A Kroashent-themed commission for https://www.furaffinity.net/user/unknown500/, showing a visit of Kathalia and Gwae to the shop of the Gwiader seamstress, Cael Mac Lochlainn. I've drawn Cael a few times before, so it was nice to finally put her in a scene with some other characters (https://www.furaffinity.net/view/52903175/). Designing new outfits for Kathalia and Gwae was a real challenge, but I am pretty happy with the results. I also took the time to try and work on my backgrounds a little more to give the characters a sense of place withing the space.

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The boards creaked as Kathalia ducked beneath the horizontal pole blocking the path, the spar of a long abandoned rivercraft, overtaken by The Forest. It was impossible to tell how long anything had been caught in the tangled mass of ship decks, rigging and ramshackle bridges that made up Naoned's strangest neighborhood, a collection of muddy islands, pontoons and grounded boats crammed so tightly together that one could imagine walking down a street in one of the drier districts. Of course, with one's senses active, there was no mistaking the winding pathways of The Forest with the wide streets of cobblestone or even the tight alleyways of packed earth that cut through the town within the thick stone walls. Unlike terrestrial paths, here, all one had to do was look down and see the muddy waters of the Erzh River centimeters below the crooked planks, or, if one was feeling adventurous during the heavy rains of Winterrule, several centimeters above them.

Nor was there truly a path. It was more a collection of bridges, catwalks and decks, sometimes cutting through a hollowed out hull down a ship's hallway, or climbing a rickety spiral staircase around a thick mainmast to ascend to the upper levels built in the rigging itself. Kathalia imagined, that the strange organic growth of the region had pulled it, ever so slightly, into Faerie, time and space stretching and bending beyond possibility. It certainly seemed that way, with far more and far larger spaces within the jumble that should have fit into the small collection of detritus moored next to the Mask District.

Blackwind Spinners was one such locale, built inside a badly slanted aftercastle of an old hulk, the bow completely missing, reclaimed for some other ship. The large ship, grounded on one of the larger muddy islands, and the pontoons and overturned hulls around it, was colloquially known as Brigantina's Lifeboat, made up mostly of smaller weavers and clothiers who all hung the sing of the drop spindle, the icon of la Ligue Briganita, Naoned's largest and most influential textiles guild, outside of their shops. A set of planks led up to the door, hammered together at an angle to the slanted deck to provide a flat platform to enter the structure. The door was not original, a circular oak disc much larger than the ship would have supported, the opening cut wide to compensate for the steep angle. The door was covered in the intricate knotwork of raised, reddish wood, all entwined around a two-coloured acorn, polished to an almost mirror sheen. Gwae ascended the stairs, shifting gracefully between the angle of the deck and stairs without any slowing of her graceful movement. Kathalia followed her inside.

The interior of the Clothier's shop was far wider and taller than it should have been, the deck and walls conspicuously missing the slightest hint of a slope or slant. An impressive carpentry undertaking, combined with the telltale energy of glamour, went far to dispel the uncanniness of the shift between the deck and the interior. One wall was full of different bolts of shimmering cloth, stacked high in individual cubbies, providing the space a splash of rainbow colours. A skittering of noise above was followed by the sudden appearance of a blue-skinned woman, tall and thin, wearing the yellow livery of la Ligue Briganita. She approached, with a pair of her hand on her hips, another raised to her chin in contemplating appraisal as three pairs of eyes looked them up and down.

"Cael. How's the craic?" Gwae wasted no time in addressing the Gwiader tailor, breaking her out of her design calculations.

"Splendidly, Mlle Dethemir!" Cael brightened as she was brought back into the moment from her designer's daydream. "The new crystalsilk spiders just arrived from Montbazon and already they are proving worth the investment. I thought that when the Rivers flooded and swept the old ones away, I would be ruined, but thanks to your aid, Blackwind Spinners is back up to our full potential. Of course, one good turn deserves another. I think you'll enjoy the new items I've made for you."

"That was fast." Kathalia interjected from the side of the room as she looked over the impressive wall of vibrant crystalsilk bolts, shimmering with magical glamour in dozens of shades and hues. "We only placed the order a few days ago."

"The benefits of knowing how my spiders weave. A Bediz couldn't work nearly this fast or well, without the assistance of the Hud, of course." Cael said, using her free pair of hands for effect as she produced two sets of clothing from a tall cabinet. "You said you needed them for the Fest-Foll, so I put a rush on them."

Gwae inspected her dress, a dark blue gown with silver thread woven throughout "Its stunning. You've outdone yourself Cael."

The seamstress made a graceful curtsy on the points of her long legs. "Why don't you try them on, see if we need to make any adjustments.

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Learn more about Alvez on the official Kroashent Wiki!: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/alvez-kroashent
Read the ongoing full-length story in Kroashent - Bal Des Loups: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4.....full_work=true