Iiltiks
The first time I visited Northern Inmalenor during the colder half of the year I didn't know just how cold it gets. I wore my ordinary winter boots, but they just didn't keep my feet warm. I complained about my cold feet to an Inmali trader I met.
He looked at me like I had never seen a winter before and asked: "If you're so cold, why are you wearing just one layer of boots?"
Extreme temperatures call for extreme measures. On the tundras of Northern Inmalenor the temperatures sink so low that ordinary shoes won't be enough to keep the cold out. The Inmali, native to these areas, have adapted their footwear to protect their feet against the bite of the harsh climate. This footwear is called iiltiks by the locals, and is an important part of both survival and the Inmali cultural heritage.
Layers and Fur
The secrets of warm feet in these cold areas are layers and animal fur. In winter, the fur of choice is usually Beardox due to the availability and thickness of the fur, though any land animal fur will do in a pinch.
The inner layer has the fur side of the skin on the inside. It is usually about knee-high and worn beneath all other layers of clothing. In this way the fur helps pulling the sweat away from the skin, and creates a soft and insulating layer against the skin.
The outer layer has the fur on the outside of the boot, and is about the same length as the inner layer. The skin used for the sole is shaped in a way that makes it possible to not have any seams close to the ground, making the boots virtually waterproof, at least as long as the skin is whole. The fur used for the sole is chosen from the areas with more coarse and stiff hairs and carefully angled so the hairs point backwards, giving the boots a better grip on the frozen ground.
There is a third layer that's sometimes used, either for extra insulation or for extra grip on the ground. The ones for extra insulation is simply an extra layer of warm fur that can be worn on the outside of the other layers. However, for extra grip these are usually made from seal skin.
Cultural Heritage
As these boots are an important part of Inmali life, they come with a certain amount of cultural importance.
Every Inmali individual are responsible for keeping their iiltiks in good shape. This includes, but is not limited to patching holes and keeping the skin from drying up or stiffening. Most Inmali children learn the basics of maintaining their footwear before they are considered adults. Having holey or otherwise unmaintained iiltiks is seen more as a character flaw than anything else.
Although most Inmali children are taught the basics on how to make their own iiltiks, most tribes have a handful of iiltiks makers who are good at it and make most of the tribe's needed iiltiks.
Related Inmali Sayings
Since the iiltiks are such an important part of the Inmali culture, they appear in some of the sayings in their language.
Comments
Author's Notes
When I was told that we shouldn't write about elven shoes as that was a sure sign of worldbuilder's disease, my first reaction was "nobody get to tell me what to do or not do." Then I realized that the Inmali (who are one of the two elf-like species in my world) had a good reason to have culturally important footwear that was also important for survival, so I realized I kind of had to write an article about elven shoes anyways. Not that I really care too much about the dreaded worldbuilder's disease in the first place, as this world is mostly for my own enjoyment (and sanity!).