Bayards

Dearest Reader,

It will surprise no one that as a resident of the great city of Daggerfall myself, I am indeed a Breton, but more specifically one might call me a Bayard. The term Bayard is the name for the Bretons of the Iliac Bay, by far the most populous and influential cultural grouping of Bretons. When outsiders think of Bretons, it is generally Bayard culture that they picture. And Bayard culture is the norm from Daggerfall to Camlorn and from Anticlere to Menevia.

Note - Bayards such as myself do not generally call ourselves Bayards, it is an exonym most commonly used by our Northern and Eastern cousins. We Bayards tend to think of ourselves as the default Breton, with all other cultural groupings being little more than queer divergences from the 'norm'. But as a well travelled Breton explorer myself, I recognise that this is but a matter of perspective.

Bayard Fasion

Bretons are notorious for their penchant for flair and color, and nowhere is this more evident than in Bayard fashion. The Bretons of the Iliac Bay adore bright colours, ornamentation, and feathers. They gild their armour and anoint themselves in bright yellows, rich blues, and forest greens. Others may say we tend towards ostentatious pea-cocking, decorating ourselves in baubles, trinkets, and colour, to show off our individuality, but the truth is what one wears is a significant signifier of one's station, and class means everything in Breton society.

Example: Bayard Fashion for Men (Lower-Class, Middle-Class and Aristocracy)

Perhaps this tendency to over-decorate is a legacy of our history. Under the feudal system of the Interregnum, Sumptuary Laws were prolific in High Rock, with tight restrictions on what colours and fabric quality were legally permissible. Even after serfdom was abolished by Tiber Septim as a bid to win over the common-folk, the dyes and wealth required for the present moment in Breton Fashion were simply non-existant. But as the Bayard middle-class has roared onto the scene in the last two hundred years, a new mode has emerged proliferating around Iliac society.

Example: Bayard Fashion for Women (Lower-Class, Middle-Class and Aristocracy)