The Silk Slayers

It is those who weave the magic into the very cloth we bear, such an articulate art. It is an untold story that many are not told, you are lucky to be one of the few who will know. Who ask questions about the world and the things around them, they are the ones that discover new things, this mindset it essential for the art of silk slaying. You must always experiment, so you are always learning and adapting. You don't ask if something will work, you just attempt it. If you don't fail, you don't learn anything. What do you need to know to do this? Well, you need to know how to weave of course, the ability to bend the cloth around you're needle like a dance of silk and spikes. They are paid sparsely in the beginning but as you progress the rewards increase drastically, as such follows your reputation. Like the tides of the ocean, the tides grow closer to the shore yet it's a warning of a tsunami. Silk Slaying is such a difficult job due to the varied jobs you must take the roll of it can be overwhelming. This is why, even with such a low entry barrier it has little experienced practitioners. Most grow discouraged and gave up after too long of working despite its high numbers of young practitioners many fall off later in their lives, for it gets more dangerous the farther you get. The magic becomes more powerful, mistakes grow dangerous as they cause greater damage. Yet even then, the art of discovery and failure is still an essential part of this form of weaving. Always trying new patterns and mixing silk with others to create new things, to create the clothes we wear every day. Stringing the magic into our cloth, yet few strike their pen on paper to sing their stories even when they craft others.

In reality, the act of silk-slaying is much like art, for you must always be trying to use new techniques, and you must always be trying to push the boundaries of what is and isn't possible. —Achrea Sona, Renown Silk Slayer of 1453

A well-known quote in the community is the best representation of the art; just like any other profession with creative expression, it can always be expanded on. It is encouraged, for it is what keeps the art alive; if there was a perfectly woven piece of clothing, then there is no need to experiment. The imperfections in every single experiment we try teach us new things; just like every success, we must learn to not doubt, for it leads into discouragement, and that is what kills the art. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink; if they don't want to drink _{(or, in this case, weave.)}, then they simply won't. So always learn more, never ask if something is possible, and just find out. The majority of the time you learn something new, and that is what must happen; you can't learn if you don't fail. The art of weaving magic itself into cloth is a changing art, always growing yet always fine and articulate. Sadly the part that almost always stays the same is how little their story is told, a tragic oversight, but now you are one of the few. That know the stories, hopefully this can start your journey. Not just into silk slaying but the art of the cloth itself, but it is time for my pen to rest. For it dries, and I grow tired. So I shall leave the last message, The silk is like water. Alone it is weightless, but the more there is it grows stronger. Always changing its shape and how the shape is formed like how the art itself changes with the great tides.

Career

Qualifications

• Adept skills in the magic of imbue
• The ability for fine weaving, magic is fragile and so is the fabric; the fabric must be weaved
• Evidence of recommendation from other weavers, silk-slayers, or artificers

Career Progression

It is the process of transforming avoidable mistakes into exceptions rather than expectations. Learning to maintain steady hands becomes crucial as the fabric grows finer and more fragile. You must familiarize yourself with the various weaving patterns and understand how they influence your magic. The details must become an integral part of everything you do. Combat armaments are the most difficult to weave; they require the same intricate care and precision as any other creation, but require twice the speed so that they can be used as actively as they are in battles. This is why most of these end up being so basic, for they cannot take their time or it will become less effective.

Payment & Reimbursement

They are usually paid sparse sums in the beginning, but as they progress in their work, it becomes greater, for later in their work they are approached by militaries and armies more often. They get great sums and larger working stations in reward for their imperative work, especially as their workload becomes greater. Sadly, I feel like this can actually diminish their work, having to mass-produce at the highest of paces. It no longer is personal; you can't add those small details that say, "This was made by me!" lost in the race for money, fame, and reputation. But they are still essential; sadly, it is rare to find those whose passion is not diminished.

Other Benefits

Renown from being employed by large kings and armies, the low competition at the top allows you to make large demands. Yet there is little benefit the farther you get except for the fame, maybe some reputation. It is a way to get your family's name to be known in your settlement but has little benefit outside of this, other than the skills you learn during your work.

Perception

Purpose

They are a mix of being a stylist, spellcaster, and supplier to different clients. It can vary depending on where they live; usually they serve the government and their military or adventurers passing through the town in which they reside.

Social Status

When they are just in their beginnings they are seen as lost or poor, similar to other forms of creative work. Once they succeed and start to go far is when they are seen as upper class, creating their own self-made success even when they were told down. Yet for the majority of their career until they get to the top it is seen as a hobby and not a job, thinking that they should get a real job. Only those who have met these people realize that they can be unsung heroes that are only seen when they become unable to be denied their prowess.

Demographics

It is a very large demographic of those coming of age trying to find their meaning, this causes a lot of young Silk-slayers that just barely reach the adept tier. Then the demographics start to get smaller as many of them leave out of discouragment, only the strong remain by the end. Causing a large dip as many of them get older and gain other jobs, then one final spike as the elders learn to weave and some will chase this career so that they can still be known in their final years.

History

It is an ancient profession existing as long as magic and cloth have existed it has only grown since then, originally it was just the basic elements. Imbuing simple fire resistance or light evocation magic, now it has grown into complex systems. Using multiple weaving patterns that interact with each other that makes them as complicated as the steam-based machines of later years, growing into its own form of artifice.

Operations

Tools

A long and fine needle, so that it can manage the delicate fabric used in silk-slaying. but not too sharp as to avoid piercing and fraying the fabric as this can cause magic to become wild and volatile, allowing it to escape in one of its purest forms through the fabric. It can cause accidents and explosions if the fabric is pierced or weaved wrong, this is expected early but a liability later.

Materials

Then the expensive fabric, at least compared to normal fabric; most beginning silk slayers take internships due to their inability to afford the fabric at first, this usually gives them a great start as most educators are kind enough to let them keep some of the fabric.

Workplace

Then just a clean and quiet workplace is less essential, but it is easy to tell what work has been produced in each environment, some prefer those produced in lest pristine environments. So that it feels separate from the factory like nature this profession can gain, wanting to feel like their clothes came from someone and not a brand.

Provided Services

• The task of imbuing items, more complex the more experienced the Silk-Slayer is (Can also construct magical wraps to go around the hilts of weapons.)
• More professional weavers will sell the special silk required but may also trade some silver if you can find it
• May be able to teach some amateur magic but only to a certain degree

Dangers & Hazards

As previously mentioned it runs a high risk of causing a wild magic burst, which can be extremely dangerous and often times can cause property damage. Of couse any misweaving can cause in expected results, which can result in major and minor disfigurement. It is volatile similar to any form of magic, although this one is much more abundant.

Alternative Names

Those who imbue the Cloth is a term for storytelling as it conveys a much more mystical connotation, Widow Weavers is a term used to denote those that turn here to cope with the loss of a loved one, commonly one who weaved in their free time

Type

Arcane

Demand

It is a luxury must self-employment is easy to begin if you have the skills, but quality work is a rare thing to come by and usually you have to go with a "Brand Name".

Legality

If used passively to improve one's own life then it remains legal, if a Silk-Slayer knowingly produces arms for another party and they use it maliciously then both parties remain liable. Offensive armaments also must be approved by an ethics board in most cases to be legal; Silk-Slaying that includes intentional tampering of silk to cause wild magic surges are the least likely to be approved by the ethics board. _{(Unregistered items being distributed is strictly against the law for the public's safety.)}

Who is Achrea Sona?

The renowned silk-slayer used her creative mind to push the boundaries of silk-slaying beyond anything seen before and caused a second renaissance of the art of silk-slaying. She was able to get the use of cross-pattern weaving as a common technique instead of its reputation as a mistake or aberration; this has caused so much change in terms of new-weaved pieces of clothing that would never have been made without this event. Nearly all of her later career work is spread across museums across Luzit; each one feels like it has its own personality. Some truly do; she invented a weaving pattern that allows for sentient clothing; sentient clothing bonds with the wearer upon bearing and attuning to it; it can provide useful insight and use the powers of the silk-slaying imbued into the clothing with the user needing to consciously make the choice or perform an action. This was an incredibly hard pattern to decipher, complicated beyond belief and needing a special kind of silk that she also had to find. The silk is incredibly rare and arachne is the only safe outlet to obtain it, this is the most remarkable of her many accomplishments.