Slayer Dragon Garb

The traditional Slayer Dragon Regalia, most commonly reffered to simply as garb, evolved durring the Golden Age of the Slayer Dragons, between A.Y. 1302-1998 in the Golden Age, and changed little through the Ages that followed.

The garb is a sort of uniform, though tailored and altered so as to be unique to each Slayer Dragon, and consists of a combination of cloth, armor plates, chainmail, and even dragon skin. Some may also include animal furs and even bones, depending on the style and tastes of the individual wearer.

Use

Despite appearing highly ornate, the garb also serves as fully-functional battle armor. The garb is not ceremonial, but is in fact the day-to-day uniform of the Slayer Dragon.

Construction

Armor Plating

The armor worn by the Slayer Dragons has remained consistent in appearance, but not in material. Early Slayer Dragons had access to potent magical materials such as Adamantium for their armor. In around the early Third Age Adamantium became to costly, and Slayer Dragons ahd to switch to alloys. By the end of the Third Age it was to rare all together.

Throughout the Fourth Age, the highest quality and most durable steel available was utilized. Constant efforts were made to develop new and stronger materials, until around the begining of the Fifth Age when the first Titanium and Tungsten versions were produced. These were often mixed with silver to allow for enchantments.

Armor Enchantment

While always forged of the finest materials by the most skilled master craftsmen the [{Alliance]] had to offer, the final phase of any Slayer Dragon's armor was left to the enchanters. Runes of protection and strength are carefully etched into every peice, with specialized enchantments made to aid the wearer in his or her specific style of combat.

Chainmail

Like the rest of the regalia, the chainmail is of the highest quality. Usually very small rings are used to create lightweight mail suitable for everyday wear. Since around the Third Age the trend has moved away from functional chainmail in favor of ornamental, though there are notable exceptions. In some cases, a second, heavier, more protective set of chainmail may be created but not worn as part of the regular outfit.

Dragon Skin

The dragon skin used is shed skin donated by the High Mountain Flight, which is then layered, woven, and sewn together so as give the appearance of tanned hide. This layering method produces a material that is stronger and more durable than tanned dragon hide, which is widely thought to be superior to shed skin.

The layering technique practiced by the tailors at Arindell is a guarded secret, though it is unlikely anyone else can obtain much shed dragon skin.

Cloth, skins, leather, etc

Ornamentation is an important part of the Slayer Dragon garb. While the style has remained constant through the ages, the tailors make an effort to give each Slayer Dragon a unique appearance. Thus, all sorts of materials are used beyond the protective elements of the armor to produce a very distinct set of garb.

Production and Lifecycle

Creation

Work on the regalia will typically begin as a Slayer Dragon approaches their final Trial. However, because of the high level of detail and extensive workmanship, the full suit can sometimes take years to complete. By the date of their annointment, a sort of prototype version, usually made by costumers and serving little functional value, will be complete, with the real peices added as they are completed.

Maintenance

Since a Slayer Dragon's job is pretty tough, their regalia is under constant maintenance by skilled artisans. The garb is always being maintained, repaired, worn pieces replaced, and so on, throughout the Slayer Dragon's life.

Further, replicas of the regalia are constantly being made and updated. These are similar to the early costume prototype and only serve a ceremonial function. If the real armor is damaged, a Slayer Dragon might need a sort of backup to wear for public appearances.

Death

Between B.G.A. 6 and the mid Fifth Age when Slayer Dragons were layed to rest in the Valley of Sleeping Dragons, they were always buried in their full regalia. Their costume regalia might also be placed in the tomb along with other personal effects.

For a short time around the mid Fifth Age as the custom of ash pits was being adopted, a few Slayer Dragons were burned in their regalia. This created a problem as the many metal parts of the suit simply did not burn. The entire concept of the ash pit ensured that the body was entirely consumed, bone and all, so leaving bits of metal for scavengers and looters was problematic. For a while, costume replicas comprised entirely of flamable materials were used, but by the 5550s Slayer Dragons were being wrapped in simple linens like everyone else bound for the pits.

Also in the mid Fifth Age as the change to ash pits was made, some effort was put into recycling the garb. However, as the elements were always custom-fitted this was difficult, and no Slayer Dragon appreciated hand-me-down armor. A few pieces of metal were melted down to be reforged, by the ornamentation often resulted in sub-standard casts.

Finally, in A.Y. 5607, Slayer Dragon Gregory the Grey, who was somewhat obbsessed with his own image, ordered that his garb be preserved in a reliquary to be kept in Arindell for all time. His costume pieces were to be donated to museums, but his own official garb should be carefully preserved. This immediatly became custom, and all Slayer Dragons that followed would have their gear preserved in a similar fashion.

Notable Examples

Hunter Jusenkyou, annointed durring the late Sixth Age was notorious for getting his garb completely destroyed in combat on an almost regular basis. The craftsmen couldn't keep up, and just maintaining a set of costum garb became almost impossible. He often left on assignments without the garb all together, until around the Age of the Dragon, at which point he settled down a bit and stopped being so rough on his equipment.