Harbinger

The Riddermark, called Rohan by the Elves, was justly famed for its horses. In that land, the culture was one of riding, and the husbandry of the great herds of the emnets flourished. In the opening days of the War of the Ring a rumour had been heard that Rohan was paying a tribute of horses to Mordor, but this was untrue, for the Eorlingas would never willingly subject their prized steeds to the horrors of the Black Land. Yet even Sauron coveted the steeds of Rohan, and orcs had taken to raiding the herds and studs of the Riddermark, stealing always the black horses and taking them back to Mordor for service in their terrible hosts. Perhaps these raids sometimes involved attacks on small villages or the homesteads of husbandmen rather than mere raids on the herds themselves. If so, such attacks must have been greatly dreaded by the Men of Rohan.

The village of this young woman has come under attack by a band of Orc horse-thieves that crossed Anduin and came into the Eastemnet. The outlying herdsmen of the village have seen the approach of the orcs and have raised the alarm; perhaps only a day remains before the village will be beset. As the men of the village prepare to defend their homes and their herds, this maiden, still unwed, has been chosen to ride with haste to the nearest neigbouring village to call for help. A simple husbandman’s daughter, she has a brave heart and is the village’s fastest rider.

She is clad for her flight in a sensible tunic embroidered with the white horse of Rohan. Her hooded riding cloak is decorated with a braided mane of cream-coloured horse-hair. After murmuring comforting words to her steed in the stables, she takes one last look at her village before springing into the saddle. Riding like the wind over the fields, will she return with aid in time?

With the first expansion set in Rohan due in September, I decided to create an outfit using some of the pre-order items that came with last year’s Isangard expansion, specifically to match the Green-clad Horse of the Gap. The outfit is a simple one in that it makes use of a onesie and matching shoulder piece. You see a lot (a lot) of people in-game wearing the whole matching set of those pre-order items, which can make using these pieces seem less attractive to the avid outfitter, but it seems a shame to avoid them because they’re really nicely designed. Therefore, the strategy for this outfit was to combine the hauberk and matching shoulders with disparate boots, gloves, and a cloak to make a pleasing whole that matches the steed while still allowing for a bit of individuality.

• Shoulders: Shoulders of the Eorlingas (pre-order — Rise of Isengard), default
• Back: Cloak of Vigilance (purchased — LOTRO Store), grey
• Chest: Hauberk of the Eorlingas (pre-order — Rise of Isengard), default
• Hands: Gloves of Fém (quest reward — Angmar [43] Crannog’s Second Challenge), Rivendell green
• Feet: Breelander’s Leather Boots (purchased — LOTRO Store), Rivendell green
• Steed: Green-clad Horse of the Gap (pre-order — Rise of Isengard)

Tips: The Cloak of Vigilance originally became available during a special in-game event in which a GM-controlled Amarthiel attacked various locations in the Ettenmoors. Barter tokens dropped in these events which could be exchanged at Esteldín; one of them was for the Cloak of Vigilance. The gloves in this outfit have the same appearance as the Gauntlets of the North-drake (looted — world drop/level 49). The boots I used in this outfit were purchased from the LOTRO Store; however, Rudhrod’s Boots (bartered — Iorelen’s Camp odds and ends trader) and the Boots of the Sun-lands (looted — world drop/level 49) have the same appearance.