Ratite Feet Fortune

Luck of a ratite is an expression of good fortune. And not without reason. WHile gifted with strength, endurance and inherent magic, there can be no doubt that the avian ratites just seem a bit more fortunate at time. Stories of ratites narrowly avoiding danger through the most ludacris of happenstances are common, even outside the realms of myth and folktales.
As a people on the move, ratites are heavily dependant on their legs and eventually, their luck and mobility were tied together. As any source of luck, other people wished to be granted part of it, be it by taking it with force or seeking a piece through acts of servitude.

History

Ratites have been known to be in posession of extraordinary luck for a long time. The idea of it being in their feet seems heavily tied to ratite nomadism. A ratite who loses their legs is severely disadvantaged and thus came the idea that that's where their luck is. This further lead to that ratite's killed in battle would sometimes have their feet chopped off, so that their vanquisher could claim their fortune.
People who lived peacefully with ratites instead developed the idea that the fortune of ratites could temporarily be shared through certain gestures. These ideas are as old as ratite's living alongside other beings and therefore, the exact dates of these beliefs are unknown.

Execution

For those who claim a ratite's feet, it is believed that they must be treated with care, lest the ratite's spirit revokes it fortune from the afterlife. Or worse, turn it into mistfortune. Ratire feet are often either tied to a tool the wielder wish luck confered to or worn around the neck. They are carefully washed and kept. It is believed that ratitre's carry their fortune to the next life and that their spirits patiently await their feet and the fortune in them. A ratite foot experiencing decay is a sign that its associated spirit is out of patience. It should be respectfully discarded, such as burning it or giving it up to nature. Only the foot of a dead ratite can pass on its luck. A foot taken from a living ratite will bring the same misery its previous owner now suffers without it.
For those who live with ratites, the luck can temporarily rub off through various means. Washing a ratite's foot or otherwise cleaning it is said to give off some of their fortune, is does massaging them. Kissing them or allowing the ratite to step on a passing is also said to rub off some of its fortune. And to the surprise of absolutely no one, even more salacious variations of these luck rituals exist. The amount of time the luck stay with the person is said to be dependant on the act, with the more out there acts conferring luck for longer time. There is not entirely unfounded suspicions that many of these rituals were designed by ratites to gain free favours, though many swear that it works.

Components and tools

For crafting an amulet, a good solid blade of some sort to seperate the foot of the corpse. It is said that if one has trouble cutting the foot off, it is a sign of disaproval and one is better off finding another. Oncecut free, it should be carefully dried and then securely tied.
For temporarily gaining luck, a variety of tools can be used, including brushed, waterbasins and more. The more involved, the more luck one can 'extract' from the foot.

Participants

In all cases, a ratite is involved, alive or dead. The other involved is the one who wishes for luck. While amulets can only ever confer their benefits to one person, group foot rituals do exist to allow several people to temporarily gain the benediction of a ratite's fortune.