Well, it certainly has been a productive last few days.  I’ve been caught up in it again: playing far more than I should be, leveling like crazy, and actually getting to know some of our newer kin.  What is wrong with me?

Saturday we attempted the Watcher again.  It was a complete failure as usual, but we certainly had fun.  Then on Sunday I led a group of our kin into the brand-new DN raid for the first time.  We had a lot of fun with the first few “trash” pulls (pulling 5 EMs and a Nem at once is not what I consider “trash”!) and managed to work through them with a minimum of deaths.  Then we went after the troll twins, Rung and Blagh (seriously, whoever at Turbine comes up with these names deserves a raise).  We couldn’t kill them either.

After this, myself and several of the officers of our kin discussed several important things at an officer meeting over Vent.  One of those was the establishment of a raiding “A-team” group that would be a predetermined group who would be tasked with being the first in our kin to attempt and master new raiding content.  This was approved with only some reservations, since it was clear to everyone who had raided the Watcher or DN that this would be something the kin would have to do if we wanted any shot at this raiding content.  Marithil, Lachonaus, and myself met late that night to discuss the group, and it was decided that my LM would be a part of it.

Determined now to level, the three of us were joined by Muramasa and we went on to four-man Grand Stair and then added another person to five-man Forges and 16th Hall.  It was a late night but very challenging and fun as we blazed through these instances, undermanned and, for me, underleveled.

The next day I continued leveling, reaching 58 by the end of it.  That night, when I was still 57, Lachonaus, Marithil and I completed the new Hall of Mirrors three-man.  I even picked up an awesome new title, “Slayer of the Shadows”.

Then yesterday I continued to level solo in Lothlorien with Celendil, and reached 59 with ease.  I also completed book 2.7 and reached Ally with the Galadhrim.  Today I sit only one level short of 60, and I already have three radience pieces, a nice cloak, and two crit crafted rings ready to go.  I’m certainly looking forward to what the rest of the week has in store.

Well, I’ve decided to start updating this a bit every now and again.  Let’s see where this goes.

~

It’s summertime and I finally have some time to get back into LOTRO in a more serious manner.  None of my characters are anywhere near where I want them, but I’m getting there (very slowly as usual).

Finally got around to completing Vol II Book 7 with Melwhin, and I picked up that nice Lorien cloak (finally getting me over 4000 morale!).  We also had a great “Turtle Soup” run tonight with Lachonaus leading that went as smooth as silk.  We took Nornie out without a single loss, and it was also my first time actually downing him personally.  I even got the killing blow to seal the deal, and picked up a 40K rune for my efforts.  There was some dissention among the raiders on how we were going to deal with this new barter system for first age drops, but we agreed on a temporary solution and to discuss it at the next officer meeting.  By the way, I need to schedule that…

We’re still planning to face whatever the new raid has in store for us on Sunday night, and I certainly hope that we get a good group to show up, since I’m leading that one.  I also need to plan and schedule some more roleplaying events, and we need to plan another kinship festival event.

It would also be nice to get back to the Ettenmoors at some point.  I haven’t played much since losing the fifth star, but I feel obligated to get it back at some point.  I’m sure the Blades need everyone they can get right now.

But it’s nice to have time to play again.  I’m working on the last leg of finally getting Celendil up to 60, and so I’m doing all those dull Lothlorien quests once more.  I hate rep grinds, but at least it’s a pretty area.  I’ve also started seriously re-evaluating my build on Melwhin.  I deconned my old maxed out sword and picked up a spear with good legacies that was also level 60.  I need to find a decent bow to replace my good old lvl 54 Second Age.  It’s served me well for a long time, but I know now that it’s limited DPS is holding me back.  I’ll have to work on that.

Well, that’s it for today.  I’ll toss a couple images from today in this new gallery thing they have.

May the sun shine along your road, friends.

Greetings, warriors of the Ettenmoors.

I am pleased to announce that the Mines of Moria update for Gralo’s Ettemoors Map is nearly complete!  I am expecting it to be released in the next few days.  It will include a full update to the background image for the moria changes as well as a full set of new and changed tags to represent the changes to the land we all know and love.  Use it well, maggots!

Keep an eye on the thread for updates.

Arooo!

CELENDIL: ELF OF RIVENDELL

Celendil was born in Imladris (Rivendell) sometime in the late second age. She was a scholar from a young age, and stuidied extensively as a scribe and records-keeper in the libraries of Elrond for several centuries. She later dabbled in the art of healing as well.

Her first experience with war was tending to the wounded soldiers who returned to Imladris from the War of the Last Alliance at the end of the second age. Much later, war came to Rivendell itself for the first time, as the forces of Angmar besieged the city for a time during the Fall of Arnor. Elves from all around, including Mirkwood and Lorien, gathered to defend Imladris, and managed to drive off the defenders.

It was here that Celendil treated a young female elf of Lorien named Melwhin in Imladris, who had been wounded in the fighting. They slowly became friends as Melwhin recovered, but once she was healed they parted ways. The war soon ended and Celendil went back to the library, but not long afterwords she became restless and wandered in search of more knowledge and lore. She went west into Eriador, and gathered lore from the Havens, Duillond, and Edhelion. At Edhelion, she was in the refuge when it was attacked and managed to fight off several goblins who reached her study with her walking staff. There in Ered Luin, she again encountered Melwhin, and they traveled together for a time before parting ways. Celendil returned home to study the lore she had gathered. She also began to practice fighting with her staff and studying lore of battle to better defend herself on future journeys.

Now, with the tide of Angmar rising again, Celendil was found by friends of Melwhin in Duillond. She has sworn to use her lore and staff to protect Eriador as best she can, and has taken command of these companions since Melwhin has vanished….

MELWHIN: ELF OF LORIEN

Melwhin was born in the forests of Lórien in the year 113, Third Age. She lived in the forests of Lórien for many years, but one of her trips out of the forests was with a band of Lórien elves who broke the siege of Rivendell by the Witch-King of Angmar in the fourteenth century. There, she first came into contact with some of the surviving Dunédain of Rhudaur, while she stayed in Rivendell for two years after the siege.

After returning to Lórien, she remained there for many years. At some point in the twenty-fourth century of the third age, however, she made travels to the Elven refuges in Ered Luin and Lindon. These travels lasted for several years, and she happened to be staying at the refuge of Edhelion when it came under attack by dwarves. She helped defend the refuge, and after to battle continued on her journeys and then returned to Lórien.

Early in the year 3019, Melwhin leaves Lórien yet again to return to Ered Luin. Something calls her to return to the abandoned refuge of Edhelion, and she begins a new adventure…

Soon she encounters men who call themselves the “Ashes of Rhudaur”. These men seek to rebuild the lost nation of Rhudaur, and she decides to aid them, remembering her encounters with their ancestors in the Siege of Rivendell.

After several months of time spent traveling with these men, disaster strikes when they enter the Red Marsh to try to slay the source of the corruption of Rhudaur. Their leader is slain along with most of their party, and Melwhin barely escapes with her life. The survivors are scattered like dust on the wind, and Melwhin is again on her own.

She labors on alone for several weeks, until she encounters another survivor of that ill-fated raid, far to the north in Evendim.  A burglar named Solvron, he tells her that there is a new band of adventurers forming in Bree, and sends her to speak with their leader.  This man, named Andryth, was a minstrel who was seeking to put together a group of kinsmen to strike back directly against the forces of Angmar.  She agreed to help, and was named an officer in the newly created kinship, “All Shall Fade”.

Through their efforts, the kinship brought in many bright-eyed recruits, eager to participate in the war.  She travelled with many of them, taught them, and eventually the band became large and powerful enough to make a difference.  They struck repeatedly into the heart of Angmar; Carn Dum, Urugarth, and even the fortress of Barad Gularan were subject to their assaults.  Eventually, they would face greater enemies, in the depths of Nurz Ghashu and the peaks of Helegrod.  Many good kin were lost, including Andryth himself, but the kinship continued on with Melwhin at the lead.

Now as the forces of Angmar have finally been put at bay, the time has come for All Shall Fade to enter the deeps of Moria, and face the evils that lurk there in the darkness.

The warg known as Gralo was born on a freezing cold night, high in the Misty Mountains.  His mother, wounded from battle with bearded demons travelling over the mountains, crawled to a cave and gave birth to a litter.  There were six pups born that night, and when the sun rose only one had not succumbed to the freezing cold.

That pup was Gralo, a warg who would grow up with a thick hide and a sleek coat, sharp claws and vicious teeth.  No one, not even he, knows how he survived that first winter, but he did.  The goblins of the mountains, who had been his mother’s masters, never knew he existed.  So he hunted, and he survived.  He had no master, and he killed whatever he could to survive.  Bears, elk, goats, even snowbeasts and mammoths were hunted.  He feasted on both goblins and dwarves.  He struck from the shadows, quickly and without remorse, and brought his prey to their knees before they even knew what had hit them.

Yet his most effective asset was his observation.  He explored far and wide, finding every nook, cranny, and hiding place.  He was never lost, and he always found a place to hide in case of danger.

Eventually, he ranged far enough to the north that he discovered another range of mountains that branched off to the west, known by Men and Elves as the Ettenmoors.  He came down into more temperate climates, and discovered a battle that raged below, in the valley of the Hoarwell river.  He made his way to the foot of Mount Gram, where he was finally captured by a party of orcs.  He was brought back to the camp at Gramsfoot in a cage, a vicious specimen of feral warg.  Yet there he encountered other wargs, wargs who willingly aided the armies of Angmar in the battles.  He spoke with these other wargs, and was told that if he joined their pack, he would be free to hunt alone throughout the Ettenmoors, and their alpha would train him in the ways of the hunt.  He agreed, and was sent out to hunt man, elf, dwarf, and the ever-tasty hobbit.

He explored the battlefield far and wide, and soon knew every inch of the land.  He referred this information to the Uruk leaders, who drew up crude maps based on what he knew.  They began to issue these maps to their soldiers and commanders, who used them to travel quickly to various places of importance.  His efforts had helped to give the forces of Angmar an edge in the battle for the Ettenmoors.