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Tautha Accessories
Tautha maidens take adornment of jewellery and other accessories very seriously; not
only as a part of their culture, but also for personal and relationship identification.
Bodypaint, jewellery and the way hair is worn are all important ways a maiden can
affect her appearance for battle and social situations.
The Sidhe maiden (L) has applied face paint to appear fearsome to her enemies.
The Tir damsel (R) prefers golden jewellery. The braids in her hair are victory-braids,
one for each enemy she has defeated or captured.
Necklaces and Tiaras
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Only royalty or their maiden-guards can wear a Tiara. The basic design of the Tiara
is three gold chains that circle the head and are worn beneath the hair. The chains
meet in the middle of the forehead where there is a small ornament. In this case it
is a Moon, meaning the maiden is a Maid of the Evening.
The others are Maid of the Morning (Sun) and Maid of the Night (Star). Both the Tir
and Sidhe have these royals and they are often joined to keep the bonds between the
tribes strong and prosperous.
The jewel placed just below the Moon is for ranking damsels or those with a special
connection to the Princess. The rarer the jewell the closer the relationship. The
Maid's jewel is a flawless diamond set in silver and gold. The jewels are set in place
by one of the powerful Fae spirits.
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Ornamental necklaces made from beads, small pieces of silver and dyed string are very
common and popular amongst experienced maidens. Most have made the necklace themselves
or it was given to them by one of her troika sisters.
Each necklace is unique although those in a troika will have common patterns and colours.
Compentition is fierce to create eye-catching and individualistic designs.
Each tribe or following has a distinct style providing recognition on the Meadow and
socially. The Tir near the Tentac Delta have subdued colours mirroring their danger,
others further east are bright and flashy. The Sidhe like bold and contrasting patterns
with only a minimal number of colours or silver. With the war against the Aryidannan
orang and red are favoured as colours of the War Goddess and as victories over the
flame-haired invaders.
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Flowers are another favourite, especially for the younger maidens who have just joined
a troika. Both Tir and Sidhe maidens use flowers from the grottos or glades of their
patron Fae spirit seeing them as luck charms as well as colourful and perfumed statements.
Just as much care in design goes into a flower necklace as an ornamental one.
A maiden changes her flower necklace once per week in a ritualised manner that involves
asking permission of the spirit to pick the flowers she wants, presenting an offering
of her own which can be service or some craft, and then spending the remainder of
the day joining the flowers together to create the necklace.
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Sidhe Bodypaint
The Sidhe Tautha have alligned themselves with the more aggressive Fae spirits, those
who advocate calling the Wild Hunt to drive the Aryidannan back into the sea. To show
that identification and alliance a Sidhe maiden is marked by the Fae or its other
followers with glyphs or paints. The markings are thought to link the maiden to the
spirit and offer protection in battle.
The markings are applied beneath starry skies when the mana of the Fae is at its greatest.
The Fae will manifest before the troikas and using the offered ingredients will create
the bodypaint. Whilst intoning their allegiance the maidens cover their hands with
the paint and then mark their sisters in the way instructed. The Fae draws the final
mark, its own, and other glyphs that it wishes so such as charms for combat, onto
the maidens.
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