Tattoofolk

The reindeer huffed at me in the snow and I patted it absentmindedly. I could feel the ink on my skin standing out against the cold - the latest tatoos had only just healed. I scratched absentmindedly at one, then drew a pen from my belt and marked a small line. The snow briefly cleared and I saw a shimmer in the snow back into the trees. I'd be lost without that compass rose. I turned back to the deer. "Come on. It's getting late."

Who are the Tattoofolk?

Along with the Kajan, the Tattoofolk are commonly held to be one of the oldest peoples native to Mythia, able to trace their lineage back centuries. Their homelands lie within the region of the Mountain Empire, where they are now an ethnic minority. When the Empire was formed, the Tattoofolk were assimilated into it and (unwillingly) lost their sovereign authority. Today, they are regarded in the Mountain Empire as savages and by people outside it as curiosities.

Traditions

Scrawled in Ink of Blue

The Tattoofolk all have at least one tattoo upon their skin, with most covering their entire bodies in various symbols and writings. These tattoos serve as reusable spellwrits - drawing a line in the correct area of skin will complete the writ and cause a particular effect to occur. The ink that the Tattoofolk use can be easily removed from the skin after use, meaning that their bodies serve as incredible repositories of ability.
It is rare to find Tattoofolk with pictorial tattoos, as these are typically decorative rather than functional. However, some members of Tattoofolk society in particularly high standing may receive pictorial tattoos as a mark of this.

Old Roots

The Tattoofolk are strongly connected to their lands, and although the Mountain Empire gives them no authority, they have been allowed several reservations where they remain undisturbed - and where the Mountain Empire likes to keep them. When an individual comes of age, they are sent to wander their homeland and attempt to find something that has appeared or changed since the last thorough examination. The Tattoofolk's knowledge of their homelands is so encyclopaedic that it is often difficult to do so, and many come back merely to report that all is as it was.

Monastic Orders

The Tattoofolk have several Monasteries in their lands, and this way of life can again be traced back many centuries. The orders are so important and so large that the vast majority of the population belongs to one or the other. Children are born in the monastery and raised by the community, rather than just their parents, and train with the others to learn to discipline their bodies and minds. Some monasteries are religious and espouse certain teachings, but many focus on secular methods. Additionally, while some monasteries may be held in worse regard than others, the ancestral bonds between them are stronger than any tribalism that may originate.

Insular and Insulated

After their assimilation into and subjection to the Mountain Empire, the Tattoofolk who were once wide-ranging drew into themselves. This was encouraged by the rulers of the Empire at the time, who were nervous about the sizeable group of highly trained and cohesive monks, through several methods that are widely regarded in the rest of Mythia to have been cruel and barbaric. Today, not only is it very difficult for an individual to leave a reservation, but the majority of Tattoofolk society frowns upon those who do due to the adverse consequences they have suffered over the years due to this.

Beyond the Mountains High

Those Tattoofolk who do manage to escape the Empire are often found traveling alone, or in small communities of others who used to live in the Empire. Although many in the wider world are curious about them, fewer are willing to offer work or training for them due to the fear that they may be reprimanded for harbouring a fugitive. The further one travels from the Mountain Empire, the more likely you are to see groups of Tattoofolk or find them in common employment.