>w< I hadn't even thought of the peacock feathery-fancy outfits for the Janoa, I always thought they were more about camouflage, and didn't want the clothes to stand too much out, so they would be well hidden when ambushing :P

But that sounds really cool with lots of feathers and stuff :>!

It's like the Kypiq noble dress isn't functional for climbing and zip lining. The Janoa noble flamboyant peacock clothes wouldn't be meant for hunting. Though I am a fan of the savage look with the bones and leather.

Really nice work, and I like how you considered the naunces of the tribes. Only the Waerd look more like commoners while the Toresk if those are them, look like the characters from movies with godcomplexes, hybris and megalomania.

From the tribes journals the Toresk seem like earths east asian folks so kinda thought the dras where them at first xD

As an aspiring Hrothi I have some thoughts on what their generic work clothing might look like mostly from a utilitarian perspective. If anyone wishes to do a sketch I would be happy to collaborate as I am no artist.

First living underground has 2 profound effects on clothing. First the clothing has almost no need to warm the body, caves are nearly constant in temperature and thouse temperatures are if anything on the warm side particularly when the high humidity is considered, combine that with the stocky frame and a low surface to volume ratio that decreases cooling efficiency, a near total lack of breezes to carry away heat and Hrothi are going to wear clothing that looks like something from a warm almost Mediterranean climate. Not these 'inside' cloths are useless for going outside in anything but very nice weather but we know Hrothi in fact hate going out in bad weather and they have special heavy fur clothing for that which they do not enjoy wearing.

Second the presence of rock all around you all the time means that any part of the clothing that might come in contact with the surroundings will suffer considerable abrasion. So on the limbs, elbows, knees etc you would see leather patches to protect the clothing and the skin underneath. In addition the clothing will be designed to avoid pebbles and other such nuances from getting inside, or if they do allowing them to fall out, so either very tight or very lose, not in between.

Now with thouse principles understood I imagined the full clothing set and it ends up looking very Roman. The basic component is a knee length but narrow poncho made of light fabric usually cashmere, it is thus open on the sides from the arm on down being barely wider then the body. Their are generally some button or other clasps one below the armpit and one at the hem which allow ventilation to be increased or decreased. The collar is wide but simple without buttons to adjust it's size, instead it is usually reinforced and decorated with embroidery and gems with these embellishments often extending over the shoulders and down the hem lines on ether side of the body.

Around he wast a combination belt/apron is fastened around the poncho and buckled (often a big gem encrusted buckle) on the side. In the front are pockets and tool belt like holders appropriate to the individuals profession, on the rear is the apron like leather flap over the buttocks which allow one to sit on rough stones without damaging the ponco, it often padded as the Hrothi have mostly flat stone to sit on.

The arms and legs and covered from elbow to palm and foot to knee with tight fitting leather guards that are tightened with laces. The arm guards generally cover the back of the hand and first knuckles while leaving the palm and fingers exposed, when needed heavy gloves can be placed over these. The leg guards are a combination boot/greaves and cover the Knee, shin and foot. They are fully closed on the front and lace in the rear from ankle to just behind the knee to minimized the chance of pebbles getting inside.

Obviously the clothing of wealthier members of society doing less manual labor would be more elaborate, more restrictive of movement and more delicate (toga?). What I've describes is what I envision a miner or mushroom farmer wearing and the clothing of elites should generally reflect a continuity with that of the masses.

Gorgeous concepts! I especially love your concepts for the Dras; I could definitely see Drasian diplomats wearing those when out of their biome.

I feel like the Brudvir nobility would also have some intricate embroidery, as they of all tribes surely would have the patience to embroider.

I love your work and the effort you've pit in. +1.

I have to add though that in all honesty I wouldn't want to dress in that manner. I like the flexible clothing system as it's currently shaping up and think SBS are doing a great job too. Ideally I want to avoid additional constraints that would force expectation on me to dress in a certain manner that may not be in keeping with my tribe.

Posted By Lodrig at 06:29 AM - Fri Jul 14 2017

First living underground has 2 profound effects on clothing. First the clothing has almost no need to warm the body, caves are nearly constant in temperature and thouse temperatures are if anything on the warm side particularly when the high humidity is considered, combine that with the stocky frame and a low surface to volume ratio that decreases cooling efficiency, a near total lack of breezes to carry away heat and Hrothi are going to wear clothing that looks like something from a warm almost Mediterranean climate.

Well the Mediterranean clothes, especially in the warmer climates, often cover up a lot of the body for the sake of keeping your body moisturized, and since the caves, as you state, have high humidity, do they then need to cover up all that much? especially if the clothing would easily suffer abrasion.

Second the presence of rock all around you all the time means that any part of the clothing that might come in contact with the surroundings will suffer considerable abrasion. So on the limbs, elbows, knees etc you would see leather patches to protect the clothing and the skin underneath. In addition the clothing will be designed to avoid pebbles and other such nuances from getting inside, or if they do allowing them to fall out, so either very tight or very lose, not in between.

Won't that depend on the architecture, so if the Hrothi's caves looks more like with a lot of loose rocks etc. then yes, but if it looks more smooth, with clean surfaces like which I could see would be more likely, since you would want to build arches and such to support the tunnels and such (as to make sure they won't collapse) Then the clothing might not take that much "damage" as pr. say :P

@Oracle Well I think dressing and clothes in general might provide different stats so to speak, so dressing all "constraint" as you put it, might give a boost to attributes like persuasion or prestige? who knows, but I should probably point out that the clothes (even the long dresses) aren't hugely constraining, unless they're very tight and slim, then it's harder to move about it, but crinolines and the more fluffier ones shouldn't be too much of a problem. I would compare it to wearing armour, You are constrained when wearing armour (especially on the legs) which will reduce your top speed, but doesn't mean you can't do everything you did before, you just need to know how to run in it etc. :P

@Lodrig Maybe also from the egyptian people, they would blend minerals with water, blaste or gun for make up to make it stay on the whole day. of course if it's dark in the caves it could be useless, but nonetheless they do have minerals at their disposal, so makeup could also be a big thing.

And you're sure you don't mean a Chiton (instead of a Poncho) as a Chiton is was worn with a humation or without, with a chiton(belt) called a zoster, etc. though there's different kinds of Chiton. A poncho is best described as a blanket with a whole in the middle for your head to pop out of, so to speak.

<-- though they're of course more greek than roman, as the roman wore tunics underneath their togas/Stogas

But is it something like this you had in mind?

@Lodrig

Most caves are cold. No sunlight. Not warm at all. And you can't warm them with fire without proper ventilation. Chances are, Hrothi caves and tunnels are very near the surface, and not the deep dwarven caves of fantasy literature.

love your concepts Liva! awesome job :)

@Liva

I think the degree of covering in Mediterranean clothing is for sun protection, as that's not a factor for the Hrothi it would reduce the need to cover. They need as much air on skin as possible because sweating is not effective in such a high humidity environment.

You have a good point on the actual 'roughness' of the cave environment being in doubt. My concept was for a basic worker and I would expect them to be working in the roughest parts of the the settlement such as the actual mines, farms etc. I do not think the Hrothi would spend the considerable time needed to smooth and polish all the stone they live near. Just that inside the actual living spaces and ceremonial places. Much the way we only put thick carpets in our homes but not our workplaces or public places. Hrothi take off their arm and leg guards in the home and use a simple slipper, the floor and walls being entirely covered with wool rugs. Naturally elites omit the leather guards entirely or use jeweled metallic ones when going for a martial look.

I had considered the chiton but wanted to go with something less covering and more confined to the core body for the sake of the arm and leg guards. Poncho is a some what poor term to describe what I had in mind because they are normally as you describe 'blankets with holes', when what I had in mind was more 'vest open on the sides' but it looks like you got what I had imagined. The only difference is that I imagined a fully rectangular piece of fabric as it would be made in one piece from the loom. I would also thicken the belt and add a bit more pouches, loops and other tool-belt like features to it and emphasize the large metal buckle. The hem ornamentation looks good already so no need to change that, lastly I had given no thought to color or patterning on the cloth itself so that might have given the impression it should be blank white, but feel free to use any color and pattern you feel is Hrothian.

@Bombastus

Your forgetting about the geothermal (Elyrithermal?) gradient, the temperature rises approximately 1 degree C every 40 meters down (or 1 degree F for every 70 feet for Americans). One dose not need to be any deeper then real natural caves to feel this heat as I have when personally in real caves, they are most definitely not cold. The local climate determines the average yearly temperature and we have been told that Hrothi mountains border the Neran grasslands which sound like they are in temperate zones which should give a 50-70F temperature, and remember a cave always feels warmer then it is because of the lack of air movement.

really nice work. i love the dras designs.