Magical body art to represent prestige or social status

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Sharad9
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Magical body art to represent prestige or social status

Post by Sharad9 »

Body art, or henna, is an important element in this society. This art is painted on the skin and applied with magic. They are semi-permanent and remain on the users skin, only being removed as needed by other magical items. It is not mandatory to wear, but very popular and widely used by men and women. They are gender specific and applied like makeup to enhance characteristics of the individual. However, rather than just being an accessory, it is also meant to tell a story about the person and there place in the world. Common uses include:

welcoming in the seasons, a new year, or bountiful harvests, celebrations and festivities, religious holidays, wealth and prestige, accomplishments and successes, number of enemies defeated in battle or children birthed into a clan, rites of passage into adulthood, or applied to bodies representing passage into the next life.

Henna is judged by their beauty and intricacy, as well as the story they tell of the individual or the concepts relevant to this culture that they symbolize. You could make ones that move, sparkle, emit an aura, make a smell or sound, change with the weather or mood, or dozens of other things. This could make counterfeiting harder and allow for the markings to be a genuine status symbol. They may be pretty to look at, but if there is no meaning behind it, it is meaningless and wasted effort. Important clans may even have unique tattoo specific to their family, and are worn with pride to symbolive their place in the community. Men and women also wear henna to attract partners or display relationship status.

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mèþru
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Re: Magical body art to represent prestige or social status

Post by mèþru »

Basically, no different from body art in real life.
ìtsanso, God In The Mountain, may our names inspire the deepest feelings of fear in urkos and all his ilk, for we have saved another man from his lies! I welcome back to the feast hall kal, who will never gamble again! May the eleven gods bless him!
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