Scalping

Scalping was the act of cutting or tearing a part of an animal or humanoid creature's scalp, with hair attached, from its head, oftentimes leaving the skull exposed. This was typically considered to be a morally evil and despicable act to commit, with some evil individuals keeping a collection of them as trophies of their deeds. However, some took a more neutral view of the practice depending upon the circumstances, seeing it as an acceptable means of providing evidence that one had vanquished a foe with a bounty.

Notable Practitioners

 * Ashiin, a lythari that inhabited the Feywild, possessed a skull-topped staff with scalps and tails along its length that she claimed were from people who had displeased her in the past.
 * One of the minor matron mothers of Menzoberranzan was said to have routinely scalped her patrons when she tired of them. She came to accumulate a collection of scalps, whose hair was woven and flesh was tanned & sewn together, until they became a macabre decorative wall hanging.
 * Some committed this heinous act against hybsils in order to obtain their antlers, due to their alleged magical properties and the difficulty of obtaining naturally shed hybsil antlers.
 * Some quaggoths would commit this act against their sworn enemy, drow, as there were instances of war leaders hanging a collection of them from their greataxes.
 * Renal Bloodscalp, a master thief and member of the Shadow Thieves, received his nickname as a result of his habit of scalping his assassination targets and leaving them behind at the scene of the crime.
 * The elite warriors of the Skullspike tribe, a tribe of goblins in the Moonsea lead by the cambion goblin Agrak, had garish pillows scattered about their barracks that were made of various humanoid scalps.

History
The act of scalping was known on Toril as far back as the Netherese Empire, as the Rengarth barbarians would commit the act upon their enemies.

In the mid-14 century DR, this tortuous act was committed by some in the Sword Coast upon bandits, such as members of the mercenary company Chill. Some half-ogres in the Calim Desert committed scalping, stringing their victims' scalps around the heads of their spears. And some alchemists within Zhentil Keep around this time were known to exclusively pay for hybsil antlers that were still attached to their scalp, believing this assured their magical efficacy.

In the, officer Jessa Vai of the Flaming Fist offered to pay the adventurer Gorion's Ward a bounty of 50 gold pieces per bandit scalp they gave to her while she stayed in Beregost.

Around the, in the land of Turmish a group of mercenaries lead by Druz Talimsir traveled into the forest near Evenstar Lake and scalped a number of wolves for a bounty. Their corpses were soon after discovered by the druid Haarn Brightoak, who tracked down and confronted the mercenaries, demanding they hand over their bag of scalps.