Harfoot Settler

The Harfoots were the most numerous of the three ancestral strains of Hobbit-kind. They were beardless, did not wear shoes or boots, and presumably the Hobbit trait of leathery-soled, hairy feet was the most predominant in their line — Harfoot is derived from Old English  hǣr-fōt, hair-foot, a translation of their Westron name.  The smallest and most timid of the three Hobbit strains, they originally made their smial-homes in the Vales of the Anduin, but stirrings of evil in Mirkwood caused them to seek new lands to settle. They were thus the first Hobbits to cross the Misty Mountains and come down into Eriador. During their wandering years in those wide lands, the Harfoots were joined by some of the Stoors and Fallohides, and they took the latter as their chiefs and leaders due to their bold natures. In IIIA 1601, the Hobbits were granted the land of the Shire by King Argeleb II of Arthedain, and from their villages at Bree, they crossed the Brandywine to settle in their new home.

This rustic chap is one of the first wave of Harfoot settlers to cross the Brandywine searching for a place to build new smials for his extended family. He travels with his kinsmen as well as a small number of Fallohides, one of whom acts as the group’s chief. He is simply clad in a rough, homespun tunic and shabby waistcoat, patched and mended doeskin breeches, and a wide-brimmed straw hat. Upon his back is a large pack in which he carries his trail supplies as well as spices and ingredients for cooking, a cast-iron frying pan, a small hatchet for chopping firewood, and a warm bedroll. Though his ancestors have found the lands of Eriador to be rich and pleasant, the Shire is bountiful beyond their fondest hopes. Its climate is pleasant, its soil dark and rich for planting, its meadows lush and green to feed livestock, and its lakes and streams stocked with plump fish. His family shall make for themselves a fine life here!

I wanted to try to make another outfit that seems like something a Hobbit yokel would wear, and I’m really pleased with the way this one turned out! I really do wish we had more outfit options of a specifically Hobbit-y nature. The thing that brought this one all together was the discovery that the Tier 7 crafted leggins I used, though they share their appearance with lower-level crafted leggings, have a different base colour that allows dyes to apply in interesting ways. Here they are dyed umber, which gives them a pale, rusty green colour that goes well with the tunic and really highlights the patches on the knees of the trousers.

• Head: Straw Hat (bartered — skirmish camp cosmetics quartermaster/cosmetic items), white
• Shoulders: Noble’s Woolen Mantle (quest reward — Dunland [72] Silent Riders), burgundy
• Back: Cook’s Pack (purchased — LOTRO Store), Ranger green
• Chest: Shabby Tunic (quest reward — Yule festival [10] Self-sacrifice: Support the Poor), white
• Hands: Fingerless Gloves (quest reward — Yule festival [10] Self-sacrifice: Support the Poor), burgundy
• Legs: Westfold Campaign Leggings (crafted –tailor T7), umber

Tips: The shoulders in this outfit have the same appearance as several other Dunland quest rewards. If you don’t have access to the Fingerless Gloves, you could get a similar effect using Durn-durnvol (looted — Rise of Isengard instance cluster) or the gloves from the Rune-keeper or Lore-master sets available at Harndirion.