Work Text
Being part of a group of vampire hunters sounds like a cool gig. It’s definitely impressive to call yourself a vampire hunter.
It is definitely
less
impressive to call yourself the tailor for vampire hunters. That’s why they always omit the tailor part of their job description and call themself a vampire hunter.
Still, the Guard of Priwen needs a tailor just like any other group. Uniforms don’t sew themselves, and since most of their members put their work into vampire hunting rather than needlework, they need a designated tailor.
Their work primarily consists of making uniforms and repairing the aftermath of fights. They make a few different kinds of uniforms. The ones they make most often are for the new recruits. This uniform consists of a double-breasted tunic, made of thick brown wool and fastened with buttons made of scrap material by their weapons smith. Grey woolen trousers are sewn with buttons in the waistband to adjust them, so that they only have to make a few sizes. The rookies usually bring their own shoes, though a few have had boots provided for them if they didn’t own any footwear that came up high enough to tuck the trousers into. Any exposed skin when hunting was asking for trouble.
Veterans received a similar uniform, though the tunic was made of a darker grey wool to differentiate them from the rookies. They also had leather pouches held up with straps to carry ammunition. Since they were more often in close combat with leeches, they were also given arm guards to allow them to block attacks and bash leeches with more efficiency.
Gunners wore woolen trousers as well, though some wore brown ones instead of grey. They all wore light brown woolen tunics, however they weren’t double breasted as some had found the button placement of double breasted tunics to be uncomfortable when shooting. They had more pouches than the veterans since they used more ammunition, with some being outfitted with leather bandoliers while others simply strapped pouches to their chest. These were the most annoying to make. Working with leather was arduous, and with the sheer amount of storage space required, the tailor had developed a special hatred for the gunners for that reason alone.
The Brawlers are large. That seems like an obvious statement, but between them and the Chaplains, the tailor uses a
lot
of fabric. They too wear the grey woolen trousers tucked into boots, along with grey tunics similar to the gunners. These ones, however, are outfitted to come up above their noses, since their purpose is to get up close to leeches. Many brawlers had their scarves easily snatched away, so now they wore scarves underneath the tunic which was far more difficult for the leeches to simply rip off. Over that they wore a heavy coat, made of darker grey wool. Brawlers were less able to blend in due to their size and often had to lie in wait for leeches, so their uniforms were made to blend in with the London night. The overcoats are utilitarian, not tailored to fit like most other overcoats of the era. They’ve also been altered by the brawlers themselves to fit more weapons. Along with all that they occasionally wear gas masks, which the tailor sources from the military.
Executioners use unique materials for their uniforms. They handle fire and gas frequently, and their uniforms take the fact that they are likely to set themselves on fire once or twice into account. Their trousers are made of grey wool like all the others, since wool is flame retardant. However, the rest of their clothing has asbestos woven into it, a common practice to prevent fires that’s been used for decades. They wear a longer tunic made of light brown wool underneath a dark leather tunic, worn to protect them from the chemicals they handle and to facilitate easy cleaning should any spill. They also wear a hooded capelet, which helps shield them from blasts and can be easily taken off and used to put out a fire. Gloves lined with asbestos are given out to all executioners, along with heavy boots and gas masks. They often carry large bags strapped to their person, since their ammunition doesn’t fit in a typical bandolier.
The final uniform, the chaplain’s, is the most complex. They wear a bright wool red tunic and metal mask, along with grey woolen trousers and boots. The mask is worn not only to protect their faces and mouths, but also to cover their faces as a sign of their devotion to God. The chaplains believe they are carrying out God’s will, with Him acting through them, and therefore cover their faces to act as God’s hand in the war against leeches. Their cape is strapped across their chest. Since they carry no weapons, they have no need for extra pouches. Their weapon is their faith. Faith is the strongest weapon against a vampire, and faith is also what makes their uniforms so complex. It is what the leech doesn’t see that protects the chaplains.
Honestly, if it weren’t for their fear of angering God, the tailor would hate the chaplains more than the gunners. Each chaplain has a unique set of runes and sigils embroidered into the inside of their tunic. They tell the tailor which ones and in which places, as they believe that these will offer more protection and power against leeches. The tailor has become quite adept at embroidering exact religious symbols. Memorably, one chaplain asked for the entire exorcism ritual embroidered into their tunic in Latin, to which the tailor had to gently explain that they only had so much fabric. They then asked for ‘as many crosses as you can fit on there’.
The tailor fit 66 crosses into the inside of the tunic, then panicked and embroidered one more tiny cross over the seam.
Repairs take up most of their time. Fighting leeches is dirty work, and both the clothes and the men that wear them have the scars to show for it. If they’re not sewing uniforms, they can usually be found mending gashes from leech claws, or punctures from bites, or holes from the swords toff leeches are so fond of, or rips from falling and being thrown into walls. Most of their uniforms end up covered in patches or recycled into scrap fabric when the repairs are too extensive.
Commander McCullum gets to wear his own clothes, but still often asks the tailor for repairs when it’s far too suspicious to bring to a regular tailor and far too difficult for his basic sewing skills.
Every member of Priwen is given a red scarf. The red scarf has become what they are recognized by, and the tailor is selfishly proud of that. They knit almost all the scarves themself, helped by the few members who have the time and skill to knit. McCullum is one of those members, apparently having learned to knit from his mother, though he goes quiet when anybody asks further. He’s not the only one in Priwen who goes quiet when asked about family. The tailor thinks it’s a funny image, their leader sitting in his office surrounded by paperwork or obsessing over that doctor-leech, or whatever it is he does all day, all while carefully knitting a scarf. All the scarves are made with double stockinette stitches and soft red yarn. They’re finished with the Priwen insignia embroidered onto the end, then handed off to whatever member requires it. The scarves are necessary for preventing leech blood from getting in their mouths, but they’ve also taken on a new meaning to the Priwen members. They wear them with pride, as a symbol of brotherhood and survival, and the tailor is proud to have given them that.