Yule festival’s end, 2012

It feels like I wrote more about Yule festival than most festivals this year! the previous post listed a few more Yule links.

The clincher was that there were a lot of horses and warsteeds to talk about, which got the Steed Gallery fired up (all-steeds).

The lildanas always show up for festival, though the hobbit quadruplets usually stay home. This Yule festival however saw two very important reasons for them to come out.

#1 - Sack of Presents: Everyone who showed up to Yule Festival and did one quest got a sack of presents. It didn’t take us long to figure out that the sack of presents was worth camping out in Frostsbluff to get daily. Gifts we got from the sacks included Festival tokens, a special hat and cloak, stat tomes, Danaish got a hobby horse, and level 25 Danadalyn even won a Tarnished Symbol that she gave me to build my level 85 2nd age LI.

#2 – Festival Quest leveling: The quests were all considered as “on-level” quests. That didn’t do so much for me since I was at level 85, although the LIs all advanced with iXP for each quest. The lildanas were all level 25 or level 6, and never really leave the craft-halls except to come to festival. So, going to festival, it was like they were getting free xp for doing what they planned to do anyway. What a win! That reminds me, craft-leveling, I’ll talk soon about the joy of how crafters get xp just for crafting. J

A few friends: As always, festival is a good time to see people who you might not see often. Here are a few friends who I saw at Yule.

Bluepop has a sparkling good time at Yule.

Mysterixox and I wait in line for the Frostbluff Theater. Myst is the talent behind the Lotro Academy podcast Lotro Academy and thinks I am Awesome. J http://lotroacademy.com/?p=962

Aeronwy and I sport matching Fleet-footed Goats to stroll around the town of Frostbluff.

Betzi and Danaszar brave the winter’s cold to run through the snow toward a snowball fight.

Lildanas: The lil-danas As mentioned, because of the Sack of Presents (and general good time of festivalling), the lildanas showed up for the party. Here are a few parting shots to close Yule 2012.

DanaClaus disappears just before Christmas, muttering something about checking lists and and working off cookie weight. Yule festival is one of his favorites.

Danaish rides her new Hobby Horse around Frostbluff like a hobbit on too much sugar and pipeweed.

DanaOnar, one of the hobbit quadruplets, grips a Spring fest giant flower in one hand and a new Yule mug in the other. She enjoyed the warmth of a Spiral Horned Cloak from one of the Sack of Presents.

Danadelion poses stoically with one of the snowmen who leans his head on her shoulder.

Yule Festival was a great time and we look forward to seeing you again next year!

Danadelion and the GM

Danadelion got the opportunity to meet a Game Master during the Summer festival. It is always a bit intimidating, it is like talking to the police. I know I didn’t do anything wrong, but they have badges, and uniforms, and guns, and jails. What if he is an evil GM??? O.o

Turns out, he was nothing of the sort. Here is how it went down… told from Delion’s perspective.

"  I had patiently waited for my turn to go to festival. Danania had gone, then Danaszar, then Danaish, and now I was up 4th. The path was clear. I had gone to Summer festival last year, and had already been watching what was happening this year for two days, just waiting. I went to the Party Tree and got my one token from Opal Goodbody to start the festival, did the food fetch-it quest there around the Hill, and the other Hill fetch-it quest, and then over to Bywater to do the fishing gear fetch-it quest around the pond.

Next, I completed “To the Fishing Hole” there in Bywater by talking to Neddie Grubb and pick up the quest to Stock the Pond… wait… where is the next quest, for Stocking the Pond???

Hey! I am old enough to fish! I am higher than both that goodie child Danaish and that laid back elf Danaszar! Why am I not allowed to Restock the Pond? It’s because I’m a Champion, isn’t it? No respect! /fervour builds../ I know the quest must be here. I did get the “To the Fishing Hole”, it is done. Mebbe both Neddie and I know that he wants me to go to Thorin’s Hall and catch Amberjacks. Ride there... Nada. The Quartermaster just stares at me like he has no idea that Amberjacks might be in Thorin’s Hall. Sigh. Mebbe it is an error in festival communication; something involving the phase of the moon and keg-dwarves on strike. It is time to call on a higher power, he-who-shall-not-be-named.

I nervously wait, practicing my ability to dodge if the higher power shows up and decides to smite me for angering the wrath of the great and powerful Oz. A few minutes later, +Jalwis+ contacts me with a very pleasant, Howdy! How very hospitable; Danania, raised in the suthun’ flets, would have been impressed.

After I explained the situation, he asks me to pause, blink out, click my heels three times and see if everything was back to normal. While hopeful, I found that just closing my eyes didn’t help. He explained that the most likely cause is often missing a pre-requisite. I explained that I had done everything the other danas did, exactly as they had done them, the next quest was supposed to be here but it just isn’t. I don’t know what else it could be since I did exactly the same thing.

I fidgeted anxiously some more and rode my steed in circles. Jalwis asked me to stop fidgeting and come stand next to Neddie. Mebbe putting me next to the “accused” would help. So, I stood there, fishing pole in hand, eager to go. Jalwis started off again with “obviously you have the fishing prerequisite”.

I stand there. Stunned. I have a pole. Danaszar crafted it for me. OMG. Fishing Prerequisite. The entire fishing prerequisite is talking to that Hobby Master right next to me and telling him “Yes, I would like to fish”.

Somehow I had been to this many festivals, carrying a pole for years and had never fished. It turns out that last Summer, I bet on hobbit races and earned enough to barter for my festival horse. The next best option for fishing was Farmer’s Faire, but I was picking mushrooms out of a field and earned enough tokens for a horse and never fished. So, in fact, I had NEVER learned to fish.

I sheepishly apologized to Jalwis and thanked him for being so polite and helpful with thinking through the troubleshooting (not mentioning being thankful that he didn’t smite me). He asked if there was anything else I needed? Which there wasn’t (except for the dwarves to get off strike and get back to keg racing, but realized that wasn’t his jurisdiction).

I thanked him one final time and told him he was welcome to drop in at danania.net anytime! Bold. Yeah… I’m smooth like that. Lol. The next message I got from him was the form message “session closed, go and sin no more, live long and prosper, end of line” ...whatever that text was to tell me to stop writing him.

So, from all of the Danas, Jalwis thank you for making Middle Earth a better place! Readers, If you know Jalwis, feel free to pass this link along as I feel confident that someone might know him. J

Draigoch Statue, lil Danas moving day

As of right now, my 7^th most popular post is the story about when I visited Draigoch (Danania does Draigoch), and some of my most searched items include Draigoch (along with danania, lotr humor, riders of rohan, relics, runekeepers, and steeds). My Draigoch story was lots of fun but I wanted a better picture of the statue. Thorin’s Hall neighborhood ceilings are just too low for a statue that large. Now, with the help of the lil danas, I have a better picture! J As usual, do note that the pictures are larger than they appear if you want to zoom in on something.

The lil danas have been talking about moving for ages. (Lil Danas)

The hobbit quads were pushing for the Shire, but I think all the lil danas were mesmerized by the views of Falathlorn, the elven housing community near Duillond. We elves can draw people in. J Danadelion set out to go for a visit.

From talking to the housing vendor, the Angels had narrowed it down to the houses at 8 Haven Way or 5 Waterbank Road. The irony was not lost on the team that the Angels were considering moving to "Heaven" Way. In the end, it comes down to location, location, location. Here is the view from the front deck of Waterbank Road, looking out toward Celondim.

As Delion looked down the hill, seeing the house in the foreground, and Duillond and the bridge between Ered Luin and the Shire in the background, the choice was all but made.

5 Waterbank Road, Cair-e-faras, Falathlorn Homesteads, Arkenstone is now known as the “Home of Angels”.

DanaOnar, Chief Move Coordinator, was in charge of getting the pet cave-claw to the house and making sure it didn’t dig up any neighbors’ flowers. Thankfully, he is a Trained Cave-Claw. It looks like she had her hands full and will be moving items for weeks. I'm not sure whether she intends to use those fireworks in her pack for fun or remodeling (or both).

I gave the Angels a house warming present. Yep, you guessed it… it is a Draigoch statue. Nooo… I am not lucky enough to win one in raid. What I lack in luck, I make up for in patience and tenacity (and coin… as fate would have it, this statue showed up on the AH… and was the most expensive thing I’ve ever purchased… you don’t want to know).

To really appreciate how impressive he is, you have to back away from it. Here is a shot of me standing in the middle of the Falathlorn neighborhood (near the vault person), looking down on it. The house is partially obscured by the pink tree, but clearly, the statue is taller and perhaps bigger than the entire Angels’ kinhouse!

Another really neat thing about the move was learning that I have friends in the neighborhood, which works out well if the Cave-claw gets loose. Beorhir lives next door on one side (Beorhir was the captain in the first picture in the Draigoch story), and Rruin lives on the other side! Just down the street are more friends Belile, Eryngwae, and Rasphant.

Walking around the neighborhood, we saw more people’s houses… people who are new-friends-in-the-making: Lyndrielle, Honeybuns, Lythari, Nymphsong, Faladir, Eliahnna, Gaspard, Zephorlas, Alderwolf, Zemirah, Jesa, Henduluin, Rimmardar, Feani, Fiionna, Anathelle, Dulond, Destriel, Irideth, Latharuth, and Selendir. The other kin houses are owned by the Descendents of the Noldor, the Regiment of Gondor, and Bel’s Club. Good to see the Angels are in good company!

Gratuitous Steed shot:  At day break, I got a new horse called the “Steed of the Horse-lords”, which came with the Mithril edition download from Gamestop. (http://www.gamestop.com/). It is neither fast nor robust with high morale, but it is pretty! I got the download for the steed and the turbine points.

Another enormous housing item is the “Memorial of the Gaunt-Lords” that my friends Carradine and Audred were kind enough to show me. It is obtained as a reward from beating Ost Dunhoth T2 deed (which I am nowhere near completing). The statue is best viewed at night to give it a more ominous look. Mebbe someday I will have such a statue, but for now, I am happy to have a nice home for the statue of Draigoch.

Happy 5th Anniversary, lotro!

Happy 5^th Anniversary to lotro!

And Thank you all for visiting Danania.net! Last Friday, the site saw its 10,000th visitor, which is absolutely amazing to me as the site is right at 2 months old. Thank you! спасибо! 谢谢 Danke! Salamat! Bedankt! Merci! Thanks, eh?! (...to my Canadian friends).

There is so much excitement in Middle Earth and the Anniversary party is in full swing! It is such a hit that the party's end has been extended from April 30 to May 9.

I have been having a great time and I hope you are also! Often, when festivals start, I rarely leave to do anything else. This time my friend Lartessa set up a Helegrod run and I couldn’t pass that up (still need to kill Thorog, but at least now I am eligible to open the Dragon Wing when the opportunity presents itself), and Nimitar organized a visit to Ost Dunhoth and I had never had the opportunity to see much of that and we totally ran the tables (I got some good pictures for another post).

However, today’s post is about the Anniversary party.  Since the previous horse post went over so well, we will have more horses today. J

First of all, when planning to maximize fun, I always visit party planner Goldenstar at  casualstrolltomordor.com  . I would say I just visit for the highlights, but in reality I study and absorb everything she posts like I am preparing for the medical boards.

One of the best things about the Anniversary festival is obviously the fireworks. Middle Earth has had fireworks before but nothing on the scale of what came with the Anniversary party.

Here is a shot of me visiting the Methel stage in the Shire. The funny thing is, it seems like I’ve seen that stage before when I quested through the Shire as a much younger elf, but that has been so long ago...

I wanted to ask my friend Gandalf about it, but he seemed preoccupied, like his mind was elsewhere. He muttered something about hidden hobbits, but it was drowned out by the blasts and flash of fireworks around us. So we just stood and enjoyed the festivities.

One of the Anniversary quests, Firework Explorer, takes you on a tour to launch fireworks and bring festivities to other parts of Middle Earth, which earns the title “Firecracker”. The most far-reaching place is Elrond’s house in Rivendell. That is an easy leap for a Supergirl but was no small task for the lil danas. Fortunately, there are kind hunters and captains around to help out. Memyr delivered all the lil danas safely to aid in the spreading of party cheer.

OMG! Memyr, why are you on one knee in front of Danaszar?? <blush, omgomgomg> 

Whew, just lost a contact lens?

When Danadelion saw Rivendell for the first time, it brought back memories of just how lovely it is. Imagine fighting through the Trollshaws, hurriedly crossing the Ford of Bruinen, arriving at Rivendell, and finally seeing this breathtaking sight?

We had a great time at the beer brawl! There are three versions: Beginner (1 token), Intermediate (2 tokens), Expert (3 tokens). As long as there aren’t 50 people in the arena and you aren’t being targeted specifically to fail for some reason, the Expert version is totally achievable, gives the most tokens, and leads toward a deed which awards the title “Battered, Bruised and Contused” for 25 expert wins. For hitting others 200 times in brawls, you can earn the title “Clubber”.

When you win on Expert, you glow for 3 minutes in the glory of your victory. Danadalyn wears her glow proudly.

When you launch 50 fireworks of one color, you get an Anniversary token. When you launch 50 fireworks of all 6 colors, you earn the title of “Master Blaster”. DanaClaus was having good fun whacking people around and working toward the Master Blaster title. The interim between brawls is a good time to launch fireworks.

Macswife was one of the first people I met who had the /toast emote from the Lost Invitations quest. Ok, so it isn’t the most flattering picture. Lol. It is funny and the emote is a good one.

Even the lil dana hobbits get into the act. Danaarodel, the “keeper of dana outfits”, dressed up in a green imp outfit complete with oversized flower from the spring festival and did a lil toast-ing herself.

Danaish was the first lil dana to get a steed from the Lost Invitations. Here she is riding the “Steed of the Dusk Watch” (aka Warden’s steed). It has very nice leather-embossed tack.

It took a bit, but I also got the Lossoth steed from the Lost Invitations. The picture isn’t the best; I was mostly asleep when I took it and it was a black horse in the dead of night (Note: If you are awake, wait til daylight to take better pictures.)

Definitely, one of the best things about festival time is that it brings people together, some of whom you otherwise don’t see often. Here is a shot of my friend Jastirria who I had not seen in ages. When I was a level 48 noob, Jas was the one who pointed out that I had to go get a Legendary Item (even though I had no idea what it was or where to get one) and came and picked me up out of Forochel and drop kicked me into the Gates of Moria. Some people and events you never forget. Thanks Jas.

Danadelion actually won a Steed of the Champion in the champion’s lottery! This steed is the first and only steed we have ever won in the lottery. Of course, I went and bought one for myself, but I’m not catty and will let Delion have her moment in the sun. Like the rest, it is a beautiful horse. :)

In the “can’t have too many steeds category”, we all went and got our Anniversary steeds. The new one is the Fireworks steeds. It actually does randomly shoot fireworks out the saddle pack.

The 2011 Anniversary steed is the white garbed one.  For fun, I scrolled back 9000 pictures  and pulled last year's picture out of archive to show the steed. That day, for that picture, I tried on the 2011 Anniversary clothing that I had borrowed from my friend Sparowen. (Yes, I probably should have taken off the red gloves…)

Alas, time to go to sleep and dream. May your festival spark and pop and your dreams be pony-filled.

Lil Danas

(archived from December 8, 2011)

Hey hey! A lil downtime there since my last post... I blame the tryptophan (http://hsionline.com/2002/11/27/thanksgiving-drowsiness/) though general holiday bustle is far more likely!

Someone asked recently what the lil danas are up to. They will show up throughout the columns, so I decided to give them their own column as an introduction.

Which lil dana was first? Darn good question. I have no idea, but am certain it was one of four choices. On the lil dana staff, I have four quadruplet hobbits, an elf, two humans, a dwarf, and another hobbit. All except Danaish grouped together to form the Angels. They are a great support staff working primarily in crafting and AH marketing, but each has a unique personality.

One of the quadruplets was first, but getting an answer to who showed up on my doorstep first is like trying to resolve which was born first. Even if I thought I knew, they look so similar I could have been mistaken. Alphabetically, they are Dana Arodel, Dana Boffin, Dana Horn, and Dana Onar. All four hobbits were hired to do “consignment craft quests” (http://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Quest:Consignment:_Thick_Hides), which have been obsolete for more than a year.

Basically, the hobbits would show up and pay an NPC to gather resources for far cheaper than could be bought on the AH. The only catch would be that you would have to re-show up to pick up your materials at least 40 hours later. It was quite the pain for me to stop what I was doing to go get the consignments, but to have the four sit there and wait on the mats was a perfect job for young entrepreneurial hobbits.

So, with the quest cancellation, Arodel, Boffin, Horn, and Onar went on extended vacation until it was decided that they would become Thorin’s Hall greeters. Since then, they have become very proficient at marketing and make their living buying and selling at AH.

Arodel: She is more of a nature-lover than the others. She might look like just a farmer-girl but she has good fashion sense. Arodel originally worked in Celendim, at the scholar’s enclave. She now manages the entire clothing line and advises the rest of the danas on how to dress. The quads tend to dress in festival attire, while many of the others have tended toward fashions out of Dunland.

Boffin: She knows how to work a deal, watching the markets to buy when commodity prices fall and resell when she can turn a profit. Of the four, Boffin has the best head for business. She originally worked out of the Shire in Overhill, very near where they were born. She manages corporate dana-buys and sales.

Horn: True to their first jobs, Horn kept in the crafting line. While none of the four actually know how to craft, Horn keeps up with craft related sales, which include recipes that look like that might turn a profit and crafted items from other danas when coin is in short supply. She originally worked east of Bree.

Onar: She is the festival and housing accountant. If ever I need to know, “do we have…x”, Onar will know the answer. Her job transition was easiest; her consignment job was near Thorin’s Hall. Now all four sisters work together there.

Danaish: Danaish was the next lil dana. Danaish is the only lil dana that is a Rider of Rohan; in fact, she was in the rider kin nearly a year before I was.

Danaish has been out and about and was once known as Sno White of “Sno White and the five Chees”... but that is a story for another day.

Here is a picture of Danaish’s first visit to Rivendell. She attended the Riders of Rohan 4th Anniversary party, in which the Riders rode from Thorin’s Hall to Rivendell. This shot is Danaish dancing the afternoon away with others on Elrond’s front doorstep.

Like the other lil danas that came after her, Danaish loves to craft and loves the festivals! If you go to festival, you are likely to see her.

I first met Danaish when she tried to pick my pocket in Bree. Rather than vaporize her, I opted to rehabilitate her. The Riders gave her a home, I set her on the path toward becoming a jeweler, and now she is a productive contributor spending most of her time in Esteldin. Undoubtedly, she has not forgotten her Burgling roots and may someday put those skills to use.

I will tell you more about Danaish's origin down below and her ties to Archet. For the moment, I will show you one of her favorite tops I sent home from Dunland; it was a sleeveless green-trimmed blouse.

Danadelion: Danadelion is a champion and has the attitude to match. It shouldn’t be a surprise that she is the Head Angel, leader of the lil danas group. She is fearless, except when it comes to bugs. Please don’t tell her what lies within Skumfil.

As a metalsmith, she has proven to be a dominant crafter. Like most crafters, she could settle down and make her living as a master of the forge. She is leading the lil danas to greater things, including a large house in Duillond within a few months. Here is a shot of Danadelion shortly before she organized the lil danas toward the common goal of buying a bigger house. Danadelion called first dips on the yellow star blouse from Dunland. It fits her style and attitude.

Danaszar: Danaszar is a very laid-back hunter. She is the only elf on staff and we share a common bond of having both come from Lorien. The only thing that gets a good rise out of her is the competition of seeing just how fast she can get through the festival races: horse races, Bree maze races, Shire haunted burrow races. Otherwise, Danaszar is very low-key and takes her time; in fact, she is a hunter that knows very little about porting; she rides where she needs to go. True to her low-key nature, she can often be found in a Rohirrim red outfit.

Danaszar is also good with her hands, a real top-notch wood crafter. Mostly, she hangs out in Esteldin waiting for the next festival and managing wood inventory and wood craft.

Danaclaus: Danaclaus is one of the newest members of the lil dana family, joining the danas less than a year ago. He is a jolly old dwarf and the only male on staff. He seems wise and patient, a good Guardian of the group, protecting the others.

Through experience, he has learned that one can indeed get into trouble out in this world. He and Danaszar are the only lil danas to ever meet defeat; hers was due to being very under-geared as she cut a path toward Esteldin to setup Shoppe. Danaclaus knows the moment he met his match. In the Lonelands, he stumbled across Asht, a higher level elite warg, who had other wargs around him. It was a good lesson indeed... that tanks are NOT indestructible.

Recently, as December rolled in, Danaclaus started getting very busy crafting things, and he was making lists and started checking those lists twice.

Last Delion heard, Claus took off on his Cremello pony Dasher, saying that he had to attend to some business up North for a few weeks and would be back before January.

Danadalyn: Danadalyn really joined the lil danas full time around Fall festival. She really livens up a room with her stories about adventures in Middle Earth and likes to play games and jokes on others (Fun Fall Festival, Friends!). I am told, she is quite the performer, getting the patrons of the Prancing Pony to pay attention.

She is really kind to all she meets and will talk to anyone, sheep included.

I taught Danadalyn to ride recently; she has taken to it like a hobbit to food. With her rise in skill, like the other lil danas, she too got to buy fall festival steeds and is looking forward to winter festival. Here she is on a Rohirrim steed. She chose a white long jacket from the clothes I sent back from Dunland. 

Of all the lil danas, Dalyn is the one I understand best. She is no rune-keeper but is close enough that I understand her. She knows when to hit, how to hit, when to run, and when and how to heal. She is an adventurer after my own steps. Here is Dalyn facing down a bear near Bree; fearless right? :)

Archet Ties: I have known for a long time that Danaish came out of Archet, but I didn’t really get the full story until I hired Dalyn recently.

Danaish, now a teenage girl, is or was the daughter of Ned and Peg Pruner of Archet. Before Archet’s burning, Ned was the jailor of the settlement and his wife Peg was a local supplier of simple goods. They made a decent living in the small community just northeast of Bree. I won’t go into the entire story of how Archet burned, many of you know it and I couldn't do justice to Dalyn’s ballad if I tried, but the gist was that Danaish’s father was killed. Dalyn found his body while following Jon Brackenbrook’s team into Archet as it was burning. Danaish’s mother hasn’t been seen since the fire and is presumed dead.

Danaish escaped the fire, but was haunted by the nightmares of carguls. She turned up in Bree a year later gaunt and starving, trying unsuccessfully to become a pickpocket.

Danadelion was a guard working in Archet for Captain Brackenbrook. When Amdir betrayed the Captain, Delion cowered in fear amidst the fire and watched the decimation of the town and death of her friend. After Archet, she started working as a guard against the Blackwolds in Bree and eventually became good enough with blades to venture forth and do more. She takes personal responsibility for Danaish, undoubtedly feeling shame related to her failures at protecting Danaish’s parents and the Captain of Archet.

As for Dalyn? She persevered to tell the stories of those who fought and died at Archet. She knew them all or seems to be able to fill in details with plausible stories. Whenever, the ale starts flowing in the local taverns, rest assured, you just might catch Dalyn telling the tales of Jon Brackenbrook, Atli Spider-bane, Constable Thistlewool, Cal Sprigley, and Ned Pruner.

If you like festivals like I like festivals, you will most likely see the lil dana team around. Feel free to say hello! Soon enough Delion will get her way and move the team out to the country... but that is another story.

(I love comments, and kept the comments from the original posting, reposted @ final-comments)