Thursday 18 December 2008

How far technologicall advanced are the Dwarves exactly?


Well?

A perfect addition to Sil's cozy deluxe house: Elven Snow Globe



<3!

After days of present-farming and kinchat-nagging about the ball not appearing, my dear Kinnie (and actually, Kin-leader) Hith presented me hers. Now my humble elven abode looks even more elvish!



Just one question to Devs: Have we all been very, very, VERY naughty players that we get those insane ammounts of Coals and Taters from Gifts?
Waaait, did I say Gift? It's not much of a gift if I have to work better half of the hour for it.
Seriously, why not add an option to barter for rewards of our choosing? Like during Lithe festival? I'm fine with higher ammount of barter tokens required, but please understand how frustrating it is to grind my ass off on five characters everyday to exchange their tokens to Elven Gift Boxes in hope to get the Elven Snow Ball, and not to get one for four days?! If it was not for my friends, I wouldn't ever see one I am afraid.
Please, make better design decisions in future. unless you aim for pissing your playerbase into pblivion during Yule festival - that indeed would be something new on MMO scene!

What came with Moria: Psychoactive Toads!

And with funny names too!

Seriously, do toads roar?

What came with Moria: gender-unsure elves.

Well, OK... Gender-unsure more than usual elves.

What came with Moria: telekinesis powers for female elven hunters!

If you say Runekeepers are lore-breaking, than what you'll say about those D&D phantom swords, eh?



'Unfortunatelly', was fixed with patch 1 ;)

What came with Moria: Tea!!11!111eleven

Yes, it's true! Not I can indulge myself with tea not only in real-life, but also in game ^.^




One question though, why hobbits?
Go to Gwingris and see how crazy elves are about tea!
Or just fellow up with Silirien...

The Doors of Moria

And so, we have followed The Fellowship in their journey and reached the Gates of Moria as well... The Darkness followed and lied ahead...




    'Look!' he said. `Can you see anything now?'
    The Moon now shone upon the grey face of the rock; but they could see nothing else for a while. Then slowly on the surface, where the wizard's hands had passed, faint lines appeared, like slender veins of silver running in the stone. At first they were no more than pale ossamer-threads, so fine that they only twinkled fitfully where the Moon caught them, but steadily they grew broader and clearer, until their design could be guessed.

    At the top, as high as Gandalf could reach, was an arch of interlacing letters in an Elvish character. Below, though the threads were in places blurred or broken, the outline could be seen of an anvil and a hammer surmounted by a crown with seven stars. Beneath these again were two trees, each bearing crescent moons. More clearly than all else there shone forth in the middle of the door a single star with many rays.
   `There are the emblems of Durin!' cried Gimli.
   `And there is the Tree of the High Elves!' said Legolas.
   `And the Star of the House of Flanor,' said Gandalf. `They are wrought of ithildin that mirrors only starlight and moonlight, and sleeps until it is touched by one who speaks words now long forgotten in Middle-earth. It is long since I heard them, and I thought deeply before I could recall them to my mind.'
   'What does the writing say?' asked Frodo, who was trying to decipher the inscription on the arch. 'I thought I knew the elf-letters but I cannot read these.'
   `The words are in the elven-tongue of the West of Middle-earth in the Elder Days,' answered Gandalf. 'But they do not say anything of importance to us. They say only: The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter. And underneath small and faint is written: I, Narvi, made them. Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs.'

J.R.R. Tolkien The Fellowship of the Ring







    The others swung round and saw the waters of the lake seething, as if a host of snakes were swimming up from the southern end.
    Out from the water a long sinuous tentacle had crawled; it was pale-green and luminous and wet. Its fingered end had hold of Frodo's foot and was dragging him into the water. (...)
    Twenty others arms came rippling out. The dark water boiled, and there was a hideous stench. (...)

J.R.R. Tolkien The Fellowship of the Ring





   `I felt that something horrible was near from the moment that my foot first touched the water,' said Frodo. 'What was the thing, or were there many of them? '
    'I do not know,' answered Gandalf, 'but the arms were all guided by one purpose. Something has crept, or has been driven out of dark waters under the mountains. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world.'

J.R.R. Tolkien The Fellowship of the Ring

Silirien, Mistress of Typos

[To Kinship] dear got Wilf, you have an Tentacle of Helchgam
[Kinship] Wilfbur: nice eh?
[Kinship] Arin: or is he just pleased to see you :)
[To Kinship] perfectly fits my definition of EEEEW
(...)
[Kinship] Wilfbur: did you like my tentacle then?
[To Kinship] seriously Wilf, not in pubic...
[To Kinship] public*
[To Kinship] omg =.=
[Kinship] Wilfbur: lol

Wednesday 17 December 2008

Fellowship Manouver Trainer

A little thing I've created few weeks ago, ment to help training ad hoc straight manouvers.

Hereby we present you v1.0.

The application is pretty simple and it only covers straight manouvers (the Around the clock combinations).



There's not much configuration to be worried about at the current state, you can only change Difficulty (the speed with which the manouver progresses; by default you get plenty of time to react) and Mode
(you are either assigned a possition at which to contribute to at the
begining of each round, indicated by a golder ring on Fellowship
manouver display - Fixed position mode - or you can try to contribute at any given time - Full ad hoc mode).



If you're interested, please visit http://www.raidsrus.com/forum/showthread.php?t=457

Silirien the Fashionable



Luilloth: 'I couldn’t help but notice that lovely ensemble you’re wearing. I would go so far as to call you Silirien, the Fashionable!'

Not that it comes with any supprise to me, it's aparent that my (virtual) fashion choices have always been flawless..!

So Sil, like most famous top models of real world, decided to show herself off while posing in Moddle-Earth most famous fountain in Bree... ;)

You are strongly aware that you only get one chance to make a first
impression, and take great care to ensure that your garments are up to
the task!


What is a life without a Mistress worth..?


Mistresses are IN this season. And all the next. Is there anything hotter than a beautiful Lady on the top of things? And no, you don't even have to realise it, because, as the saying goes, behind every successful man, there is a successful woman!

I can't deny it, my favourite person in LotRO so far is defenetly Amarthiel. A sexy elf (in killing dress! GIEF!!!) underneath, a melting-hot, 100% domina villain outside.

Side note - has anyone apart from me noticed that apparently joining the Dark Side does extremly well for your breasts? I mean, seriously, note not only those Angmarim Priestesses(sss), but Amarthiel herself... she has grown up like, 3 sizes between Narmeleth and The Champion of Angmar? Must be those infamous Dark Side cookies... i wonder if it has a similar influence on males...

The Oathbreakers

'Thus spoke  Malbeth the  Seer,  in the days of  Arvedui,  last king at Fornost,' said Aragorn:
     Over the land there lies a long shadow,
     westward reaching wings of darkness.
     The Tower trembles; to the tombs of kings
     doom approaches. The Dead awaken;
     for the hour is come for the oathbreakers;
     at the Stone of Erech they shall stand again
     and hear there a horn in the hills ringing.
     Whose shall the horn be? Who shall call them
     from the prey twilight, the forgotten people?
     The heir of him to whom the oath they swore.
     From the North shall he come, need shall drive him:
     he shall pass the Door to the Paths of the Dead.
(...)
 'I  hope  that the  forgotten people  will  not have  forgotten how  to fight,' said Gimli; 'for otherwise I see not why we should trouble them.'
     'That we shall know if ever  we come to Erech,' said  Aragorn. 'But the oath  that  they broke  was  to  fight  against Sauron, and they must  fight therefore,  if  they are to fulfil it. (...)
'Then Isildur said to  their king: "Thou shalt be the last king. And if the West prove mightier than thy  Black Master, this curse  I  lay upon thee and thy folk: to rest never until your oath is  fulfilled. For this war will last through years uncounted, and you  shall be summoned once again ere  the end."
(...)
Aragorn dismounted, and standing by the Stone he cried in a great voice:
     'Oathbreakers, why have ye come?'
     And a voice  was heard  out of the  night that answered him, as if from far away:
     'To fulfil our oath and have peace.'
J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings - Return of the King

Back from the Brink

`Where am I, and what is the time?' he said aloud to the ceiling. 'In the House of Elrond, and it is ten o'clock in the morning.' said a voice. `It is the morning of October the twenty-fourth, if you want to know.'
     `Gandalf!' cried Frodo, sitting up. There was the old wizard, sitting in a chair by the open window.
     `Yes,' he said, `I am here. And you are lucky to be here, too, after all the absurd things you have done since you left home.' (...) While [Frodo] was thinking of all these things and trying in vain to bring his memory down to his arriving in Rivendell, there was a long silence, broken only by the soft puffs of Gandalf's pipe, as he blew white smoke-rings out of the window.
(...)
`What happened at the Ford?' said Frodo. `It all seemed so dim somehow; and it still does.'
     'Yes, it would. You were beginning to fade,' answered Gandalf. 'The wound was overcoming you at last. A few more hours and you would have been beyond our aid. But you have some strength in you, my dear hobbit! (...)'

J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring


Dressed to Kill


After months of fashion hunting, my new, one-of-a-kind look is finally complete..!
What's killing worth, without a style? Everyone knows a perfect combo is more deadly!


I love Annuminas, one of my favourite locations in the Middle-Earth so far. Would have no match whatsoever, if The Bitch didn't leave around the corner... >.> Oh well.

Befriending the Dunadain of Annuminas was relatively easy or Sil, as primo, she is an elf, and the two races share a long history of friendship, and secundo, My Lord is one of their own.

But once I have gained their trust, the real hard, sweaty and bloody work begun. Was worth it, yes.

Choosing a new path

There are moments in lives of all beings blessed by conciousness by Eru when they might realise the path they have chosen was not the right one.



Today, Silirien has realised just this: after weeks she spent peacefully, drowning in thoughts while resting in her Lord's mansion, she saw clearly that she was not born to be a hunter and that a way ment for her was more subtle.



Hence, she has decided not to take up her bows again, and to turn towards her true destiny, better maching her feeble body and faithful spirit. She will give up the path of the Hunter and take up one of a Runekeeper.



Say again?

No, of course _not_, the concept art with a totally purrrsome Runekeeper's armor designt and jaw-dropping Galadriel art had nothing to do with the decision. Seriously. Nothing.



 



The Loremaster class had his or her powers explained as the harnessing
of the traditional powers of nature -- calling down lightning, using
water to make foes stick in the mud, or throwing a fireball made from a
chemical concoction. In short, the class is more of a combat chemist
than a true magician. The Runekeeper, on the other hand, actually taps
into the primal physics-altering powers of creation. It's the same kind
of power (though to a far, far lesser degree) as that tapped into by
powerful elves like Galadriel (who serves as the model for the class).



GameSpy

The warm feeling inside



Rhyaehar takes Silirien in his arms.

Silirien falls into Rhyaehar's embrace.

Silirien rests her head on Rhyaehar's shoulder.



Silirien says I just had a mood-breaking thought of a few GMs on night-shift, reading our chat log and eating pop-corn...



Rhyaehar holds Silirien tightly.

Silirien can feel her heart starts to ponder.



Silirien says Now they are probably calling their friends from day-shift to log on as well and ordering pizza...





To love is to be insane, so insane that an eldar is willing to give up her eternal life for just a short time with a man she loves... The oldest story in the Middle-Earth, it seems.



Than again, it's enough for the mortal to grab a Ring of Power (there should be a few left somewhere...) and grasp eternal life himself. And a nice mansion, like Barad Gualaran... ;)

Elenariel Duskwhisperer

Somehow, my alts always get better background stories than my mains... In Guild Wars, most developed story was assigned to my Ranger, whom I didn't play at all. And a nice, deep story it was, too!



Same happens in LotRO. Elenariel has a story, Sil has... none, almost. Maybe it's because I kinda feel my mains' story developes along my play, according to the storyline and such?



Anyway, meet Elenariel Duskwhisperer, Loremistress





Even though Elenariel has stayed at the Last Homely House for uncount ages, most of the members of the household weren't aware of her existence as she was always quiet and keeping to herself; and those who were saw her as an elf of low statue, an unimportant scholar at best, much to her's and her guardians' relief, for her story was the secret of the White Council.



The part of her story that she revield, that is.

Her life known to those who still walk the Middle-Earth begins in the time on The Last Alliance of Elves and Men, in a time when Light clashed with Darkness and Joy wed Sorrow. When the armies of the Elves arrived at Dagorlad, scouts brought to the Kind Gil-Galad a lone elf maiden they found, wondering like in trance, exhausted, dressed in rags, a sad shadow of eldar grace. The marks on her body, the place she was found and the insane look in her eyes left no doubt she came from Mordor, which thrilled all the elves, as the old stories of Morgoth's captives from Beleriand returned... But at the eve of the great battle, the most important matter for the Kind and his councellors was, wheter the maiden can reveal some secrets of the hidden power of Sauron and his forces...



...and this was in this moment, that the maiden was granted a pure vision of why was she really let go from the slumber she was kept in for the centuries past... She was lifted from chains and brought upon the Look of a Great Evil, dressed in Iron. The Evil laughed at her and told her, he found a new way to entertain himself with her fate, for today the Armies of her brethen has reached his Fortress, to their doom. And so, she is set free to wonder to them, to grasp an illusion of freedom just to witness them being crushed by the power of The Ring. And so, she was led outside and left to herself, and after three days she saw a free elf for the first time since... since...



But now, in the pure light of the grace of a Noldor king, she undertood that she was ment to be a tool in the hands of The Evil, and that whatever she says, would lead closer to Sauron's victory. So she refused to describe anything she saw while leaving Mordor, nor while being captive, nor anything at all about herself. The King of Men demanded to find a way to make her speak, for her informations would surely enhance their tactics.

-My heart has turned to darkness, my Sire. My being was turned to a tool in the hands of The Enemy. I beg of you, for the sake of your army at the future of Middle-Earth, do not demand of me to speak of what I have seen, because what I have seen is what I have been shown, and not what you'd hope to see. My King, of what I have been through I do not want to speak and I wont, and a threat of life will not make me, for what I have been is long since dead. I would even beg of you, to crush this body so I can finally rest, and be no threat to you.





Gil-Galad saw the light of reason beaming from in the sad creature, barely holding on her feet before him. He refused to end her life because, as he said, this would be annother victory for Sauron, and promised to take care of her and not to inquire about the things she wanted to hide. But he knew could sense that The King of Man and his son did not agree with him and the words of the elf and would use any opportunity to try and rip the information from her, thus he ordered for her to be led away from the army, to a place safe. A small retuine from Elrond's, his herald, home has led her to Rivendell.



Even though the King, Gil-Galad, has not returned from the battle, but Elrod took up his oath and took care of the maiden. She was put in front of the Council, where she repeated what she told Gil-Galad: that she refuses to speak of Mordor, even now, after Sauron's defeat, nor about her past. In the centuries to come, Elrond nor none of the Council inquired her. Lord of Rivendell took care to see to her often, but they rarely speak a word even, he never found much more than what she told Gil-Galad the first day. The maiden refused even to give the name given at her birth, and took up the name of Elenariel, "star shine", to honor Gil-Galad's decision and oath, and the fact that he has saved from Mordor, one way or annother, like the light of stars light up night sky.



And now, The Third Age has come. The Evil has awaken, thus Elrond sent Elenariel as far away from Mordor as he could, to Eren Luin. But the ages spent in the peace of Imlardis seem to have ease some of the dark burden put upon Elen. There is still darkness inside her, but she no longer seems to be a slave or a tool in Sauron's hands, for not even nearing the Ring has brought any terror to her. And who knows, maybe her Darkness will let her battle the other Darkness better...





Yes. I'm supposed to be studying, and that's probably why I am doing something completly different.

Cluck here!

Chicken run, old news :)

Great quest chain, awesome idea.. tho a little boring, you only run or play dead...



Yes, Trollshaws run was supposed to be a challenge - or not, after all there's a nest just besides Gates of Imlardis, so one can skip the whole dangerous part.... But a clever rooster simply hired a Friend of the Wild, Nimfelos and his cat. Here we have a pretty example of a cat figth :D







And here, the biggest chunk of food the rooster has ever seen. if only he could bring it home and offer to his hens, he'd become a king...!



Wig-Feld



...GIEF!



...and it has nice stats too... Purrfect for Sil, Agi and Fate! and some morale too, but that's never been a priority for her.



It wouldn't match the planned Annumins set, true... but who would drop this baby to look like a limone?

Tom Bombadil's House



Tom Bombadil burst out laughing. 'Well, my little fellows!' said he, stooping so that he peered into their faces. 'You shall come home with me! The table is all laden with yellow cream, honeycomb, and white bread and butter. Goldberry is waiting. Time enough for questions around the supper table. You follow after me as quick as you are able!' With that he picked up his lilies, and then with a beckoning wave of his hand went hopping and dancing along the path eastward, still singing loudly and nonsensically.

(...)

The grass under their feet was smooth and short, as if it had been mown or shaven. The eaves of the Forest behind were clipped, and trim as a hedge. The path was now plain before them, well-tended and bordered with stone. It wound up on to the top of a grassy knoll, now grey under the pale starry night; and there, still high above them on a further slope, they saw the twinkling lights of a house. Down again the path went, and then up again, up a long smooth hillside of turf, towards the light. Suddenly a wide yellow beam flowed out brightly from a door that was opened. There was Tom Bombadil's house before them, up, down, under hill.

(...)



The four hobbits stepped over the wide stone threshold, and stood still, blinking. They were in a long low room, filled with the light of lamps swinging from the beams of the roof; and on the table of dark polished wood stood many candles, tall and yellow, burning brightly.

     In a chair, at the far side of the room facing the outer door, sat a woman. (...)

There was a fire in the wide hearth before them, and it was burning with a sweet smell, as if it were built of apple-wood. When everything was set in order, all the lights in the room were put out, except one lamp and a pair of candles at each end of the chimney-shelf. (...)

Tom could be heard about the house, clattering in the kitchen, and up and down the stairs, and singing here and there outside. (...) Water dripped down from the thatched eaves above.


J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring



...yes, Tom's House is east from the Old Man Willow, on a hill besides a small fall Withywindle flows over :D Little kitchen is just at the back; the rooms upstairs are closed, unfortunatelly. The screenie doesn't show the fireplace either... and the two candles standing at the chimney-shelf.



Wouldn't Silirien make a great River Maiden?

Lady of Streams she is already!



I'd love to have a lillypot at my home..

Old Man Willow



The hobbits began to feel very hot. There were armies of flies of all kinds buzzing round their ears, and the afternoon sun was burning on their backs. At last they came suddenly into a thin shade; great grey branches reached across the path. Each step forward became more reluctant than the last. Sleepiness seemed to be creeping out of the ground and up their legs, and falling softly out of the air upon their heads and eyes.

Frodo felt his chin go down and his head nod. Just in front of him Pippin fell forward on to his knees. Frodo halted. 'It's no good,' he heard Merry saying. 'Can't go another step without rest. Must have nap. It's cool under the willows. Less flies!'

Frodo did not like the sound of this. 'Come on!' he cried. 'We can't have a nap yet. We must get clear of the Forest first.' But the others were too far gone to care. Beside them Sam stood yawning and blinking stupidly.

Suddenly Frodo himself felt sleep overwhelming him. His head swam. There now seemed hardly a sound in the air. The flies had stopped buzzing. Only a gentle noise on the edge of hearing, a soft fluttering as of a song half whispered, seemed to stir in the boughs above. He lifted his heavy eyes and saw leaning over him a huge willow-tree, old and hoary. Enormous it looked, its sprawling branches going up like reaching arms with many long-fingered hands, its knotted and twisted trunk gaping in wide fissures that creaked faintly as the boughs moved. The leaves fluttering against the bright sky dazzled him, and he toppled over, lying where he fell upon the grass.

Merry and Pippin dragged themselves forward and lay down with their backs to the willow-trunk. Behind them the great cracks gaped wide to receive them as the tree swayed and creaked.

They looked up at the grey and yellow leaves, moving softly against the light, and singing. They shut their eyes, and then it seemed that they could almost hear words, cool words, saying something about water and sleep. They gave themselves up to the spell and fell fast asleep at the foot of the great grey willow.

Frodo lay for a while fighting with the sleep that was overpowering him; then with an effort he struggled to his feel again. He felt a compelling desire for cool water. 'Wait for me, Sam,' he stammered. 'Must bathe feet a minute.'

Half in a dream he wandered forward to the riverward side of the tree, where great winding roots grew out into the stream, like gnarled dragonets straining down to drink. He straddled one of these, and paddled his hot feel in the cool brown water; and there he too suddenly fell asleep with his back against the tree.

Sam sat down and scratched his head, and yawned like a cavern. He was worried. The afternoon was getting late, and he thought this sudden sleepiness uncanny. 'There's more behind this than sun and warm air,' he muttered to himself. 'I don't like this great big tree. I don't trust it. Hark at it singing about sleep now! This won't do at all!'

(...)

He rushed back to the bank. Frodo was in the water close to the edge, and a great tree-root seemed to be over him and holding him down, but he was not struggling. Sam gripped him by the jacket, and dragged him from under the root; and then with difficulty hauled him on to the bank. Almost at once he woke, and coughed and spluttered.

'Do you know, Sam,' he said at length, 'the beastly tree _threw_ me in! I felt it. The big root just twisted round and tipped me in!'

(...)

Quickly they gathered dry grass and leaves, and bits of bark; and made a pile of broken twigs and chopped sticks. These they heaped against the trunk on the far side of the tree from the prisoners. As soon as Sam had struck a spark into the tinder, it kindled the dry grass and a flurry of flame and smoke went up. The twigs crackled. Little fingers of fire licked against the dry scored rind of the ancient tree and scorched it. A tremor ran through the whole willow. The leaves seemed to hiss above their heads with a sound of pain and anger. A loud scream came from Merry, and from far inside the tree they heard Pippin give a muffled yell.

'Put it out! Put it out!' cried Merry. 'He'll squeeze me in two, if you don't. He says so!'

J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring



Somehow this little episode is one of the most memorable in the book!

It's really amazing to see it recreated in-game. Again, a great pressure was put into the details. Not only the look of the tree itself and it's malicious roots just waiting to threw wanderers into the water, or strangle them, but even enviromental effects corresponding to Old Man Willow's songs' effects!







Actually, I must pay the Willow a visit again and try to find the remains of the fire Frodo and Sam lit to scare him. Somehow I am sure I will succeed - cheers Turbine! :D



Edit: Visit was payed, and i have not succeed, for Turbine has failed me for the first time..!

No remains of fire!!! *cries*

A very lucky Captain

The story begins when Silirien decided to kill some time in Barad Gualaran with a PUG. Those of you who know me a little closer are perfectly aware of the fact that I'm in love with the place... The design clearly shows it was run by a woman! An evil villain, yes (mark the use of red, fire in general, demon ornaments and always fashionable spider webs), but a woman.



...the windows!

It's one of a few places in LotRO that actually have a window view...!

And red heavy curtains...!

And.. and the Sorc's have awesome dresses!



I don't know why, but something tells me that woman fashion in Angmar is to have shaved head... :X

<3 the dress.



Anyway, in the PUG Sil met a friend from R'r'U, Captain Beor, a very noble dwarf Guardian Raori, a silent hobbit minstrel, a decent Loremaster and a nooby hunter Ery.



By nooby, I mean nooby. Everyone may have an unlucky shot and aggro adds during a fight with Elite Master monster, but trying to make it look like it was on purpose is really nooby. In the derogatory meaning. And pushing the blame on others doesn't help. Nor does the fact, that Sil was 'the other'.



Nevertheless, it all went rather smooth and we got to the Casstelan - a worthy enemy, and one of great wealth, known to drop a weapon greatly cherished and desired by Captains, Captain's Arm. Unfortunatelly, Loremaster's tactics was one year old, and outdated. Uncle Google said "DPS him down, the faster, the better as he spawns adds every few seconds". Quite a straightforward tactics, but here we lost our minstrel... Nevertheless, we decided to take our chance and strike Castellan down. And we did, but his adds stroke us down in return, without giving us a chance to proper loot him and the Chest he kept his treasures in.



Now the problem with Barad Gualaran these days is that after wipe, you spawn quite far away, over a valley crawling with elites, so it takes a lot to get back. The mobs remaining after the fight didn't help - it's really quite impossible to open a chest while something is hitting you, not to mention loot it...



Still, as the rest of the group was quite desperate to get the Key and the Horn that were kept in the chest, Sil decided to take her chances and stealth behind the guards to the chest, hoping that primo, they won't see her approaching, and secundo, she will manage to loot whatever was in the chest before they get to her.







As you can see from the picture, the legendary Elven stealth, tho untrained, proved sufficient (some Strange Flowers Sil carries with her for such occasions might have helped as well) and she got to the chest and, among the Key and the Horn, she saw Captain's Arm... but the chest itself was not affected by Master Looter..! I could not give the items to anyone, I could only put them into my inventory, but they would bind...



Than I thought... if I could open the chest and take the other BoA's, if Beor can get here and is given enough time... he might get the Arm!



First plan was that I will keep the two remaining guards occupied, and Beor rushes to the Chest. But it was growing really late and we didn't want to take chances... Fortunatelly, there is always Kin to help :) Bodin and Hal rushed with Beor to rescue me from my uneasy possition and set the treasure free :) The ammount of compliments and proofs of love end eternal devotion that Beor showed to me would excell far beyond the capacity of this blog tho ;)



This is why the Halberd is so precious:





I must say, I really felt like a ninja there! :D

Fishing

Aye, fishing. Tedious, boring... only the Hobbits and Men can stand it.

Elven maids do it out of boredom, or to have an excuse for a long chat.



Here Silirien and Nimfelos take a break somewhere in East Angmar (it's good to have a taxi...)







Hentai!



And this game doesn't need parental advisory?!

Tentacles..!



OK, I know, I have a dirty mind. But once you've seen even a single tentacles movie - even a single scene! - your mind is forever twisted. And so are those..!

Sand Castle



A little sand castle on one of Evendim's isles :)

I don't recall what quest might it be related too. Maybe it's annother egg related to the toy Tolkien's son lost on the beach?

Naruhel, the Red Maid



A beauty, isn't she?

And her dress, darnnit! (you can't miss Sil's stare, actually).



Naruhel, the Red Maid, corrupted water-maiden of Garth Agarwen. My favourite boss, as she has a style. And an awesome dress. And crown. And she is dippind with blood! I wish I could call her Big Sister!

Oh, wait, Elenariel is the evil sister among the two >.< i'm always forgetting...



Elf-maiden's dress

Book XII it was? I think...







Me Wants! Gief!

No, not The Ring. The Dress!



...why the Devs always give the prettiest clothes to NPCs...

GW Devs did the same >.>

Annuminas set mix'n'match

Maybe LotRO doesn't have the variety of clothes of Guild Wars, nor it offers as much mix'n'match possibilities, but still there are some beautiful fashion objects aviable...



Beautiful, but:

#why are they not dyeable? Sil loves her indygo statement >.>

#why are they so useless? I mean, there's no way any character under level 50 can obtain them now (as barter items are Bind on Acquire), and there are plenty of better things to wear

#if they are so useless, why are they so hard to get?



Well, women always suffered for fashion. So I will, again. In three months, can't get the set before I leave to Stuttgart. In the meantime, a little tease: this is how Sil is planning to get dressed when she comes back

The Ford of Rivendell and the remains of the fire Glorfindel lit to scare the Nine

(...) One morning they forded a river at a wide shallow place full of the noise of stones and foam. The far bank was steep and slippery. When they got to the top of it, leading their ponies, they saw that the great mountains had marched down very near to them.

J.R.R. Tolkien The Hobbit



The Road was still running steadily downhill, and there was now in places much grass at either side, in which the hobbits walked when they could, to ease their tired feet. In the late afternoon they came to a place where the Road went suddenly under the dark shadow of tall pine-trees, and then plunged into a deep cutting with steep moist walls of red stone. Echoes ran along as they hurried forward; and there seemed to be a sound of many footfalls following their own. All at once, as if through a gate of light, the Road ran out again from the end of the tunnel into the open. There at the bottom of a sharp incline they saw before them a long flat mile, and beyond that the Ford of Rivendell. On the further side was a steep brown bank, threaded by a winding path; and behind that the tall mountains climbed, shoulder above shoulder, and peak beyond peak, into the fading sky.

(...)

`You look splendid,' he said aloud. `I will risk a brief tale without consulting Elrond. But quite brief, mind you, and then you must sleep again. This is what happened, as far as I can gather. (...) `When the Ringwraiths swept by, your friends ran up behind. Close to the Ford there is a small hollow beside the road masked by a few stunted trees. There they hastily kindled fire; for Glorfindel knew that a flood would come down, if the Riders tried to cross, and then he would have

to deal with any that were left on his side of the river. The moment the flood appeared, he rushed out, followed by Aragorn and the. others with flaming brands. Caught between fire and water, and seeing an Elf-lord revealed in his wrath, they were dismayed, and their horses were stricken with madness. Three were carried away by the first assault of the flood; the others were now hurled into the water by their horses and overwhelmed.'


J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring







And by daylight, you can see that the Devs have made their homework:


Token of Hope

They hurried along with all the speed they could make, and after a mile or two they saw the Last Bridge ahead, at the bottom of a short steep slope. They dreaded to see black figures waiting there, but they saw none. Strider made them take cover in a thicket at the side of the Road, while he went forward to explore.

Before long he came hurrying back. 'I can see no sign of the enemy,' he said, 'and I wonder very much what that means. But I have found something very strange.'

He held out his hand, and showed a single pale-green jewel. 'I found it in the mud in the middle of the Bridge,' he said. 'It is a beryl, an elf-stone. Whether it was set there, or let fall by chance, I cannot say; but it brings hope to me. I will take it as a sign that we may pass the Bridge; but beyond that I dare not keep to the Road, without some clearer token.'

(...)

[Glorfindel said] 'It was my lot to take the Road, and I came to the Bridge of Mitheithel, and left a token there, nigh on seven days ago. Three of the servants of Sauron were upon the Bridge, but they withdrew and I pursued them westward. (...)'


J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring







Yes, our Hope Tokens are made of Beryls! :D

The stone trolls

"Dawn take you all, and be stone to you!" said a voice that sounded like William's. But it wasn't. For just at that moment the light came over the hill, and there was a mighty twitter in the branches. William never spoke for he stood turned to stone as he stooped; and Bert and Tom were stuck like rocks as they looked at him. And there they stand to this day, all alone, unless the birds perch on them; for trolls, as you probably know, must be underground before dawn, or they go back to the stuff of the mountains they are made of, and never move again. That is what had happened to Bert and Tom and William.

"Excellent!" said Gandalf, as he stepped from behind a tree, and helped Bilbo to climb down out of a thorn-bush. Then Bilbo understood. It was the wizard's voice that had kept the trolls bickering and quarrelling, until the light came and made an end of them.


J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit







'Surely this is a troll-hole, if ever there was one!' said Pippin. 'Come out, you two, and let us get away. Now we know who made the path -and we had better get off it quick.'

'There is no need, I think,' said Strider, coining out. 'It is certainly a troll-hole, but it seems to have been long forsaken. I don't think we need be afraid. But let us go on down warily, and we shall see.'

The path went on again from the door, and turning to the right again across the level space plunged down a thick wooded slope. Pippin, not liking to show Strider that he was still afraid, went on ahead with Merry. Sam and Strider came behind, one on each side of Frodo's pony, for the path was now broad enough for four or five hobbits to walk abreast. But they had not gone very far before Pippin came running back, followed by Merry. They both looked terrified.

'There _are_ trolls!' Pippin panted. 'Down in a clearing in the woods not far below. We got a sight of them through the tree-trunks. They are very large!'

'We will come and look at them,' said Strider, picking up a stick. Frodo said nothing, but Sam looked scared.

The sun was now high, and it shone down through the half-stripped branches of the trees, and lit the clearing with bright patches of light. They halted suddenly on the edge, and peered through the tree-trunks, holding their breath. There stood the trolls: three large trolls. One was stooping, and the other two stood staring at him.

Strider walked forward unconcernedly. 'Get up, old stone!' he said, and broke his stick upon the stooping troll.

Nothing happened. There was a gasp of astonishment from the hobbits, and then even Frodo laughed. 'Well!' he said. 'We are forgetting our family history! These must be the very three that were caught by Gandalf, quarrelling over the right way to cook thirteen dwarves and one hobbit.'

'I had no idea we were anywhere near the place!' said Pippin. He knew the story well. Bilbo and Frodo had told it often; but as a matter of fact he had never more than half believed it. Even now he looked at the stone trolls with suspicion, wondering if some magic might not suddenly bring them to life again.

'You are forgetting not only your family history, but all you ever knew about trolls,' said Strider. 'It is broad daylight with a bright sun, and yet you come back trying to scare me with a tale of live trolls waiting for us in this glade! In any case you might have noticed that one of them has an old bird's nest behind his ear. That would be a most unusual ornament for a live troll!'

J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring



Aw, I forgot to upload a screenie of the nest =.= Yes, it's there. And I have to go back and make one of the long-abandoned troll-hole as well!



Edit: well, here they are :) Closeup on the trendy birdnest...





...and an image of the long-forsaken troll hole the Fellowship has stumbled upon: