Spiritskin Coat

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Description

Despite the name this 'coat' is actually armour. Usually made in several pieces of supple leather worn in layers with heavy furs, it is favoured by Suaq and Kallavesi hunters. Traditionally a spiritskin coat is only made from leather gathered by the hunter who will wear the armour, working by themselves in the wilds of Sermersuaq. A suit intended to be an artefact would normally be made only from the finest leather, and some artisans refuse to make a permanent spiritskin coat from anything other than leather the hunter has gathered from animals slain with their bare hands.

In the days before the coming of the Vard, the Ushka wore similar light leather armour which they called a shadowrunner coat. Usually made of dark-stained leather and painted with occult symbols designed to ward against evil, it sees some use today by messengers who travel between the vales and for whom mobility is more important than durability.

In the League it is often called a pigskin jacket, and is especially favoured by the Bravos of Tassato. Other citizens of the League tend to look down on those using this serviceable light leather but in the close confines of a street fight, or for scouts who need to be able to outrun their opponents without collapsing from their wounds, it is invaluable.

Rules

• Form: Light Armour.
• Effect: Twice per day you may use the second wind skill.
• Materials: Crafting a spiritskin coat requires thirteen measures of ambergelt, ten measures of beggar's lye, nine ingots of weltsilver, seven ingots of orichalcum and six measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

She heard the creature long before she saw it, a crashing of branches that sent birds scattering in to the air with startled hoots of displeasure. She tightened her grip upon her weapon. Teleri’s heart beat so hard in her chest she thought it was about to leap out and take flight. The spear was crafted by her hand and had been used to hunt the deer, the skin of which was used to work the armour she now wore. The armour was inscribed with intricate spirals embedded with weltsilver, the ruddy colour echoed in the tattoos that twisted across her skin. She had woven healing magics into it; invigorating energies that kept her standing when her body should fail. She had already had call to use it that day as she fought her way from the battlefield, a lucky blow from an orc axe had sliced open her gut with an otherwise fatal wound. She tried to calm her nerves, she knew that she was dangerously close to Vallorn territory and that any variety of twisted creature could be nearby but she had needed to travel this way, had she needed to go a longer way the message she carried would never reach its destination in time. She realised that wouldn't matter if the dark-things got her.

She sped off, hoping to put as much distance between her and the source of the noise. As she ran the crashing of branches increased behind her, she cursed herself for a fool. So many of the monsters here were predators, sensitive to swift movements. She should have hidden or used stealth, but it was too late now. She hurried on, not looking behind her as the sounds grew closer.

Pain exploded through her as a vicious scythe-like claw tore through her side, she cried out in agony as she saw the boney blade smeared in her blood. With a scream she turned and lashed out with her spear, thrusting half blind with pain at the faceted eyes of the bizarre creature behind her where it stuck fast. She was rewarded with an inhuman screech and the claw was retracted and the thing stumbled backwards, taking her spear with it. She cursed the loss of her weapon and channeled the magic of her armour, the deep red spirals painted on to her skin fadeing into the leather leaving her arms pale and bare.

She carried on running, the creature fading into the forest behind, hands that were all too nearly human pawing at its ruined face as she sprinted on. She knew that she was not far from escaping the dangerous patch of the forest but she also knew that the magic of her armour was spent and that another encounter with the spawn of the Vallorn would see her message go undelivered.

She shook such thoughts from her head and focused; the Empire needed her and she would not fail.