voenje

Voenje is a traditional textile practice described in worldbuilding sources as part of the fictional Lyrani culture of the northern highlands. The term derives from the Lyrani voen-, meaning "to bind," with the suffix -je denoting a craft. Classical voenje combines backstrap weaving with storytelling to produce large tapestries that encode genealogies, legends, and communal agreements. Dyes are prepared from local plants, yielding muted earth tones characteristic of the region.

Origins and development: Chronicles place voenje in the early settlement era along the River Tora, where weaving groups formed as mutual-aid guilds. By the medieval period it had become a social event, with apprentices learning from master weavers during public demonstrations and seasonal gatherings.

Practice: A voenje session begins with a brief ceremonial invocation of ancestral protection. Mixed-age groups assemble around looms; participants contribute threads to a communal warp, while a designated narrator recites verses that guide patterns. The finished piece records family lines, land rights, and treaties, serving as memory and legal symbol.

Modern context: Voenje remains a living tradition within the fictional region, adapted by craft collectives that market tapestries while seeking to preserve technique. Some practitioners debate preservation versus modernization and experiment with new looms and dye materials.

See also: textile guilds, oral history, folk art traditions.