Liokaiorioh, The Sorcer Dress

The liokaiorioh is the official uniform of the most magickally-gifted academic and governmental mystery artists. It quickly identifies these siojhetioxh as powerful and politically-connected. Most commoners assume those who wear it are from noble families.

History

Over 5200 years ago, the Ga Iniria fled from Yena to Seari after a volcanic eruption. While they gratefully made a home on the new continent, they did not find the peoples particularly enchanting. They saw the shadows in their spells as proof that they wielded inferior magicks. They spent millennia searching for a simple way to emphasize the superiority of their lightartists.
Various items were used over the ages by the Ga Iniria and their descendants, the Condi, to highlight their magickal power. Wands, staves, crowns, necklaces, rings and the like came and went. Nearly all were linked to a fashion or battle statement, and when that particular item fell out of favor, so, too, did the power it represented.
Two thousand years passed before an appropriate embodiment of siojhetioh power became widely adopted--and it began as a mistake. The leaders of the Sage Mystery Arts Academy tasked a recent graduate with an eye for fashion,Teolioh qua Velthioh, to design a uniform for their practitioners. She used delicate, free-flowing materials as a basis for her creation, often employing transparent fabrics for sleeves and skirts. Appalled at the scantiness, the leaders nearly banned her, and in a panic, she pointed out that strong siojhetioxh maintained shielding and temperature through their magick. Only the most powerful could wear the uniform and remain comfortable and unaffected by the elements, no matter the environment.
Enchantd by the idea, the leaders accepted the uniform. The liokaiorioh was born.
The garment spread quickly through the Condi magick circles, and became a staple addition to siojhetioh wardrobes. By the time the Jonna Empire conquered most of Seari, no noble mystery artist appeared at official functions without wearing one.

all artwork by Shanda Nelson

Plainer liokaiorioxh, with more opaque fabrics and less ornamentation, are worn during group indoor work sessions or by commoners who are either too shy or too practical to follow the noble lead.

Liokaiorioh

The liokaiorioh's current incarnation originated at Mariohelle Shadowarts Academy, in Shayd, Illena. The style spread through the Jonna countries before arriving in Condioh, where academies and governments quickly implemented it.

Women's Uniform:
Sleeveless bodice
Sash, though many prefer a bare midriff
Opaque, short shorts or skirt
Filmy, long skirt over the shorts/skirt
Delicate slippers

Men's Uniform:
Cropped vest
Sash
Opaque, short shorts or skirt
Filmy, long skirt split in the front, or filmy pants ankle length
Delicate slippers

There is no "official" color or decoration, which allows individual artists to design their own look. Many prefer to have at least one uniform that represents their institution; for instance, a siojhetioh working for the Illenan throne will wear a liokaiorioh in royal blue.
While transparency means magickal strength, and many fabrics leave nothing to the imagination, bodices and the short skirts/shorts are always opaque.

Sleeves go in and out of fashion. Often siojhetioxh will wear bangles, bracelets, and armbands in place of them; anything that shines, gleams, or glitters is acceptable.
Some nobles wear thin-soled slippers, and keep their feet unbruised through the use of shielding. This is a personal choice which does not work well in adverse environments. Embarrassing slips, slides and falls are common.

If you see a siojhetioh with a pot-belly or thick legs wearing a liokaiorioh, stay clear. They're too powerful for other mystery artists to ridicule into a richkaiorioh.

~wise Naowhyn village elder

Glitter has become a staple decoration worn with the garments. Nobles usually sport some sort of elaborate design, but they never leave the house without glitter. Glitter is supposed to be magickal, created by the siojhetioh wearing the uniform, but most use physical sparkles, which are combined with an adhesive and sprayed upon the clothing. These sparkles shed everywhere.
"If you need a siojhetioh, follow the glit."

~annoyed housekeepers everywhere

Spelling uniforms for temperature and element mitigation is considered a grave no-no. Wearing a liokaiorioh should highlight the depth of a siojhetioh's magickal well, and this only happens if the mystery artist is constantly monitoring their environment and making minute changes to coincide with it.
In practice? The mantra is, "Don't get caught."

Once siojhetioxh consider themselves too old (or too unfit) for the liokaiorioh, they often wear a modified uniform called the richkaiorioh. It consits of a sleeveless dress similar to what is worn under religious robes, with filmy, full-length vests over it. A sash holds everything together.

Liokaiorioh Use

Most academies and governments once part of the Jonna Empire require some verison of the liokaiorioh uniform. These institutions believe the garments reflect the strength of their wielders, and noble mystery artists are enchanted with that idea.
Commoners believe it silly, to freeze to death in deep snow because one's noble parents think a skimpy outfit means magickal power. Much to elite annoyance, tales abound of siojhetioxh death due to sunburn, heat exhaustion, and hypothermia. In reality, few have died; it is far more embarrassing for families to have their wielders succumb to the elements than to have them wear a coat and pretend it's a fashion statement.
Despite such derision, Seari peoples, both noble and commoner, recognize that a wielder wearing the liokaiorioh is a siojhetioh and, therefore, a magickal force. That does not necessarily mean they are skilled, only that they have the raw wielding power to turn a non-wielder to ash.

In the middle years of the Jonna Empire, siojhetioxh decorated their uniforms and their skin with designs created from magick. During social events, rivals would take any opportunity to break these wieldings, attempting to embarrass their target and, by extension, their families. Both practices persisted, though modern mystery artists apply physical makeup and designs beneath the magicks, so if they are broken, no one will notice (hopefully).

A few countries, such as Soline, reserve the title of siojhetioh for female shadowartists who work for the throne. While they are expected to don the liokaiorioh, their male counterparts are not. Some men follow tradition anyway, because they see the uniform as a simple way to silently declare their power. Many of these outfits are more elaborate than the traditonal ones but only worn at official functions.

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