The Request Richard had come late at night, asking for a simple request: he wanted to work on a project together with Sothe. By the box of supplies, it was evident what it was for, even before Richard had said anything. He wanted to work on his scarf together as a sort of birthday gift for himself. Sothe was happy to oblige, seeing as he always had a nagging feeling he could have done much better the first go around. While still in the planning stages, Richard provided more materials to work with, cloaks, emeralds, gold... too much material for it to remain in the shape of a scarf. And so Sothe had the idea to transform it into something more of like an over the shoulder cloak with the original scarf running down the middle. Patterning Now that the plan was set, Sothe brought Richard to the top floor of his workshop. There was a light exchanging of pleasantries as a Textile Collective delivery person gave the pair the Levinen they'd need for the project. Sending them on their way, Sothe sat Richard down in front of a book full of patterns and measurements. He pointed to a specific pattern that would have two lengths of fabric connected to clasps, one draped across the shoulder blades, and one underneath that would cascade down the back."We're going with this pattern since... well. You gave me a lot of fabric to work with this time around. A simple scarf won't cut it."The scarf as it existed was fine enough on its own in terms if structural integrity, but Sothe was skeptical of the Olde Emeraldite cloaks given their age. He would do nothing about their faded colors, seeing as it added character. Instead he would reinforce them with a Levinen cloth liner. "Ok... so we're going to start off tracing the shape of these cloaks onto the Levinen using sticks of charcoal. Thankfully for you... it's just smaller rectangles than the width of the fabric. It'll be easier to draw on the fabric if we lay down the edges with rocks like... this. See? Flat and not going anywhere."While Sothe left the tracing and cutting of the fabric to Richard, he had layed put the scarf on a separate table and began to cut the thunderleaf threads stitched all across the length of it. They'd be replacing it with the perfected version of the original thread, Levinen. As each bell and gemstone was released from their thick stringed chains, Sothe organized them into piles for later. The pair worked in silence. They needed the quiet these days. Sewing "Ok... now we're going to sew the liner to the cloaks. Don't worry about perfectly aligning the two pieces together, that's what the seam allowance is for."Sothe demonstrated the anchoring stitches that they'd be using for the cloaks to Richard. It came through the finished side in such a way that was decorative in nature. Small emerald designs began to take shape on the cloaks as the pair worked on their lengths of fabric. Sothe occasionally looked over to see how Richard was doing. It was clear that while he wasn't practiced with needlework, he was getting the hang of it relatively quickly. When Sothe had finished with his section first, he prepared the next piece while Richard was getting ready to cut off the excess fabric. Clasps "Now that the cloaks are done... we need to see about attaching them to the golden clasps... ...Which we probably should have made first but oh well. I'll leave that part to you, just make sure we can set in all the old gemstones between the two clasps."And so, Richard was tasked with creating the clasps out of a resplendent, sparkling gold. Seeing as gold is a soft metal, there wasn't a need for a proper blacksmith set up. Sothe had suggested Richard use the leatherworking bench downstairs, but he needed to grab some tools from his home first.Upon returning to the workshop, Richard saw a sketch of the design Sothe had in mind with measurements on the workbench. There was a note as well that read:"If you need anything, just say the word."Now settled and prepped, he started by hammering the gold into two rough, slight concave shapes. Then, he began to add divots for the gemstones. The smaller prongs were carved out from the material, while the larger ones would be soldered in later. After making sure each gem of storms bead would fit, Richard began to refine the shape of the clasps more, adding in various cravings and borders to create more visual interest. Then, he properly set in each gem, keeping the largest ones clustered in the middle with the smaller ones dotting the outside. He polished the metal with a metal polish and a cloth, later cleaning the pieces of excess debris once finished. It sparkled and glistened beautifully as Richard inspected his work in the light of the setting sun. And so, he reconvened with Sothe upstairs, who himself had been working on another aspect: attaching the scarf to the topmost cloak. Sewing 2: Electric Boogaloo Sothe realized quite early on that he'd need to have much of the length of the scarf drape over the shoulders for this new design. The rich and vibrant pigmentation of it already made it stand out over the cloak it would be attached to, but he needed to go the extra mile of making it beautifully ornate in its presentation. And so, he created beautiful swirling patterns surrounding emerald designs that made it look dazzling. Yet, that wasn't enough, for he felt the need to once more add gems to the end of the tassels. This time, it would be three beautiful, sparkling emeralds on each end, carefully threaded onto a bunch of tassels, flaring at the end.When finished with that, he overlaid the scarf on top of the cloak he had worked on. The thought had crossed his mind to have Richard's on top, but the few mistakes there were a bit too noticeable for his liking. He ensured to perfectly center and align the scarf before anchoring it in place with pins and sewing the two pieces together. By the time Sothe was finished, Richard had come up the stairs with the two clasps in hand. Affixing Now that all the pieces with prepared, all that was left was to put them all in place. The cloak Richard worked on had both clasps secured tightly to the top corners length wise. A golden chain was attached to one side, but not yet the other. With the little space in the clasps's hoops, Sothe looped the topmost cloak through, leading with the tassels. There was enough clearance to just barely allow everything to stay secured and in place.For the final act, Sothe had Richard step up and put on the garment for the first time. Sothe connected the chain to the other clasp before he began to tug at the cloak, adjusting the fabric and how it hung off Richard's shoulders until it sat perfectly. He grabbed a full length mirror and placed it in front of Richard. Sothe stood there admiring the work of the pair and the way it sparkled even as the sun completely faded from view. If it looked this good in lamplight, they could only image how it'd look outside in the sun."...We did good. This... this was good."

Started by the Pallite, Faerl, Stag-Point brought together a collective of artisans and craftsmen from any and all backgrounds. What brought them together? The desire to push the boundaries of conventional artisanal crafts and uplift an otherwise forgotten industry within Templehelm. They are known quite simply as the Stag-Point Textile Collective."Thunderleaf thread" was initially conceived by Faerl as a conductor of thunder magic through a scarf— a commission by the late Byron Qilaro. The fibers proved more difficult to work with than initially thought, and the end product wasn't as good as it could have been. Stag-Point's Textile Collective members have since vastly improved the thread.The original thread's production involved soaking dried, pulled thunderleaf fibers overnight in a simple strength potion, letting them dry in bundles, and then spinning them as one would flax into linen. The teased fibers turned into thread would then be coated in beeswax infused with powdered copper and azoth powder. This was done to further enhance the electrical conductivity of the thread. From there, it was used to create a magical circuit on a scarf.Rigorous tests, careful calculations, and brilliant minds worked in tandem to break down the original formula. They found that the strength potion used was causing the fibers to be coated in a powdery residue when fully dried that had a tendency to make the fibers slip past each other rather than hook and catch as needed. That residue, likely from the blaze powder used in the potion, only made production harder further down the line and lowered the efficacy of the thread's conductivity. Furthermore, Faerl had overestimated the amount of azoth power and copper powder that needed to be incorporated into the beeswax. This resulted in the opposite intended effect of the inclusions; they instead hindered the proper flow of mana through the threads as the thunder magic became unfocused and arched sporadically from the extra copper. The solution was simple: add less powder. With that, the thread proved to be slightly lighter while doing its job better than ever.With the thread perfected, a weaver by the name of Suzanna Agnello made the suggestion to not limit the thread's use to being nothing more than that, but to produce a cloth from it. She herself went on to mock-up several weave patterns for the cloth. The Collective then did testing on those to figure out which suited the material best. They made sure it would be comfortable and breathable on the skin as well.The product went on to be known as "levinen", Stag-Point's primary textile export, sold in spools of thread and bolts of cloth.

Hundreds of footsteps clamored as they made their way up a set of stairs. A diverse crowd, all called to the Entrance Hall of Baelmar, the mighty dwarven fortress. Those hailing from the ruined city of Bordris, refugees, were specifically called in attendance, though all curious were allowed to join. King Mikhail stood in front of the gates to the outside world, waiting for the people to finish gathering.Mikhail had been in light correspondence with the current custodian of Bordris, Aksel. They would speak of progress on the rebuilding of Bordris, how the remaining population was keeping under circumstances, the hopes and dreams of their people. And now, it was time to share with the people of Bordris news to send their hearts aloft with hope for the future. Aksel's rebuilding efforts hadn't gone unnoticed, rumors had run wild amongst the people what the Vohl had been doing in the mountains. After all, it was hard for those tending the fields to ignore his voice as it rang throughout the mountain range and valley as he battled endless air elementals.Mikhail was requested to hold an assembly for Aksel and his people, and so he did. As Mikhail watched the last small group walk into the hall, he turned to look at Aksel and gave him a nod. He took to the make-shift podium as it sat on the platform above the statue of the great Pringz Cheddarbeard. Mikhail cleared his throat as he began his address to the people:"I want ta thank ye all fer comin' out 'ere today. I know it was a bi' sudden, but it's nothin' ta be worried aboot. Nae, tha opposite in fact! T'day, I 'ope ta bring a bi' o' levi'y ta yer 'earts... Tha trage'y tha' befell Bordris not too long ago is one tha' is carried in tha' 'earts o' her citizens daily. I see yer pain, tha weight of absence in yer lives as ye struggle ta make amends with loved ones ripped from ye far, far too soon. Friends, family, neighbors... How yer still a people in mournin' tryin' ta move forward as best ye can. An' while I've done all I can ta make Baelmar a place fer ye ta regain yer foo'in', ta find some degree o' normalcy in yer lives again? I know fer some of ye, it's a cold comfort, tha' these cave walls could ne'er be yer home. An' I'll ne'er try ta convince ye otherwise. An' so, why bring this up? Well, I'll leave tha' fer Aksel ta explain."With that, Mikhail stepped back and gestured for Aksel to take the stand and address his people.   (Plain English transcription of Mikey's speech under the cut)   Spoiler "I want to thank you all for coming out here today. I know it was a bit sudden, but nothing to be worried about. No, the opposite in fact! Today, I hope to bring a bit of levity to your hearts... The tragedy that befell Bordris not too long ago is one that is carried in the hearts of her citizens daily. I see your pain, the weight of absence in your lives as you struggle to make amends with lived ones ripped from you far, far too soon. Friends, family, neighbors... How you're still a people in mourning, trying to move forward as best you can. And while I've done all I can to make Baelmar a place for you to regain your footing, to find some degree of normalcy in your lives again? I know for some of you, it's a cold comfort, that these cave walls could never be your home. And I'll never try to convince you otherwise. And so, why bring this up? Well, I'll leave that for Aksel to explain."    

A solitary sloth keeps to itself, idling in the canopies of some forgotten section of a random rainforest. It is a quiet, average day. Nothing out of the ordinary, no imminent threats from any predators, and no concern for food. The sloth found itself engaged in deep thought as it hung from a branch, long claws all but denting the bark beneath them. "...Branches are mossy today." It had rained a little bit more the past few moons, it must've made the moss and lichen on the trees a bit revitalized. "...Love a good cricket." Crickets were always a tasty treat, when the sloth could catch one. It'd been quite a while since it had been able to indulge in such tastes... Suddenly, a snapping of a branch. The clanking of armor, the slight rattling of bones underneath. A glow from the forest floor that was likely supposed to be intimidating, but it was more confusing to the sloth than anything else. The figure rambled and mumbled to themself, speaking of curses, of ash, of the far-off Blacklands's return to nature. The ramblings of a mad 'litch'. "...Is that Kyle Tivis?"

A wayward specter with piercing pale grey eyes catches a glimpse of the pamphlet. They more or less skim over it, but believes they catch the most important bit: Zeolix is making a comeback. They think back to that random, austere knight or whatever that claimed Zeolix as a God of Man, an interpretation of scripture that was not really their style. They think this as if they ever read scripture in the first place. But this Deacon Hush guy? "Hm. I agree vwith zhis guy." They continue on about their day, unconcerned as usual. There's all the time in the world for one who cannot die a second time, is there not? Besides, they heard that 'Tyr' guy died recently and needed to find his grave to dance on. Backpfeifengesicht really couldn't come back as a ghost. Prust. Spoiler German Translation: Backpfeifengesicht - guy with a very punchable facePrust - a way of laughing in German, the type of laugh that makes you spit out coffee