~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.

Chapter 10: Of Meetings, Marches and Miscellaneous Happenings

Linhalaith had been up to a few things since the Trestlebridge campaign, some more serious than others. One interesting day out was when she attended a march against bullying and sexual harrassment on the Laurelin server.

The march wasn't part of the game; it was run and organised by real players, sadly in response to real harrassment and worse. MMORPGs can contain all kinds of people, including pricks all too happy to treat a virtual world as a playground where other people don't matter, or use their anonymity to get away with vile behaviour. Usually, the worst they can do is spam people and act the goat, but a pile of sexual harrassment and insults in your private messages can still ruin a gamer's day.

The Laurelin Women's March; a slight misnomer, after the march grew to include multiple men who'd been harrassed

A view of the rally at the stage in Bree

On a lighter note, a winter festival was held last winter in the village of Winterhome, and Linhalaith was one of many visitors. Winterhome was a small tourist village somewhere in the mountains, where the villagers eked out a meagre living in service to the annual festival. The mayor offered lavish prizes to guests who took part in the festivities. Linhalaith volunteered to help with the washing-up, and was rewarded with a lovely warm hat.

Linhalaith, in the esteemed company of Mayor Goodnough

Linhalaith, enjoying her new hat

Linhalaith had been a shipwright in the past, but over the decades she'd forgotten the ways of the plank and nail. Now that she'd learned to cook and grow vegetables, she didn't have much room for carpentry in her life, and she was content... Until she saw a boulder rich in copper ore just sitting by the road, mocking her.

On a whim, Linhalaith bought a pickaxe and took up mining, trusting in her skills as a baker to refine metal ore into usable ingots. She could sell them to make some cash on the side.

Linhalaith, probably getting a bit warm under that hat

A while later, Linhalaith found herself at the pub, getting to know some other players.

Linhalaith with Tyrthorn and Guriwen, discussing barrels

A lovely evening at the sign of the Prancing Pony

Linhalaith and her horse, Bilberry, meeting a lady who seems to enjoy swamps

Eventually, the winds of adventure brought Linhalaith east into the Lone-Lands, where orcs and ill-tempered wild animals roamed. She found shelter in the stronghold of Ost Guruth, where to her amazement, a barrel really was being sat on!

The eagle-eyed viewer may notice that these are two women, not dwarves. Regardless, they appreciate a good barrel.