Mrs. Pad

Mrs. Pad is the name by which everyone knows my wife, and she's content to keep it that way. She's the sweetest person I've ever met (even more so than that adorable cashier in Vicksburg, Miss., who gave me a free piece of fudge with my lunch, but that's a story for another time) and she runs several characters in LOTRO. She mainly focuses on the festivals and crafting and usually only ventures into the Wild when she runs out of cash (I deliberately hoard mine to encourage her to play PvE) or wishes to access another tier of crafting materials. Each of her characters is paired with one of my own and I act as her guide and protector as she explores Middle-earth. Here are some quick stories about her characters.

Petalia McMurry the Huntress.

Originally from Bree, Petalia was trained as an archer, hunter, and furrier by her father from a young age. It wasn't until she was a young woman and her tracking skills were needed to help the Town Guard scout the brigands that had begun moving in from the South that her skills took on a more martial role. As more and more men were slain in the fields and drawn behind the walls of the city, Petalia took the ranging further and further afield in order to bring reports of enemy movements to Chief Watcher Grimbriar and to bring disorder to the brigand camps where she found them. She received some training from Saeradan the Ranger on a few occasions, but it was the man from Dale named Brendyn who changed her life. The two met in the Pancing Pony one wet afternoon and discovered they had a common purpose: to help the simple folk of the countryside and drive the brigands out of what were once these peaceful lands. Their combined skills brought great success and a romance began to flower between them. Since those early days, the pair have journeyed even as far as Rohan to play their role in the coming conflict.

Captain Methodista McMurry.

Methodista was always a natural leader. When her home town of Trestlebridge was attacked by marauding Orcs, she pressed Captain Trotter to mount a counter-attack against Nan Wathren, but was overruled. The people felt the women and children would be vulnerable if the men of Trestlebridge marched to war, so Trotter decided a defensive stance would elicit more compliance among the populace. Methodista argued the village's strong women, of which there were many, should march as well thereby increasing their chances of wiping the Orc infestation out of the western North Downs, but her voice was not heard.

Trestlebridge's security was finally bought through the actions of heroes from across Eriador, however, and Methodista was free to reach other small towns and aid their people against the dark forces gathering the destroy them. On one such journey, she met a tall, fair-haired man named Malloren. For reasons he would not explain, he befriended her and traveled with her, always heavily cloaked and hooded, as if he did not wish to be known. He would observe her battle tactics when the need for fighting arose and critique her mercilessly, saying the time would come soon when her strong arm and stronger will would be needed to protect all she held dear.

One day, a raiding party of goblin wolf-riders took their little camp by ambush in the night. Methodista was overcome by confusion at the great noise and the sudden onslaught which roused her from sleep, but Malloren -- who never seemed to sleep -- strode to meet them and seemed to grow in stature. With a mighty Word of Command he unleashed such fury of fire and lightning that those goblins who survived fled shrieking into the darkness. It was then Malloren revealed himself as a High Elven lord of great lineage and power who was in search of his equally mighty brother, Mallacai the Purifier, that they might stand against the Shadow together or perish in the attempt. In Methodista he had seen a will of steel that could rally Men to her side and to the defense of Free Folk everywhere, but her skills in battle required much advancement. And so the pair travel together aiding the people of Eriador and beyond, always growing in might and training, until the final test should come for them both.

Algebraica Interger, Lore-master.

Algebraica started life as an assistant to the village chemist of Archet. She had always found joy in helping and healing others and was a fast learner where herbs and simple remedies were involved. When the hamlet was nearly burned to the ground by the Blackwolds, she tried to help her aging mentor save whatever potions and poultices they could carry away in haste, but the old man was tragically overcome by smoke from the burning and remained inside his cottage when the roof collapsed. After the Blackwolds were defeated, Algebraica went to recover him for burial and discovered beneath him an old, tattered book in a strange language which had survived the fire because the chemist had shielded it from the flames with his body. She recognized the writing as Quenya from her lessons, but she couldn't read more than a few scattered words. Remembering what she had been taught about the High Elves and determined to discover why her teacher would risk losing his life to protect the manuscript, Algebraica set out on a quest to find someone who could read the text and tell her its secrets.

She eventually found that person in Elrond of Rivendell, who was reluctant at first to trust a mortal with the lessons about the natural world contained in the yellowed tome. But, seeing her pure intentions and her resolve in seeking him despite the dangers of the Wild, Elrond gradually dispensed what knowledge he felt was prudent for a woman of her maturity -- the rest he left to trial and experience, for her driving will would certainly lead her into greater knowledge, but only by personal struggle would she adequately appreciate the skills she would learn.

Algebraica still searches for more ancient texts and artifacts to help her fully translate the book she inherited from her master, a task which takes her into dark caverns and crumbling ruins throughout Middle-earth. Along the way she befriended a lost hobbit named Bennard Billingsworth who had been searching for his estranged brother for some time. Together, they wind their way across the land, each glad of the other's company.

Kathlena the Elven Champion.

Kathlena is one of the Exiled Noldorin who proudly refused to heed the call of the Valar following the ruin of the War of Wrath. Perceiving that evil had not been banished from the world, she wielded her dual blades in the service of many Elf-lords over the centuries, including the Wars of Eregion in the Second Age. With the Fall of the Barad-dur following the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Kathlena thought, as did many of the Wise, that evil was finally ended and she resolved to finally leave the Middle-earth she loved. As she prepared for her final journey, a shadow fell upon Greenwood the Great and she sought the advice of Thranduil and Galadriel. As uncertainty gripped the counsels of the White Council, Kathlena hunted dark beasts throughout the newly named Mirkwood and saw evil gathering within the walls of Dol Guldur. Her reports spurred Galadriel and Gandalf the Grey to greater worry, but it would yet be some time before the Council put forth its strength and discovered Sauron, servant of the Great Enemy, was once again taking shape in the world.

Many years have passed and Kathlena has decided she will not forsake Middle-earth while her skill is yet needed to drive the hosts of darkness back from whence they came. In her travels, she encountered a mysterious Elven master of lore named Mallacai, who became enamored of her. Kathlena has no interest in matters of the heart, however, though she does allow him to accompany her on her quests. Perhaps she is pleased to know she does not carry on resisting the Enemy alone.

Gnoidie the Dwarf.

 Gnoidie is an odd Dwarf with a penchant for getting into trouble. Originally from the Blue Mountains, he enlisted his services as a bodyguard to Freoi, another Dwarf from Ered Luin who serves as an ambassador for the Metalsmith's Guild to the far reaches of Eriador. Together, the two have journeyed into many harsh lands -- even to the icy steppes of Forochel -- where they happily trade and sell the trinkets they've recovered from ancient ruins and the denizens that now occupy them.

Gnoidie has a rather unusual taste in dress, leading some to wonder whether he might actually be a she, which would be most unusual for a Dwarven female. While Freoi may know the truth of the matter, no one else seems to.

Brinneleigh the Hobbit Minstrel.

Brinneleigh hails from Budgeford and always loved nothing more than drawing attention to herself and pleasing a crowd with song and tale. She was never a traveler by nature, but the residents of Budgeford had soon heard every story she knew, and she couldn't bear the thought of being without an audience. This drove her to travel all across the Shire in search of the best sagas, some of which she turned into song, all of which she performed wherever the Bounders would let her. Eventually, she exhausted her new repertoire and was forced to plumb Buckland for its wildest adventures.

Brinneleigh was somewhat shocked and the stories she heard there: tales of walking trees, evil wights, and spying crows. At first she was repulsed by such things -- the worst songs she had sung before were about nothing more frightening than wind or rain -- but she also found eager listeners far more frequently. This led her to explore new lands, including Bree, where she met a few of the Rangers of the Wild. Their knowledge of ancient tales was deep and, ever hungering for more, Brinneleigh braved the untamed lands to learn from them.

During one such journey in the North Downs she stumbled into a very tall, bearded man named Guthvald. He enjoyed hearing her sing, though he rarely spoke but grunted frequently. From then on he seemed to regard her as a companion and clearly looked after her, although Brinneleigh had no idea why he should care about her so or even what he was doing wandering the countryside. It was well that she had such a companion, however, as the world was becoming more dangerous with each passing month.

Kathleniel the Hobbit.

 Kathleniel is a Hobbit of Brockenborings with no desire for adventure. She loves nothing more than to visit the various festivals throughout the civilized realms of Eriador, listen to a lovely romantic tale, and curl up by a fire with a good book. She befriended a young Bounder named Padegar, and the two have traipsed across every inch of the Shire together, mostly in search of good beer and bad pies.