Rakash Attire

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Rakash commonly prefer clothing that allows for freedom of movement in both of their forms. It is also not unusual to find symbols of their gods, Mrod, Enelne, and Coshivi on their attire.

Unique Garments

Odaj "Robe": The odaj is a traditional Rakash sleeveless robe with a flowing, wrapped design that allows free movement in both forms native to the race. It is pleated at the shoulder(s) and generally loosely belted or fastened with a clasp below the breastbone. Both one and two-armed versions of the odaj exist, with the asymmetrical version that drapes beneath the wearer’s other arm being more favored for formal affairs, and the symmetrical version more apt for daily wear or martial applications. Decorations are traditionally placed near or on the shoulders, and/or at the belt/closure area.

It is not unusual for a Rakash to wear an odaj either by itself or layered atop other clothing for warmth, though it would be considered odd to wear more than one odaj at a time, even if one is a battle odaj.


Safos "Dress": The safos is a style of dress worn mainly by girls and young unmarried women in traditional Rakash society. A safos has a simple, loose A-line cut with a high waist and slightly more fitted bodice that is distinguished by always having a series of buttons (usually carved from bone and frequently in the shape of butterflies) and a high, rolled collar.

As other sorts of dresses were not present in Rakash culture pre-migration, the word has come to be applied to all dresses when Rakash speak of them in their own language. However, when left untranslated by a Rakash when speaking the Common tongue, the term continues to apply only to this particular style of dress. Due to this semi-conflation of terms and the lingering cultural connotations of wearing a safos, it is not unusual for particularly old or traditionally-raised Rakash to feel it is somewhat childish or embarrassing for an adult Rakash woman, especially one who is married, to wear a dress of any type.


Rantija "Cloak": The rantija is a cloak cut specially for the Rakash form. It is made from two distinct panels of fabric which overlap fully at the top and are cut and specially angled to flare somewhat outward as they fall to the hemline. This results in a decreasing amount of overlap of the panels in the back, and allows for a tailed individual to have their tail either inside or outside of the fabric as desired, and for a non-tailed individual to remain fully protected from the elements.

Outside of wedding ceremonies, formal rantija are often made from panels of two different colors, symbolizing the dual forms of the Rakash race.


Krekls "Shirt": Loosely cut and with long, wide sleeves, and a laced or buttoned front, the krekls is a shirt-like garment of Rakash design that is intended for colder, or significantly windy, environs. The sleeves of a krekls have attached binding strips of contrasting fabric or leather that can be tied and adjusted to allow for changes in body shape due to Moonskin, or for differing needs based on weather or activity. Krekls are never made from very light materials, and while all krekls are made from many smaller pieces of fabric (or leather) sewn together, the most iconic version of a krekls is that made of multicolor patchwork.


Vluze "Blouse": Though frequently having gendered connotations in Common, the Rakash clothing item ‘vluze’, which roughly translates to ‘blouse’, is not particularly favored by or associated with either masculine or feminine roles within Rakash society. Instead, the vluze differs from the krekls in that, while both are loosely cut shirt-like garments with a laced or buttoned front, vluze are meant for warm to hot environs and as such are made only with lightweight fabrics and have either very short or no sleeves. Like the krekls, all vluze are made from many smaller pieces of fabric sewn together, and the most iconic version of a vluze is that made of multicolor patchwork.


Josta "Belt": A lesser known translation for the word josta is roughly equitable to ‘knotwork’ in Common. To be considered a josta, the belt must be created via braiding or knotting several strands or strips of material together, and any decorations that are not a part of the fabric/material itself are worked into its length via elaborate knotwork -- similar to the way that decorations might be braided into one's hair.

Though religious symbols are frequently used in decoration for all Rakash clothing, items of personal significance are often also knotted into a Rakash’s josta. Traditionally, a josta would not have a buckle and would instead be affixed by tying the loose ends together, however, some Rakash have taken to adding eastern-style buckles to their josta in more recent years.


Vikses "Trousers": Vikses are the traditional Rakash version of trousers or pants. Cut to rest very low, yet very snugly, on the hips, these wide-legged pants allow for easy wear by Rakash no matter their current form. They are especially noted for the distinctive angular dip in the back of their waistband that is always crafted from a pliant material to allow for both tailed and non-tailed individuals to wear the garment with both comfort and modesty preserved.

Traditionally, boys and young unmarried Rakash men only wear vikses with a particular vented cuff style that denotes their relative youth. Girls and young unmarried Rakash women might also wear this youthful style of vikses beneath their safos.


Rugursora "Backpack": The Rakash word ‘rugursora’ is very roughly translated to ‘backpack’ in Common, and, as with many words in the Rakash language, has over time and exposure to the eastern cultures come to be applied to most any back-worn container when the Rakash speak amongst themselves in their native tongue. When left untranslated when Rakash are otherwise speaking in Common, however, the word refers to the traditional Rakash style of pack that rests high on the back and extends a bit beyond the arms in width. Older-styled rugursora have a single strapped design where the wide, reinforced strap is positioned to lay from over one shoulder to cross the chest, then connect again to the bag beneath the wearer’s other arm, mimicking the cut of the asymmetrical version of an odaj.


Nauda "Boot": This traditional Rakash style of footwear is most closely translated to ‘boot’ in Common. Crafted from soft leather (most common) or sometimes fabric, the bulk of a nauda is simply wrapped around the wearer’s foot and leg and held in place with attached straps which crisscross similar to those seen on many eastern sandals. While footwraps such as those which are commonly recognizable across many cultures are also ubiquitous amongst traditional Rakash, nauda differ significantly from footwraps in that the entire foot and a portion of the leg is covered, and often a padded, sole-like area is built-in to better protect the bottom of the foot. Nauda can range from ankle-tall to knee-high, and very occasionally have heels, though the latter is a much more modern development spurred by eastern fashion trends.

Unique Jewelry

Often features symbols of the gods turnistil "Butterfly for Enelne varna "Crow" for Mrod afis "Badger" for Coshivi

Wedding Items

Laulivas Laufisana "Wedding Sack": The first part of the ceremony involved the exchange of a small laulivas laufisana, Rakash for "marriage sack", matching the color of the giver's rantija. The bride and groom would fill their bag with their spouse's wedding ring and other items they felt to be significant to their new lives. Some couples would create their entire ceremony around the contents of the bag, explaining why each item was included and what it represented.

They come only in either pure white or pure black, though any fabric or leather can otherwise be used, and are always embroidered or otherwise embellished with the phrase "Jo Rans Rila", which means "For My Love" in Rakash. Capitalizing each word in the embroidered phrase is the most traditional, but as long as that phrase is present and the sack is pure white or pure black, it will suffice as a proper laulivas laufisana.


Rantija "cloak" and Odaj "robe" for Weddings:

While the Rakash do not distinguish an odaj or rantija created for a wedding ceremony with any special modifying words, and would never actually term them as 'a wedding odaj' or 'a wedding rantija', the traditional coloration and decoration of both is very particular.

A bride or groom's rantija will be either pure white or pure black, lacking the typical contrasting panel coloration of other rantija. Further, the hood of a bride or groom's rantija is almost always heavily embroidered with butterflies, with the most common other decoration being a symbol of the god that the bride or groom follows being somehow placed upon the back. All decorations on a rantija used for a traditional Rakash wedding will be done tone-on-tone to match the base fabric.

Similarly, a bride or groom's odaj will be made of either pure white or pure black fabric. However, the odaj is not typically decorated at all in the traditional Rakash wedding ceremony.


Rings and Things:

Pre-migration, Rakash did not typically exchange rings or wear any other symbols that denoted them as married. The exception to this was the adding of items to their josta that reflected aspects of their relationship or reminded them of their spouse in some way, much as they often would for any other person or aspect of their existence that the particular Rakash found meaningful.

In modern times, more eastern-influenced Rakash do wear various wedding bands or other wedding-specific symbolic items that are prevalent in the areas in which they reside.

Other

Sega "Blanket"

  • This item is no longer available for purchase and has been removed from the system for any future use. A select few still remain in the game and are considered "legacy" items.
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