General Appearance information
FRISIANS
The favoured pattern on clothing was checkers, stripes being more Frankish. There were two main types of top: the kafkan tunic, or wrap-around, seen on the left here, which was Danish influenced and more fashionable on the continent, though getting less so around the time of the Invasion. The other was a simple tunic. Both were often worn with tunics underneath, "undershirts" if you will. Instead of boxers they wore a pair of wool or linen shorts called breetches. Over this they could wear another pair of shorts or trousers, which could go from quite tailored (verging on hosen) to very baggy (verging on jodphurs). Here you can see a normal width and a thick width. Around the legs everyone wore winingas, which were a type of puttees, which could be plain or decorated. Shoes were leather, as pictured. Standard equipment was a metal or leather helmet, usually with a bonnet underneath as padding, and in terms of weapons a circular shield, usually a metre wide, so very large, though mercenaries favoured much smaller shields, a sword (less ornate for poor people, for peasants just a stick of wood and a standard, non-welded blade, gilded, bejewelled and welded for the rich), two or three throwing spears and a spear. Some had axes or throwing axes, and most people had a seax (small or long dagger, by this period mostly small, though big-knife was still a kenning). Richer people had helmets and sometimes vambraces and grieves in a splinted style (not traditionally what you'd call 'splinted') Chainmail was fastened with bronze rivets and usually short-sleeved and half-knee length, though could be longer or shorter sleeved and longer or shorter hemmed. Usually undecorated.
If you have any other questions do ask. If anyone wants to play a female I'll add details for those, though any warrior female (which would be excruciatingly rare, probably 0 in a force as small as Ivarr's) would wear these too. Note there is 0 evidence of any woman fighting ever in the Early Middle Ages, only defending a settlement (which is [understandably] using her knife to try and not get raped, not active military service).
NORSE
See all the above, though with the Kafkan being much more popular. The grimhelm was also presumably a lot more popular, which was a helmet with a mask on it. A king (so no one involved here) would have the face of a God on his, such as Sutton-Hoo, which depicts Woden.
CHARACTER SHEET
Name:
Age (DOB):
Gender:
Bio (at the very least why involved in the Invasion):
Appearance:
Personality (Optional):
Race/Tribe:
Kingdom Serves:
Heathen Leader serves [Ivarr/Sigurðr, the Irish, Guthrum or Ubbe] (Optional):
Gear (Optional):
Clothing (Optional):
Family:
CHARACTERS THAT NEED TO BE REPRESENTED: Ivarr/Sigurðr, the Dublinn leader of the Irish (unnamed in the sources, so feel free to name him), Jarl Guthrum. I'll be playing as Ubbe.
FRISIANS
The favoured pattern on clothing was checkers, stripes being more Frankish. There were two main types of top: the kafkan tunic, or wrap-around, seen on the left here, which was Danish influenced and more fashionable on the continent, though getting less so around the time of the Invasion. The other was a simple tunic. Both were often worn with tunics underneath, "undershirts" if you will. Instead of boxers they wore a pair of wool or linen shorts called breetches. Over this they could wear another pair of shorts or trousers, which could go from quite tailored (verging on hosen) to very baggy (verging on jodphurs). Here you can see a normal width and a thick width. Around the legs everyone wore winingas, which were a type of puttees, which could be plain or decorated. Shoes were leather, as pictured. Standard equipment was a metal or leather helmet, usually with a bonnet underneath as padding, and in terms of weapons a circular shield, usually a metre wide, so very large, though mercenaries favoured much smaller shields, a sword (less ornate for poor people, for peasants just a stick of wood and a standard, non-welded blade, gilded, bejewelled and welded for the rich), two or three throwing spears and a spear. Some had axes or throwing axes, and most people had a seax (small or long dagger, by this period mostly small, though big-knife was still a kenning). Richer people had helmets and sometimes vambraces and grieves in a splinted style (not traditionally what you'd call 'splinted') Chainmail was fastened with bronze rivets and usually short-sleeved and half-knee length, though could be longer or shorter sleeved and longer or shorter hemmed. Usually undecorated.
If you have any other questions do ask. If anyone wants to play a female I'll add details for those, though any warrior female (which would be excruciatingly rare, probably 0 in a force as small as Ivarr's) would wear these too. Note there is 0 evidence of any woman fighting ever in the Early Middle Ages, only defending a settlement (which is [understandably] using her knife to try and not get raped, not active military service).
NORSE
See all the above, though with the Kafkan being much more popular. The grimhelm was also presumably a lot more popular, which was a helmet with a mask on it. A king (so no one involved here) would have the face of a God on his, such as Sutton-Hoo, which depicts Woden.
CHARACTER SHEET
Name:
Age (DOB):
Gender:
Bio (at the very least why involved in the Invasion):
Appearance:
Personality (Optional):
Race/Tribe:
Kingdom Serves:
Heathen Leader serves [Ivarr/Sigurðr, the Irish, Guthrum or Ubbe] (Optional):
Gear (Optional):
Clothing (Optional):
Family:
CHARACTERS THAT NEED TO BE REPRESENTED: Ivarr/Sigurðr, the Dublinn leader of the Irish (unnamed in the sources, so feel free to name him), Jarl Guthrum. I'll be playing as Ubbe.
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