Fairy-Keeper's Gear

"Now listen carefully Fledge I know these fairies seem harmless but they can be quite ferocious nasty little things. So be careful to not provoke them."

— avian fairy-keeper

Ever since the discovery of the magical properties possessed by the dust produced by fairies, the people harvesting it needed some form of gear to protect them from the bites and scratches of the small fae. Fierce in guarding their product and home, fairies are known to infuse their bites and scratches with magic to harm their targets and scare them away. Wounds inflicted by them can take weeks to heal and leave painful marks if not treated correctly.
Although the fairies' attacks against the intruders are full of dedication, they lack the strength to penetrate thicker and sturdier materials such as leather or wicker.

Elements of the uniform

While there are multiple regional variants of this uniform, they all share some common elements.

Fairy-Keeper's Gear by laewista

The most important part of the uniform is the headgear, made out of a thick and sturdy material encapsulating the whole head while leaving an otherwise protected opening for sight. This headgear is most commonly made out of leather or some form of wicker. The wicker variants usually don't need an extra see-through area, with their weave having big enough holes to see. The leather versions on the other hand often have a metal mesh of sorts.
The torso is protected by either a thinner layer of the respective material or just thick and heavy fabric, as fairies only rarely attack this part of the body. With the leather being a bit more flexible than the wicker, no additional accommodation is required. Torso protection out of wicker is often given the necessary flexibility by being made out of multiple smaller portions, that are then tied together.
Arms and hands need special protection. Most fairy-keepers wear heavy leather or fabric gauntlets and arm bracers on the upper arm and forearm, made out of leather or wicker. They are tied together on the inside of the arm for comfortable wear and size adjustments.
Neither legs nor feet require much protection, with simple shoes and hoses being enough. With the thighs being the only lower area that might be attacked by the fairies, the heavy garment worn on the upper body is cut long enough to reach down to the knees.

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The History of fairy-keeping

With Fairy Dust being one the most important substances for the practice of magic, the practice of fairy-keeping is not only an incredibly important industry but also very old.
Starting off as just collecting the dust of wild fairies, the gear to keep the collectors safe was very spare and differed from person to person.
Alongside the domestication of Fairies and the implementation of fairy-keeping, the uniforms started to develop in order to make the process as efficient and safe as possible. The first fairy-keepers tended to just wear garments with hoods out of thick fabrics.
While many of the fairy-keepers in southern states still used the method of thick fabrics to keep them safe, many of the avian fairy-keepers from the Tribes used wicker, an art form common in many of their cultures even before the dawn of fairy-keeping, to shield themselves from the attacks.
An increase in global trade brought wicker protections to other cultures. Especially in the hotter climates, where the thick fabrics could be quite uncomfortable to wear, the wicker variants took off rapidly.

Item type

Clothing / Accessory