Malina's Last Gift

+ Malina's Last Gift +

'''It is said that once, the youngest of seven sisters from the Seamel house was loved by a leatherworker with extraordinary ability but ordinary wealth. Of course the family would not allow the match, and their love affair continued well into her marriage. Despite the fact that Malina's husband bore no children from his previous ten-year marriage from which he was left a widower, she bore three healthy boys with her coloring and features during their union.'''

'''Malina was a renowned archer who kept a trophy room as large as her husband's. She was widely recognized as a Deadeye and owned a variety of ranged weapons, all of which she used frequently. However, when out hunting or during tournaments she without fail wore the set of armor that her lover crafted for her and delivered to her as a gift disguised as a commission.'''

'''It was of exquisite craftsmanship and took more than three years to fully complete. Because of its cost and the investment of time required to complete, it was the last formal present that Malina received from the leatherworker.'''

'''When her extramarital affair was finally uncovered, five years into her marriage, Malina's husband took after the both of them in a jealous rage. The freelander fled from Fastheld and was never heard from again; Malina didn't live very long after that. Her husband sold everything of hers except for the set of armor, which was given as a favour to one of his sisters who had always admired it.'''

'''In the many years since this incident the armor has gone from woman to woman in the Seamel house, frequently admired but never used. At last it became a conversation piece in the home of Varala Seamel's mother, who was the niece of one of what would have been Malina's grandchildren. '''

'''Varala Seamel was meant to inherit this piece, but as her mother outlived Varala, nothing came of that. At last the armor came to rest in the hands of Milora Lomasa, Varala's daughter. It was intended as an early wedding gift upon the family's hearing of the girl's engagement to the Lomasa Patriarch.'''

''Unlike most armor, this exquisite ringmail appears to be made for a woman with a somewhat small stature, affecting a more fitted shape than the traditional barrel-like armor that is commonly found in shops. First is the foundation: leather of the very finest quality has been dyed a pure snow white and used to create an excellent bodily shell; if for no other reason the armor is remarkable in the fact that it uses as few seams as possible while still maintaining flexibility.''

''The nearly fitted cuirass has been edged with glimmering gold thread, and a pattern of stylized emerald green leaves outlined in the same gold curls around the cuirass itself. Although the spaulders, bracers, tassets and even the leather pants that complete the suit are also accented with this elegant treatment, it is the torso that is the most ornate. Fingerless leather gloves are edged in gold but otherwise untouched.''

''If the glossy white leather and shimmering green and gold silk are beautiful, they pale in comparison to the full hauberk that covers them. So simply elegant that it could almost be a clerical robe, this piece has been constructed of thousands of tiny silver rings. In fact, they are so small that the material the hauberk is made of appears to be, more than anything, a fine cloth. Only the best, whitest silver was chosen to create this piece, which features sleeves that flow over the entire arm and a hem that ends just above the knees.''

''Around the edge, which means the hem, the ends of the sleeves and the neck, the silver has been seamlessly replaced with a thin ring of gold. Looking closely, the mail occurs in perfectly straight lines except for a 'V' pattern that falls from the neck, the point of the 'V' exactly meeting the round, ornate gold buckle of the narrow white leather belt that cinches the hauberk. The buckle is embossed with the same stylized leaves curling around a central 'M'.''


 * Status: Owned by Milora Lomasa