Dark Oil® Fabric of the Roahythe

The exact ingredients and creation process have been kept a tight secret by those Roahythe who produce the clothing. There have been no comments given even as to their reasons, be they copyright, protecting the formula from tampering, or fear that such a material could be used for unintended purposes beyond clothing. No other species has expressed much desire to wear the clothing due to its slimy feel and difficulty in being kept clean.

The original and still in use colors of the finished fabric were a choice of either a dark-toned brown or green. Since then, they have developed a more colorful array of red, orange, yellow, purple, black, and light-brown; presumably by using various natural pigments.

There is speculation but no confirmation yet that a version capable of manipulating their body markings to glow and be visible through the material is under development.

The root culture of the Roahythe people is barbarous; akin to a monster race. They typically went nude or would wear something crass like a loin cloth for simple comfort. Draping oneself with skins or fabrics was reserved as an adornment for their most venerated tribal leaders.

When it comes to Roahythe abilities and traditions, it makes sense as to why they would refuse to be covered up. In their society, status and respect comes in part from their natural birthmarks, like glowing tattoos revealed with mud, or from new markings they would 'earn' during their life (the sudden appearance of which is still a mystery). So honored are they that sometimes a dispute between their own can be settled simply by revealing these birthmarks.

As the Roahythe worked toward becoming more advanced and refined as a society, making inroads to being treated as equals in civilization and even on the global scene, the need for clothing became more of a necessity than a nicety. They took fashion cues from their new allies of other species and either traded for or handcrafted presentable clothing to wear and socialize in.

But cloth or fur clothing did not work well when utilizing some of their abilities, most notably the ability to transform their granite bodies into a slurry-like substance and reconstitute elsewhere after movement through the ground or other tight spaces. As can be imagined, typical clothing would either be shed or shredded during the process.

One solution was to have oneself painted to look as though actual clothing were being worn, but this still left little to the imagination. To solve the problem, a new type of material was invented made primarily of natural plant oils and fibers which can remain attached and flow with their bodies without being destroyed in the process. The creators of this Dark Oil^® brand of material use it to form all sorts of clothing, from tight-fitting shirts to draped clothing such as dresses and shawls, in an impressive array of colors.

Any clothing that covers their honored birthmarks is still shunned by many in Roahythe culture.

This is a significant step up from the previous (and still used by some) painted-on application of a clothing-like appearance capable of traveling with their bodies through tight spaces while being minimally damaged.

Many in higher society have also been impressed by the innovation, being that no one had previously succeeded in creating a non-magick clothing made of fluids, and acknowledged it as a sign of the potential for other great inventions by the Roahythe, thus gaining them a stronger acceptance and increased leverage when negotiating.