I was recently given Thalronn, a powerful club more effective than Doom of Gurzmat, the sword I'd been using for as long as I can remember. Gloin gave me Doom of Gurzmat after I'd killed a goblin leader named Gurzmat in the Misty Mountains. It did dwarven damage, which I presume was more effective against some creatures. It trailed behind it a little line of sparks as I rode my horse. I'm a bit sorry to see Doom of Gurzmat go, but this club is such a significant jump in damage that I'd be a fool not to take it. I got it from the hillmen in Aughaire for killing a spirit that inhabited evil statues the Witch-King had set up to divide Angmar. It was a bit like the Middle Earth version of tearing down the Berlin Wall.

So, yeah, thanks for the Thalronn club, hillmen. I'm sure it'll work out great for a while. It sometimes drains enemy power (i.e. mana) and gives it to me, which is useful. Being a minstrel who can heal herself, I can fight forever so long as my power holds out. Thalronn also does extra damage against trolls, and I love fighting trolls. They make a big fuss and they fall with a wonderful basso profondo thud. They're even – dare I say? -- kind of cute, like ugly dogs are kind of cute. Fighting trolls tends to be a group effort, though, so I don't get to do it often enough to make Thalronn's troll damage much of a selling point.

But Thalronn is huge, clumsy looking, and not at all the sort of thing I'd expect an elven minstrel to carry around. It's the sort of thing an orc would use. Or a big dumb ugly/cute troll. Actually, as I look at it, I think it's the sort of thing a caveman would use to secure a cavewife. Yeesh, I hope I find a better weapon soon, preferably something more aesthetically appropriate for an elven minstrel.

(Click here for yesterday's Lord of the Rings Online game diary.)