Uniana (prime)/Socks for Soldiers
The following is player-created lore based on a shared idea between the players of Elaejia, Daevian and Uniana. It has manifested into an event that teaches characters how to knit while providing supplies.
Socks for Soldiers or Socks for Solstice
While there are some varying accounts on some of the specifics of this tradition there are some firm facts which we can trace back to a controversy during the reign of King Aradhuin. Under centuries of peace and relative prosperity, the Vaalorians ranks were fuller than ever and thanks to an effective campaign against Viscious Ether led by Master Legionnaire Obvellia Urnseth Vaalor, legionnaires we're enthusiastically renewing their contracts and staying much longer than their required hundred years.
The Lady of the Exchequer at the time made the recommendations to reduce the spending of the army and one of the more hilarious controversies to arise was the removal of standard issue socks.
Vaalorian Legion socks were produced much like the rest of the Crimson Legion uniforms, right here in the Vaalorian City-State. The government tenants large acreage to farmers in an effort to subsidize the wool for their own usage. The best wool and fleeces are harvested just at the beginning of summer and the farmers can sell them strictly for profit to artisan tailors whereas the rest of the supply is stored until winter.
During the winter months the wool is transported to a large processing facility under the Fortress. Cleaning wool can be a tedious process to ensure it doesn't become felted. It is boiled gently three times before being hung to dry. The huge boiling vats are connected to a pipe system which helps to heat the Guardian Keep throughout the colder months. Another opportunity the Vaalorians have capitalized on to demonstrate their efficiency and ingenuity in supporting the largest force on Elanthia.
Documents at the time state that the arguments against standard issue socks was that they were the most disposable part of the uniform. Marching soldiers could go through a handful of pairs within weeks. Moreso the socks, since they could not be seen, we're often a method of individual preference. The height, the desire to wear two pairs at once or to wear them until threadbare. In part of a larger reduction of costs decree, Sovereign Aradhuin signed into effect that socks would be the responsibility of the individual legionnaire to provide going forward but there was a small compensation in their pay to sign the adoption of this measure was not intended to create undue burden on the legionnaire.
It was that following Solstice that one High Legionnaire had their troupe begin the tradition. One rumor suggests that they were in the middle of a campaign, up near the Loenthran border chasing raiders who had anchored to get away from the tumultuous ocean. Everything was going wrong and the High Legionnaire would wryly joke, "at least we have an endlessly supply of fresh clean socks." When the soldiers wrote home they all asked for homemade socks and during the evening of Solstice presented them to the High Legionnaire to howls of amusement and it greatly succeeded in healing the morale.
The story swiftly spread throughout the Legion and the next year bandons far and near would receive socks from home, made with care and revel in garishness, the simplicity of the feel of new warm socks and the desire of those back home to eagerly offer comfort and joy during the darkest time of the year.