Kantlara

Kantlara were a special kind of vest worn by clerics of Oghma, the Lord of Knowledge.

Description
These vests were black and adorned in symbols sewn onto it in gold braid. The symbols were widely varying, with glyphs, runes, sigils, and other images of magical power, arcane significance, or important meaning from many realms and from many periods of history all known to be found on kantlara. These could be any size and could be placed anywhere on the vest, as the wearer preferred.

Usage
When a priest of Oghma rose within the ranks of the clergy, they usually experienced a dream vision showing them a certain symbol, which they would then sew onto their kantlara using gold braid. As a result, each priest's kantlara was unique and deeply personal to them.

Should a priest somehow lose or be parted from their kantlara, they were permitted a replacement. This was a crimson or purple vest bearing the blank-scroll holy symbol of Oghma upon the back and the symbol of Chelsinara on each breast. Meaning "I learn," it depicted two cupped hands with thumbs touching and fingers pointing upward.

Loremaster Jaon had a kantlara made for her by her grandmother, who also a loremaster of Oghma.

Brocade vs Braid
There is some discrepancy about the design of a kantlara. The first source to describe it, Forgotten Realms Adventures, says it is "a vest of black and gold brocaid", but 'brocaid' is a misspelling of either 'braid' or 'brocade'. Brocade is a type of fabric with woven designs used to make clothing, while a braid is an interlaced combination of threads used to adorn clothing. Running the Realms converts this to 'braid' while Faiths & Avatars chooses 'brocade', but its expanded description uses 'braid' again. As the text clearly describes the symbols as "sewn on... using gold braid" it is clear that 'braid' is correct, and this is adopted above. Lastly, "The Rose Window" also uses 'brocade'.

Appearances

 * Realms of Mystery: "The Rose Window"