The Boy From Buckland

Everbrock Spudplucker is easily known by his shaggy ginger hair, and fondness for brightly coloured long overcoats. This cheerful young Fallohide always has a "Hallo" for his friends and a wave for anyone. Hailing from Buckland, the Spudpluckers are an offshoot of the formidable Brandybuck dynasty. Young Everbrock played and schooled with his cousins in and around Brandy Hall. His gaffer keeps a comfortable cottage with a bright red door in the lee of the stately smial, overlooking Toad Marsh and growing prize vegetables.

In his tweens the bold nature of his Fallohide heritage led Everbrock astray, and a summer job working the Bucklebury Ferry led him and his friends to explore the Marish. It didn't take them long to find The Golden Perch in Stock, where Everbrock soon developed a taste for hard cider and an appetite for the tales of Shire merchants. And then there was the music. Everbrock has always been easily distracted by a jolly tune, from Gammer Brandybuck's lullabies as a nipper to the lively traditional jigs of Buckland Faire. When he came of age Everbrock decided to follow the road west from Stock in search of new songs and dances, and to make a few tales of his own.

Everbrock's wandering... More

by Everbrock on 2015-03-01 10:49:29

Play me my song

Last night I experienced a revelation ~ a glimpse of the potential of the music system in LOTRO. I frequently visit the Laurelin server, where a minstrel version of Everbrock plays in the Brandywine & Biscuits band. Through them I was invited to a performance in Bree by the Maidens of Vanimor.

Their set comprised mainly early Genesis songs, albeit with some subtle lyrical reinterpretation. Selling Elfland by the Pound and The Battle of Chetwood Forest in particular spring to mind. The Maidens opening number Watcher of the Skies set the tone for a fantastic concert, with lengthy intricate melodies beautifully and faithfully transcribed. The absolute highlight of the show for me was Musical Box ~ simply stunning.

I have to say that while I enjoy the music aspect of this (role playing) game it's always been just that, part of the game. Until tonight. Tonight it transcended the game for me and this performance gave me a feeling I've only had at (real) live gigs before! Truly amazing!

by Everbrock on 2014-12-05 04:27:50

Well I'll be a goblin's gaffer!

Goodness me, what a busy weekend! Daffin's scavenger hunt was enormous fun and as it happens, I won ~ Woo-hoo-hoo!

I think the event was a great success for the kin. As well as individual efforts, we banded together to work on group items and some of the trickier tasks with a spirit of cooperation and competition in equal measure. My thanks to the kinfolk and others who helped me accomplish several of the group items I wasn't expecting to find, and I hope you all had as much fun as I did.

My poor ponies are exhausted after galloping around Eriador searching for rows of haystacks, one-armed elven statues, and poppy-obsessed townsfolk! So to give them a rest I've rewarded myself by adding a fourth stall to my stable for Cinnamon, a lively-tempered blood bay pony whose colouring compliments my new red Yuletide outfit nicely.

by Everbrock on 2014-12-02 06:14:11

Huntin' high and low...

We're a day into the Second Breakfast Thanksgiving Screenshot Scavenger Hunt for 2014, organised by the incomparable Daffin ~ and I have to say I'm having a great time with it. I've got a couple o' dozen shots up on my gallery already. Some pure solo efforts and some co-operative items with the help of kin-mates Toklyman and in particular Amabelwyn, who I think is having way more fun than is normal for Big Folk!

There's some of the higher value items I know I'll have trouble getting. A couple in group instances, which is an aspect of the game I've yet to delve into. There's also some needing quite a few people acting out a 'thing' together, which could also be tricky as my play hours don't often allow me the luxury of being on when many others are. We'll see how it goes.

One thing I am really enjoying is staging/composing my pictures. Whenever possible I'm trying to be in the shot myself, doing something appropriate (or inappropriate!) to make it more than just a snap. For example, if i have to find a certain person I'll be beside them waving or mocking them; if it's an object I'm after I may be pointing at the thing.

I've got about three-quarters of the list yet to do ~ who needs sleep anyway!

by Everbrock on 2014-11-28 09:01:06

The occasional ramblings of a curious hobbit.

Welcome to The Eternal Badger ~ or the Everblog as it was very nearly named.

I did not realise until today that we had a blog feature here. Does that mean the blogs are so well hidden that nobody will ever read them? Is that necessarily a bad thing?

I don't know. I have never kept a blog before, and only stumbled across others when searching for information or opinion on whatever topic has my attention at a given moment.

Most blogs I believe are short-lived things. Born in a storm of enthusiasm and well-meaning, but soon cast adrift on a sea of indifference. Is my Everblog destined to languish in that ocean of outpourings?

Only time will tell...

by Everbrock on 2014-11-26 09:18:56