Coolblack

Credit to Divazus fabric store for the image of fabric

Tian Dayong for image of a tunic

and Petr Sidorov for image of a cloaked person.

In the heat of the summer sun, your fabric robes stick to your sides and seem to bake as though made of armor. You sigh, pressing on down the road. A salesman to the side of the road catches your eye, he too is dressed in the traditional robes of a necromancer, yet his brow does not shine. He smiles at you, "Friend, friend, I can see you still where wool?" You nod your head breathlessly. He laughs, a friendly sound, "I have just the thing for you, at a good price as well, this is Coolblack, it's as black as night and as cool as it too!" You feel the fabric, though it has been sitting exposed to sun, it is indeed cool as night. Impressed you buy several, unbeknownst to you, this small interaction has just started an industry that would grow into one of the largest in your region.

In the early days of the era of magic, Necromancers wore long black cloaks made of wool that denoted their practice. This was effective in communicating their dominion, and therefor their power over the physical world, but hindered them in the heat of summer. Coolblack is the modern necromancer's secret, a fabric that is not only communicative of culture and heritage, but also effective for use of magic.

Physical

Properties

Coolblack is a cool, soft fabric. Its primary unique and attractive characteristics are its coloration and its lack of heat retention. The coloration is simply derived from dying, elaboration bellow, from the originally grey-green fabric. The cool nature of the fabric is derived from its point of origin, The Kingdom of Ahavia is directly within the heart of the Cold region of The Mage circle, the flora in the region have developed some properties related to the magic. This means that when woven into a fabric it retains that magical property, in the form of being resistant to heat regardless of color.

These kids have no idea what advantage they have over the Necromancers of the past, I suppose it's not their fault, you can't truly appreciate Coolblack when you've never wanted for it.

— Exasperated necromancer, mid eighth century

Manufacturing

An example of typical robes made from Coolblack

The process for manufacturing Coolblack is fairly simple, the plants are shipped to facilities across the sixth circle, and then woven by machinery into the fabric. Then is died a deep blue, before being darkened with brown as much as possible, leading to the deepest possible black.

Origins

Invention

An early example of a coolblack tunic, when used in it's home region

Coolblack was in actuality an invention dating back centuries in the Kingdom of Ahavia, it was used as a lightweight summer wear in many colors long before it was used by necromancer. It dates back to the early first century when it was discovered that the plants possessed properties akin to the magic of mage. It was used commonly throughout the region long before the formation of The Kingdom of Ahavia.

Distribution

Gone are the days where you'll sweat out your soul before using any magic

— Early slogan

Coolblack became more commonly distributed when a number of recently unapprenticed necromancers traveled to the kingdom in the late sixth century. Seeing the practical application of a fabric that could be died black and still stay cold in the summer, they took some samples home and prepared them into necromantic robes. Soon this business would take off, with several parallel companies beginning to set up.

Coolblack. As one can see, dyes can't actually get it to pure black, but looks darker from a distance

Type: Fabric

Feel: Has been described as similar to wet cool metal

Smell: Nondescript

Taste: Like fabric? Why?

Color: Usually died black, but has been found in shades of purple or blue

Rarity: Common

Cost: 1 gold per 10 square feet

Refrenced in: Summercamp 2026