>With RQ#3 Tattoos were used as foci for spirit/battle magic which made for
>interesting looking characters. Now with the Orlanthi gaining feats what
>use are the Tattoos?
>Would they be used as Ritual Symbols, rank markers, religious labels,
>signs of devotional commitment or all the above?
There's at least the clan initiation mark, as John Hughes pointed out. I imagine that most devotees or initiates of specialized cults might have tattoos to identify them.
>Or could they be used as markers everytime a warrior gains a feat?
What about non-warriors? Anyway, if you get a tattoo every time you learn a feat, that's 12-15 tattoos per devotee, plus clan and cult tatoos, if any. Seems a mite excessive unless they're small, which defeats their purpose -- these are as much advertisements as markers -- "Look, I'm in the Apple Clan, I'm dedicated to Fionavan. I killed 4 warriors and a troll. Be respectful!" Kind of boasting with your mouth shut.
So, I'd expect clan tattoos (not tribe, that's not so important), maybe cult tattoos, and marks for really major events (maybe) -- a big battle might be good, a heroquest better.
>I would like to know what everyone thinks about this.
I'd like to know what the tattoos look like, myself -- what colors do the Heortlings have available, how delicate are the lines, etc. I don't know that much about early tattoos, but most of them were just black or blue ink and pretty thick lined. Now Heortlings have all sorts of magic and the stuff on CA's sash colors suggest they have a much wider range of dyes than the similar cultures in the real world. The only described Orlanthi tattoo I know of is in Rastalulf's Saga (Enclosure 2), where it sounds pretty geometric. That one described a heroquest. It was also from the 1st Age, so who knows how things have changed?
Peter Larsen
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