Klapnot

Klahp-naht

Worse than the knife cutting hole after hole, were the spines sliding under my skin. It felt as if small insects were crawling their way inside me— but I knew this was Ytzkla's will, and I endured without complaint.

— A Ytzklaponeu youth

The Klapnot is a religious coming-of-age ritual for the Ytzklaponeu?, where spines of the great lizard Ytzkla? are embedded into their skin to form scripture.

Under Their Skin

Upon reaching the age of 14, a Ytzklaponeu child will go alone to the nearest tolix, where a priest will lead them into a small room with a flat stone table. The priest will then open the scripture of Ytzkla, and select an excerpt they believe will hold great importance to the child. This could relate to a trouble the child current faces, a trait they posses, or something the priest believes will help them in the future. The priest will then recite the excerpt, and have the child repeat it back to them.
The priest will shave the child's head, which is then held down by one of the temple's slaves. A blessed dagger is held by the priest, who offers a prayer to Ytzkla, before methodically cutting myriad slits into the child's skin. Fledgling spines from the great lizard— weaker, and easier to collect than larger, older ones— are then inserted into these slits. These are arranged into the Qetlec? characters that make up the excerpt chosen earlier.

A strong adhesive is then placed over the wounds, which will heal in time. The child must stay on the table for a period of three hours as the adhesive dries, after which they receive their Cluetolxli?— a religious headdress that covers the face. This must be worn for the rest of their life, and the scripture beneath must never be touched by sunlight; to allow this is considered a sin, one punishable by death.
At the ages of 18, 24, 35, and 64 this ceremony is repeated for the arms, legs, chest, and back respectively.

A holy blade for holy cuts

A knife, forged from spines taken off Ytzkla's back, is used to perform the Klapnot.
When used near the great lizard, it burns with unnatural heat, which cauterizes wounds as it cuts.

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Related Ethnicities

• Ytzklaponeu