Skin Reading

A skin reader is a Keltheronian term for a fortune teller.

Etymology

The term skin reader stems from that the traditionally most common form of fortune telling in the region involves the using birthmarks and other skin imperfections to make predictions about a person's future. Over time, the meaning of the word has extended to refer also to other forms of fortune telling. The word does not have the macabre undertones in Keltheronian that it may in some other languages.

Practice

Fortune telling has been common in Keltheron since before the founding of the Azemian church, and predicting futures based on marks on the skin such as birthmarks is one of the most prevalent forms for as long. Portwine stains, unusually common in the area, are considered particularly potent and accurate in the predictions they draw forth. In some traditions, acquired skin imperfections such as scars are also used. On account of this, using scarification in an attempt to affect your fate has been common during some periods.

Legality

The Azemian church has had a contentious relationship with the practice of skin reading for at least the last 500 years of the church's history. It is currently outlawed in Keltheron, and any other area where the church has a great deal of influence on law. Like many superstitions, the practice is considered heresy and is also seen as improper on account of the possible overlap between skin reading and nudity.
The legal status of skin reading has varied over the centuries, as different schools of thought have dominated the upper echelons of the church. This is also largely the reason why the word has come to be used for varying kinds of fortune telling. The frequent changing of the legal definition of skin reading to include different kinds of fortune telling has led to a lot of variation in which practices are illegal at any given time.

Type

Illicit