The Common Quill
Writing in the Empire is done with a pen dipped in ink. Most of these dip pens have a nib made of reed or bamboo similar to the mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument (though much smaller of course) however it has become fashionable to have a pen made of a molted Trinaean feather. Many Trinaean keep particularly nice molted feathers for personal use as a pen.
For those in the empire who cannot molt their own quill pens it is common to be gifted one by a Trinaean friend. This has become something of a societal ritual and one cannot find Trinaean feather quills for sale in any part of the empire, nor is it acceptable for them to be coerced or traded for, they must be gifted.
It has therefor become fashionable for nobles to befriend at least one Trinaean, and the more genial of them trying to collect multiple for a wide variety of colors to be available to them.
The scholar caste is divided on this practice, some of them working hard to earn such a gift and some proudly using a reed pen to subvert what they see as a frivolous indulgence. Because of this the reed pens have begun to grow more elegant in design in recent times, though most nobles see using a reed pen to be announcing to the world that you are unrepentantly cold and without friends.
Because they are gifted and not bought these quills are one of the few "luxury" items the lower castes commonly posses, it's not uncommon for anyone to be seen with a Trinaean quill. The Trinaean are, however, somewhat less generous about gifting such a thing to a commoner, the type of close bond it implies being somewhat rarer across class boundaries. Merchants, scribes, artisans, and others who make their living serving the public tend to use their quill pen as a token of trustworthiness, and indeed tend to do better business because of it, especially when the upper castes are involved.
For those in the empire who cannot molt their own quill pens it is common to be gifted one by a Trinaean friend. This has become something of a societal ritual and one cannot find Trinaean feather quills for sale in any part of the empire, nor is it acceptable for them to be coerced or traded for, they must be gifted.
It has therefor become fashionable for nobles to befriend at least one Trinaean, and the more genial of them trying to collect multiple for a wide variety of colors to be available to them.
The scholar caste is divided on this practice, some of them working hard to earn such a gift and some proudly using a reed pen to subvert what they see as a frivolous indulgence. Because of this the reed pens have begun to grow more elegant in design in recent times, though most nobles see using a reed pen to be announcing to the world that you are unrepentantly cold and without friends.
Because they are gifted and not bought these quills are one of the few "luxury" items the lower castes commonly posses, it's not uncommon for anyone to be seen with a Trinaean quill. The Trinaean are, however, somewhat less generous about gifting such a thing to a commoner, the type of close bond it implies being somewhat rarer across class boundaries. Merchants, scribes, artisans, and others who make their living serving the public tend to use their quill pen as a token of trustworthiness, and indeed tend to do better business because of it, especially when the upper castes are involved.
Item type
Tool
Weight
4 to 12 grams depending on design and construction
Dimensions
14.5 to 20cm depending on design and construction
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