When one of your comrades is about to be bashed to death by a guy who is much larger, heaver and with better weapons and armor than you… well, there are not many options!
I’ve probably mentioned it before, but in recent times I’ve been trying to give my catfolk a more unique look. Before I heavily based their armors, architecture and clothing on Central Asian / Indo-persian museum pieces, but now I’m trying to do something more original. The influence of the above mentioned cultures would still be there, but I’d like to avoid shamelessly copying from real-life examples.
On this note, the “flying cat” is wearing a typical Ajshari padded armor. He has breeches with reinforced parts tied to a belt, and his torso and shoulders are covered by padded armor made out of coarse and very resistant plant fibers. Unlike a gambeson, this armor doesn’t have a proper padding made of cotton or linen, and allows the wearer to stay colder in the harsh desert climate. It’s still good enough to stop arrows and protect the wearer from a good amount of slashes and blunt damage.
These armors often have a top layer made of compressed cloth pieces hardened by being soaked in salt water and later dried.
-end rant-