Cast of Characters:

Dorlin - 75 Dwarf Hunter -- Explorer = WM Tailor - MotG, WM Prospector, WM Forester

Pethurin - 75 Elf Loremaster -- Historian = WM Scholar, SM Farmer, SM Weaponsmith - MotG

Astryd - 75 Woman Guardian -- Armourer = SM Metalsmith - MotG, WM Prospector, WM Tailor

Falsto Goodenough - 75 Hobbit Burglar -- Tinker = WM Jeweller - MotG, SM Cook, WM Prospector

Canlaer - 75 Elf Minstrel -- Woodsman = SM Farmer, WM Forester, WM Woodworker - MotG

Audar - 75 Man Captain

(Crafting guild membership in italics)

I started playing LOTRO in December 2006. While I don't have a history of being a huge online gamer, I am a big LOTR fan and am probably a bit above average when it comes to the lore. Overmind recruited me into All Out Assault at the end of Closed Beta after he and I had been playing together for a few months. At the beginning of Open Beta I created my five characters, gave them vocations covering all the professions, and leveled them up together. After 3 years of playing, I finally created my sixth character, Audar.

Being a fan of Middle Earth, I jumped at the chance to create realistic characters, starting with their names. While Dorlin doesn't "mean" anything (dwarf names seldom do), it does stay true to Blue Mountain dwarf names. Hobbit names rarely mean anything in particular either, but Falsto does have a slight connection with my personal life: I used to drink Falstaff beer from time to time, so there you go. Pethurin (pronounced pe-Toorin, although pet-Whoorin is also acceptable, albeit harder to pronounce), is Sindarin for "Secret One". Canlaer is also Sindarin, meaning "Bold Of Song". Finally, Tolkien used Norse names for the men living in the Dale area, so I chose Astryd since it is Norse for "Strength". Astryd's brother is Audar, whose name is a bit abstract. The best English translation I can give it is "Fate of the Army", although Fate is interchangeable with Destiny, and perhaps even Wealth.

I'm looking forward to creating full biographies for my characters but haven't yet had the time. The closest I've come is pinning down an age, a last name, and rudimentary family tree for Falsto, along with the foundation of a story involving siblings Astyrd and Audar.

I've been fairly active in Chicken Play, with all 6 characters earning the Cloak Of The Cluck. In addition, Dorlin has earned the title Crosser Of Roads, so feel free to give me a shout if you have any questions concerning these quests.

There are two aspects of the game in which I am not currently active. These are Raiding and PVP. The reason for this is that, until just recently, I had very old hardware and my video card (ATI Rage 128 Pro) just couldn't handle it. Now that I've got a new computer, I'm looking forward to trying out some of the content I've had to pass up for years.

I'm in-game just about every evening (US Central Time) so don't hesitate to contact me if you need any assistance.