Item from A Practical Guide to Evil by ErraticErrata
Catherine's cloak — stitched from the banners of defeated enemies, once containing Akua Sahelian's bound soul, the physical symbol of everything the Black Queen has conquered and carried.
The Mantle of Woe is Catherine's signature — a cloak assembled from the banners of enemies she's defeated. It's a trophy case you can wear, a reminder to everyone who sees it that the woman inside has beaten whoever's colors they're looking at. For much of the series, it contained Akua Sahelian's soul — bound inside the fabric as punishment and tool. Akua could emerge as a shade, advise Catherine, and was gradually changed by the proximity. When Catherine freed her, the Mantle lost its shade but not its symbolic weight.
A heavy cloak stitched from strips of enemy banners — each strip a defeat, each thread a battle. It looks like a quilt made of war. When Akua's soul was bound in it, the cloak seemed to shift and whisper. After Akua was freed, it's just a cloak. But it's a cloak that weighs more than cloth.
Also known as: Mantle of Woe, the Mantle