Minstrel Under the Mountain

Unwearied then were Durin’s folk;
Beneath the mountains music woke:
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates the trumpets rang.

— “The Song of Durin”, The Lord of the Rings 2:IV

Like all the Free Peoples, it seems music was important to the Dwarves. Gimli’s song of Durin reveals that the halls of the Dwarrowdelf once rang with song and the notes of harps and trumpets. In The Hobbit, the Dwarves of Thorin’s company each carried a musical instrument with them and they sang several songs throughout the course of the quest. Harps may have been especially favoured by the Dwarves; in addition to those of the harpers mentioned in the Song of Durin, Thorin himself carried a beautiful golden harp, and in the song of Men of Dale on the docks of Lake-town, the return of the King Under the Mountain fortold that “His crown shall be upholden,/His harp shall be restrung,/His halls shall echo golden/To songs of yore re-sung.”

This dwarf is one of the harpers told of in the songs, a true minstrel under the mountain. At times he raises a mug in good cheer with his fellows and tells tales of the deeds of Durin’s line. At other times he lifts his deep voice in song and the notes reverberate powerfully in the deep chambers of stone; and when the time is right and the night outside the moutain deep and dark, he wrings his harp playing melodies of hypnotic complexity and bittersweet dignity. As befits a minstrel he is dressed in a fine robe decorated with a golden belt and beautifully stitched leather reinforcement. A fine hooded cloak of heavy silk comlpements the colours of his robe and shimmers in the firelight. When he sings and harps, his music evokes the splendour of the Dwarf-halls of old, flickering gold in the lamp-light and filled with beautiful things crafted by the skill of Durin’s folk. It is enough to awaken the desire of the hearts of Dwarves in all who listen.

I know I tend to abuse these white shoulders on my dwarves, but I can’t help it. I think they look great and somehow suitably dwarf-y. I wasn’t a huge fan of the spring festival cloaks when they were first introduced last year, but recently Devonna posted a pretty spring-time outfit using one of the cloaks and I was impressed with how nice it looked. So I set out to see if I could put something together using one of the spring cloaks, and I’m really happy with the way it turned out. If only lighting conditions were a bit better in the haunts of Dwarves (since I like to show them at home), but I hope the screenshots are clear enough for you all to enjoy the outfit.

• Shoulders: Shoulders of the Westfold (pre-order — Rise of Isengard), default
• Back: Spring Dandy Hooded Cloak (bartered — spring festival rewards vendor/cosmetics token barter reward), umber
• Chest: Long Dwarf-make Robe (purchased — Thorin’s Hall outfit vendor), white
• Hands: Padded Gloves of Courage (looted — world drop/general), white
• Feet: Dwarf Leather Shoes (purchased — Thorin’s Hall light armour vendor), white

Tips: If you don’t currently have access to the Spring Dandy Hooded Cloak, you won’t have to wait too long before you can obtain it, since I believe the spring festival will be beginning later in May. While putting this outfit together, I also noticed that the Warrior’s Cloak of Théodred (crafted — tailor T7/Tailor’s Guild), dyed white, orange, or forest green, looks great with this outfit, so if you don’t have the Spring Dandy Hooded Cloak, it might be a good alternative.