Vénil (“VEH-nil)

Education & Training

Apprenticeship (5–7 years): 

Learning to cut and sew to the Rásen, Nímari, and Nádi standards (different builds, aesthetics, and movements of Nélrin and Síenvel).

 Study of Sign-Threads: how patterns/colors signal rank, clan, allegiance, taboo. 

 Training in Rites Codes: which garments are allowed at which ceremonies, which motifs offend which lineage, etc. 

 Basic Mood-Shaping: how shape, line, and color alter perceived mood, status, and intention.

Gild Exams: 

 Practical exam: produce three garments—one for concealment, one for prestige, one for reconciliation (used in treaties, apologies, or oaths). 

 Oral exam: tested on cultural faux pas (e.g., “Kin is Síenvel, marrying into a Nélrin merchant house; what motifs are forbidden?”).

Licensing: 

 Must be registered with the Ledger of Facets, an official master’s gild. They certify one’s right to craft garments that affect their social seeming.

The talent which is required strong memory, empathy, and observational skills. A Vénil who misreads a kin can ruin a negotiation, a wedding, or an entire alliance.

1. Threadling (Apprentice): 

Performs repairs, hemming, and simple pattern copying. 

Observes fittings and negotiations but cannot advise kins directly.

2. Cutter of Faces (Journeyman): 

 May run a small stall or travel with caravans. 

 Specializes in one of:

Masking: concealment, anonymity, discreet travel 

 Glory: ceremonial display, status projection

Bridging: inter-cultural dress for mixed Rásen, Nímari and Nádi

3. Veilweaver Proper (Master): 

   Designs original ensembles that shape a kin’s public self. 

   Consulted before marriages, coronations, trials, and trade summits. 

   May take high-born or politically sensitive kins.

4. Facet-Master / Court Veilwright (Peak): 

Serves a royal house, high council, or powerful guild. 

Responsible for entire wardrobes that manage dynastic image over generations. 

Some become Silent Advisers, present in councils solely to read clothing and advise on attire strategies.

All mounts in Féne.

Veil Thread
5–6 Fúla per day, plus food and lodging from the master’s household.

Veil Cutter
From 12 Fúla for simple work up to 1 Lóven, 4 Fúla for finer pieces.

Veil Weaver
Ceremonial ensemble: from 7 Lóven, 2 Fúla for modest rites up to 17 Lóven, 2 Fúla for grand occasions.
Noble retainer: from 28 Lóven, 8 Fúla up to 42 Lóven, 12 Fúla per month, plus exclusive patronage rights.

Veil Wright
From 1,000 Lóven up to 1,571 Lóven, 6 Fúla per year (roughly 60–100 Gévan), plus jewels and trading privileges.

Performance Bonuses

A veil or their garment helps seal a treaty, win a great contract, or sway a council. Kins will offer a performance gift on top of the agreed price.

Most bonuses fall between 10 and 60 Lóven.

For truly exceptional work, a patron might offer up to 200 Lóven or more, a sum to live on for months.

In rare cases, the bonus is written as a lifetime commission clause. A standing promise of a few rich commissions each year, for as long as the veilwright’s hands can work.

Social Access: 

Allowed in spaces where most artisans are barred. The private dressing chambers, council antechambers, pre-wedding negotiations. They will hear secrets or see alliances form and break.

Soft Power & Influence: 

  Can subtly guide fashion norms and thereby shift social expectations. A whispered recommendation from a famous Veil Weaver can make or break a noble’s public image.

Reputation & Fame: 

  Named in songs or court records: “the Veil of Ardent Truce by Master Selien.” Their signature stitches or motifs become recognizable, conferring prestige.

Protection (Sometimes):

High-ranking kins often extend informal protection. They will give out threats to anyone who harms their Veil Weaver.

Veil is shaping the kin's outer seeming. Their role:

Mediators of Identity: 

Translate between Nélrin and Síenvel clothing codes within wider Rásen, Nímari, and Nádi culture. They prevent offense and misunderstanding.  Design garments that signal mixed heritage, dual loyalty, or neutrality.

Stabilizers of Social Order: 

  Ensure that ranks are visibly clear at social events. Like who bows to whom or who speaks when.  Avoids accidental slight that might spark feuds.

Tools of Diplomacy & Commerce: 

Dress negotiators to appear more conciliatory, formidable, humble, or generous as needed.  Merchants rely on them to appear prosperous but not greedy, local yet cosmopolitan.

Keepers of Cultural Memory: 

  Preserve ancient patterns tied to specific covenants, victories, or tragedies. The patterns reads Rásen or Nímari history.  Their pattern-books function as visual archives of Rásen or Nímari or Nádi.

Among Rásen

The craft is prized

Burgs and castles hire them often

They mark status and polish for a kin or house

Some elders mutter that they twist truth

Most treat them with respect and kindness

Among Nímari

The craft is woven into rite and honor

Vénil are crafters of the wild's materials

Kin see them as keepers of seeming and memory

A few fear they can stain a name with a touch

Yet they are still called for most great rituals

Among Nádi

The craft is rooted in small settlements

Vénil keep simple work-halls and traveling kits

They help Nádi kin move between Rásen and Nímari

Vénil can make a wanderer pass as a courtier

Most honor them as binders of styles and paths

Vénil in burgs and castles are roughly 4% of Línasha’s kin

Vénil Masters are rare about 5–10% of all Vénil

The share of Bridgers is rising as cultures mix

Gender & Age:

  The profession is open to both genders. Mastery usually achieved after decades of observing social patterns.

Origins: 

 Began as ritual garb-makers for early Nélrin and Síenvel. Their first task: robes that clearly marked a leader, guest, or an enemy-turned-ally.

Conflictive:

They specialized in safe passage attire garments. In the Nélrin–Síenvel tensions the clothes signal truce or protected envoy status. They sometimes acted as neutral parties making sure a robe’s symbols aligned with agreed terms.

Codification into a Gild: 

  As the burgs and castles grew have Nélrin–Síenvel intermingled. There were conflicts in symbolism becoming rampant.

Vénil formed the Ledger of Facets gild to aid with ending the conflicts. They standardize certain motifs by recording the major patterns’ meanings.

Developments:

Kin intermixing created demand for cross-cultural everyday wear.

New subfield: Reputation Craft is a full wardrobe strategy for merchants, politicians, artists. 

A quiet feud exists between traditional Vénel with now flamboyant fashionists who prioritize novelty.

Everyday Vénil tools

• Multi gauge needles and bone pins
  For mending fine veils strong seams hidden armor inlays and quick fixes
• Measurement cords
  Knotted cords with fixed steps of length
  Can be read by touch in tight rooms crowded halls or on the road
• Pattern tablets and pattern books
  Wood or parchment tablets marked with motifs and their meanings in Línasha
  Help match cut color and trim to oath rank mood and occasion
• Facet mirror
  Tall mirror with a faint grid of lines
  Used to study stance balance and how cloth falls and shifts with movement
• Color lens rings and filters
  Worn over the eyes or set before the mirror
  Let the Vénil see how garments read in torchlight dusk rain glowstone halls and festival light
• Scent stones and herb pouches
  Small stones or cloth bundles hung near finished work
  Give garments a faint scent tied to calm courage mourning welcome or other chosen feelings

Tools in well founded or master halls

• Heraldic loom
  Loom tuned for tight repeating marks and signs
  Weaves house glyphs oath knots road signs and border wards with clear spacing
• Veil frame
  Adjustable body stand
  Shifts height width and stance to match many kinds of kin in Línasha
  Lets the Vénil test how garments hang in stillness and in motion

Everyday supplies for a working Vénil

Thread stock
Strong thread in house colors, guild colors, and plain shades
Fine thread for veils and light cloth
Thick thread for leather hems and armor joins

Patch cloth
Small pieces of Sun Linen, Sene Cotton, Moen Wool, Mist Fiber, Betha Leather, and Funa Material
Enough to mend tears, hide stains, and make small upgrades without breaking rank or color rules

Needles and pins
Working needles and bone pins
They carry móneth or sóloa pieces to make new needles and pins.

A small sharpening stone and a wax block to help thread pass through tough cloth and leather

Fastenings
Bone toggles, wood buttons, metal hooks, lacing, and short belt strips
Cord in key rank colors
Used to fix cloak clasps, add or move pouches, or tighten sleeves on the spot

Marking sticks
Pale chalk for dark cloth and dark wax for pale cloth
Marks brush away after cutting and fitting

Cleaning and finish
One soap cake, a small bundle of wash herbs, and a small oil flask
Soap and herbs to freshen cuffs and hems
Oil to keep belts, boots, and leather trim from cracking

Extra stock for burgs and castles

Heraldic thread and trim
Moon Silk thread for nobles and leaders
A little metallic braid or edge cord for cloaks, collars, and cuffs

Tokens and record slips
A few laurel leaf plates and house bead sets for rank marks
Small parchment or cloth slips with each kin’s measures, habits, and color bans

Extra stock for field work

Travel cloth and leather
Short rolls of Sene Cotton, Sun Linen, and Moen Wool blends
Betha Leather strips for belts, harness, and pouch straps

Weather cloth
Lasha Cloth for hoods, capes, and pack covers
Spare Funa lining strips for cold nights

Symbol and scent stock

Scent herbs and stones
Herb bundles for calm, courage, grief, and welcome
One or two scent stones that hold a house or guild note

Rank cords
Short cords or braid lengths that show role, oath, or allegiance
A few plain blanks kept for new oaths or fresh ranks

 A Vénil's Hall:

Layout: 

  Front room: reception and display of exemplary veils on mannequins. 

  Inner chamber: fitting area with curtains, mirrors, and pattern-books at hand. 

  Workroom: cutting tables, looms, dye basins, racks of cloth.

Atmosphere: 

  Smells of wool, dyes, pressed fabric, and faint herbs. 

  The soft rasp of shears, whisper of fabric, clack of looms. 

  Quiet, almost confessional tone during fittings—kins speak in low voices.

Special Fittings: 

  Silence-screens: woven panels that muffle sound, used for secret consultations. 

  Light-windows: adjustable shutters to simulate different times of day or ceremonial lighting.

High-status Vénil weavers may maintain:

 Traveling Pavilions: 

Collapsible workspaces used when summoned to courts or border negotiations.

Contain portable mirrors, minimal looms, and a curated stock of neutral fabrics.

 Provided Services 

Ceremonial Garments: 

  Weddings (especially mixed Nélrin–Síenvel unions), funerals, coming-of-age rites, investitures. 

Diplomatic & Legal Attire: 

  Clothing for peacekeepers, and envoys shows sincerity, contrition, authority, or impartiality.

Reputation Wardrobes: 

Full attire strategies for merchants, Lieges, or performers over a season or campaign.

Cultural Translation: 

  Advising foreign or mixed-heritage kins on what to wear (and not wear) in specific Rásen courts or regions.

Disguise & Obfuscation (Gray-Area Service): 

 Clothing that lets a noble pass as a minor scribe.

A Nádi blend into Rásen or Nímairi without offense.

Officially framed as “protective anonymity.”

Restoration & Decommissioning: 

  Repairing historic garments while preserving meaning. 

  Ritual “unmaking” of veils tied to broken vows or ended dynasties.

Political Risk: 

  If a garment is blamed for a failed treaty. The Vénil may be spoken badly or be imprisonment.

Any connection with divisive kins can tarnish reputation or invite retaliation.

Social & Legal Liability: 

  Mistaken symbolism can cause offense, duel challenges, or diplomatic incidents. 

 In some regions allow fines or formal censure for reckless mis-symboling.

Occupational Health: 

  Eye strain from fine work; lung irritation from dyes and mordants. 

  Back and hand pain from long hours of cutting and stitching.

Ethical Pressure: 

Temptation to assist in deceitful disguises, false claims of rank, or identity forgery. 

Breaking gild ethics can lead to expulsion or worse.