Roadwarden's Jack

A sturdy leather jack reinforced with neatly riveted iron scales, its brass buckles dulled by weather and handling. The oiled hide is soft at the shoulders but stiff across the chest, and it carries the clean, earthy scent of saddle grease.

The first of these jacks was made for Mara Venn, a roadside reeve who walked the King's Mile during a winter of constant rain. After she pulled three travelers from a flooded culvert, the grateful villagers began leaving warm meals in the pockets of her armor.

The jack sheds rain, mud, and road dust with a shake, leaving its wearer dry beneath it. Its straps settle comfortably against the body each morning, no matter how roughly they were packed or fastened the night before.