Oh dear. It has been quite some time since I last posted anything, hasn’t it? Well, this prodigal hobbit has been away for a long time, but a few months ago, I came back to LotRO to play with BBB… then I started catching up with epic story… and then I really got active again to play with the new housing system! So far Standing Stone has really been doing things well.
The new premium houses and hook movement changes are amazing! So of course yours truly had to get a shiny new mansion in grand haven of Belfalas for herself too. And obviously the tricksy hobbit wouldn’t just decorate the house like normal people do. I had to experiment with how far I could push the limits… and what did I end up with?
Why, I decided to block entrances and pathways to trap people in! *cue evil laugh*
Here are my full experiment notes. Warning: Do (not) try this at home. 😉
Such beautiful view
Experiment 1. The Security Trap
I learned that certain wall items such as picture frames were completely transparent and you can move through it, while some others such as the Rohirric tapestries were actually solid and will block your movement if placed on your path. I also learned that the tapestry can only be seen on one side: visible at the front but invisible at the back except for the strings that hold it.
The hag with money
Now, I have a room at the back by the atrium where the floor is full of gold coins earned from my adventures with Bingo. (No, Sir Draigoch, I did not steal from you, please don’t burn my house down. *cough*) Anyone visiting my house were sure to visit and attempt to loot. There was a serious need of security there. So I hung a perfectly innocent looking tapestry right there, just low enough so you can’t pass underneath, and voila! Invisible security door! Only I can control it and freely enter via decoration edit function. 😉
Then it dawned on me… not only can I block them out, but I can also trap them in with the right timing! So I placed the treasure chest that was so blatantly displayed to lure them in right at the center, plainly visible from the doorway, just waiting for the prey.
So tempting. You can barely see the tapestry string here.
People would come to my house, try to enter the room and be puzzled, and try their hardest to bypass whatever is blocking them… and just then I raise the tapestry height just enough to let them in, then lower it as soon as they’re in. At first they rejoice at having access to my treasure vault only to find out they’re trapped! Mwahahahahaha!
“I knew it!” – Bluebonnett, after falling for it
Experiment 2. The Trap Door
Now it was finally time to ‘improve’ my actual doorway. At first I wondered if there was a failsafe mechanism so people can never get blocked in. Luckily for me (and woefully for the others) that wasn’t the case, and I could totally block the entrance so once you enter the house, you can never leave through the door.
Listen to the sign. It’s telling the truth.
At first I placed a single tapestry there. Linaric and Aedon were my test subjects- I mean, helpful volunteers. It seemed to work, but soon Linaric figured out that the tapestry was set too low and he could climb on the stairs and jump over it to exit. It desperately needed to be fixed. So I raised the tapestry to mid height so there wasn’t enough space either above, below or sideways to exit through the door no matter how much you try to run through it into the open door. But of course, being a good hearted hobbit I am, I also offered them an alternate means of exit… the Inn League Sinister keg! *cackles*
A very friendly-looking functional door decoration
At first I placed a Moria keg, but it appeared a bit too dangerous (I’m not THAT mean) and since I decided to invite BBB over, I thought the Inn League Sinister keg was the perfect choice as it can send you directly to jail.
And yes, it was time to invite BBB over so they can be the victi- I mean, enjoy the improvements I place in my house. After the show on February 12, 2017, I invited them over to my new house for a housetrashingwarming party.
They gloriously fell for the trap vault room. Almost everyone managed to go in, enjoying themselves before they realized they couldn’t get out without begging me. It was SO hilarious that I actually forgot to take a screenshot of the momentous event!
And of course, after they had their fill of my house, placing stolen gold coins back, ransacking the pantry, and leaving whatever foul smelling mess in every corner, they all tried to exit the house in utter futility. Then they all gladly drank from the keg to finish the night in the perfect BBB fashion – drunk and pantless.
AÂ bunch of drunk degenerates – screenshot courtesy of Lhinnthel
I love these degenerates (don’t tell Aegthil), and this was the best way for me to show my foul love to them, and they enjoyed every moment of it. Success!
While I blankly forgot to take screenshots, the amazing Freemark kept the camera rolling during the visit, so all this was recorded! Thank you, Freek!
If you wish to experience Carica’s house of traps too, you can visit at 2 Swan Lane, Til Brethil, Belfalas on Landroval server. Warning: There really is no way to exit the house other than using porting skills or via any of the kegs. Even I can’t exit as it’s too bothersome to move the tapestry every time, so I just use the premium house port skill since it only has 1 minute cooldown. And yes, I have not one, not two, but 3 kegs that can send you anywhere from Bree jail to Misty Mountains to Moria. Do note that the house isn’t finished decorating yet and I am constantly making new changes! 🙂
