Quite a while ago I got an ask about the Talean's tattoos, it took me a while to figure out how to answer it, and then to draw it.
Again this is a piece I have had done for a while, and I should post it now.
• The Taleans have 3 different types of tattoos, male, female, and Banshee. All three tattoos are given when a Talean reaches of age. Reaching of age is not based on a year, but more on when the individual is ready to take on tasks of an adult.
• The tattoos that Males wear are very few but deeply carved into their flesh. This tattoo both serves to identify the clan the male is from, but also serves to show as a warning when the male is about to enter “burnout”
Burnout is a state that all Taleans reach eventually, as Taleans are not a race that ages the same as a human. Instead once they reach adulthood, they slowly burn away, till all of their flesh and civility is gone, and they become feral and mad. Attempting to conjure magick will always lead one to enter burnout, unless they are a banshee.
Males are seen as more fragile towards the burnout than females are, and thus the tattoos are a precaution.
Males are born 1/5 to females, so the society is built mainly around the females.
• Females have several tattoos each given to them when they complete a brave or dangerous task, which also includes childbirth. They have a somewhat dark blue hue to them, playing on the threat that rumours outside their lands about the blue tattoos mean. The blue for these tattoos are gotten from the sap of the local Spider trees.
• The Banshee are the elite warriors of the Dha Taleanis. These warriors have show fierce skill in combat, and the ability to conjure magic without entering burnout. Their tattoos are given to them by Dha Taleanis, as she will take them into the central sacred chambers, and infuse them with particles from the source crystal. This is what give their tattoos their bright blue glow.
That is all I can think of about the Talean's tattoos right now, I'll be sure to add more detail as I develop things more.
Tho I guess I should make a line-up like this of the other major races of XM.