HYPERBOREA / Fashion/Clothing in Hyperboria?

**Posted by fireinthedust** 11/29/2018 5:48 pm

Asking for design ideas, like if it's generally supposed to look like Conan, or sword & sandals; or if it drifts into floppy hats.
What would be a good game or comic/art example that fits the general idea of the setting.

Last edited by mabon5127 (11/30/2018 6:12 am)

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 11/29/2018 7:37 pm

It's really whatever you like.

There is a good spectrum of climates in general to influence clothing styles. Plus the general weirdness of the setting.

**Posted by Chainsaw** 11/29/2018 8:54 pm

Based on my recall of the Gazetteer's many and varied villages, towns, city-states and pockets of weirdness, I would think almost anything could be justified, especially when you factor in the presence of persons from historical, quasi-historical and pseudo-historical places (having arrived by various weird, sorcerous, technological and mysterious means).

For my games, I generally envision what's in The Last Kingdom or Vikings, where most people have simple, drab clothes. In the city-states, like Khromarium, where there's more trade, wealth and cultural comingling, I feel like I have more latitude for variance. At that point, I'm happy describing whatever suits my need.

**Posted by Iron Ranger** 11/29/2018 9:59 pm

The Scorched Sanctuary crowd after the burn...

**Posted by mabon5127** 11/30/2018 6:16 am

My apologies I edited by accident in an attempt to reply!

As was said it's up to you but with a relatively cold climate on the central mainland lots of leaders and furs would be in order

**Posted by Chainsaw** 11/30/2018 8:08 am

mabon5127 wrote:
As was said it's up to you but with a relatively cold climate on the central mainland lots of leaders and furs would be in order

Yes, definitely warm clothes where necessary, with fashions dictated by other factors.

**Posted by Brock Savage** 12/01/2018 12:48 am

This is the kind of conversation on Hyperborea that I enjoy. Here are some of my thoughts on the matter of fashion. As a caveat, I am not trying to define canon and I tend to revise my opinions as I acquire new data.

Most of Hyperborea, particularly the rural areas, dress according to their racial and cultural background e.g. Kelts probably dress similar to Iron Age Celts. Using that simple guideline works for just about everywhere but the big settlements. Since my campaign is based out of Khromarium that's where I have focused my imagination.

Khromarium is a melting pot and her citizens would effect clothing from a mix of cultures. I imagine Khromarium fashion as a distinctive melange of Scandinavian, Esquimaux, Celtic, and Classical styles.

Most citizens have a single outfit that they expect to last for years (it takes a large amount of labor to produce a set of clothing)

Wool is the principle material with linen undergarments for those who can afford it.

The primary use of leather is for footwear and belts.

Brightly colored clothing is a sign of wealth and power due to the great expense of dyeing.

Silk is a status symbol and only the wealthiest can afford to import it from Lemuria.

The fur trade is booming in Khromarium. Fine or exotic furs are yet another symbol of wealth.

Although weapons grade steel is very expensive, just about every male citizen carries a weapon if they can afford it; often this is simply a club or cudgel.

Ivory is a relatively common decoration at 10 gold a pound. Purple worm ivory* is exponentially more expensive and highly prized.

Working class poor (thetes) wear plain clothing of coarse undyed wool that is utilitarian, comfortable, and practical. Working class fashion grows more ostentatious as wealth and status increases.

Among the bourgeoisie, nouveau riche and lesser nobility (metics or descendents from later waves of "lesser races") is where you start to see more decoration, finer quality materials, and pretentiousness. Wearing hides is seen as rustic and uncivilized. Fashion grows more baroque and even decadent at the upper end of this spectrum. Hungry for status, these are the kind of people who desire the jewelry and objet d'art adventurers haul out of dungeons.

The upper-upper classes (aristoi) tend to affect simple and understated Classical styles in a tasteful display of status, tradition, and power. They don't need to impress anyone.

The top-out-of-sight sorcerer class (akin to multibillionaires in modern times) defies easy classification and embraces all the tropes of weird fantasy and cosmic pulp.

*Purple worm teeth ("purple ivory") look merely white in the heat of an encounter with one of these unspeakable beasts. When a tooth is examined it becomes obvious that, just as elephant ivory is white with a slight tint of yellow, so these teeth are white with a slight tint of purple. This purple tint deepens over the centuries, thus helping experts in estimating the age of such treasures.

Last edited by Brock Savage (12/01/2018 12:56 am)

**Posted by grodog** 12/01/2018 10:58 pm

Brock Savage wrote:
*Purple worm teeth ("purple ivory") look merely white in the heat of an encounter with one of these unspeakable beasts. When a tooth is examined it becomes obvious that, just as elephant ivory is white with a slight tint of yellow, so these teeth are white with a slight tint of purple. This purple tint deepens over the centuries, thus helping experts in estimating the age of such treasures.

That's a fun idea, Brock Savage!---does the tint deepen only while the purple worm still lives, or only after the tooth has been extracted from the worm?

Allan.

**Posted by Brock Savage** 12/02/2018 12:36 am

Purple worm ivory ages like the more mundane variety and grows in value after extraction.

**Posted by Chainsaw** 12/02/2018 5:57 am

Awesome descriptions, Brock! Love it.

Brock Savage wrote:
grodog wrote:
Brock Savage wrote:
*Purple worm teeth ("purple ivory") look merely white in the heat of an encounter with one of these unspeakable beasts. When a tooth is examined it becomes obvious that, just as elephant ivory is white with a slight tint of yellow, so these teeth are white with a slight tint of purple. This purple tint deepens over the centuries, thus helping experts in estimating the age of such treasures.
That's a fun idea, Brock Savage!---does the tint deepen only while the purple worm still lives, or only after the tooth has been extracted from the worm?
Purple worm ivory ages like the more mundane variety and grows in value after extraction.

And don't forget... one can tie this back to a fun adventure (The Purple Worm Graveyard).

**Posted by mabon5127** 12/02/2018 10:42 am

Good stuff Brock!

**Posted by mavfire** 12/02/2018 6:21 pm

While not "canon" I think you make great points, and also somewhat helpful as I design the denizens of Hyperborea!

I tend to think of Hyperborea as very cold all the time, so, additional furs (especially for wilderness types) and thick cured leathers, as well as thick wools from creatures like Aurochs, musk-ox, woolly mammoths etc.

Some communities would have probably mastered the making of felts as well, and probably thick woven burlap tunics and dresses. Keep in mind that cotton doesnt grow in cool climates so if anything only some of the southerly islands may have "rare" cottons but probably not on the mainland. That being said, hemp, silk, linen* and wool is probably prevalent.

*Also, linen is cloth woven from flax (the stems), so that is probably a staple, it is also about ten times stronger than cotton, which makes it hardy in temps found on Hyperborea.

** after looking up flax, I had no idea that it was such a useful plant. It provides food source (flax seed), as well as linseed oil which the Hyperboreans probably can burn or treat wood, ivory, and clothing to make it "water proof".

Great conversation starter!

Last edited by mavfire (12/02/2018 6:24 pm)

**Posted by Iron Ranger** 12/02/2018 9:22 pm

The way I read it, while some years look quite cold in Hyperborea, plenty of areas remain very warm from Elk to Eagle. Nobody is wearing Furs on the 80+ degree coastal mainland or in the 50+ degree Spiral Array. These years are humid and daylight lasts 20-23.5 hours a day! so not much nightly cool down. We're talking thongs and maybe some light coats in the highest hills.

Anybody running a game in this season? My guys just stepped into Bat and they've had to don the hide of Winter Wolf to survive.

Last edited by Iron Ranger (12/02/2018 10:02 pm)

**Posted by francisca** 12/03/2018 3:11 pm

Red Sun. Consider how that affects color choice.

**Posted by mabon5127** 12/04/2018 7:17 am

Iron Ranger wrote:
The way I read it, while some years look quite cold in Hyperborea, plenty of areas remain very warm from Elk to Eagle. Nobody is wearing Furs on the 80+ degree coastal mainland or in the 50+ degree Spiral Array. These years are humid and daylight lasts 20-23.5 hours a day! so not much nightly cool down. We're talking thongs and maybe some light coats in the highest hills.

Anybody running a game in this season? My guys just stepped into Bat and they've had to don the hide of Winter Wolf to survive.

The climate of the campaign at the beginning tends to be the climate at the end of the campaign. At least for us. If they want warmth they need to vacation in Lemuria!

**Posted by mabon5127** 12/04/2018 7:20 am

francisca wrote:
Red Sun. Consider how that affects color choice.

For the wealthy of the larger cities maybe but most are glad to have survived! We are talking Hellyborea here!

**Posted by Iron Ranger** 12/04/2018 1:50 pm

mabon5127 wrote:
Iron Ranger wrote:
The way I read it, while some years look quite cold in Hyperborea, plenty of areas remain very warm from Elk to Eagle. Nobody is wearing Furs on the 80+ degree coastal mainland or in the 50+ degree Spiral Array. These years are humid and daylight lasts 20-23.5 hours a day! so not much nightly cool down. We're talking thongs and maybe some light coats in the highest hills.

Anybody running a game in this season? My guys just stepped into Bat and they've had to don the hide of Winter Wolf to survive.
The climate of the campaign at the beginning tends to be the climate at the end of the campaign. At least for us. If they want warmth they need to vacation in Lemuria!

HA! So just how cold do you go? Do they have to shed the layers of pelts to even lift their pikes? And then penalties for shivers?

**Posted by mabon5127** 12/04/2018 2:00 pm

Iron Ranger wrote:
mabon5127 wrote:
Iron Ranger wrote:
The way I read it, while some years look quite cold in Hyperborea, plenty of areas remain very warm from Elk to Eagle. Nobody is wearing Furs on the 80+ degree coastal mainland or in the 50+ degree Spiral Array. These years are humid and daylight lasts 20-23.5 hours a day! so not much nightly cool down. We're talking thongs and maybe some light coats in the highest hills.

Anybody running a game in this season? My guys just stepped into Bat and they've had to don the hide of Winter Wolf to survive.
The climate of the campaign at the beginning tends to be the climate at the end of the campaign. At least for us. If they want warmth they need to vacation in Lemuria!
HA! So just how cold do you go? Do they have to shed the layers of pelts to even lift their pikes? And then penalties for shivers?

I largely use the climate for color. If they want to have a "cold" camp to stay hidden I may reiterate they may die with out a fire. I may describe having to chip through ice to fish or fill skins and so on.

Anyway, the thought of lifting my pike in those temps makes me shiver!!

**Posted by DMPrata** 12/04/2018 6:55 pm

Iron Ranger wrote:
The way I read it, while some years look quite cold in Hyperborea, plenty of areas remain very warm from Elk to Eagle. Nobody is wearing Furs on the 80+ degree coastal mainland or in the 50+ degree Spiral Array. These years are humid and daylight lasts 20-23.5 hours a day! so not much nightly cool down. We're talking thongs and maybe some light coats in the highest hills.

Anybody running a game in this season? My guys just stepped into Bat and they've had to don the hide of Winter Wolf to survive.

Your Hyperborea can be whatever you like, of course. If you’re using APPENDIX A, then the intent was that the Coastal Mainland averages around 50°F in the summer years, and the Interior Mainland around 25°F.

**Posted by Brock Savage** 12/04/2018 8:23 pm

DMPrata wrote:
Your Hyperborea can be whatever you like, of course. If you’re using APPENDIX A, then the intent was that the Coastal Mainland averages around 50°F in the summer years, and the Interior Mainland around 25°F.

At the risk of wildly derailing the thread, is there a modern city's climate that is roughly analogous to that of Khromarium? I have been using St. Petersburg's weather as a reference for Khromarium but am open to suggestions.