Happy STS! I was curious if you had to get a cultural symbol (not unique to a specific OC) from any of your fictional settings as a tattoo or piercing or something similiar, what would you pick?
I didn't even realize it was Saturday until you sent this, lol. So right back at you, and expect an ask soon, too!
This is a crop of art done for me to focus on the symbol, the rest was the black banner it was part of. This *specific* symbol is the crest of the founding Red Hand Company, the now two-legion-strong mercenary army that Relarial is the commander of. Every member, including her, has this symbol tattooed on their arm (unless you already had ink, and then they'll work around that.)
The RHC also splits off vexilations/franchises because it's not fair to make tribunes wait for promotion when the commander lives for centuries longer than them. Each vex takes the basic red hand symbol and makes its own new crest. Fun story, when I dabbled in being a tattooist, my former apprentice had me do his D&D character's vex crest; a crimson gauntlet on a round shield.
Symbolism:
There were originally five founders, five fingers of the same hand. One of them was a Dryhtnar, and in the culture/language of the Dryhtnar of southern Tin'ala they have two leaders: a 'white hand' responsible for internal affairs, diplomacy, and trade as well as the 'red hand' who represents security, war, hunting, and soldiering (including mercenaries, the RHC had very close ties to local Dryhtnar communities.) The whole Elder Council is actually pretty big, but those two are relevant to this topic.
The laurel wreath is an old Teryn symbol representing competitive victory and military triumphs. It's also used by the Shāmaltā as a sign of mastery: when a Mazra is recognized by their professional guild, it's done with a wreath crown that's then hung in their workspace to bring long life and prosperity.
He added the drop while doing it, and I thought it was a nice touch, likening it to the spilled blood and memory of the deceased legionaries of the RHC over its 300-year history.
To me, it represents the multicultural unity of the company that Relarial so prized. In a continent that was known as 'the land of a thousand (warring) kingdoms,' they made a little found family that incorporated the best parts of five species and well over a dozen cultures. In the end, they became their *own* culture.