TRADE KIT SUBMITTED BY: Natalie W. as Tymraetheleon.
TRADE: Weaver
DESCRIPTION OF ITEMS: This kit includes the basic Weaver requirements as well as some items for “flavor” and practicality. Here are the items shown which are required for the trade:
- Weaver mat of choice
- 4 props to represent the 4 elements, player’s choice (displayed: a rattle made with deer antlers for Earth; a scrying orb with blue flashes in it for Fire; a crystalline bowl with a flask of “moon-charged” water for Water; a jingle bell feather bundle for Air).
- Beads for different auras cast by the Weaver; Mana bands.
- Pocket watch, aka Syndar Time Piece, for tracking the duration of skills (sand timers are another option).
- Trade manual, which I’ve also integrated with art and many flavor pages.
My kit also shows some optional items:
- Backpack for carrying the kit;
- Finger labyrinth for assisting with focusing during meditations;
- Prop unofficial magical ingredients that are distinct from official ingredients & potions in the game, but can be utilized for flavor when doing a weaving skill; fun box to carry them in;
- A few bonus items for helping with divination or other rituals (tuning fork, singing bowl, stone pendulum).
HOW ITEMS WERE PROCURED: Many small items were thrifted, made/modified with everyday materials, and found at “normal” stores. The backpack and various small pouches were from Medieval Collectibles — I recommend them or Unmedievable for basic staple items. The leather book was from Etsy (Momoleather), as was the labyrinth (MamacitaHandcrafts). The Weaver mat is a drop cloth from the hardware store, painted with paint markers.
CHARACTER RACE & CULTURAL INFLUENCE ON ITEMS (if applicable):
Tymraetheleon is a Io’Larian Syndar, and I specifically wanted to tap into themes of wilderness, outsiderness, and shamanism while being mindful of cultural appropriation and people’s real spiritual practices. I decided to lean into the idea of “witchiness” as my inspiration point. I also liked the idea of Tym engaging with magic in an intuitive and sensory way, vs in a scientific and scholarly way. This is why Tym uses tools like a singing bowl, finger labyrinth, and pendulum, as these each involve different areas of sensory engagement.
The game doesn’t allow established religious symbols on screen, so the design of the Weaver mat is a modified Hecate’s wheel (another witch reference) — the standard symbol has 3 segments and usually involves a moon or star; my modification has 4 segments and is plain, to represent the 4 elements and to distinguish it clearly from the real symbol.
