Cenyi culture reference

As the picture on the page so neatly shows – or rather, as its caption suggests – the cenya do not generally wear clothing. They have no concept of “naughty bits” that need covering up. (Then again, most of the things we might think of as “naughty bits” are normally hidden on cenyi bodies, or do not exist at all; males do not have exposed dangly things, females do not have breasts.)

In addition, the environments they live in are actually somewhat warmer than what their species originally evolved in. They certainly have no need to cover their bodies for warmth, though this may still be done during especially harsh winters, mostly to avoid discomfort.

Of course, let’s also not forget that the cenya have large(ish) wings, which make it almost impossible to get any kind of clothing on in the first place. The wing membrane runs along the entire back, even onto the upper tenth or so of the tail, making it bloody difficult to wrap something around one’s body.

Things they actually do wear sometimes

So, if they’re usually naked and have no real need for clothes, what do they wear, and when?

The answer is quite simple: they usually wear clothes for ceremonial reasons. And by “clothes”, I technically mean loosely connected strips of fabric arranged in an artful fashion.

Among the more common pieces of clothing is a simple strip of fabric that sort of hangs along the back of the arm (a bit like a sleeve with the arm on the outside), connected to the arm by two fairly thin wooden rings, similar to bracelets (or sometimes velvety bands, but that’s expensive), one just behind the wrist, the other above the elbow. This strip of fabric is in turn connected to something resembling a flat collar, which surrounds (the base of) the neck. By “flat”, I mean that it rests on the shoulders and/or trapezius area, rather than being wrapped around the neck.

From this collar may sometimes hang (along the front) an embroidered, chevron-like thing, which covers about 2/3 of the breadth of the chest and stops just above the belly area. It looks a bit like a very wide and short necktie.

The front of the calf may sometimes have a piece of fabric stretched along it, attached again to two rings – one just under the knee, the other just above the ankle. The tail sometimes has a kind of sleeve wrapped around it, divided into segments of about 20–30 cm (8–12 in) each by, you guessed it, simple wooden rings.

Fabric is made almost exclusively from plant fibres, as furry animals are too small and too rare where the cenya live, and their fur tends to be of insufficient quality anyway. Fabric tends to be fairly expensive, as it is laborious to manufacture and there is little demand for it. As a result, few cenya own more than two or three items of clothing.

Leather does exist as well, but is not used for clothing. It is primarily fashioned into sleeves for the handles of tools and magic staves, not for protection but for extra grip. Gloves are made as well (which may even continue up along most of the forearm), for protection during some labour-intensive activities.

Jewellery

Precious metals – primarily silver and other silver-white metals, but also gold – are frequently made into various pieces of jewellery. By far the most common category of jewellery is thumb rings, which range from simple bands to highly elaborate rings decorated with precious gems.

Jewellery is much more regularly worn than clothing. Most cenya, both male and female, own several kinds of rings of various designs and for various purposes.

As previously mentioned, thumb rings are the most common; the other fingers are often left unadorned. Toes may sometimes receive rings as well, though never the dewclaw (it is too small). Horn rings are typically reserved for ceremonial gatherings, and the tail is never given any rings at all (they tend to slip off too easily).

Bracelets are occasionally worn, but one would more easily spot similar artifacts worn around the calf, just above the ankle.

Chains, when used, are never allowed to hang loose – they are always wrapped tightly around whatever part of the body they are worn on, usually the horn.

Jewellery is entirely absent during hunting.

Consistently unclad body parts

The cenya never wear clothing or jewellery around their necks, their thighs or on their wings. The belly and crotch area is similarly kept uncovered at all times. The knee is also kept free of embellishments, mostly to avoid restricting motion.