Enmantic Tattoos

Enmantic tattoos are a way of physically marking the skin in order to denote a person's enmanity or lack thereof. Throughout history these were administered for many different reasons, including ethnic traditions and government mandates.

Enmantic Tattoos during the Queendom Period

During the queendom period of Leland's history, enmantic tattoos were mandated by the age of 12. Children would undergo aptitude testing by government officials who would record the results, and then a specially licensed acufist would mark the child accordingly below the right ear. Those who were determined to be twice-gifted would be marked with both appropriate symbols, their primary enmanity being the larger of the two.
These tattoos were unofficially used as a way of classifying people based on their enmanity and, potentially, special class. Most tattoos were done in black ink, but those of the Golden Noble Houses had their tattoos done in specially made gold ink, even those who were not imperants. Imperants of lower status were still marked in black ink.
Any sort of intentional modification to these tattoos was a punishable offense by law for both the person who bore the tattoo and the person who modified it, whether this was a permanent modification (such as more tattoo work) or temporary modification (such as covering up with makeup or body paint). The only exception was for those in a theatrical setting. Concealing a tattoo while committing an unrelated crime would increase the length of any sentence.
During this time, some ethnic groups continued to follow their own enmantic tattoo traditions in addition to the government-mandated ones.

Enmantic Symbols

These symbols were developed as a way of clearly identifying someone's enmanity. Though they are no longer used the same way in modern day, they can still be seen as motifs in art and architecture from the period as well as in contemporary fashion and art.

Each of the symbols had common nicknames.

• Aura: Spiritual Walnut
• Composition: Triple Curl
• Flora: Chalice
• Flux: Triple Flow
• Geonature: Temple
• Light: Inverted Torch
• Melody: Twin Petals
• Persuasion: Pea Pod
• Null: Ex
• True Null: Stricken Ex

Ethnic Traditions

Certain enmanities have always been more present in certain ethnic groups than others, and those with specialties tended to celebrate their connection with specific types of energies. While some used enmantic tattoos as merely a way to indicate their enmanity, other groups used the process as a rite of passage. Some examples are listed below, but this is by no means an exhaustive list.

The Cesnockwe and the three leaves

The Cesnockwe were known for tattoos at the base of the thumb indicating a person's enmanity, but the most well-known of these was the three leaves marking herbators of the group. The style and color of the leaves was different between the Cesnockwe tribes, but the number and location were consistent. Modern day herbators of Cesnockwe descent in south eastern Cesland, a largely agricultural area, commonly follow this practice as a way of showing their connection to the earth.

Visaurants of the Northern Irocai

Visaurants were most commonly found among the Irocai people. The northern Irocai, unlike their southern counterparts, viewed visaurants as being blessed by their gods rather than having pledged themselves to the goddess of destruction for an invisible power. Visaurants, those only able to see auras, would have a single star tattooed below the corner of their left eye. Transaurants, those able to see and manipulate auras, would have two stars tattooed below the corner of their left eye. The practice died out in the late queendom period when being a visaurant was outlawed and those that could hide their enmanity did out of fear of being executed. The practice has not been reintroduced due to the rarity of visaurants in modern times.