~Linhalaith's The Lord of the Rings Online Picture Diary~

The Lord of the Rings Online is a well-established MMORPG set in Middle-earth, the richly detailed European fantasy world immortalised in J.R.R. Tolkien's literary works. I decided to make an SSLP in it.

What you're about to read is the picture diary of Linhalaith, a kind and courageous Elvish warrior with a camera and a very full scrapbook. I aim to cover everything from the tutorial lands of Thorin's Gate, to the unknown place where I'll probably get bored of The Lord of the Rings Online in a few months.

But Who Is Linhalaith?

Linhalaith was born in Lothlorien, and now wanders from place to place, helping out where she's needed. She looks like this:

Linhalaith is a Guardian, mainly using the Keen Blade path (the red skill tree). Her goal is to protect the people of Middle-earth, standing between the Innocent and the Forces of Evil, obviously with her blade pointing towards the Forces of Evil and not at the Innocent. She isn't going to make that mistake again, believe me.

~Linhalaith's Official Biography~

The following is an excerpt from "Lesser-Known Histories of Middle-earth, Vol. VII, Appendix C", published posthumously by one of the mice living in Professor Tolkien's cupboard.

Linhalaith is a kind and gregarious She-Elf, originally from Lothlorien. She fights well with sword and shield, but sees herself first and foremost as a defender of the innocent, not a valiant slayer of demons.

She cooks well and loves her food, almost as much as she loves music and dance. Being as she is just five foot ten, some even say of Linhalaith that she should have been a Hobbit, not an Elf. yet there is a sadness in Linhalaith's eyes which never quite seems to fade.

Linhalaith was once a great warrior in service to the Lady of Lorien. It was said that she found as much joy in battle as in dance and song, and indeed, Linhalaith kicked posteriors beyond count.

One fateful day, during a border skirmish with orcs of the Ettenmoors, Linhalaith fought so furiously that she lost all control. In the heat of battle, she beheaded one whom she thought was an orc, but was actually her own comrade-in-arms. It was not until after the battle that anybody noticed.

When she realised what she had done, Linhalaith fled from Lothlorien, and roamed for six hundred years in despair. A broken shell of a She-Elf, she came eventually to Ered Luin, where she settled for a few short decades as a shipwright. While the work was nothing special, Linhalaith made friends, and learned anew how to sing and dance and laugh.

For the longest time, Linhalaith refused to fight, but when the Dourhand clan threatened her people she once again took up her blade. She came to see that her strength could still be used to righteous ends, such as slaying goblin raiders, or punching Calder Cob repeatedly in the face until he should apologise for everything.

Now Linhalaith fights in defence of Middle-Earth as a Guardian of the Free Peoples, only killing when she must, but leaving nobody undefended. She is known to the Rangers of the North (and the Bounders, and the Inn League) as a stalwart ally; to the Enemy (and many, many Sickle-Flies) as one to avoid.

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