Cardwyn vs. Nevelanthana

Given that I have a pair of Mages --okay, more than a pair, but I count Deuce as merely an extension of Cardwyn 1.0-- I'm at that point in their respective careers that I'd like to do something that I call...

Who wore it better?

After a certain point, my Mages run through the same gear because, well, you're not always going to get BiS gear all the time while leveling. I mean, if you wanted to you could try to run Shadowfang Keep a lot, but there's absolutely no guarantee you won't outlevel the place by the time you do get into enough runs to pick the keep clean of Mage gear. The same goes for Scarlet Monastery's Library and Cathedral wings; the original Cardwyn needed well over a half dozen runs of SM:Cath to finally obtain the often sought after Whitemane's Chapeau, and since Blizz tweaked leveling in the TBC Classic prepatch to speed up the L30s through to the L50s, you'll shoot right on past the Scarlet Monastery wings before you know it.

I have a definite preference for Frost Mages, especially when questing out in the field, so both Neve and Card have sewed together clothing with spellpower --and frost bonuses-- built in. The frost bonuses tend to show up in crafted gear in the Mageweave and Runecloth clothing, but the Azure Silk pieces do provide a lot of bang for the buck in terms of spellpower.

The first thing that pops into my head
is "Halloween Sexy Pirate costume"...

...and the second thing is
"that sunburn would suck."

Given that the ideal levels for wearing this gear would put you right in the middle of in more temperate and tropical areas, such as Stranglethorn Vale, Hillsbrad Foothills, Thousand Needles, and Arathi Highlands, it kind of makes sense to wear something suited for the weather. And without the robes, a potential enemy could quite easily underestimate who they're dealing with. 

Fiction wise, a clever Mage (or two) could take advantage of that to blend in with the crowd at Menethil Harbor, Booty Bay, or other seaports. While a Warlock could as well, their reliance on demons would kind of make them stand out unless they go to great lengths to hide their "pets".

Does the Warchief need someone to investigate the fire at Shady Rest Inn without causing a stir among the Tauren clans? Send a "traveler" capable of blending in with the surrounding swamp. 

Would the few Alliance soldiers who rebelled against Colonel Kurzan's insane ramblings send a fully armored Paladin to infiltrate Kurzan's camp? Oh HELL no; they'd send someone clothed for the jungle and looks like a "companion" of one of the troops. Someone who'd call down fire and ice in a pinch.

Admittedly, a Rogue or a feral Druid would do the job as well for either situation, but if you want a wielder of the arcane who can blink their way out of trouble or turn an enemy into a block of ice, you send someone who looks. like. this.

***

The other piece of gear Deuce and Neve share at the moment is what I'd describe as a "flex" piece, the Robe of Power. 

It takes some effort to amass the material for the Robe, typically spending an evening farming elementals in Arathi Highlands for the additional materials, but you're rewarded with a robe that is better than that found in Shadowfang Keep or Scarlet Monastery's Library wing, and is the equal of anything found in Uldaman. As it's a bind on pickup piece, you have to be a Tailor to make it for yourself.

The look is totally worth it as well.

The difference in attitude between the two
are pretty striking, even though they're
wearing the same robe. Card has that
earnest look...

...while Neve's is more haughty. 
It's kind of safe to say that most
Queldorei and Sindorei give off that
slightly arrogant look, but that's
strictly outward appearances.

If a Mage or Warlock ever needed a piece of formal wear before presenting themselves before Society, this would be it. While the Robe of Power is, well, a very powerful piece that holds up well until Runecloth gear comes into play, it emanates that "I don't get my hands dirty dealing with the peons" 80s Yuppie attitude. You could look at this robe and think that the wearer is a part of upper class society and not be that far off in your observation. 

You don't have to be from Dalaran or Quel'Thalas to be thought of as a mover and shaker while wearing the Robe of Power. 

***

So... Who really did wear it better?

Eh... Six of one, half dozen of the other. 

Neve's attitude fits more effortlessly into both outfits, but Card just has that Everywoman look about her that you can't help but like. As a Sindorei, Neve has what I'd call a "runner's build", but her attitude does make her stand out in a crowd. She is very much a leader, and it shows. Cardwyn, on the other hand, is someone who is, well, "normal", but also somewhat naive in her outlook. That naivete can be endearing as well.

When I created both toons I had these ideas in my head for what I wanted out of them, and as time has gone on I've been surprised at how well they've been borne out. The one thing I will say is that you can't judge a book by its cover, and certainly these two do fit that in spades.

I'm actually quite curious how these two will compare in higher level gear going forward.

EtA: corrected a grammatical error.