#finis initivm

god love you, vampy- even if i didn't use all of these in this particular playlist, i was still able to find new music through your suggestions~~~~~ ^^

2o19, November; the resounding Sky Trumpets which lasted for two weeks straight (In hindsight, this was the heralding of the Beginning of the End.)

2o2o, January; the beginning of the so-called "Seraphic Wars", aka "The Seraphic Splintering", "The Abandonment" or "Kingdom-Come" (Really, only Heaven could know what actually happened, but from the not-very-trustworthy intel given by Luciferians, i.e. fallen angels, angels literally went to war with one another on high and Earth, which ultimately served as their theater of war, was caught in the crossfire. "Collateral damage". Others, however, have a much more sinister belief.)

2o41, July-August; The Sword from the Sky Battle (The very one from which Reyer Witolt emerged as a heroic figure.)

2o42, August; the sudden cessation of the divine violence- when, mercifully, the Heavens fell silent again. (Twenty years of brutality upon Earth and Man- over in a blink. The devestation caused by the War, the incessant disease, supernatural elements and utter decimation of human civilization, all told, claimed over sixty percent of the human populace, according to post-war reports. As for the details of just what transpired... Once again from dubious sources, but it is alleged that one side won that day while the other side was cast down to Earth in a mass banishment, resulting in the scourge of Luciferians post-war. That said, they're a rare sighting, and most of them, if not all, are thoroughly human-repulsed. They will, however, smugly tell anyone who will listen that 'God' was overthrown by them. Gone and never restored. Whoever is in charge now, not surprisingly, they seem reluctant to speak about it.)

2o42, December; Ripalta, Humanity's Great Haven, is established as a restoration project city.

2o49, September; Ripalta's Solamen District is completed.

2o5o, March; Florisdelfa Settlement is raided.

Generally, lots and lots of recycled and/or repurposed clothing items and fabrics- really no wrong answers here. In my head, people are wearing what they can get their hands on, even if it's as random as an old school sports jersey, or else sewing together and handmaking their own clothes to fit specific purposes. Some Medieval and ancient world influence in accessories (just for my own fun). Nothing too "clean"-looking, though.

Ripalta, specifically, has a style/aesthetic due to the local seamstresses who actively collect materials to make clothes for those who enter the city in need. Breathable linen items, for the most part, given Ripalta's mild-to-sweltering coastal weather- and also the fabric's ready availability. Since the city itself is a Medieval relic, those taking on the task of seamstress like to pay homage to this fact with subtle nods to the past. In short, within Ripalta, one is as likely to see someone wearing a tunic or light robes out and about as they are to see a ratty AC/DC tee. { Also, some sea scraps as accessories, shells and glass etc. }

Outside of Ripalta and other restored cities, I imagine clothing getting rattier, dustier, Mad Max-ier, for sure.

In my head, Florisdelfa would've had a sort of pagan-priestess vibe to their clothing- headcoverings and a more gauzy and virginal palette, say, than Ripalta.

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very preliminary visuals for vell's wardrobe below (also binx walton's scar)

Isavell *Theonymphe - A remnant of Florisdelfa, a settlement of women and children only. Towards the end and after the war, she was raised in Florisdelfa by a surviving sect of so-called "nuns" until raiders massacred the settlement, leaving few alive in the wake of destruction. Isavell and her sister, Lara, were part of the lucky handful of survivors. They were taken in by The Swells afterwards at it was the most immediate safe location for them. Currently, Isavell- "Vell" for short- is newly out of quarantine and awaiting quarters and duties assignments along with her sister- something she's not at all content about but sees no other choice in. After all, she and her sister are not used to living among men- not at all used to such a huge and bustling city. Then there are the rumors which revolve around a relic of the war, an Angelic object thrown down and yet unretrieved, somehow hidden within the walls of city... It bodes ill. The Swells, even in quarantine outside of the walls, are already a massive culture shock. Though hesitant, with no other choice and a heavy desire to keep her little sister safe by any means, Vell can only hope for the best...and try to forget about the rumor.

*The surname of all the orphans taken into Florisdelfa. { Meaning "bride of god", from Greek θεος (theos) "god" and νυμφη (nymphe) "bride, young wife". A name that belonged to one of 40 holy virgins martyred in Adrianople at the beginning of the 4th century. }

Lara Theonymphe - Isavell's younger sister. A survivor of the Florisdelfa massacre, like her sister. However, unlike her sister, Lara is impatient to get into the walled city, for a measure of safety. During the massacre of Florisdelfa, Lara was exposed to horrors not easily scrubbed from her mind's eye. For the past days since she witnessed the bloody ends of those she considered family, she hasn't said much. Hasn't eaten much or considered much else besides her own dark thoughts. Largely sheltered from the war by the women of Florisdelfa, this has been her first run-in with such a scene. Sickening hate, blood-smeared floors and faces, and the children... Though Lara knows her escape with her sister is incredibly fortunate, a large part of her feels numb anyway- as though, in the end, she did not make it out alive.

Reyer Witolt - Grieve (i.e. usually, restoration overseer and/or settlement head) of The Swells. Grieve Witolt is a well-known figure of the War- hailed as "The Champion of Mortals" for his achievements in a famous battle wherein an Angelic (what everyone can only describe as a) "blade" dropped from a dark opening in the heavens and skwered through the earth, errupting in a tower of swirling blue flame- scorching scores of mortals to little more than blackened earth. Witolt was present and reportedly saved a hundred or so people and soldiers, at great risk to his own life, by guiding them into an underground trench where they were only narrowly spared death by venerated flame. There's a good deal of talk surrounding his vanquishing of a fallen angel around the same time- a feat so unreal, many assume it is indeed just talk. Still, the talk persists and Witolt can only be seen as a living legend. To say nothing of the well-tended city under his charge. The Swells are, by far, one of the more prosperous in the new world order- one of the safest for the mere fact that Witolt is its great protector.