The Midnight Sanctum

a dapper pair of brown and beige alligator shoes

Nariah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:23:10 +0000

These sleek, stylish shoes have been sewn from alligator skin, the rough texture of the leather smoothed by much polishing, which leaves them quite shiny. They are a light beige overall, with a darker patch of leather over the toes, a dark brown. The backs of the shoes are also stitched with this darker alligator skin, the two colours touching one another in a smooth curve. Inside they are lined with a comfortable tan suede, and the soles are a thick umber leather, an extra piece tacked on at the heel to support the back of the foot.

Cartel: OP | Designer: ?

garish robes of kaleidoscopic, muted colours

Nariah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:22:19 +0000

These robes have been sewn together from worn silk panels, once attractive but now dull with age. A simple, elegant diamond pattern affords the robes a cascade of haphazardly-assorted colours in deep orange, violet, and flat green. Each diamond has been dusted meticulously with opal, amethyst, and jade respectively, giving the nearly threadbare garment an air of lingering aesthetic appeal. Lacking a proper collar, the upper termination of the robes instead drops into a straight line across the collarbone in a smooth, rectangular cut. Rising from the back of the collar, a deep hood has been attached, maintaining the diamond pattern. A series of large, tarnished golden buttons descends along the front of the robes, each button moulded into the image of a dual face: the right portion resembles that of a grimacing archdemon, while the left showcases an angelic female, lips turned upward in ecstasy. Within the cuff of one of the voluminous sleeves, a ghastly white half-mask has been embroidered.

Cartel: OP | Designer: ?

elegant white opera gloves stitched with dark masks

Nariah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:21:07 +0000

Pristine, soft white fabric has been stitched together to create these feather-light, comfortable gloves. Conforming perfectly to any hand, three thin ridges have been raised from the back of the gloves, running between each pair of knuckles. Tenebrous stitchwork mars the perfection of the gloves on the reverse of the hand, forming an amorphous dark mask seemingly all jagged lines and disjunct shapes. Within the wrist of the right glove, a small, ghastly half-mask has been embroidered.

Cartel: OP | Designer: ?

a bone-white harlequin mask adorned with emerald and amethyst

Nariah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:20:13 +0000

This strange mask has been grimly fashioned from the bone of some large creature, bleached to a stark white and carved to resemble a blank human face. The upper portion of the mask has been inlaid with large, perfectly square tiles of amethyst and emerald, alternating in a dazzling, elegant diamond pattern of shimmering green and violet that moulds against the contour of the mask, surrounding the eyeholes and ceasing just above the ridge of the nose. Below this point, the mask is simply colourless, the vivid alabaster hue of the bone unmarred by any embellishment. On the reverse of the mask, the outline of a ghastly half-mask has been etched.

Cartel: OP | Designer: ?

a dove-grey vest with silver filigree

Nariah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:19:09 +0000

This vest has been sewn from a soft, elegant grey cloth and pressed to an immaculate fit. Tailored to perfectly fit the male torso, the vest sports a high, stiff collar embroidered with curling silver filigree. The embellishment continues downward along the front of the vest, diaphanous threads tracing shimmering, intricate patterns from top to bottom. Six small, silver buttons featuring moonstone inlay serve to close the vest, and two small pockets have been added to either side of the closure. On the inside of the collar, a ghastly white half-mask has been embroidered.

Cartel: OP | Designer: ?

a breathtaking elfenskin mask

Nariah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:18:18 +0000

Alabaster skin forms the structure of this grisly mask, fashioned from the unmarred face of an elfen woman. Designed to mould perfectly against the face of the wearer, the delicate flesh remains unnervingly silky and supple even after death. A dusky red pigment has coloured the lips, rendering them strikingly sanguine in comparison to the surrounding pale skin. The elfen’s eyelids have been held back and stitched permanently open with fine silk thread, resembling macabre sable eyelashes. Six elegant, curved platinum hooks have been fastened to the edge of the mask, a pair each just below the temples, ears, and jaw, indicating that wearing the mask must come at the price of physical pain on the part of the wearer. On the reverse of the face, the symbol of a ghastly white half-mask has been stamped against the tanned muscle.

Cartel: OP | Designer: Jael

absinthe-hued shroud robes

Nariah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:17:06 +0000

Floating, cloud-like winding sheets of verdant silk flow outwards from this set of elegant greatrobes; subtle embroidery in tarnished gold and oily black runs across the wide sleeves. The shroud-like hood of the garment drapes low, concealing all of the face but mouth and chin. Several layers of fabric make up the body of the robe, most translucent; the innermost layer is opaque, serving to conceal all but the vague curves of the form beneath. Small lines of minute golden buttons glimmer along the torso; corset-style lacing of darker, jade-hued ribbons is visible along the sleeves and back. Small coin-shaped tokens dangle within the enveloping layers of cloth, impressed with the images of the Nine Seals.

Cartel: OP | Designer: Sthai

an exquisitely-scented grey silk pouch

Nariah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:16:00 +0000

Smoky grey silk comprises this delicate pouch, small enough to be held in the palm of the hand and roomy enough for coins and small trinkets. Remarkably striking for its unornamented nature, it is adorned only with a single onyx gem to pull its ribbon-ties closed. In the interior, black silk is pressed with various perfumed herbs, casting a delicate, spicy scent into the air when opened. Embroidered into the interior is the figure of a ghastly half-mask.

Cartel: OP | Designer: Sthai

scorched boots of supple merian hide

Nariah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:14:37 +0000

Hewn of finely-tooled merian hide, these boots are at once intimidating and subduing. Perhaps once a faintly-glistening turquoise, the skin has been torturously stretched, flayed, and scorched to a devastatingly blackened hue, handsome to the eye. The texture of the hide remains: here and there a myriad of metallic scales, almost prismatic in light or shadow, climb along the arch and knee-high length of the boots. They boast a slight, squared heel and strong, slightly-rounded toes, whilst a strap from ankle to ankle is clasped by a buckle made from merian teeth. The symbol of a half-mask in ghastly white is embroidered onto one heel.

Cartel: OP | Designer: ?

a macabre shrunken head pouch

Nariah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:13:35 +0000

Cruelly shrunken and dried into a wrinkled miniature, the head of an otherwise quite attractive merian is strung into a pouch. Slender, braided strips of hide are fashioned into a small loop to hang the pouch from a belt, entwined with the hair of the little merian. Its head has been gutted of brain and bone but for the teeth, which serve as surprisingly able clasps to close the pouch. One eye has been sewn shut and the other intricately preserved, glazed over and infused with its original colour, a stormy grey, whilst the skin itself retains some dull touch of its turquoise hue, though deadened and withered. Charmingly enough, from its ears hang its original silver-charmed hoops, and its white hair curls in a disarray about its neuter face. Embroidered onto one cheek is the small figure of a ghastly half-mask.

Cartel: OP | Designer: ?