You know with Orion being part of the Apostles I thought it was high time he finally get his own soul shroud. Hmm? Oh! What’s a soul shroud? Well, have you ever noticed the various ensembles that some of the other Apostles have been wearing? Well those outfits are more than just a simple fashion statement. XD. There is much more to these outfits than what would be initially expected! How about we explore that for a bit, huh?

Soul Shroud: Soul Shrouds, sometimes referred to as a “Guardian’s Veil”, are the specialized ensembles worn by each member of the Apostles. Soul shrouds are made by Oblivia, but they appear as a nebulous white haze, mimicking the look of a simple soul. When a newly recruited Apostle accepts their new duties and pledge their allegiance to Oblivia, they will be given their soul shroud, which will wrap around them and take a physical form, morphing into their iconic outfit. The outfit’s design is contingent upon the individual it attaches to, meaning that no two soul shrouds will be the same, similar to finger prints. Things such as current occupation, powers, personality, and even thoughts will affect what the resulting outfit will look like. For example, Megumi’s soul shroud adheres to the traditional colors of a miko symbolizing her wish to honor her grandmother, yet the structure is reminiscent of a normal kimono, showing she will become a priestess her own way. After the outfit takes a physically form it will permanently set, preventing the Apostle from changings its appearance.

These outfits are in no way normal as they are essential for an Apostle to combat shadows. A soul shroud, regardless of how much it visibly covers, will disguise the person by coating them in a thin veil of their sparra that prevents normal people from seeing their true self, similar to a shroud, hence the name. To a normal person, the Apostle’s appearance and voice will be distorted as not to give away their true identity. The only people who can see past the shroud are other Apostles and people who know the person very well. To these people the Apostle will appear and talk no different from their usual self. An Apostle can quickly activate and deactivate their soul shroud whenever the moment suits them, allowing them to disguise and reveal themselves should the moment call for it. In addition to disguising the Apostles, soul shrouds provide capable protection. Regardless of what is covered, the soul shroud will protect the Apostle by using the same veil of sparra used to disguise them to help defend against the brunt of any attack, be it physical or sparra based. However, there is a limit to how much the shroud can defend against as the sparra used to protect the user will drain the overall sparra an Apostle has. Something to note is that a soul shroud is intertwined with the person who wears it and acts as a clear representation of the amount of sparra the person has left. If enough sparra is taken from the Apostle, the soul shroud’s protection will weaken causing it to get damaged and show obvious signs the person is weakening, allowing more damage to get through to the Apostle. If enough damage is done the Apostle will be forced out of their soul shroud, and If this happens then the outfit will require time to repair itself, usually in tandem with the naturally restoring sparra the person has. If the Apostle has an ability that allows them to recover sparra then they can either repair the soul shroud while its still active or speed up its restoration if its sealed. It should be noted that soul shrouds can help stave off the effects of the corruption virus and other such demonic influence, but it cannot completely negate it. If an Apostle is hit with a sparra type they are weak to, then the protection will be weakened at a faster rate, causing the person to feel a good portion of the effects. The soul shards can be strengthened, but they can only do so in tandem to the Apostle, such as when they improve their experience with their sparra and increase their sparra capacity.

And there you have it, an explanation to the various outfits the Apostles wear and a look at Orion’s new look. I will more than likely tinker with this design a little bit more in the future, but its no set in stone. This awesome pic was done by Nighthead over on his patreon featuring Orion and his new outfit, go check him out and show him some love!!

*TRIVIA: Orion serves two deities: Oblivia and Erisa. However, the two are currently unaware of the other.