#around the lower Brilla river next to Wardin (city)
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Palo and Tigran standing casually in place to provide an outfit reference.
They are wearing the most typical day to day clothing for Galenii monks. This consists of three main parts:
-A simple, ankle-length sleeveless robe (white in initiate monks and black in the fully initiated). -A dark woolen cloak, which doubles as a blanket. This cloak is the foundational item of clothing throughout much of Imperial Wardin as a whole, and worn by all social classes. They tend to be cut shorter and highly decorative in the upper classes, serving only the practical purpose of shielding the arms from the sun. Poor laborers may wear only the cloak and a loincloth and nothing else. In the case of Galenii monks, it is standardized, simple, and dark blue-gray. -The sash. This is a very long scarf that is the primary visual signifier of a Galenii monk. Its open ends drape down the front side of the body and are tied at the chest. It is slung over the shoulders and hangs in a loop around the back. These sashes are dyed an expensive royal blue, indicating the significance and relative esteemed status of this religious order.
Additional elements:
-The sign of the horns: a small iron pin used to fasten the cloak. This is the symbol of the Lunar Face Of God (the specific aspect to which the Galenii are devoted, which is primarily associated with fertility and the cycles of sacrifice and rebirth). This is very common among monks but not standardized wear. Galenii priests wear the sign of the triple horns (though more commonly as an amulet).
-Ear piercings: Galenii monks and priests wear thick earrings of dark meteoric iron and stretch their earlobes. One is added to each ear for each year of the initiatory process. Palo is a year in, and Tigran is fully initiated and has five bands per ear. Body modification is exceptionally rare in Imperial Wardi culture, largely in relation to taboos surrounding body integrity. The exception here is done with great significance and care- these earrings can be made only with true meteoric iron, considered to be the blood of God Itself. Permanently marking their bodies with this metal signifies this priesthood's integral connection to maintaining the continual cycle of sacrifice/rebirth that is believed to keep God's domain stable, and binds them to this role.
-Sandals: usually very simple in construction. Monks are often expected to go barefoot, but the cities are quite dirty so most prefer to avoid this if possible.
-Ceremonial dagger: a sign of a fully initiated monk. It is curved and its sheath is decorated with a tuft of lion's mane (a signal of the Galenii order's close connection to the Odonii order). Most of its uses are ceremonial, but it will be periodically used to perform animal sacrifices. A smaller razor blade is kept in the home for personal bloodletting.
-Hair: Fully initiated monks shave their heads, while those in the process of initiation have relative freedom with hair dressing. Palo is wearing his hair in a single braid tucked around the front. Broadly speaking, braiding the hair is associated with female beauty standards throughout much of Imperial Wardin (though generally in two braids). There is no cultural convention Against men doing so, but it is regarded as mildly effeminate (particularly in the south and southeast).
-Lore Friendly Sunglasses: Palo has photosensitive epilepsy. No effective treatments for epilepsy exist in the setting (most 'treatments' in Imperial Wardin are alchemical in nature, ie: ambiguously helpful at best or literal poison at worst), but understanding of the Nature of epilepsy as a neurological disorder is relatively accurate, and the concept of photosensitivity is loosely understood (though not with great accuracy, it's assumed to be caused by light in General). Palo had this pair of (VERY expensive) sunglasses commissioned as a youth, which Do slightly reduce the frequency of his seizures. Devastatingly stylish as they may be, his glasses do not offer much visual clarity so he only wears them in bright conditions.
#Am working on the dreaded Art Fight References#Also height comparison. Palo looks taller than he is because he's skinny as fuck and next to a 4'9'' guy. But he's 5'10''#Which is above average height for the setting (average man is probably 5'6''-7'') but not huge#I kind of need to reintroduce these guys because I made the earliest posts about them right around when I started actually writing#and a lot of their background lore has changed.#Namely their upbringings- most of the cast of the White Calf are stupid wealthy Imperial Wardi elites and I needed these guys to be like...#Normal people.#Tigran is still from a branch of a family that is wealthy in distant Ubibi but his specific branch is poor agricultural laborers living#around the lower Brilla river next to Wardin (city)#Palo is still better off but not crazy rich- his family were glass workers and traders out of Godsmouth and#would be considered middle class. Wealthy enough for occasional extravagances like sunglasses but nothing ridiculous#Most of the post-White Calf era stuff is now outdated too#AND ON ANOTHER TANGENT- most sun protective eyewear in this part of the setting is less 'elegant' (affordable sunglasses would#be mostly sheets of hammered bronze with punctured holes)#There is relatively sophisticated eyewear produced in Bur and Imperial Wardin (including some actual moderately useful glasses for#correcting visual impairment) but good pairs are prohibitively expensive and made by dedicated craft workers#Palo's pair would have cost about a year of his father's wages#palo apolynnon#tigran otto#the white calf
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