oh My Time Has Come. i have been asked by One Singular Person to share my skull paint thoughts and now i will NEVER SHUT UP AGAIN. anyway without further ado! presenting a full explanation and much lazy art of my designs for the Ninth House skull paint canon, since we only got a few names canonically and i will relentlessly chew on every shred of info about Ninth religion that we learn.
a relatively uncomplicated, somewhat blocky skull that serves as something of a default or catch-all for when other paints aren’t necessary; used for everyday wear and often accentuated with the numeral IX. the most commonly affected skull in the canon.
a decently elegant skull used for everyday wear by the adept; depicted on the cover of HtN. you don’t see anyone but necros in this paint.
a bare-bones (haha) skull used for everyday wear by soldiers and cavaliers. Depicted in GtN’s cover art. yes i *did* name it for Samael thanks for noticing.
a recreation of the ninth house symbol, complete with the numeral. while often used for everyday wear by anyone, it is the de facto standard for recent immigrants to the Ninth as a display of house loyalty (and is also just generally considered a display of house loyalty; it was confirmed as common paint for mortus and i imagine a character like crux would also wear it frequently). ortus wears this paint in chapter 2 of HtN; the name is from canon.
5. Aspect of Our Lord the Emperor
a depiction of the First House symbol, it is worn by everyone on religious holidays celebrating the Emperor and is permitted for more frequent wear by particularly devout priests (on the level of the great-aunts). often accentuated with the numeral I, and much more rarely with IX. the only skull in the canon that is never permitted as burial paint, as tying the Emperor to death in such a way is sacrilegious. we’re getting into more specific and weird shit now. also apologies this particular art is Unfortunate but you get the idea it’s literally just a skull.
a death’s head featuring a complex set of cracks, primarily worn by mourners. although chosen frequently for everyday wear because the Ninth is perpetually in mourning, you’ll only see it worn en masse at funerals. despite it being The Mourning Skull, only those who died fighting are permitted to wear it as burial paint; it has the secondary significance of being worn in battle. ortus wears this paint to canaan house in chapter 8 of htn; the name is pulled from canon. i do, in fact, have an unbelievable amount of feelings about ortus and channeled them into being So intentional about this skull’s place in the tradition.
a simple and straightforward design worn during any confessional lengthy enough to warrant a change of paint, as well as other times of penance and/or shame. anyone undergoing an extended punishment will do so in this paint, and it is required burial paint for those deemed to have died dishonorably (note: within this headcanon, pelleamena and priamhark took the time to change their paint and harrow’s directly preceding their deaths. mortus, who was not tied to harrow’s heresy and whose death demonstrated the honor and loyalty expected of a cavalier, was permitted to keep his). this would be the one harrow painted in blood while having a breakdown; name pulled from canon.
8. Our Lady Crushed Beneath the New-Laid Rock
a hideously asymmetrical depiction of a skull subjected to significant blunt force trauma. used in a set list of overly specific scenarios: 1. burial paint for one who did not choose paint before their death or have family to choose for them, 2. paint for those awaiting, undergoing, or overseeing a criminal trial (this use is somewhat obsolete, as criminal trials are somewhat obsolete), 3. ceremonial paint worn during spiritual trials (think like first communion or confirmation type rituals; pelleamena and priamhark were painted such when they began their “penitence behind the wall” in GtN), and 4. paint worn when organizing, arbitrating, or partaking in a duel (dueling in other paint is completely allowed and not looked down upon at all; this is a formality and a sign of respect). this paint is also permitted for everyday wear, but nearly no one wears it because if you’re gonna wear a time-consuming skull, why not pick one that’s less ugly? best-known for being worn by harrow out of spite after ianthe gave her a makeover; name from canon.
an immensely intricate design meant to be worn to formal events or monumental religious milestones, restricted to the house’s most venerated priests (this initially encompassed several positions, but now only includes the reverend line). Examples of formal events include ceremonial visits to and from other houses; examples of monumental religious milestones include the transferring of a title (i.e. had harrow ever graduated from reverend daughter to reverend lady). occasionally, such a priest will select the chain as their burial paint (at risk of pissing off whoever is in charge of applying it). worn by harrow in the ball au in HtN; name pulled from canon.
BONUS: The Budding Vestal
not technically part of the canon, this is a simplified skull worn by children who are first learning to paint their own faces. this look will often, but not always, forego the alabaster base paint. harrow skipped this lil childhood phase and gideon never outgrew it.
aaaand that completes this testament to my book-driven insanity. hope you all enjoy.
