Canes

And this one, I got this one carved by Madam Rehan herself, made from fine oak and topped with an engraved dragon's blood top, with- are you listening to me?
— Noblewoman, inadvertently boring their colleagues

Canes are used throughout Abravost, both for added support while walking and to match outfits. They are very versatile, and can range from simple thick sticks to elegantly carved metals.

Users and Uses

Canes find the majority of their users amongst disabled people, young and old. They also find many users amongst the elderly more generally, as years of hard work catch up to them and can make unassisted walking difficult. Canes are not only used for practical support reasons, however, and there are many amongst the noble classes who use canes as a stylish accessory to go with the rest of their outfits. There is also the trend of hiding weapons within them which is common within this group, whether that be a sword in the length of the cane, or a dagger within its handle.

Material and Construction

In theory, a cane can be made out of anything which can support the weight of the user. In practice, the most common materials used are wood and metal. A cane needn't be made of only one material, either - the tip is often made of cork or rubber for extra grip on surfaces, and the handles of canes owned by nobles and the rich are often made of precious metals such as gold. Canes largely come in two forms - straight 'dress' canes, which are more common in fashion, and curved 'hooked' canes, where the handles curve backwards into a hook shape to provide a larger surface to grip. There are also some canes which can collapse to become smaller, which are most often variants of the dress cane and made of metal.

Manufacturers

Canes can be bought pretty much anywhere, from anyone - they are not difficult to make, especially wooden ones. Simple metal canes are usually more expensive, and sourced from mountainous mining areas such as those around the Krenar and Yesahli Mountains. More intricately designed canes, made of wood or metal, often find one or two specialist crafters within each capital city, as well as a few outliers. Amongst those is Madam Rehan, who lives in the small Skarhan town of Grehpa, and is internationally renowned for her wood carving and metalwork abilities. Her canes, which she makes with her wife Kóyahl, are estimated to make up the majority of those used for fashion amongst the nobility of The Vosti Empire.

Hintero "Tero" Shonyul-Ishir by Isaac Thompson

Duellist Delight

Many duellists and nobles throughout Abravost, and especially The Vosti Empire, are fond of storing blades within their fashionable canes. This allows them to be amongst polite society, while not being unarmed. Others like to have their canes built to be a weapon in their own right, and there are many who live with the scars of their bludgeoning weight.