The garb of Grimmwold is muted in color with a highly textured appearance that helps the Grimmfolk blend into the forest. It favors darker shades of blue, green, brown, gray, and black, with bright colors reserved for outfits exclusively for use within a Weald or outside the borders of the Grimmwold. Most of their clothing is a blend of shades, shapes, and textures, creating a silhouette without any clean lines that might stand out against the backdrop of the trees and undergrowth. Nothing goes to waste in Grimmwold, and patchwork and many-times-mended garments are quite common.
Woodsy, Cottage-Core, Resourceful, Patchwork, Functional, Naturalistic, Camouflaged, Predatory, Dark, Mysterious
Dark fairy tales, survival movies, the Brothers Grimm, Hayao Miyazaki ideas directed by Guillermo Del Toro, Van Helsing (2004 movie), the Witcher series, Lovecraftian Horror with an emphasis on eldritch beings of the forest, Shadows of Silence in the Forest of Hell by Brandon Sanderson, Brave (2012 movie).
https://www.pinterest.com/veilguardlarp/grimmwold/ (a Pinterest board for garb and aesthetic inspiration.)
You can refer to this page (Grimmwold Color Swatches) or the color block below for a visual reference for the idealized version of Grimmwold’s color palette.
Grimmwold garb is normally a blend of blues, greens, browns, grays, and blacks, all in dark and muted shades. Bright colors are almost always reserved for “Weald clothing,” and not intended for use in combat or outside the bounds of a settlement. When bright colors are used, they often take the form of bright green or blue accents on a darker base layer, or a smaller garment that is easily taken off or hidden beneath another layer of clothing.
Grimmfolk from Gluhendel frequently make more use of bright colors in their garments than other Grimmfolk, which often take the form of patches or splotches of paint or dye rather than being entire garments. They are particularly fond of fluorescent dyes that glow under certain kinds of blue or violet glowstones (i.e. blacklights), enjoying the “hidden brightness” that such dyes give to their clothing.
Grimmwold garb features a lot of leather, furs, and hides, prizes from the many hunts and culling of Wulverin that they undertake every year. The hides are carefully tanned and turned into clothing and armor whenever possible, with nothing going to waste.
Woven and knit fabrics are common in Grimmwold clothing, especially wool and linen, but the conditions of the Wold make it hard to produce large quantities of such materials; fortunately, Rivermark, Aurendale, and Faen’miir all produce those materials in abundance, so the Grimmfolk are able to import them relatively cheaply.
Silk is often used as accents or even as whole garments in Grimmwold clothing; the aspen forests of Espervall are infested with silk-spinning caterpillars, and the residents of that Province make a fine business out of harvesting the creatures’ nests and turning them into fabric. Silk is still rare and valuable, if only because it’s in high demand in other nations, but many Grimmfolk can still get their hands on it, at least for small accents, and larger pieces of silk are often used as status symbols alongside particularly impressive furs.
The clothing that most Grimmfolk wear takes the form of an underlayer — either a tunic, shirt, or dress — covered by either a coat, overtunic, vest, or jerkin. In cold weather additional layers or a cloak are worn over the top of this. Cloaks vary in form from simple square or rectangular blanket-cloaks to much more tailored varieties; many feature fur, either as an extra layer of insulation or as decorative trim.
The Grimmwold lies at the nexus of four other nations with significantly different styles of clothing, and their garb tends to reflect this in an eclectic mixture of styles. The organic curves and hems of Miirfolk garb are worn beneath doublets and jerkins in the Dalean style, mixed in with the classic straight-edged tunics and fur mantles of the Skaldings, all in the characteristically dark and muted tones of the Grimmfolk.
That being said, the central core of the Grimmwold garb aesthetic is practicality. If it helps you blend in or provides some practical use, like a thick woolen cloak that doubles as a blanket, it gets added to the wardrobe. If it hinders you as you’re traveling through or foraging in the Wold, it’s not an acceptable part of your garb, from a Grimmwold perspective. Trailing strands that might get caught on branches, or beads that might make noise as you’re running, are never worn, even inside a Weald. Dresses and cloaks are always calf length or shorter, to avoid tripping on them. Civilians sometimes wear armor on their extremities, just to help them forge their way through dense foliage without getting scratched by thorns or branches.
This emphasis on practicality also extends to the functional lifetime of clothing. Garments tend to be constructed as sturdily as possible, to ensure that they can last a while even through heavy use. Patchwork clothing and garments that have been repeatedly mended via patches or stitchwork, are also a common sight in the Wold, as Grimmfolk refuse to throw anything away if it can be reused or repaired somehow.
“Fancy” dress, whether for a special occasion or to signify rank, is usually a more polished version of normal dress, without any visible mends or patchwork and with cleaner lines and more saturated (but still dark) colors. Decorative fur trim, silken veils, and embroidered knotwork are also more common in such outfits.
If you are playing a Grimmwold character, you must wear a dark-colored scarf wrapped around your neck in addition to your other kit. The scarf can be woven cloth, knitted, or patchwork, but it must be primarily dark-colored fabrics. If you wish, you can decorate it with brighter colors as small accents or embroidery. (A dark-colored scarf is all that is required, however, and if you don’t want to decorate it you don’t have to.)
Rather than hoods or hats, which can impede situational awareness and peripheral vision in the dangerous shadows of the forest, the Dustervolk of the Grimmwold bear long and broad scarves of linen and wool, which they wrap around their necks or heads as needed for a given situation. It’s customary for a Stalker to have two scarves; one is entirely fashioned of colors that blend in with the forest, to better keep the Stalker hidden, while the other has bright colors on one side, contrasting with the darker, duller colors on the outside, to wear while in a settlement or other primarily social setting where camouflage isn’t as critical to survival. Most civilians in the Grimmwold have taken to imitating this fashion, embroidering their “town scarves” with bright and colorful personal touches to make each a unique fashion statement. Knitted scarves are common gifts for Weald-dwelling folk, but they’re viewed with suspicion by many who go out in the forest, as knitted yarn is more likely to get snagged on foliage than tightly-woven fabrics.
Thick leather boots to are the preferred footwear for any outdoor adventuring, often going up to the knees in order to protect the legs from thorns or sharp underbrush. If you’re walking about in town or traveling through an area you know to be free from dangerous foliage, moccasins or tough-soled slippers are preferred, as they are lighter and quieter than the thicker-soled boots needed to tread the thornier parts of the woods.
Outdoor footwear is always left in the mudroom of a home; Grimmfolk who want to have something on their feet indoors usually wear soft cloth or leather slippers, which are often lined with fur.
Jewelry in Grimmwold tends to be fashioned of organic materials such as twine, leather, feathers, wood, or bone, and is crafted and worn in ways that will prevent excessive noise when moving around. Anything that can rattle against itself or other items is very uncommon, and when it does exist it’s almost exclusively worn as ceremonial garb for rituals deep inside a Weald. Bells or other items that are intended to make noise are virtually unknown amongst Grimmfolk garb.
Inside a Weald necklaces, bangles, earrings, and large rings are common as a means of dressing up and showing off status, but when someone goes out into the Wold such items are almost always taken off or stuffed inside of clothing to prevent them from catching on underbrush. This applies to hair, as well — while fancy braids and hair adornments are fairly common for inside a Weald, out in the Wold long hair is almost universally kept tied up in a bun and covered by the person’s scarf to keep it from getting caught in something.
Most Grimmfolk carry a bone or wooden whistle of some sort on their person, to use as a signal when they’re in danger; the idea is that, if you’ve already caught the attention of something hungry, calling for help won’t make the situation worse. Wodegann and Dustervolk sometimes carry a signal horn with them, usually one that can also be used as a drinking horn. These are only to be blown in the direst of circumstances, such as when a Wulverin is heading for a settlement and immediate evacuation is called for, and are considered a serious responsibility; sounding the horn for an evacuation could well lead to deaths, so it’s never done lightly.
Eyes, either orbs with a dot in the center or depictions of an eye, are frequent motifs in Grimmwold jewelry, representing both awareness of danger and the ever-present search for knowledge. Triangles, specifically the ones used in Dustersigns, are also frequently carved into jewelry or embroidered onto clothing or accessories. Thorns and thorned branches are another motif that is common. Amulets of Selenir are worn by those seeking to find their way through the forest, and amulets of Aragh are worn by hunters, regardless of their other religious affiliations.
Hexenvolk wear their traditional wide-brimmed conical hats as a badge of honor, a visible proof that they’ve earned their place amongst a community and a promise to protect it from the magical threats surrounding it. They often decorate the hatband with some kind of symbol for their township or village, to show their allegiance. The shape, size, and color of the hat is entirely left up to the individual, however, and many Witches like to make it a reflection of their personality, whether through a whimsically curled point, a perfectly straight cone, or any other variation in style they please.
Dustervolk often prefer a long leather or heavy cloth coat while they’re out on patrol or hunting, if they aren’t wearing proper armor. They also sometimes wear cloaks specifically prepared to camouflage them into the nearby forest, stitching leaf- or twig-like attachments to them to blur their silhouette and help them blend into the foliage.
Wodegann frequently lean into the “patchy” aesthetic, making patchwork cloaks or coats out of different-colored leather or cloth that still helps to hide them while they are traveling through the Wold. They prefer to have these patchwork garments as an outer layer, which they can take off to reveal a more fashionable outfit beneath.
Gruenvolk frequently embroider the symbol(s) of their god onto their clothing in a color that matches the cloth beneath, giving a textured appearance to their outfits that doesn’t stand out too much but still proclaims their allegiance. Many have a ceremonial headdress of leaves, antler, and bone, proclaiming their status as a druid.
Medwyr frequently wear necklaces of bright green and red beads beneath their clothes — each red bead represents a life they’ve saved, while each green one represents a patient that died under their care.
Grimmwold camps are designed to blend into the forest. When outside of the Wold, Grimmfolk prefer to make camp beneath trees, as enough of them suffer from agoraphobia that being under the open sky can be problematic. Tents are covered in netting with branches, reeds, or other material stitched into them, to camouflage them from a cursory glance. Where possible, branches or whole plants are used as cover, blocking the view of the camp from passerby.
Red glowstones are the preferred source of light in a camp, as Wulverin have a hard time seeing light in that color. Windchimes are often set up around the camp or along nearby trails, to act as a quiet beacon for those seeking the camp out through the forest. Mud faces, Eyes Of The Forest, and Dustersign or Arbormantic markings are the most common form of decoration in a camp, either as informational markings, purely cosmetic additions, or magical totems.
Armor in the Grimmwold tends to be either Light or Medium in style, the Grimmfolk prioritizing agility over durability when traversing the forest or facing a Wulverin. The most frequent material for armor is leather, whether a tough but flexible layer of leather for Light Armor or hardened rawhide lamellar or plates for Medium Armor. Many leather armors are styled to look like bark or the hides of beasts, though as always Grimmfolk tend to prefer function over form.
Metal armor is relatively rare in Grimmwold, but it does show up occasionally, especially in Dustervolk who are intent on defending the borders of a Weald rather than delving deep into the Wold. When they wear metal, Grimmfolk almost always paint it a matte brown, gray, or black, to prevent reflections from drawing attention to them. Metal armor almost always takes the form of lamellar or plate Heavy Armor, rather than chain or scale Medium Armor. Any kind of metal armor is always muffled somehow to prevent excessive noise as the wearer moves around.
The style of weapon most commonly wielded by Grimmfolk are single-handed Medium Weapons and Bows. Two-handed Heavy Weapons only tend to be used when hunting big game, where their reach and power can be critical to survival; most of the time, though, the warriors of Grimmwold prefer the more maneuverable size of one-handed weapons to be able to move through the forest quickly and easily.
Bows are very popular amongst Grimmfolk hunters — the best way to keep from getting eaten is to make sure your quarry dies before it gets within reach of you. Bows are almost universally small recurved short bows, rather than longbows, as a six-foot weapon is just too unwieldy to use in the sometimes-cramped confines of the forest.
One-handed melee weapons tend to be curved swords or axes. Grimmwold weapon styles are influenced heavily by Miirfolk and Skalding styles, so it’s not uncommon to find a warrior wielding a Skalding bearded axe alongside a curved elven Miirfolk sword. Hammers and maces are relatively rare in Grimmwold, pulled out only for dealing with monsters that have hardened armor plates or other properties that require blunt force to slay.
When Grimmfolk do wield a two-handed weapon, they prefer to use billhooks, glaives, and hunting spears, and tend to keep them relatively short compared to the massive pikes and polearms of Aurendale.
Daggers and other small-arms are worn by nearly every Grimmfolk, if only as a holdout weapon for use in the direst of circumstances. Many warriors find ways to strap multiple Thrown weapons or Light Weapons to themselves, just in case they’re needed. Thrown weapons tend to be used only when no other option will work to keep a warrior safe or bring down their quarry — such weapons are too easy to lose in the tangled gloom of the forest floor, and too valuable to throw away without real need.
Shields are not terribly popular amongst Grimmfolk fighters, as many of the Wulverin are big or strong enough to simply smash through a shield, or have tricks that can ignore one, which reduces the incentive to carry around a big shield that could impede your mobility in a fight. Bucklers tend to be more popular, as they can be hung on a belt when not in use, and can provide a bit of protection for the hands when wielded alongside a one-handed weapon.
When they are used, shields tend to be long and narrow, to more easily move through the forest with it on your person, and to be wielded via a grip rather than strapped to the arm, the better to drop it in a hurry if need be. When possible, they often have spikes on their edges or surface, to make it harder on any monster that tries to bite one. (Please note that while a spiked shield is very appropriate for Grimmwold’s aesthetic, it still needs to be constructed in such a way as to remain LARP-safe.)
Mage Armor in Grimmwold tends to take the form of either rune-embroidered clothing or a set of plaques of rune-engraved hide or bone stitched or strapped over clothing. Osteomancers sometimes wear Mage Armor bedecked in the bones, fur, and feathers of the animals they use as their protective symbols, though this goes somewhat against the Grimmwold tendency to avoid dangling objects on their person so it’s not terribly common.
Mage Implements are often decorated with organic styles, either left as raw branches or bones or adorned with vine, thorn, animalistic, or other naturalistic motifs.
The “classic” arcane symbology for Grimmfolk Mage Armor and Implements are Arbormantic and Osteomantic, though there are enough Runic practitioners within Grimmwold that those symbols aren’t unheard of.