Rivermark garb is shaped by the Kingdom’s environment, its people, and its rulers. Marcher clothing tends to be practical in cut but luxurious wherever possible in material and decoration. They favor warm colors, from bright reds and golds to more humble ochres and browns, though many outfits have at least one bit of decoration in a bright blue that symbolizes the nation’s love and respect for the Rothlin River. The general aesthetic is “early to high medieval,” with a love of jewelry and rich fabric, and always with at least one garment fashioned of their signature tartans and plaids.
Medieval, Celtic, Arthurian, Prosperous, Noble, Proud, Regal, Glorious, Powerful, Resilient, Enduring
Medieval England & France, Arthurian knights & myths, Celtic motifs, Irish myths, Warhammer Fantasy’s Bretonnia
If you are playing a character from Rivermark, you must wear some form of plaid fabric to signify your membership in the nation. This can be a fly plaid, a full plaid, a belted plaid/great kilt, a plaid cloak or cape, or a plaid belt flag or pocket square that is clearly visible hanging from or wrapped around your waist. Ideally, the colors of the plaid should match any other tartan that you are wearing elsewhere in your outfit; however, this is an aspirational goal rather than a baseline requirement. The colors of your plaid do not have to match the Rivermark national heraldry or the national color pallette; if you want to wear a blue, green, and purple plaid, that is acceptable, so long as the rest of your garb mostly matches the Rivermark brief.
Rivermark Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/veilguardlarp/kingdom-of-rivermark/ (for garb and aesthetic inspiration.)
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Reminder: National color palette recommendations are just that — recommendations. If you have a character concept or existing garb that fits the general aesthetic of the nation, but doesn’t match that nation’s color palette, that’s perfectly acceptable.
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Jewelry styles tend towards the chunky and gaudy, showing off wealth through sheer quantity of precious metal and gems. There are many different forms that jewelry takes in Rivermark fashion. Rings, amulets, and brooches are by far the most common, but plaque belts, livery collars, torcs, armbands, and hat pins are also fair game for making into displays of wealth and status. However, every Marcher wears some form of silver jewelry on their right wrist, to let them test anyone they meet for lycanthropy; this can take the form of a bracelet, a torc, or just a simple silver medallion on a leather cord.
Motifs that are common in jewelry vary between medieval heraldic ones (lions, eagles, dragons, etc.) and Celtic knotwork and spirals. Cairnfolk tend to prefer more abstract designs and motifs, while Rivelin tend to like clear heraldic animals (particularly wolves and dragons) or geometric designs, preferably embellished by precious stones, but the two styles blend together regularly within a single outfit. Religious iconography is also frequently seen in Rivermark jewelry, regardless of how devout the person wearing it might be. (Note that this is not Christian crosses or other real-world religious symbols, but rather emblems of the True Gods and their Saints; check before you buy anything that it doesn’t have any clear cross iconography on it.)
Large Rivermark camps tend to look like there’s a tourney going on, regardless of what they’re actually there for, full of colorful flags and tents, armor and weapon racks, and tasteful but rich decorations such as tapestries and rugs. Cairnfolk and lower-class Rivelin often prefer to keep things a bit more practical, but even they like to keep up appearances where they can, ensuring that roads are kept clear, their House and Clann heraldry or flags are on full display, and that their tents are both clean and as well-appointed as they can afford.
Armor is a common sight in Rivermark, and tends to be the most flamboyant and decorated piece of a warrior’s kit. The warrior ethos in the Kingdom makes armor a fashion statement as much as it is protection, and it’s not unusual to see nobles or Knights at court wearing half-plate or some other form of armor as part of their outfits. The Marchers have developed a number of techniques to protect their armor from the ravages of water and time, and armor will often get passed down in a family for generations, altered and repaired as necessary but rarely being scrapped entirely.
Any Marcher with martial inclinations will have a Light Armor gambeson, which they wear underneath heavier armor or just as an extra layer of protection and insulation when out and about. What armor they possess beyond that depends upon their economic means and place within the Kingdom’s military forces.
Medium Armor in the Kingdom takes two forms: either a hardened leather breastplate, greaves, and bracers, worn primarily by Cairnfolk Reivers, or a chain hauberk and coif, worn by any other warriors who want more protection than a gambeson but either aren’t trained in wearing Heavy Armor or are too poor to afford a suit of it.
Heavy Armor tends to be either brigandine (or coat of plates), worn by Galloglaich, or half- or full plate, worn by Knights. Galloglaich always prefer practicality over style in their armor, while Knights tend to prefer armor that looks knightly, even if it’s not always easy to move in or maintain. Suits of full or half plate tend to be decorated richly, either having elaborate curves and shapes to them or decorative etchings and inscriptions. Plain and functional plate armor is rare in the Kingdom, though it does show up occasionally, especially in the possession of Knights who are new to their calling or don’t have patrons or parents to give them a more elaborate suit of armor.
Metallic lamellar is never worn, no matter how practical or economical it might be; Marchers view it as too similar to the armor worn by their rivals in Iskaldur and Tomarr, and will go to great lengths to wear “more civilized” forms of armor to quietly show their superiority.
Swords are the weapon of choice in Rivermark, either the straight and broad one-handed arming swords used by Knights and Reivers both or the massive claymores of the Cairnfolk. Polearms such as halberds, Dane axes, and pikes are often used by Galloglaich, preferably in massive formations to tear apart any enemies who get too close. Hammers are common side-arms of many on the lower end of the economic spectrum, and particularly for Scalmirks. Daggers are frequently worn by folk of all classes, and tend to be gaudy pieces if their owner can afford it — a dagger is usually the first weapon that a Marcher will purchase with gems in its hilt or scabbard.
Bows are not terribly common amongst Marchers. Reivers are the only warriors who use them with any frequency; they prefer longbows over shortbows, the better to snipe prey from across the moors or atop a mountain ridge. Scalmirks have been known to make use of crossbows, preferring the more compact and powerful design for the jobs they often take inside urban areas, though they almost never have reason to use such weapons in a military context.
Shields are very common amongst the fighters of Rivermark; if they aren’t wielding a Heavy Weapon in both hands, they’ll likely have a Medium Weapon in one hand and either a Shield or a Buckler in the other. Buckler-and-broadsword is a favorite combination of many Reivers (they call their small shields “targes”), and quite a few mages who go out into battle with a Rod and Buckler. Knights and other fighters who are trained in how to wield larger shields tend to prefer kite shields where possible, disdaining the round shields of their Iskaldur rivals. However, just like the Skaldings, Marchers view their shields as important symbols of personal identity, and (with the exception of Knight Errants) frequently paint their House, Clann, or personal heraldry onto their shields as a sign of pride and a source of power.
Mage Armor in Rivermark is usually built on and around a tabard painted or embroidered with the symbols of the mage’s Magical Tradition. Bracers and a hood or helmet adorned with similar symbols are worn to complete the suit of armor. Riversages wear black or dark red Mage Armor inscribed or embroidered with bright blue spirals and knotwork, as well as talismans of their God and favorite Saint(s). Scriveners prefer Runic inscriptions for their Mage Armor, whether stitched onto cloth, inscribed in metal or leather, or written on parchment that’s then pinned to clothing. Filidhean and other mages in the Kingdom tend to use heraldic Osteomantic imagery in their Mage Armor, incorporating images of wolves, dragons, bears, and other noble and terrible beasts.
Implements either have a noble and majestic appearance, adorned with gold and gems in addition to any magical symbols, or lean heavily into the Cairnfolk tradition of knotwork inscriptions and blue spirals and river motifs. Staves in particular tend to be well-ornamented, and are frequently small works of art used strictly for ritual magic and never for combat, though quite a few battlemages keep a second Stave on hand that’s more utilitarian for when they do need to fight.