Me>>Whilst Robert argues for a Dragonewt origin later spread by the World
>>Council, I think such a practice was much much earlier and virtually
>>universal. The GRAY speaks of Painted People and the Third Eye Blue
>>who had such pratices before the Great Darkness at least.
>But I think it's still entirely possible that the Dragonnewts invented
>tattooing. They've been around for a while and could've spread the
>practice before the Great Darkness.
But the Dara Happans do not know of the 'newts in their Golden Age histories and the painted people were before them. The 'newts seemed to have been confined to Dragon Pass (ignoring the Kralori and Teleos 'newts) rather than being a widespread cultural innovative influence for West-Central Genertela. Furthermore the Dragonewts are known to have imported some foreign practices into the Draconic Way (Heart of Weakness's IFWW mystery, Demibird Writing), so I don't believe that the existance of Dragonewt tattooing means they must have invented it or that they were the originators of it in Genertela.
>And the Blue's Third Eyes could've been paint too until someone learned
>how the 'newts make paint permanent by poking themselves with
>dragonbone needles.
The Third Eye Blue didn't actually come into contact with the 'newts until well after the Dawn and why would dragonbone needles be needed for tattooing?
Me>>Given the newts' tendency towards body modification (cutting a tongue
>>in half, removing the rightside of the brain, the multilation of the
>>heifer in Elder Secrets),
>All things they did to other people remember. I think 'newts divide
>the world pretty clearly into two classes: Us (Dragons and
>dragonnewts) and Everything Else (including renegade 'newts, dinosaurs,
>newtlings, and all those strange man-rune things).
But the Dragonewts don't seem adverse to multilating themselves. They work with the Utuma to pass on from distressing circumstances so I don't see any problem with doing minor enchantments with the utuma. And nobody knows what the Dragonewts believe including the Dragonewts themselves.
Me>>I think they eschew the ink (they can't write IIRC)
>Hmmm. I seem to recall a previous debate on whether the dragonnewts
>could paint. Personally I come down on the pro-painting side.
KoS says (p185) that the Dragonewts seem incapable of drawing a picture. But them Robert points out:
>And for some reason I remember that newtling slave previous experience
>from Elder Secrets included the skill of "Craft Tattoo," which is one
>of the things that got me thinking of this in the first place. Even if
>'newts couldn't tattoo themselves (and I think they can), they could
>certainly force a newtling to do it for them (but don't ask me where the
>newtling learned it from).
From other Dragonewt slave newtlings would be my guess. Akin I think to the situation of the Mongols not knowing how to plant crops yet had farmers under their rule to grow crops for them.
>>[PETER FURTHER SUPPOSES 'NEWTS WOULD] go for radical plastic surgery
>>(ie implanted spikes, multilated body parts).
>On themselves, I don't know. They have a better way to radically alter
>their body structure, perfect themselves spiritually and evolve.
But some dragonewts are impatient since they only get skill checks once per incarnation (Codex #3). We have examples of the Magisaurs and the Wyrms who have tried to become True Dragons through heterodox means.
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