Greetings,

After some consideration, I have decided to add a second Warden position to the ranks of the LOTRO officers. Cenalath/Daahoud/Halvo is one of the original kinship members and he was actually the second level 50 on the whole server. He has a long history of gaming and as such will be invaluable with his advice and wisdom, not only about the game, but the kinship members.

Please take time to get to know him...he has a wonderful (cough, cough) sense of humor and and some great insight into the gaming world. He is also one of the kindest people I have had the pleasure of meeting in this game.

So please help me congratulate Cenalath as the newest LOTRO officer....now get to work n00b!

Greetings,

Well it has been a little while since we have announced this, so this list is long and we are blessed. I shall continue to use Calvin's announcement as a tradition.

Across Middle-Earth, the battle against evil continues to be waged on every front. From the snowy mountains of Ered Luin, to the dense Chetwood forest of Bree, to the peaceful lands of the Shire, the shadow continues to grow. From their base in the Shire, south of Michel Delving, the third High Lord - now Lady, Seremela Telperian, marshals the forces of The Guardians in their daily struggle against the shadow. The fight is not waged among the homes of the Free Peoples though. No, the Guardians bring the fight to the enemy.

Across Middle-Earth, one can see the forces of The Guardians doing battle daily. They fight alongside the Rangers of Esteldin and the Eglain of Ost Guruth, slaying orcs by the hundreds in a bitter campaign to secure the borders of Breeland and beyond. In the Trollshaws, they aid the sons of Elrond and indeed, all elves, saving Rivendell from the enemy at its gates. The Misty Mountains are the sights of valiant expeditions into Goblin Town where a new menace stirs. In Angmar, the most dire battles take place, as the last few free Hillmen enlist our aid and in Gath Forthnir, a handful of Rangers guide a battle that strikes into the heart of Carn Dum, the fortress of the Witch King. In the Ettenmoors, or the 'Moors as the veterans of that war say, the hordes of the Witch King are infinite in size and energy as the Free Peoples struggle to hold them off. Finally in the Rift of Nurz Ghashu while finding victory against the Balrog, they find the battle continues as the enemy finds new ways to strike at the heart of good.

In this battle, the need is great. It becomes more dire as some give up the fight, retiring from lives of war or giving their lives in valiant sacrifice. Therefore, two of the most esteemed members have been sent across Middle-earth to recruit new members for our ranks. Myself and Cyan have worked tirelessly to bring word of our efforts to all those who fight with us and we now pass the torch to Merison to continue the hunt. The following individuals have answered the call and have been deemed worthy of membership within our ranks:

Aaril
Alaras
Angel
Ardente
Boredomir
Corewatch
Daenty
Dinndin
Eldoras
Eldiryne
Eon
Esdumby
Figglesworth
Greytail
Iridas
Kevlarto
Lambake
Lilshadie
Lynxi
Misticvega
Rezel
Sephira
Sinol
Theodricc
Thimo
Valison
Xis

Congratulations to all and Welcome to our Family. May the Valar smile upon your efforts.

High Lady Seremela Telperian
Kinship Leader

Greetings,

We received some exellent applications for our officer positions and I would like to thank everyone for applying. The decision was difficult but we feel we have made the best choices for the Kinship. So please help me welcome our new officers:

War Monger Shifted is the new PVP officer and head of our tribe Burzum Snaidraug. He has always offered good support for our raids and provides help and advice to our members. He has also become a highly respected creep who regularly leads large raids on the creepside. He is one of the most patient people in our Kinship who is always ready to help people get their first grams map or slash the throat of the closest minstrel. His War Leader Wheels was the second rank 7 member in the kinship and will most likely be the first rank 8. Shifted will be resposible for planning raids for both the freepside and the creepside of the Ettenmoors

Merison is the new Marshal of the kinship. His cheerful demeanor and dedication to the kinship has always shined. He always reaches out to our new member to provide help and goes out of his way to make sure people have the best weapons, dyes and crafting lore. He always makes us laugh in vent and is selfless in providing whichever toon we need for raids. I think he will be wonderful a planning events and has already helped recruit new members because of the respect people have for him. Merrison will be responsible for planning new recruit induction ceremonies and social events as well as recruiting new members into the kinship.

Ecthiewen will be helping Merison in this position as an unofficial assistant. Ecthiewen is always so cheerful and active on the boards. Merison is lucky to have such great help.

Congratulations again!

The Guardians bravely entered Thaurlach's prison, even though they had been warned against it. Glathlirel told them that this would be their biggest challenge yet, but they ran confindently in.

They first had to assist her while she cleansed the waters, facing down many world eaters and darklings. She slowly got the waters cleansed while we waited patiently..protecting her. Once the waters were clear, we ran to the protective sigil and watch in horror as Thaurlach broke his chains and started attacking!

Glathlirel explained that we had to solve a complex set of levers, first to the left and then the right. As Anarane, Aaril and Esdumby ran to the left room, they found that it was infested with more world eaters. Aaril turn the lever and the group downed what was left of the threat from that room. Next was the right room and the lever was turned and the threat again defeated.

But the first big threat was now to be faced. Leaving the brave Valison to deal the balrog on his own, the rest of the group ran to the back room and faced the Everseer! Edsumby, Valison and Pandemona worked at fighting this hard taskmaster while the others supported them, slaughtering the crawling darklings.

Once the everseer was downed, it was up to Rezel to figure out the complicated combination of locks that would let us back out of the room to help Valison take the rog. He used the combination 1,2,4 which meant that no additional allies of Thaurlach would be released.

Now the whole group ran out after the baleful roar of the rog and ran to the glowing sigil, which was now powerless, yet provided them the landscape to gather and focus on the fight before them. Everyone now had to be at their best. The loremasters kept wounds and disease from affecting their party, while the minstrels worked hard at keeping everyone alive including Glathlierel. Valison lost his morale at one point and Esdumby jumped in to take the threat of the rog while the minstrels sang to Valison their sweet song of renewal. Sadly, the rog was able to defeat Esdumby and everyone was too devastated to raise him.

Despite the best efforts of Thaurlach to defeat us, through the incredible teamwork of the entire group, we watched as his health slowly descended. Near his death he started to go beserk with the thought that his evil reign might be over. But we fought through, pulling together and watched as he fell. The group yelled in jubilation and Davvric went to see what the dread monster had been hording in his chest.

Ardente was honored with the chains that held him which will provide her a very useful set of rings and hope for the next adventure this group faces. Thimo was awarded a new and interesting pocket item. Rezel recieved his incredible new sword. Despite not being in the kinship, the minstrel Pandemona from the Misadventurers was awarded the shoulders. He came to our rescue with his songs and advice and his reward was well deserved.

I would like to congratulate everyone who participated on this great acheivement. You have all worked hard to meet this goal. I was honored to be a part of this group of Guardians. The Blade of Thaurlach stand in front of the kinship house in your honor as the first group of Guardians to down balrog.

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Now our other group must meet this threat with equal bravery this evening!

Across Middle-Earth, the battle against evil continues to be waged on every front. From the snowy mountains of Ered Luin, to the dense Chetwood forest of Bree, to the peaceful lands of the Shire, the shadow continues to grow. From their base in the Shire, south of Michel Delving, the second High Lord, Calvin, marshals the forces of The Guardians in their daily struggle against the shadow. The fight is not waged among the homes of the Free Peoples though. No, the Guardians bring the fight to the enemy.

Across Middle-Earth, one can see the forces of The Guardians doing battle daily. They fight alongside the Rangers of Esteldin and the Eglain of Ost Guruth, slaying orcs by the hundreds in a bitter campaign to secure the borders of Breeland and beyond. In the Trollshaws, they aid the sons of Elrond and indeed, all elves, saving Rivendell from the enemy at its gates. The Misty Mountains are the sights of valiant expeditions into Goblin Town where a new menace stirs. In Angmar, the most dire battles take place, as the last few free Hillmen enlist our aid and in Gath Forthnir, a handful of Rangers guide a battle that strikes into the heart of Carn Dum, the fortress of the Witch King. Finally, in the Ettenmoors, or the 'Moors as the veterans of that war say, the hordes of the Witch King are infinite in size and energy as the Free Peoples struggle to hold them off.

In this battle, the need is great. It becomes more dire as some give up the fight, retiring from lives of war or giving their lives in valiant sacrifice. Therefore, two of the most esteemed members have been sent across Middle-earth to recruit new members for our ranks. Seremela and Cyan have worked tirelessly to bring word of our efforts to all those who fight with us. The following individuals have answered the call and have been deemed worthy of membership within our ranks:

Azaghael
Decibel
Dlypo
Dalamarn
Gojiraa/Jezabelle
Kalimdir
Maethor
Samah
Vinhan
Whedon
Zammy

Please join me in welcoming our new members. May the Valar smile upon your efforts!

Sincerely,

High Lord Calvin

Friday night was another typical night in The Rift of Nûrz Ghâshu. The Guardians moved through the first six bosses in record time, defeating them all within three hours, our fastest time yet. After a bit of debate, it was decided to end the raid at the three hour marker and leave Thrâng for the next night when we could come prepared and ready to deal with him. The party retreated back to Iorelen's Camp and claimed its rewards. Jezabelle got new boots, I claimed new pants, Rathborn received new gloves, and Cyan traded for a new chest piece. It was a good night and morale was high when the party departed Angmar.

Saturday night was a bit rougher. Two attempts at Thrâng forced the party to retreat as small mistakes snowballed and made the fight more difficult than it had to be. After some discussion, Bando stepped forward with a new strategy where he would use burglar tricks to confound Thrâng, allowing the party to focus on taking down his Shamans before they took on the leader of the Ghâshfra. The strategy worked flawlessly as Thrâng's attacks were slowed and he found himself unable to focus fire on a single target. The Shamans were soon dead and we were able to focus on Thrâng himself.

Cyan grabbed Thrâng almost immediately and a carefully planned moment of doing nothing allowed him to keep Thrâng focused on him. Then, it was a simple game of dragging Thrâng around, allowing the Fumaroles to weaken him and pouring on the damage when he was vulnerable. It took about ten minutes, but in time, Thrâng was weakened and the final blow was struck by Brogen.

For his efforts, Bando claimed a new helm from the Rangers of Iorelen's Camp and I turned the Sword of Thrâng over to the Eldgang, who rewarded me with a necklace.

Excellent work everyone. It was a long road to getting him down and now, only Thaurlauch still stands.

Barad Gúlaran is the true heart of darkness of Angmar. Not far from the Gates of Carn Dûm, the capital of Angmar and fortress of the Witch-King, Lord of the Nazgûl. Within its walls, powerful Angmarim sorcerers have begun to summon a powerful spirit, Udúnion, a Rogmul. A Rogmul is a lesser spirit enslaved by a Balrog, serving the Enemy with all their dark strength.

On a dark, cold day in Angmar, six adventurers from the Guardians set out from Gath Forthnir, the hidden Ranger camp overlooking Carn Dûm. After finding their way through the winding, misleading paths of Nan Gurth, the fellowship came within sight of the Circle of Despair, a cluster of ancient towers guarding the entrance to Barad Gúlaran. After defeating several Gorthorog guards, the fellowship entered the tower and begin to purge the evil within.

The first to truly stand against the fellowship was Forvengwath, an undead guardian of the summoning chamber contained within. With ease, the reanimated foe was dispatched as even his minions could not assist him fending off the Guardians. With one final blow, he collapsed. An examination of the corpse revealed a bow named the Bane of Forvengwath which Davvric claimed as his trophy.

After that, foes were dispatched with ease. Afraig and Coblaith, two of the summoners, attempted to defend the fortress with legions of spirits and Hillmen guards. They failed. Soon enough, the fellowship had arrived on the second floor. Here, Castellan Wisdan attempted to stop the fellowship but like those before him, he too failed. Retrieving the key to the Summoning Chamber from his chest, the heroes headed downstairs to confront Mulvuire, the High Sorceress of Barad Gúlaran. There, the first glimpse of Udúnion was to be had. Mulvuire was dispatched, but the magic of Udúnion proved to be too strong. A retreat was sounded and the fellowship fled the tower.

Undeterred, the plan of attack was altered and preparations made. Mulvuire had returned to once again stop the fellowship, but she was easily handled. Udúnion was then engaged. Around the room, each hero manipulated ancient artifacts and summoning seals, preventing the Rogmul from using his most potent attacks. Unable to recover from the attacks it suffered, Udúnion collapsed, his body disappearing and the evil within Barad Gúlaran being vanquished for good.

As the party stepped outside, relishing the victory, the apparent death and return of Mulvuire made them curious. Could it be that Forvengwath and Castellan Wisdan would soon return to their nefarious plans?

It would not be so.

Each was defeated again. Forvengwath relinquished no new items, but Castellan Wisdan had added something to his chest, a legendary halberd known as the Captain's Arm. It was claimed by Calvin. Nismon was rewarded too, a shield was discovered in the chest and one creature bore the Silver-Voice gloves, part of a fabled set of armour crafted by the bards of Middle-Earth.

On a serious note, this mark the first time a group of Guardians has conquered the Rogmul and it is truly an accomplishment as it represents one of the hardest fellowship encounters in the game. The instance was tanked by Cyan, healed by Nismon, and support provided by Bando, Calvin, Cezelle, and Davvric. A great job to all involved on taking down an incredibly difficult encounter. That Rogmul owes us a dagger and we're going to take it from him.

In The Guardians' best weekend of raiding in months, two nights were spent in The Rift of Nûrz Ghâshu. All told, we managed to down every boss to Thrâng, leader of the Ghâshfra.

Friday Attendance - Calvin, Cyan, Seremela, Davvric, Cezelle, Willaren, Nismon, Brogen, Bando, Shifted

On the first night, Friday, ten members of the Guardians entered in the Rift. Short two raiders, the prospects for the raid were dim. Regardless, perseverance, dedication, and talent saw us through. First, two great Gorthorogs stood in the way, controlling their minions with the mines. First, we struck down Barz and then Zurm, assisting the Eldgang, or the Fire-Giants. Willaren and Nismon were able to sport some new boots as a result. Then, it was on to face Frûz. Frûz doesn't care for puny humans doing damage to him and at regular intervals, calls forth healers to help him out. On the first attempt, Frûz flew into a fury at fifteen minutes and began forcing us to retreat. After regrouping and figuring out where we went wrong, we beat him with plenty of time to spare. For our trouble, he was kind enough to drop a gem that allowed Bando to trade with the Rangers for a pair of gloves. Brogen also got a pretty necklace which he'll be glad to model for you. Pleased with our progress for the night, we decided we would return the next night.

Saturday Attendance - Calvin, Cyan, Seremela, Davvric, Cezelle, Willaren, Nismon, Brogen, Bando, Shifted, Erumara, Panamros

On the second night, Zogtark, controller of the drakes of The Rift, was next on the hit list. He didn't even pose a challenge as The Guardians, joined by Panamros and Erumara but missing Shifted, managed to make a mistake that would have been drastic in other situations, but comical in this one. As a drake landed, someone shouted out "The first drake is down" confusing down for dead, I told them to switch targets. Luckily, it was only Davvric that died. Zogtark wasn't much of a challenge though and Brogen gladly claimed some much needed pants.

Next, after some porting around hijinks, we came to the deadliest part of the instance, the fumaroles, essentially, trash mobs. After clearing through them, we came to the next boss, a name we don't even bother to pronounce, Narnûlubat. As Panamros, Cezelle, and Davvric ruthlessly slaughtered Darklings attempting to become Darkling World-Eaters, a strike team of Willaren, Nismon, Calvin, Brogen, and Bando moved around the arena, striking down Ghâshfra Seers. Once done, we slowly but surely took down Narnûlubat, allowing Seremela to claim her robe. It was an intense fight and the first time The Guardians had ever encountered the creature, but we handled it like it was our hundredth time clearing the boss.

Then, we ventured further, heading past some patrols to encounter two bizarre creatures, Shadow-Eater and Stone-Biter. While Stone-Biter was far weaker, we had to steadily defeat Shadow-Eater and then bring them together, ensuring they died within mere moments of one another. The damage switching was flawless and another Guardian first was done without a wipe. While no set armor dropped, Bando got himself a nice new cloak that was a fantastic upgrade.

Then, after Shifted arrived late, and after a disastrous encounter with the Fumaroles, we moved onto Thrâng. We easily handled the waves of Fire-orcs and Cyan flawlessly tanked the Giant add. Then Thrâng decided to show up and put an end to our success. Back at the beginning of The Rift after the retreat, it was decided that the Ruination of Thrâng would have to wait at least another week. On the plus side, the collective kinship pool of Rift Coins was used to buy Brogen a nice pair of heavy shoulders and a helm. I hope he posts a screenshot, it looks great on his dwarf frame.

I was overly impressed with those who attended this weekend. The dedication, talent, and teamwork I saw was second to none. No raiding group I have ever been a part of, no matter how hardcore and focused it was, could ever claim to go in outmanned and outgunned and on the fly come with strategies that responded to our unique group makeup. It's a sign of the ability of our players when we go in missing one or two people in a small group and even lack an entire, important class, and yet we still down two difficult boss fights for the first time with ease. While this upcoming week poses unique challenges in terms of preparation, including crafting and traits, I think, for at least a moment, everyone who attended should take a moment and pat themselves and their comrades on the back for a job well done.

I also think it's a good time to remember our fellow members who do not or cannot raid with us. We have numerous members in this kinship who contribute differently and form an essential part of our team. Every army marches on its stomach and every raid party goes to war with the weapons, armor, food, potions, and jewelery made by those who may not be interested in such activities. While a handful got the glory and the loot this weekend, we couldn't do it without every Guardian member; we could not have the successes we do without every single member.

If you took pictures tonight, please post them. For those interested in raiding, please stay tuned for important updates about traits, strategies, and items we'll need for next week.

Once again, a fantastic job. I always get a certain sense of pride when I get the chance to play with such fine individuals.