The Mines have drained us of the life of light, but we press on.  It has been too long that we first stepped forth passed the eyes of the Watcher and into Moria.  The tales of such a place are for those who have traveled there alone as such words would not be able to paint an accurate picture.  Finally, we have busted open the gates of the First Hall and entered into the Golden Woods of Lorien.  The elves there are surrounded by Orcs on its Western borders and a far deeper threat on its Eastern edges.  The like of which is still unexplored and remains a mystery.  Either way, the Wood Elves of Lorien are a great people and I have found a new home under their shade.  There is still much work to be done in the Mines, but Lorien brings with it great bounty and a touch of peace.  At least for now, the orcs march down the mountain and there is much to do in defense and in preparation.  Daily supply runs and scouting duties offer up a challenge and breaking through the orc lines and slaying some of their smiths all the while searching for battle plans has kept most of us busy.  However, a deep threat still remains within the Mines and until that threat is disposed of, it cannot be ignored.  More lies beyond Lorien past the Eastern River and into the dark of Mirkwood, but for now more must be done within the Mines.  I fear that soon my companions and I will face an evil far more hideous than any of us have seen before, but we have trained and are ready for it.  Fate’s Blade is almost complete and with it we shall bring down the light into those depths of Moria.

So close now are the walls of a once glorious city of the Dwarves.  I travel here now on a mission to uncover a weapon of fate.  A weapon powerful enough to perhaps change the tide in this war on evil.  The land is filled with wild animals of all evil’s creation and the mountainous landscape makes travel on horse almost a hindrance.  Northern Eregion is a lush land of forests and streams, but the farther South I travel the smell of death consumes me.  The wood trolls in the north still prove to be a worthy opponent and I am glad to be rid of them…for now.  I travel to the few places where Elves still inhabit, but only under daily torment from all the land has to offer.  These elves are hearty but I fear the worst for them as evil creeps up to their doorstop and soon will find a way in.  My first trail leads me up into the Red Horn Pass.  The abundance of wargs in this area satisfies my inner hatred for the creature, but further up the pass I encounter a mystical creature known as Grims.  They are quite formidable and only offer their frostbite for comfort.  Needless to say, this was not the right area.  I retreat my steps and finally come across Echad Dunann, a small town further south than I had expected and just on the outskirts of Moria.  The town is in shambles and the folk here have seen better days but I am treated well and I offer to help where I can.  I meet a dwarf there, just north of the stables and I offer my assistance.  After delivering some sandwiches to the dwarves working hard on the outside of the mine and defeating some nuisances around the area in the form of Crabain and more Wargs I head deeper near the gateway to Moria.  Here I help remove some collapsed rock covering the door and to my dismay I have to run and tell some of the dwarves on break to stop throwing rocks into the Black Pool.  You would think with a name like that one would let alone, but it was already too late.  Just as the shining door to Moria was fully uncovered a creature arose from the black pool and devastated any resistance we could muster up.  We were no match and the dwarf commander ordered me to get help.  By the time I got there, most had been lost and we did not venture back to the gates of Moria.  Despite the loss, I was awarded a weapon of the age to come back and defeat the evils of Moria.  The weapon is young however and needs to be honed and mastered by its wielder.  I traveled to the comfort of Rivendell to forge the legendary weapon and instill in it the powers of a lost time.  Wielding such a blade has not only given me a new inner strength but has opened the doors.  Fate has a new friend and with it we will carve out a new destiny.

First and Fornost, sorry, I couldn’t pass it up, but I would like to thank my fellow Kinnies for allowing me to travel along with them into the city of Fornost.  Not so much a city, but a haven for all that is evil.  Lets begin with our Tour Guide, properly named Grim who is an expert in all the twists and turns, traps and shortcuts within Fornost.  His leadership and patience got us through a most difficult place for any race, class, or level.  We began our journey with Grim, a very talented Minnie as the brains to the operation, four very powerful Hunters, one as our lead tank and then little old me as their Champion.  Lets put it this way, if anything actually got within melee range, usually I only had to hit it once to have it fall.  It was a missile fest at its finest.  Of course the big bosses were tough, but at each we were all focused and on target all due to the well thought out plans of our leader Grim.  We made it through Fornost in a little over four hours.  Not bad, and we did it with care and precision.  We took our time, executed our plan for each particular location and came out of Fornost with a new found respect for the game and for the teamwork aspect of the game and what can be accomplished when it is done right.  We did lose one member, our lead tank towards the end of the journey, but luckily our Kin once again came through and one of our leading members joined the group and helped lead us through the rest of the way.  We can’t thank her enough as the last remaining boss’ were dealt with in a quick and professional manner.  All in all it was the best experience to date for Aranlasix and has open my eyes to an even deeper understanding on how LOTRO can be played.  I look forward to future quests involving similar group efforts.  I’m not sure Grim will be involved, I hear he has taken up residence within the gates of Fornost, but I hear he is changing the name to Hotel California.

Aranlasix has reached the 40th level plateau.  He has seen the depths of Garth Argawen and the beauty of Rivendell but his love for the forests of Evendim is what he truly longs for.  Here he can travel and quest throughout this land and enjoy all it has to offer.  Traveling with a partner here has proved to be a great equalizer.  Battling Island Salamanders and swarms of Tribesman and dirty Tomb Raiders can offer up a deathly challenge for those traveling alone.  Venturing west beyond the lake he has discovered a few nasty Giants that he has yet to oppose, but he looks forward to felling his first.  He feels alive here and his Elven blood pulses with anticipation as something new is around every fallen ruin or powerful waterfall.  For now he will continue his beriddled search for the lost treasure but he can feel that he is close now.  Soon he knows that the road to Rivendell is waiting for him and he can’t wait to scare up a few of the Trolls that inhabit that region, but he will be prepared, he must be.

Finally, Aranlasix has reached 35th level and is elgible for the Horse Skill.  What does this mean, only that he no longer has to find the nearest stable and pay a handsome fee to travel in a reasonable amount of time to his next destination.  No, instead all he has to do is whistle to his faithful steed and takes off towards the horizon.  No long walks roaming the lone lands or treading up mountain tops at a snails pace.  Now he is free to roam the country side and not waste valueable game time running.

Luckily Aran is a collection magnet and had saved up the 4.22 Gold needed to purchase a horse, but that was the least of his problems.  He had just stocked up on quests and had 41/41.  He first had to complete a mission to be allowed to get the horse mission so he decided to go and slay a giant.  Luckily there were a few others needing the same quest who fearlessly came to his aid and made the slaying not quite such a challenge and then he was off to the stables to receive his long awaited prize.

The quest itself is a bit on the bore side.  First you have to travel to Bree and drop off a horse.  Travel back to the stable, which is somewhat North of Bree about half way to Trestlebridge (yes, he payed his way using the Bree taxi service to Trestlebridge and dismounted at that point) and then deliver a horse to Michael Delving and no, it is not a swift travel.  That was probably the longest ride ever.  Once there he had to again use the taxi service back to Bree and than from Bree to Trestlebrigde and then he had to deliver a horse up to Othrikar (sp?) in the North Downs, this was the second longest ride ever and then he did a map back to Evendim, his home location and then swift travel back to Bree and taxi half way up to Trestlebridge.  Now that I think about it, he should have made Bree his home location prior, I’ll have to note that for the next alt, but anyway.  Once all of that is done, it is a race to the finish line, just had to make sure to avoid the water (thanks Arithel) and take the shortcuts through the fields to make it in time.  That was it, and it was well worth it.  Too bad you can’t name the horse.

First off I just want to say that getting to Level 30 has been amazing.  I have never enjoyed playing a game, let alone an online game as much as I have with LOTRO and I just want to thank my brother Don for introducing me to LOTRO  and forcing me to get a subscription (in a way only he knows how).  Without that, I would be missing out.  Last night, I hit Level 30 and now I feel as if the fun really starts.  It starts off with your class quest, mine being a champion, where you meet up with a blademaster and go along with him to kill some orcs and prove your worth.  At the same time, I advanced in my crafting (metalsmithing) and traveled to the North Downs where my quest was to find a talk to a metalsmith in the northern dwarven city (name slipping my mind) and then he has you do a bunch of cool quests and you get access to the next level forge.  That was all very cool and well put together.  All the mean while, my Kin, the Lords of the West, gave me some very nice items for my 30th level present.  I really appreciated that.  I then met up with a fellow Kin member, Grim, and we took on Samborg deep in the Great Barrows.  He was very excited about taking him on with only 2 characters and I just enjoyed the ride.  It was a very cool experience and we even got to help out a random player that needed some help getting the quest building up to taking down Samborg, afterwich he mapped back to complete those quests and we pressed on.  It is always a good feeling to help others out and really adds to the overall experience.  One gift that I received from our Kin Leader I can’t use until 31st level but should put Aranlasix ahead of the pack.  At least his confidence level will be elevated, or is it mine?  Hmmm, onward and upward.

I can’t wait to reach level 30.  I am so close now and since meeting some new friends in Bree and beyond and doing some trading, lvl 30 should be a blast.  Just met up with some fellow Kin and did a sweet dwarf quest, killing their leader.  The three of us worked well together, at least in my opinion and they proved that they are well experienced in lotro.  It wasn’t an easy task as one of us did have to revive, but we were able to protect while the Kin member healed.  I can’t wait to get back online, 30 is so close.

Aranlasix was asked to join the Lords of the West Kinship today and he accepted.  He found out some pretty cool info about Kinship and how they work and can’t wait to do more.  Today was also the start of the Kinship contest in Lotro, which is probably cause for the invite, but nevertheless, it should be a valuable experience.  I think that I will try to get the other characters in as well.