Look and feel new navarr

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Overview

Navarr costumes are, above all, practical for moving around woodland or rough terrain- even the most settled Navarr will spend a good deal of their time in forests. Clothes won't ever be discarded will have been worn and worn and mended and worn- but don't feel you need to look scrappy.

Decoration is common- for someone on the move it means they can take art with them without adding weight to their pack. Thorns, leaves, flowers are all good. Things you find in forests.

The woodland and autumnal colour palette is very important for Navarr, bringing the nation's look together far more than anything else. Clothes are always in a woodland palette- predominantly brown and green with maybe accents of amber, blood-red and cream. Tattoos and warpaint will also tend to be in these colours or black.

Basically, can you run and sneak around a forest in it for days at a time without standing out like a sore thumb or getting caught in something? If so, it's good Navarr kit.

Costume Fundamentals

Tunic and Trousers: The standard base layers of Navarr costume. Trousers can be of any style as long as they can be moved in easily, and tunics can lie anywhere from hip length to knee length, often belted in. Shirts are also popular as well as tunics, especially worn under wool or leather jerkins.

Dresses and skirts Some Navarr prefer to wear dresses or skirts- these will always be loose enough and short enough that they won't restrict movement, but not so voluminous that they might catch on something!

Outer Layers The typical outer layer for Navarr is a wool or leather jerkin, often sleeveless or with short sleeves to keep the arms free to move and fight. These are often decorated with embroidered or painted patterns of thorns, vines and trees. Cloaks are also worn especially in very cold weather, which will typically sit close around the shoulders but again, leave the arms free. Sometimes fur trimming is used on all of these garments.

Headgear Typical Navarr headgear is a hood, either lightweight fabric to keep the sun off in summer or heavier leather when waterproofing is needed or wool for the cold. WE NEED TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT HATS HERE.

Jewellery and Decoration: Navarr jewellery is typically made of natural materials such as wood, bone, or even amber. Metal jewellery will typically be dull rather than shiny and cut gemstones are rare- the last thing you want is your sparkling brooch glinting in the light to give you away! Long pendants are common, often with symbolism important to individual characters such as runes, emblems for particular virtues or magical realms, or gifts given by loved ones. It is also common to decorate accessories such as scabbards and pouches- adornment that adds no extra weight to your travelling pack! Feathers and fur may trim clothes (trim only, to avoid looking like a Kallavesi), and beads made from bone, wood and stones will adorn many garments. Patterns taking inspiration from the natural world- thorns, vines, branches etc may also be painted or embroidered onto clothes, again using natural colours like ochre, red, black and white

Layers: It is very common for Navarr costumes to come in layers, such that they can be piled on or taken off according to the weather. It is common for under layers to show from inside outer ones- for instance a long-sleeved tunic and a sleeveless leather jerkin and matching vambraces can be worn.

Footwear: Footwear should be chosen keeping in mind that most Navarr will walk around a lot, even those living in steadings. Plain suede boots (eg Minnetonka) are lovely if you can find them. A lot are sold with fringing that might look like poor stereotypes of native Americans- ideally this should be cut off! Plain walking boots or army surplus boots (brown rather than black if you have the choice) are a good solid option. Boot toppers and gaiters are very practical for Navarr, both to protect your feet and keep your trousers clean in the mud. Leg wraps are also great for this and can be made inexpensively from fabric offcuts. Tear, don't cut, and you'll find most fabric rips in a nice straight line for you and won't fray.

Accessories Belts, pouches and bags are very often carried by Navarr characters to store their worldly goods in as they walk around the Empire- or around Anvil. They will follow the same general guidelines as clothes- forest colours and hard wearing fabrics- and are a good option for adding personalised decoration to your costume.

Fabrics and Colour Palette

One of the most important parts of a Navarr costume is the colour palette.

Navarr clothes are always in forest colours, typically predominantly different shades of brown and green with accents of blood-reds, golds, ambers and creams. Fabrics are chosen to be hard wearing and not shiny, so under layers will typically be made of cotton and linen, with outer layers in wool and leather (or synthetic substitutes if necessary). Generally plain rather than patterned fabric is worn, and then decorated if the wearer so desires. Garments will be allowed to get old and worn, and carefully mended if torn, so artificially weathering your costume is an option- but remember that clothes are also carefully made to be hardwearing, so will always be hemmed and finished.

Variations

The territories of Navarr span the Empire from the cold pine forests of Hercynia, to the woods of Miaren, the temperate forests of Liathaven and Broceliande and the swampy bayous of Therunin. Hercynian characters might be more likely to have fur trim on their clothing to keep warm, whereas not getting wet is far more of a pressing concern to the inhabitants of Therunin, who may tuck their trousers into good boots and make sure to have a leather hood!

War

Armour

I am so not qualified to write this

Weapons

Should be pretty copy-pastable from the old Look and Feel

Magic

Mage Armour

Mage Armour in Navarr will rarely look ostentatious, but will be clearly distinguishable. It is common to go for brighter colours than might be otherwise worn- though still nothing that would show you up when sneaking around a forest.

Children

Children will wear similar clothes to adults with garments being passed down as they are outworn [need to insert the children's costume boilerplate here]. Children's outfits will often be individualised with accessories such as belts and small trinkets as the same garment will be worn by multiple children over its lifetime.

Camps

• Set dressing to make camps look welcoming and friendly because HERE IS CIVILISATION, heads on spikes are for the battlefield and outer defences.

Similar Nations

Wintermark

Navarr tend to wear light leather armour and simple, earth tone clothes, much like some Steinr. Navarr decorations are more likely to come from nature, in the form of paints, feathers and beads, rather than the woven trims popular with the Steinr. Runes are a lot more common in Wintermark clothing.

Kallavesi mystics may also be occasionally mistaken for Navarr Vates; however, the Navarr do not wear animal headresses and do not believe in evoking animal spirits. A few feathers are fine for costume accents but full mantles and headpieces are iconic for the Kallavesi so should be avoided in Navarr.

The Marches

There are also overlaps between the Marches beaters and the Navarr. The beaters tend towards later medieval period clothing, like hose and jacks rather than the tunics and vests popular with the Navarr. The Navarr also tend to use furs, leather and painted decoration that the Marchers would avoid.

Less Appropriate

Traditional dark age tartan wool is fine

Modern highland kilts do not fit the setting

Celts and Native Americans

As Navarr are not based on Native Americans, large quantities of turquoise beading, and leather tassels are best avoided. Similarly, Celtic style knot-work isn't suitable as decorative patterns.

Kilts

Skirts, especially war-skirts are fine for anyone of any gender in the Navarr (and indeed elsewhere), but players should take care to avoid kilts. The classic highland kilt made of bright tartan, either short or full, is inescapably linked with the 16^th century Scottish Highlands. The Navarr are not based on the Scottish clans, a kilt - or the associated items like a sporran do not fit with the Navarr brief.

It is fine to include some plaid in your costume if you wish - fabric with a tartan pattern is found throughout the Empire and elsewhere. However the best tartans to use are overwhelmingly the patterns that use a few colours at most, usually in subdued tones. The modern tartans that have bright contrasting colours are best avoided wherever possible.

Corsets

Corsets are not appropriate as outerwear in any Empire costume. A close fitting leather bodice or jerkin is entirely appropriate for Navarr but please avoid anything with an obvious busk or modern- or steampunk- styling. Some close fitting rigid leather armour may be inaccurately marketed as a "corset" but despite this is absolutely fine to wear.

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