Ivkeorar: Glass Leaf

Manufacturing process

A small mold is created in the shape of the leaf. Sand is melted and molded into the mold, and the leaf is pressed onto the glass as it cools. If the leaf burns away, a replacement is used. Once the glass has completely cooled, the mold is broken and the element remains. Depending on the quality, an optional pin can be either glued or fused to the lapel, allowing it to be attached to the clothing rather than held in a pocket. Either way is fashionable.

Significance

The glass underneath the leaf is in and of itself an act of resistance to the crown. Counterintelligence, in order to root out the glass-wearers, must approach and feel the glass, not only outing itself but also violating the privacy of the citizen, resistance or no. Royal decree could ban leaf lapels, but the practice is too common to ban outright without instantly drawing public opinion away from the crown. As a result, the ball is entirely in the wearer's court as to revealing membership in Wli-Tou-Rah. To gain access to many underground locations, a resistance member often needs to submit an ivkeorar.
Once the resistance became open, a famous picture arose where a protester held her ivkeorar aloft, this time with the glass portion facing outward, and signifying that she was no longer afraid of repercussions. This action became commonplace across Wlitowa, as a salute of the revolution.

Item type

Clothing / Accessory

Current Location

Ak'tawo: King's Jewel, Wlitowa's Glory

Rarity

Craftsmen and even lesser nobility commonly wear the leaf pin as a lapel to notate their status in the middle class. However, glass being outlawed in Wlitowa by royal decree, the ivkeorar is much less common, only being found in the hands of known criminals and enemies of the state.

Raw materials & Components

A common deciduous leaf is used as an overlay, but sand is used to make the underlying glass. Fresh, well watered green leaves are preferable, since they are less likely to burn. It helps to have similar-looking leaves as backup, however.

Tools

A mold, and a large furnance, are the primary components.