Patterned cloaks

No one can think of Snow Elves without imagining their colourfully patterned capes. A distinctive feature of their fashion are their chequered patterned cloaks. Each city and tribe has its own design and pattern and they are a a source of pride. It is said that all the Snow elves know the different patterns of all the Snow Elf cities in order to identify people from other places.  

Early designs

It is not known when or why Snow Elves decided to use different patterns on their cloaks to symbolize the towns they hail from, but it probably had something to differentiate friend from foe in the chaos of battle. When all the Snow Elf tribes united under a single monarch this tradition was kept among the different Snow elf communities and towns. The first designs were probably inspired by another elven tradition, war paintings, that were commonly applied on the skin of the warriors on the eve of battle. This designs were often spirals, geometric designs, triskelions or totem animals related to some deity or city.   Only one example of this survived, the cloak of King Aoviel II (r. 1122-931 BP), which is preserved at the Temple of the Sun in Naritlune, the capital of the kingdom. In this old and fine example of ancient Snow Elf patterned cloak you can see triskelions and wolves engraved in gold over a blue cloak made of some of the finest wool of the kingdom. Other mentions to patterned cloaks came from old Snow Elf poetry and epic tales where some of the Snow Elf heroes are described wearing "the robes of their own homelands" making reference to the patterned cloaks they were wearing into battle as a way of honouring their hometowns and their ancestors, as a symbol of pride.  

Current designs

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- Hey look at that design... she is from Yetlas! Could she help us dealing with the goblins?

Any problem with my garments, gentlemen?

N...No, no, it's just that we're not used to see foreigners arriving to this village ...

Wait how do yo... oh the cloak, right, if you're thinking about robbing me because I'm from Yetlas, I'll tell you two things, no, our tableware is not entirely made of silver, nor the roofs of our houses, and secondly, I'm an adventurer and former foederati!

— Some townsfolk meeting Aelwen for the first time.

Material

These cloaks are made of wool (Sheep are a very common animal both in the few settlements on the surface and in the underground ones.) and its manufacturing process consists of weaving together multiple horizontal and vertical bands with different colours into a cloth. This is not an easy task as it require complex skills, so these garments are not a way to show proudness about one's origin but also a tribute to the skill artisans who fabricate them.

Influence in the human realms

The tartan designs of the cloaks of the Snow Elves were copied by their Ikarian/Blatian neighbours and allies to the South during the last centuries of the Ikarian Empire. though their designs have no connections or relation to the Snow Elf cities and their designs. Blatians from the North and western provinces usually wear these type of garments, especially during winter as these cloaks are not only beautiful but very practical in keeping you warm during the cold months.