Had some personal head canons about Night Elves and ranks in two of their major organizations. Wanted to establish design notes for myself for when I draw characters in the future.
Ranks:
Cadet - Basic armor. No flourishes.
Sentinel - Feathers are added to the uniform.
Ranger/Huntress - Two claws are added to the uniform, as are gems to the belt and helmet. Ranger is elite infantry while Huntress is saber cavalry.
Captain - Two more claws are added to the armor, for a total of four. Gems are added to chest. Captains oversee units or smaller areas.
Commander - Two more claws are added, for a total of six. Commanders oversee several captains or entire regions. The General is the highest ranked commander.
Text in image below: When a night elf reaches 100 years of age she is inducted to the Sentinels for the next 100 years. Uniform color is based on the environment of where they are stationed. If they stay with the Sentinels after the mandatory 100 years, feathers are added to their uniform, the feather color are their choice. When a Sentinel receives a rank, claws and gems are added to their uniform to easily show this rank. More gems and claws are added as rank goes up. Sentinels also chose gem type and color, though pure white gems are reserved for Priestesses of the Moon. White moons must be clear on a priestess's armor.
Ranks:
Maiden - Blue robes, decorated with dark blue sashes. Maidens cannot be initiated until the woman in question completes her mandatory 100 years in the Sentinels.
Sister - After their training is complete, they receive their white moonsilk robes and can choose the color of their sashes- so long as it's a dark color. The longer the women serves as a priestess the more platinum jewelry she accumulates.
Mother - A leadership position. Overseers of a shine, temple, or village reach this rank, and their sashes are pastel.
Elder - Their robes and sashes are completely white. These Priestesses oversee entire regions, much like a Sentinel Commander. The High Priestess is the highest ranked Elder.
Cleric- Not a rank, but a type of Priestess that is also a member of the Sentinels. (Though time spent in the Sentinels is a requirement of joining the sisterhood, there is not a need to remain in them once finished with their required service.)
Text in image below: Robes of the Sisterhood of the Moon made of moonsilk and are decorated in platinum jewelry. Platinum is considered Elune's metal due to its scarcity and its resilience, and is reserved for priestesses and holy jewelry.
The longer a woman is a priestess, the more jewelry she is ordained with. Initiates are called "Maidens" and wear blue robes, to emulate the Blue Child.
Once they are formally ordained, they wear white robes and become "Sisters". Sisters have dark sashes, their choice of colors. Sashes lighten as the priestess's rank goes up, indicating the glowing brightness of the moon. Rank is less about power and more to indicate chain of command.
When a Sister becomes a leader of some sort, like of a shrine, village, or organization, they become a "Mother". Mothers wear pastel sashes.
Elders are the highest rank, reserved for priestesses that oversee an entire region. Elders and the High Priestess wear all white. Clerics are a subset of priestesses that are warriors, not a rank. Their sash and armor clearly display their rank, and veteran priestesses wear armor coated in platinum.
During Imperial times, robes were wrap dresses that emulated moonbeams wrapping around the body, and arcane magic allowed for ethereal effects. Cloth color denoted the rank of priestess.
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