Guide to Bree

The eleventh month of the Shire-calendar (which was also used by the Hobbits of Bree and probably the Men of Bree as well) was Blotmath, corresponding to 22 October to 20 November of the Primary World’s Gregorian Calendar. We do not know the true name of the month in the Hobbitish dialect of the Westron tongue; “Blotmath” is a translation, a modernised form of the Old English name of the eleventh month in the Germanic lunar calendar: blót-mónaþ, “the month of sacrifice”. Among pagan Germanic peoples of the Primary World, the sacrifice that gave the month its name was often a ritual feast — and it seems highly likely that the same held true for Hobbits!

Now that Blotmath has come, both the Big Folk and the Little Folk of the Bree-land travel frequently to visit kith and kin for the seasonal feasts. This woman serves as a guide for those making the short journeys from one village to another; perhaps from Bree-town to Archet or from Combe to Staddle. The short journeys around the Bree-hill and along the paths of the Chetwood are pleasant in the crisp autumn air under trees ablaze with colour; and all are in high spirits, enjoying a song or tale on the road as they look forward to the feasts to come.

I thought I’d close out October (or begin Blotmath if you’re on the Shire-reckoning!) with one last autumn-inspired outfit, and a little light calendar-lore to go along with it. Recently Hymne of Cosmetic Lotro shared an outfit showing her lovely Hobbit-lass modelling the new Tattered Hat, a cosmetic item which drops from Riddermark-bound lootboxes. When I tried the same hat on one of my Men, I was excited to see that the shape of the hat was different; on Men it has no feather and one side of the brim is rolled upwards. I thought perhaps the hat looks different on the each of the four races, but it turns out there are two appearances; on female characters you get the version with the feather; on male characters you get the rolled brim.

On a different topic, I suspect that many of the in-game Harvestmath/Hallowe’en events were held last weekend, but if you are attending an event in costume on your server today and are looking for some inspiration, you might be interested in checking out some of the “Harvestmath guises” I featured earlier this month!

• Head: Tattered Hat (looted — lootbox), gold
• Shoulders: Eastemnet Skirmish Pauldrons (crafted — tailor T8), gold
• Back: Wrap of the Turning Leaves (bartered — Harvestmath fall festival trader/cosmetic clothing), default
• Chest: Dwarf-make Linen Armour (crafted — tailor T2; looted — world drop/general, or purchased — Thorin’s Hall light armour vendor), orange
• Hands: Ceremonial Silver-voice Gloves (bartered — skirmish camp cosmetics quartermaster/Helegrod cosmetic clothing – light), orange
• Legs: Ceremonial Silver-voice Leggings (bartered — skirmish camp cosmetics quartermaster/Helegrod cosmetic clothing – light), gold
• Feet: Limdail (quest reward — Angmar [44] Bloodwing), orange

Tips: Some great alternatives to the Tattered Hat are the Shabby Cap (quest reward — Yule festival [10] Self-sacrifice: Support the Poor) or the Extravagant Festival Hat (quest reward — Yule festival [10] Gain and Glory: Assist the Rich), or the Lesser Voice of the West Hat (bartered — Harndirion novices quartermaster/tier 1 difficulty Minstrel armour). When using these other hats, you may need to do some experimentation to get the correct dye colour; generally gold or Ranger green will do the trick. Limdail has the same appearance as the Glossy Leather Boots (purchased — Bree-town outfit vendor) and the Elegant Leather Boots (purchased — Store).

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