The Brass Coast look and feel2

Overview

The Freeborn look is one of bright colours, silks, jewels, and sumptuousness. They admire ornate or bejewelled items. To the Freeborn, a brilliant craftsman is one who can make something elegant as well as sturdy. Their weapons and armour are often engraved or adorned, but they are not fatuous and do not compromise utility for the sake of appearance. Jewellery is very common with the best pieces, like necklaces, crowns or tiaras, designed to frame the wearer's hands or face.

The image of the flame is central to the Freeborn culture; they believe it represents their spirit: wild, powerful and unchained.

Feel

Free, flowing, headstrong, sumptuous, practical, exuberant, hedonistic, colourful, rich, joyful.

Influences

The traditional looks of Moorish Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia.

Colours

The Freeborn value bright, vibrant colours, especially the colours of flames: strong bright yellows, brilliant oranges and every conceivable shade of red as well as gold and silver. Peacock blue, Magenta and Turquoise often appear for contrast. Expensive clothing is made in brightly coloured layers to convey the impression of the fire within.

Black is considered severe and used for shrouds to wrap the dead. White is the colour of the poor, those too impoverished to afford exotic dyes.

Materials

Lightweight fabrics such as voiles and chiffons, either silk or synthetic. Also silks, brocades and other rich fabrics. Leather is considered unappealing for most clothing, it is a heavy material mainly reserved for boots and armour. Gold is prized over silver when available. When working in colder climes, such as at sea, a warmer layer of fleece or wool is worn as a base layer. Gold, bronze and brass are much-prized, as are carved wooden objects (which are often imported, given the lack of wood on the Coast).

Clothing

Veils, scarves, head-wraps, pantaloons, loose shirts and kaftans, are all part of Freeborn garb. Clothing is usually worn loose with layers of draped material slashed through to show a wealth of colour, and secured with sashes rather than belts. Outfits will often be decorated with shiny jewellery, bells, coins showing wealth in the glint of metal in the sun and the sound of metal as the wearer moves. Scabbards or pouches tend to hang at the waist by a silk cord that goes over the shoulder

Corsairs

Corsairs epitomise Freeborn daring and adventure. Javelins and bows are common but the Catazarri crossbow is also used. Many are lightly armoured, but the boldest show off their success with ornately gilded plate. They may dress more simply than other Freeborn in trousers and tunic, but their flair for wealth tends to show through with jewellery worn at wrist and neck.

Kohan

As with any Freeborn, kohan usually dress as extravagantly as possible. What really sets them apart from other Brass Coast warriors however is their use of facepaint. Vivid colours are used, often in threatening designs, the better to unnerve their enemies. There is a wide variety of designs across the faces of the Coast, some kohan groups keeping their masks of war the same over decades of battle with others changing it day by day as their feelings take them.

A kohan band may cultivate a uniform look to their costume - generally through the use of colour. A given band is likely to pick one or two shades and encourage its members to wear clothing in these colours, leaving it up to the individual to determine the exact cut and style.

Some kohan take valuable trinkets from particularly impressive fallen enemies, generally pieces of jewelry. The more striking these items are, the more opportunities they give to tell stories about how they were acquired.

Children

Children are an opportunity for parents to show off their wealth, dressing their offspring in traditional Freeborn styles.

Accessories

Jewellery

Jewellery is commonly used either as part of the clothes themselves or to frame the face or hands to draw attention to them. Veils are fashionable for people of any gender who wish to appear mysterious and alluring.

Headscarves

The ideal headgear is the tagelmust (preferably in bright red, orange or yellow rather than blue).

Makeup

Those who go tattooed tend to favour intricate henna-style designs.

Battle

Armour

Scale is the armour many Freeborn aspire to, ideally in a bright golden colour, worn like mail or else secured with leather. Where mail is worn, it is usually likewise a bright golden colour, or worn under or over a brightly coloured tunic.

Shields

The Freeborn favour round (ideally domed) metal shields, highly decorated if possible. Gold inlay and engraving are both particularly popular.

Weapons

Scimitars are less common than straight swords and axes which are the preferred weapons. The Bhuj, a large heavy single-bladed spear, is the ideal polearm. The best quality weapons are intricately etched and engraved with complex designs.