For centuries, astrologers have believed that the movements of celestial bodies and their relative positions can influence an individual's fortunes, including those in war.
An otherworldly luster complements the silky-smooth texture of this sash—a sash dyed a black so deep, it might drive a man to madness, if not render him slightly more inconspicuous in a darkened room.
While slaying a demon merely returns its soul to the hell whence it came, until such time as it is resummoned to inhabit a new host, taming a demon is a much more effective means of dampening its evil influence on the corporeal plane. By luring and trapping the undying spirit of hellspawn into accoutrements worn on one's person, one might also harness their power and channel a portion of it as one's own.
"And with a cry that echoed through the skies she thrust her sword down into the mighty drake's nape. Life having escaped the elder wyrm, he went crashing to the sea, where his corpse lay, unmoving, yet unsinking."
- Legend of the Drake
Translation by Moss the Chronicler
"It is in mankind's nature to ever seek that which is stronger, more beautiful, more divine. Then, upon finding it, to begin his search anew."
- The Merchant Gilbard
Another remnant of Fallen ingenuity, unblemished by the passing of centuries. This belt is crafted from an unknown material with properties decidedly both ceramic and metallic, despite exhibiting the pliancy of treated leather. That it ever-so-softly throbs in much the same manner as a living heart could—by some less adventuresome types—be considered cause for concern.
While it is the rarity and luster of gold that make it the standard of wealth in the realm, the alchemist covets it for a lesser-known third quality—aetherial conductivity. Unlike most metals, gold has the innate ability to channel aether and even amplify its effects, making it invaluable for those who wish to extract the full potential from a crystal or Bearer.
It is documented there were once as many as five nomadic tribes that hunted the arid plains of Dhalmekia, The spread of the Blight having robbed them of both land and prey, many begrudgingly abandoned their wanderlust in exchange for the safety of city walls.
A crude strip of leather fitted with a pocked iron buckle, this belt is provisioned to Bearers of the Sanbrequois imperial army with the understanding that it will be lost when the poor lad eventually falls to an enemy blade.
More leather than iron, it is nonetheless considered an improvement from the crude cording worn by acremen and acolytes.
Metia is sometimes called the "Custrel" as legend has it that the bright red star serves as the moon's attendant, carrying her gear and equipping her armor in times of battle. This belt was part of a set owned by Archduke Elwin and kept in Eastpool for when he and his family would summer there.
It is suspected that the dye made from flowers known as Elder's Blessings grown in Mysidia not only gives the Motes of Water's clothing its vibrant blue hue, but that aetherial residue attributed to an ancient spell cast upon the land somehow increases the dye's permanence, which, in turn, renders the cloth applied thereto more resistant to both damage from external forces and natural degradation.
"A heart, while a fine place for fancy, is nowhere to hide your purse."
- Mote of Water witticism
Even rarer than platinum, mythril is highly sought after by both engineer and general alike, its aetherial conductivity a boon to the former, its feather-like weight a boon to the latter.
"So shall the end feed a new beginning."
Having found this leather belt adorned with the ancient seal of the Devourer of Worlds, your search for the perfect waistwear is over. Or has it just begun?
While copper, iron, even gold mines are plentiful in the Twins, there is only one location where white gold has ever been found—southwestern Ash. As such, the Kingdom of Waloed controls the realm's sole supply of the rare and highly sought-after metal, with proceeds from its exports funding the nation's military incursions into Storm.
Should his breeches fall, so surely would the duchy…or so the tailor charged with crafting Prince Joshua's belt was told. While certainly pleasant to the eyes, the cloth wrapping is a poor substitute to a set of iron tassets when it comes to stopping a spiked mace to the groin.
Among the citizenry of Dhalmekia there are those who hearken after the heady days of yore, when the realm was as yet divided into its constituent kingdoms—an age of glorious rulers in golden towers, before all was usurped by the bean-counting bureaucrats who now rule over the republic. Though little but legend may remain of these kingdoms, those who find themselves dispossessed and disempowered in the present draw strength from their imagined past.
Designed more for keeping one's trousers in place than stopping the head of an axe, those expecting any discernable protection from this basic accessory will be sorely disappointed.
Runic scholars separate the ancient logograms into three distinct groups—wards of expelling which are used to emit energy, wards of conservation which are used to absorb energy, and wards of harmony which are used to combine the previous two.
Centuries ago, the farmers of Kanver discovered that the silk produced by the pestilent "crawlers" that plagued their fields could be harvested and woven into fine thread. Not long after, the Free Cities became home to the realm's finest magnaneries, quickly transforming into one of the richest trading ports on Storm.
Offering at least something in the way of the warmth, camouflage, and protection that it did the wolf that once wore it.