Knightwear

Knightwear: What’s Under Your Armor?

Our IDU Literature collection is growing by the day, but even so, this one was a surprise. Written for all three classes of knights, it is a pristine copy of the long-rumored book about armor undergarments.

The author wastes no time introducing the elephant in the room… you don’t always have control over the angle from which humans see you (and not just when perishing). Many knights ignore this detail, and are embarrassed to learn that certain parts of the beginner tunic are transparent. The most common upgrade is thus a sleeved doublet, joined with hosen equipped with a simple codpiece for a fly. But it was a surprise to read that there are regional, seasonal, and yearly fashion variations that include embroidered gambesons and padded surcoats.

“In the heat of battle,” one knight wrote, “when we are defending our Lord in the glory of blood and carnage, there is also great beauty. It thus falls upon me to don the silken undergarments of my lady, touching both skin and armor with a softness that I pray doth speed my axe and embolden my thrust.”

Much of the book consists of color plates showing fine raiments along with traditional garmentry, offering insights into cultural subtleties of the IDUniverse, and we are pleased with this addition to the Library.

This is part of the In Death: Unchained literature collection by Steven K. Roberts.