Fouillard & Gabbardine’s

pron. Fool-Ard and Gabba-Deens

An Arcane Tailor, Milliner & Haberdasher.

Write one's name in its gigantic, leather-bound book, and stand before its resplendent, dream summoning mirror.

There, simply wish of whatever cloth or robe, accessory or apparel you desire, and you shall see it worn upon your reflection.

Be it stitched of rare and weightless silk swept from the queen of spiders, or a near-impenetrable cotton spun by the winds of the mountain gods, within 24 hours of envisioning it upon yourself, and deciding that it shall be so, it shall be yours ... for a price.

1 ~ Enter, and find the establishment entirely bereft of staff. Unseen hands are close at hand, however, should such assistance be required.

2 ~ Sign your name in the enormous, leather-bound ledger housed upon an ornate cherry-wood lectern.

3 ~ Stand before the grand, gold-framed mirror. You may be astonished to find yourself reflected therein as naked as a winter tree. Fear not; none else perceive this effect.

4 ~ Imagine then the article of clothing, or the outfit entirely, that you require tailored.

5 ~ See it appear upon your reflection, ready for you to make adjustments, wholesale changes, and to consent to its preparation; a thought will do, or even the slightest nod of the head.

6 ~ Depart forthwith. A small, elegantly scented favour of paper-thin slate shall thereafter appear somewhere upon your person. Gold embossing upon both sides states the following :
On one side, your name and the time of collection for your order upon the following day. On its reverse is simply written the names of Fouillard & Gabbardine.

7 ~ Payment is taken at some point in the future (at the GM's discretion, or decided by the roll of a dice. For example 1d100 days, or hours).
The form this payment takes might be a memory, a treasured possession, a known spell, a family member, a day of the PC's life, the taste of a favourite food, or even the nails from one’s fingers and toes.

8 ~ After taking possession of their bespoke article(s), the wearer shall - in short order - begin to discern various wondrous benefits and boons unique to the wearer's skills and capacity. These aspects do not transfer should another individual don the articles.

Please note : the establishment of Fouillard & Gabbardine may be found one day, and yet gone the next. Its location is transitory, its business never-ending.

Use this section as a quick reference during play, or at the start of a Session to refresh your GM senses!

Sights
~ Tall, opaquely glazed windows either side of a single large door - the timbers of both being painted a deep shade of greenish-blue.

~ A spacious, single room lit by dim arcane lamps. Dark mahogany covers the walls and floors, the latter of which is peppered with enormous, intricately woven rugs.

~ A high ceiling is ornately painted with cherubic scenes, lambs frolicking, boughs bulging with fruits and flowers and a sky filled with shimmering, golden stars.

~ From within, one can see the world outside but as though it were in slow motion; from without, one cannot see into the arcane ateliers at all; instead beholding only crystalline refractions and reflections flecked with gold.

~ Glass fronted, mahogany cases displaying various hat and tie-pins fashioned from moths, butterflies, and beetles, as well as cufflinks, garters, silk handkerchiefs, and various accoutrements most elegant.

~ Two large, high-backed leather armchairs either side of a similarly upholstered, grandiose chaise-lounge. The three are arranged before a small table, upon which sits a pot of freshly prepared chamomile tea, along with a number of bone-china teacups suitable for the number of customers present.

Sounds
~ The gentle ticking, and occasional mellow chime, of an unseen clock.

~ An almost muffled, and too close, silence; as though something - or someone - were at one's ear, listening intently to the smallest of thoughts.

~ A gentle fluttering, as though pages of a book were somewhere being turned.

~ Very occasionally, the sound of a floorboard creaking beneath the weight of an unseen step.

Smells
~ About the doorway that of sweet rosed and honeysuckle; very delicate hints, and not at all overpowering.

~ Mahogany, leather, and hints of sandalwood, chalk, and orange peel.

~ When stood regarding one's reflection before the mirror, one might discern the smallest olfactory presence of whatever region or realm the fabric(s) imagined originate.

~ The faintest hint of a chill, as though a droplet of winter had been distilled within a midsummer's day, and then placed delicately between one's shoulder blades.

The decor; the fittings; the fixtures; the quality of every thread and every button upon the furnishings; all speak, in their manner, of a great deal of coin having passed through the coffers. Yet not so much as a sniff of a copper piece might be discerned.

Still, a business is a business, and a trade is a trade, and the services of Fouillard and Gabbardine are greatly desired by those of high status and a heavy purse.

To arrive at its grand doors one would have heard the names of the proprietors spoken only in whispers, bringing the swell of yearning to partake in this unparalleled couture.

And so the rich and the lordly do come, eager to part with coin.

For each and every customer there is a unique piece yet to be exquisitely tailor made. 

The bespoke nature of such creations extends to the payment also. 

But it is not the fabrics, nor the trimmings, not cotton spools, nor the variously assorted pins that are imported, but the payment that a customer shall make; each bill a rare and true distillation from whomsoever is now adorned in the fine articles of Fouillard & Gabbardine.

Robes and gowns, shawls and capes, bonnets and berets, camisoles and corsets, jackets, housecoats, leg-warmers and long-johns, ponchos and petticoats, and so, so much more besides!

Not to mention handkerchiefs, and gloves, and bracers, and belts, and more!

All of it exquisitely fashioned, from the most luxurious and lasting fabrics rare and unique, cut and sewn and stitched with such miraculous precision and fitted to its wearer as though it were a second skin.

Being not an Inn nor a Guest-House, there are no bedchambers to be found.

One might, it is supposed, simply roll up within one of the many rugs, or find some comfort in the leather chairs but, in truth, it is not sleep one seeks from Fouillard and Gabbardine - it is arcane attire most remarkable!

The proprietors, however, do have rather resplendent lodgings - but not upon this plane; for though they are always near, they are always very, very far away.

Would were we to label the namesakes of this establishment geniuses, it would be no hyperbole.

The craftsmanship is near unrivalled; the designs otherworldly. But Fouillard and Gabbardine do not work alone.

A great deal of their success (not to mention the alarming speed at which the work is completed) is due to the Minnows; a host of many unseen hands at play.

Measurements, the cutting of fabrics, the fusing, hemming, stitching and sewing - all under the watchful, ever present eye of Fouillard and Gabbardine, but none of it untouched by those Minnows - the ethereal employees of this arcane ateliers.

Refinement, elegance, and the pursuit of beauty through the act of creating, and wearing, exquisite articles of clothing and accessories.

Fouillard and Gabbardine delight in celebrating individualism, and practice the art of arcane expression and amalgamation in their unique creations.

The two tailors believe that the proliferation of magic is their duty, and see no better, or higher, vehicle than couture.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and is intended simply to stir the pot of your own imagination.

Use what follows as starting-points, or ignore them entirely in favour of your own Adventure Hooks!

Roll 1d8 or choose from the Table below :

1 - The Party have invitations to a Grand Ball, Reception, or Event, and are in dire need of a wardrobe refreshment!

2 - An unknown patron wishes to hire the Party to steal Fouillard and Gabbardine's arcane mirror, with plans to utilise it in dark rituals.

3 - A filthy street urchin approaches the Party; an unsettling number of their kin and kind have gone missing of late, and rumours abound that the establishment of Fouillard and Gabbardine is somehow connected.

4 - A dangerous magic item has fallen into the Party's hands. There is some small chance that it originated within the walls of Fouillard and Gabbardine.

5 - A Mage has offered the Party a sum of gold coin to retrieve one, or more, of the unseen hands from Fouillard and Gabbardine, insisting that they were stolen from them.

6 - A mysterious figure is rumoured to be behind a spate of robberies at a number of noble houses. The magic they are utilising sends a trail directly to Fouillard and Gabbardine.

7 - A pair of arcane shears, capable of cutting through any known material, are kept locked in a glass display case somewhere within the arcane ateliers. Retrieve them for a local noble, and receive the deeds to a parcel of land.

8 - The extra-planar home of Fouillard and Gabbardine is said to house all manner of arcane secrets. Discovering its location would bring untold riches!

ROLL 1d20 for an FOUILLARD & GABBARDINE TRINKET,
or choose from the Table below :

1 - A small square of grey, endless chalk. Most assuredly cursed.

2 - A small glass jar, full of tiny, variously coloured pins.

3 - Delicate golden scissors, shaped as though to depict a stork.

4 - An expensive looking leather satchel, stuffed full of variously sized rib-bones, each one wrapped in lamb's wool.

5 - Several finger puppets, all grotesque in nature, fashioned from fabric off-cuts.

6 - A lengthy strip of a tape measure. Instead of numbers upon it, however, there are names.

7 - A golden thimble.

8 - A yard-stick fashioned from willow.

9 - A tracing-wheel whose teeth are made of sharpened bone.

10 - A reel of unbreakable cotton thread.

11 - A small clay pot, stoppered with cork, half full of an unusual sticky paste.

12 - A pair of silver cufflinks with awakened, ever-moving eyes upon them.

13 - A linen pouch full of flax seed and horse hair.

14 - A large, bull’s bladder full of steam.

15 - A bright blue silk pouch full of a never-ending supply of variously sized buttons.

16 - A hat-pin decorated with a delicate butterfly encased in thin glass.

17 - An elegantly thin pair of self-tying boot laces.

18 - A string of near-translucent pearls. Each is, in fact, an egg.

19 - A length of rope fashioned from variously coloured strips of velvet, linen, wool, silk, chiffon, leather, and lace.

20 - A large, and obviously ancient, book detailing garments fitting for fantastical creatures.

Below are a few examples of ready-to-wear items you may wish to offer to your Party.

Roll 1d6 or choose from the Table below :

1 - Elusive Espadrille
a closed-toe sandal that leaves neither footprint nor impression regardless of the stepped upon surface.

2 - Temperate Tunic
feel not the ill effects of cold nor heat when warmly wrapped in this wool so neat.

3 - Chaperon of Becoming
blending into the crowd has never been easier with this hooded garment of many folds.

4 - The Belt of All Sizes
adjust the fit of this elegant leatherwork with care, for it shall also adjust one's size!

5 - Cape of Good Will
never a friend shall you be without when garbed in such beloved finery!

6 - Burly Bracers
these handsome adornments ensure that all loads are lighter.

Roll 1d6 for a Fouillard & Gabbardine Encounter or choose
from the Table below :

1 - A large and unruly family noisily enters. A rabble of snotty-faced children begin to clamber and climb upon every surface, whilst the parents angrily begin to pull up the floorboards.

2 - A wild street dog has somehow gained entry, and is cowering in one corner, growling viciously as though to attack any who approach. In its jaws it grips a pin-cushion in the shape of a plump bear.

3 - Reams of fabric and thread are appearing as though from thin air, endlessly unspooling and threatening to fill the entire room, suffocating and burying anyone within.

4 - A dishevelled and elderly knight lay upon the chaise-lounge, their finely wrought armour slowly shrinking upon their frail form, seemingly about to crush them to death.

5 -Mowsole, the hairlessly indignant cat, has begun to eat various articles of furniture, and is rapidly growing in both size and appetite.

6 -Orlow, the eyeless beggar, is drawing unusual signs and sigils in tailor's chalk upon the windows of Fouillard & Gabbardine, causing great explosions of buttons, thread, needles & pins.