-earth is a blog for outfit ideas, I've uploaded it should someone want to make something out of it.

Watchman of the Northern Lands

Stationed at the stone fortress of Gondamon, this solitary dwarf patrols the northern region of Ered Luin. He does his best to keep the roads clear of danger. Between the port of Kheledûl to the east and the stronghold of Sarnúr to the west, both controlled by the rogue Dourhand clan, and the encroaching goblins of Rath Teraig to the south, his duties also require constant vigilance. That, however, is not his only task. He also guides adventurers and travelers following the roads between the dwarven settlement of Thorin's Hall and the elven port town of Celondim. Every mile of the route is committed to memory. He's willing to share with them a lifetime of survival skills to ensure their safe passage, should they need to leave the path and venture through the cold wilderness.

Master of Raven-lore & Happy Anniversary

Since days seldom remembered, the Dwarves of Erebor have shared a special friendship with an ancient, wise, and unique breed of ravens. These ravens resided at the aptly named guardhouse of Ravenhill, built upon the Lonely Mountain's southwestern ridge, approximately five hours journey from the Mountain's gate. They also had the ability to speak Westron, the common language of Middle-earth. In chapter fifteen of The Hobbit, it's vaguely inferred by Balin that the dwarves also have the ability to understand raven-speech. However, it's never explicitly stated if they've retained that ability, lost it, or if the dwarves have been away for so long that they're simply out of practice. The only named person to have remained in proximity of Ravenhill was Dís, Thorin's younger sister and Tolkien's only female-identified dwarf, who functioned as caretaker.

Not much is specifically known about the ravens of Ravenhill. During the days of King Thrór, here resided the well-known raven Carc and his unnamed wife, a brief tale recounted by Thorin after Smaug's death. Having been away from The Lonely Mountain for nearly 170 years, he learns that Carc has died and the ravens are now lead by his son, Roäc. Roäc, as his father before him, functioned as a messenger. To Thorin and his company, he delivered glad tidings and portents of death. And at Thorin's behest, he spread word to Dáin II of the Iron Hills. And after that, as far as I've been able to tell, the ravens remain unmentioned in the lore.

Bare-chested Bard

It all started in September of 2016 when Gamutdorok, of Crickhollow's amazing Second Breakfast kinship, started the LOTRO hashtag #NakeDwarfGo on Twitter. (Of course, it's safe. I wouldn't intentionally link questionable content on this family-friendly blog!) What was a completely innocuous joke then has transformed into a cheerful, hilarious, and addictive subculture showcasing any and every dwarf encountered using the Bare-chested cosmetic. It's filled with dwarves parading in hot pants, dwarven bands singing and strumming shirtless, dwarves proudly displaying carefully sculpted beards, dwarves that...well, the list is endless. Frankly, I'm surprised nobody started the racy "Dwarves of Middle-earth" calendar, which would have better funded the expedition into Ered Mithrin! (If anyone asks, you didn't hear that from me!)

I couldn't resist and joined the fun, adding my own to the Twitter collection!

Iron Garrison Miner

It's been a long time since I've entertained role playing on this blog. I used to write stories--short blurbs may be more accurate--for my characters that matched the outfit and images contained within a given entry. It's been years, probably five or six, since I last did that. I almost wrote a brief story, but I decided to let the images themselves tell the tale of an often exhausted dwarven miner, hard at work, deep within the darkness of Moria.

Ward of the Mountains

As this was my second dwarf outfit, I thought I'd just dive in, not put too much thought into what pieces I would use, and follow my fashionable instincts. What resulted was a heavily armored dwarf  that was also armed to the teeth (lots of pointy weapons, too). The outfit itself does feel a bit cumbersome, but it works. The only thing I'm not particularly fond of is the hauberk-style heavy chest piece, the Reinforced Chestplate of the Adventurer. I'm not quite sure if it was that only the top half was plated or how flat and curveless it appears when donned by a stocky dwarf. Then again, I've been getting used to dwarven body structure these past couple months and the U23 skins have made it easier.

Gondomon General

About a week ago, when my work, home, social, and gaming life finally achieved some balance (can't forget the end of the Harvest Festival too, which I'd been grinding like crazy), I took the plunge and purchased the U23 content, Where Dragons Dwell. I've actually enjoyed most of it. And I'm excited that the dwarves have gotten some much needed love for the first time since Mines of Moria. Yes, they've popped up from time to time--the Mirkwood Epics, Thror's Coomb in Enedwaith, and Erebor, most notably--but have had no fully fleshed, substantial, and dedicated content until LOTRO's last update.

And the best thing about it, outside of the new storylines? The impressive and beautiful new dwarven cosmetics, all obtained from questing, the Figments of Splendor vendors, and the instances. Gloredh from Wandering Around Arda graciously uploaded two entries, both of which can be found here and here.

Forgotten Darkness Kinship Cosmetic Contest

Hey there everybody! What a great way to kick off this cosmetic blog for LOTRO players with a kinship contest I had hosted! There were quite a few submissions from fellow kinsmen, for which I'm thankful. It excites me to know players that have an interest in fun and fashion : )

Anyway, this was a simple cosmetic contest--a best of three show. Submissions featured costumes that spanned a few themes, ranging from casual, to professional, to formal attire while utilizing gear from all three armor types. Everybody was allowed to submit up to three costumes, however I seperately judged and chose the best outfit from each player and counted it toward the contest.

I'll display the winners, followed by the honorable mentions, and then the alternate submissions of contributing players.

And I do apologize for the slight pixelation...for the time being, I only have MS Paint for editing : p

Winners:

1st Place:  Oskamayer

2nd Place: Elyariel

3rd Place: Noobythemidget

Head: Thrill-Seeker's Helm (Washed, Rift barter item)
Cloak: Keen Cloak of Fate (Black, world drop)
Shoulders: Shoulder Pads of Might (Black, world drop?)
Chest: Lesser Breastplate of Dundolen (Sienna, Ost Dunhoth barter item)
Hands: Enduring Gloves of Vigour (Umber, world drop)
Legs: Arrow-Fletcher's Leggings (Black, Loth barter item)
Feet: Boots of the Westfold (Washed, Isen pre-order item)

Head: Extravagant Festival Cap (Yule Festival, olive dye)
Cloak: Cloak of the Silver Birch (Burgundy, LOTRO store)
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Mighty Verse (Burgundy, Moria barter item)
Chest: Jacket of the Shade Finder (Burgundy, Quest item)
Hands: Tawarwaith Gloves of Knowledge (Olive, t6 crafted)
Legs: Golden Host Leggings of Awakening (Burgundy, t6 crafted)
Feet: Tawarwaith Shoes of Knowledge (Olive, t6 crafted)

Head: Tactical Helm Dye: Crimson)

Cloak: Singed Cloak (Dye: Black)
Shoulders: Burnished Warrior's Shoulder Guards (Dye: Black)
Chest: Armor of Fem (Dye: Black)
Hands: Wood-cutter's Gloves (Dye: Black)
Legs: Matti's Thick Winter Leggings (Dye: Black)
Feet: Boots of Fem (Dye: Black)

Honorable Mentions:

Cloak: Thaliongol (Ered luin blue, Malledhrim barter item)

Shoulders: Blademaster's Shoulders (Ered luin blue, Moria barter item)
Chest: Blademaster's Breastplate (Ered luin blue, Moria barter item)
Hands: Blademaster's Gauntlets (Ered luin blue, Moria barter item)
Legs: Blademaster's Leggings (Ered luin blue, Moria barter item)
Feet: Blademaster's Boots (Ered luin blue, Moria barter item)

Head: White Rose Circlet (Washed, Spring Festival)

Cloak: Fine Radiant Cloak (Crimson, t5 crafted)
Shoulders:  Superior Sellsword’s Shoulder Guards (Washed, t6 crafted)
Chest: Ulfar’s Robe (Evendim blue, Quest item)
Hands:  Superior Sellsword’s Gloves (Washed, t6 crafted)
Legs: Superior Sellsword’s  Leggings (Washed, t6 crafted)
Feet: Treated Elven Steel Shoes (Washed, world drop)

Alternate Submissions:

Head: Arastil's Helmet (Red, quest item)

Cloak: Cloak of Mordirith's Bane (Vol. 1 epic item)
Shoulders: Enduring Elven Cloth Shoulder Pads of Fleetness (Red, world drop)
Chest: Fighter's Ward (Red, GA drop item)
Hands: Restored Guardsman's Gauntlets (Red, Guardian barter item)
Legs: Steel Leggings (Red,  T3 crafted)
Feet: Boots of Fem (Red, quest item)

Head: Boar Festival Mask (Purple, Harvest Festival)

Cloak: Golden Tree Summer Cloak (Purple, Harvest Festival)
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Swift Arrow (Purple, Mirkwood barter item)
Chest: High Herald's Armor (Purple, t6 crafted)
Hands: Gauntlets of the Swift Arrow (Purple, Moria barter item)
Legs: Starkmoor Caretaker's Leggings (Purple, quest item)
Feet: Hillman's Cracked Leather Boots (Purple, quest item)

Head: Dolen-Helm (Evendim blue, quest item)

Cloak: Wig-Feld (Grey, Ost Dunhoth drop)
Shoulders: High-Officer's Shoulders (Evendim blue, t6 crafted)
Chest: Ancient Inlaid Breastplate (Evendim blue, quest item)
Hands: Isengard Prisoner's Gloves (Evendim blue, epic quest item)
Feet: Isengard Prisoner's Boots (Evendim blue, epic quest item)

Head: Mask of Fleetness (Red, world drop)

Cloak: Wood-Wanderer's Cloak (Red, LOTRO store)
Shoulders: Pathfinder's Shoulder Guards (Red, quest item)
Chest: Jacket of the Shade-Finder (Red, quest item)
Hands: Gauntlets of Durin's Guard (Red, Moria barter item)
Legs: Unnecessary Gardener's Leggings (Red, quest item?)