The cuteness that is Nanu

My cute little Nanu.. We found him on our first Turtle attempt few weeks ago, but because he's so special I decided that the screenshots I made back than weren't good enough. Today I finally made my Meleth Nin spare me his computer for a few minutes so that I could catch the cuteness in full grace.

So, here is cute little Nanu, my little dream in LotRO - next time he appears in the Mossy Chest, he is mine. Unfortunately, despite the numerous attempts since the encounter was released, we haven't seen him since... And trust me, restraining myself not to steal this one from Nimminas kin house is a big achievement for me.

As you can see, the small little fella is not quite shy, above you can probably spot that he's trying to nom on Sil's satchel. He probably wants the treats she always brings him ;)

Hidden Hobbit Village

I've always regretted that I missed out on Hobbit Farmer and Squirrels... I was kinda thinking it will always be there for me to explore, and now it's closed off..

One more reason for me to hurry to explore another hidden wonder, The Hidden Hobbit Village just west of the Shire.


If you manage to fool the Bounders and sneak* pass Ered Luin gate unattended, following the road will finally lead you to this secluded, quiet place (alternatively, you can sneak* pass the gate in Michel Delving leading west...).


The place itself is surrounded with thick foliage of elderly oaks, which make quite a lovely sight as you approach.


Not many know about it's existence so no wonder that the knowledge about it exact location is even more rare, which suits it's shy inhabitants. As you will inevitably notice, they did not agree to pose to any of the pictures I've made.


Rare visitors can leave their mounts at the stable in northernmost part of the village (visible on the right side of the photo) and proceed to the center of the little town, marked by a huge windmill, standing proudly above the fields.



Among cozy hobbit holes a more extraordinary structure stands, clearly showing the influence of long legs architecture on the native art of the Shire folks.



Weary traveler can take a sip of clear, cold water from the village well.



But this building is unique in the whole Shire - you will not find another one like that. Even the Mathom House - itself build bearing strong resemblance to the architecture of Bree - looks totally different. I don't recall a building like that in the whole Middle Earth I've visited so far. The type of windows is unique, so are the ornaments adoring it.


In some distance to the east, digging under the hills of Little Delving, new hobbit holls are being buid. Still unfinished, and for some reason missing doors...



A campsite to the far south end of the area. Secluded, and empty. A puzzling sight, as the fire still burns brightly and the rabbit has just been prepared for roast, but not eaten yet. Who might have camped here?

---

As gossip goes, the "hidden" Hobbit village was added to showcase the game at E3 many years back - as Liquilla posted about the place of CM Forums (adding but you didn't hear that from me! (...and I may be wrong)).

Some old Shire preview screenshots show area bearing a striking resamblence to this village, but they are not identical. I tried hard to catch the same angle, but it has prooven impossible.



The Windmill Sight looks very alike, and at first glance it may seem that the only thing that has changed was the design of the horses in game, and that the chickens are gone. But the angles are seriously different, bushes have moved and a cart has been placed a bit off.



While trying to reshoot the scarecrow image, I stumbled upon even more difficulties. Apparently the guy has been moved altogether, and so have the fences. Also, there's no bag of grain resting anywhere in place allowing me to get the windmill and hobbit holes with the right angle.

But still, the place looks remarkably the same... Just... recreated?
My guess would be, it's either not the original E3 location, or it has been modified for some strange reason. Anyhow, the adventure was a great one!

---

* These passages are by no means ment to represent the actual route to Hidden Hobbit Village. It's an even longer trip, I just used Ered Luin and Michel Delving gates for RP and localization reasons.

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: 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...

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...

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.

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...)

Silirien's humble abode

With the given definition of humble, of course.



Recently Silirien used to live at Falathorn, besides the riverbank, in a petite, but beautifully placed elven home, but after she joined Sanctuary, she moved to Bree homstead Bromburg to live be closer to her friends (and pay less; if one is a fashion victim, he becomes a master in savings).



As I logged on today, a most peculiar bug bit Sil: she woke up in the basement of her house. I've made some screenshots from this unusual point of view. Maybe i'll add some "normal" ones later, who knows!



Here's where beautiful elves dwell these days: