Sailor Tattoos
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Tattoos hold a special place in the society of sailors. They tell the story of the person's life and achievements. While styles vary between countries, the symbolism of tattoos is universally understood.
The first tattoo most sailors receive is a rope around their forearm. It's unfinished until the sailor becomes an able seaman at which point a bowline knot is added on the back of the forearm. The tail keeps extending, and a decorative bend is added for the rank of boatswain. A sailor who continues on to become a sailing master adds a ball knot over the bend. There are no tattoos for higher ranked officers.
Distance is counted in "miles", and a sailor receives a fish tattoo for ever "5,000 miles" they travel. In a lifetime, a sailor can get a significantly sized school of fish. They are placed above the right breast and swim to the left. Circumnavigating the world on a single voyage earns a sailor a tern tattoo for the bird that flies around the world every year.
Major ports often have their own tattoo associated with them chosen to having some meaning to the city. Crossing the equator earns a sailor a turtle. Crossing the Xialderak Passage earns a tattoo on the right cheek that looks like the Jera rune.
Certain professions also have their own tattoos. Whalers can add tattoo of a whale on the underside of their forearm, and harpooners often have a harpooned whale.
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