Bazahn

Summary

A traditional garment originating in Maika, it is an idea found in the family of shawls, cloaks, and other loose but protective fabrics. The bazahn takes this idea further, a necessity for the ancient peoples of Maika and dealing with their nomadic lifestyles. By combining magical weaving techniques, it can be turned into a type of ablative protection against attackers, the weather, or other problems. The usefulness of the bazahn saw it migrate outside of Maika, heading into Nerzin, Aerthen, and somehow across the Shinespark Ocean to Sa-kemet.
A genuine article is identified through two major parts: the magic weave, and the artisanry of lineage. The weave entails what the bazahn will do, while the artisanry serves as a proof of station or family. It is through this that many people's affilitations and relationships could be seen at a glance. In other words, a status of nobility or membership in a family, clan, or tribe. Rather distinctly, as part of the magic weave, the bazahn itself tends to 'float' around the wearer. How it does so is, itself, a kind of fashion statement. Tightly woven coils can show a protective attitude, while wide, sweeping 'crown-like' displays can be a showing of rank or domineering attitude. All these parts together make the bazahn an extremely expressive piece of attire, at the same time fulfilling very useful roles.
It can be said that levitation, hovering, and flight all carry a distinct meaning in many cultures. Being bound to the veltron, those who can afford to do these things inherent an expectation of greatness. For some this is divinity, others power in excess, and further still wealth or abundance normal people cannot acquire. To do many of its roles, the bazahn's 'hovering' nature around its wearer confers many of these expectations. It has long since suited the high-cost tastes of the affluent, and the bazahn is one piece among an arsenal of hovering attires. Unlike others, its multipurpose usefulness means concessions are often made to include it. Hovering jewelry, for example, can be useful to a mage but they're often supremely delicate, so ill-suited to combat.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Mana-infusion into the fabric of the bazahn is typically done during the time of weaving, to ensure better stability. That being said, while floating or hovering is attributed to wind magic, it rather is not in this particular case. By exercising one's own mana, they can manipulate the bazahn into its hovering appearance. This is about the limit the vast majority can do without specializing into it further.

Significance

Magical clothing, armor, and so much more is always an on-going sort of development. The bazahn drew particular attention because the methods of its creation revealed some fundamental techniques. Coming from those who had little or nothing at all, those in rich places might've scoffed at such ingenuity. Nonetheless, its success and following ubiquity forever meant that somewhere in Veltrona, someone might've made something amazing. Even long after the nomads who pioneered it had vanished, their bazahn left a small, everlasting inspiration at what might be out there in the world.

Item type

Armor

Rarity

Uncommon