Tattoo

Tattoos were common bodity decoratios that were wildly varied in apperance and use. Some were used to accentuate ones' beauty according to the local custom, others indicated ones rank and served as a form of identification. Tattoos held religious significance and could be used to imbue ones body with magics. The art of tattooing was a valued still. The process consisted of using a sharp utencil to inject ink underneath skin's surface, forming poermanent intricate decorations.

Mundane tattoos commonly adorned the skin of sailors, pirates, and mariners, including fea-fairing elves of Evermeet. Criminal underbellies of big cities like Waterdeep often decorated their skin with gang insignias, tattoos, and scars. Many of "Zurchins", so-called Zazesspur's urchins had their faces tattooed or branded after incarceration for ease of identification. These urhins were not children as they were trying to pass for, but adult thieving halflings.

Cultural Significance

 * Duergar: Among the gray dwarves, bright yellow tattoos in Dethek were placed on foreheads of criminals, who were exiled from duergar communities under the threat of execution. These tattoos were more permanent than others. The Dethek runes were carved deep into their faces so the scars are almost impossible to cover up by make-up, face masks of ash, or disguise kit paints.
 * Saurial: Many members of the Saurial race ofthe Hidden Vale decorated themselves with complex tattoos and carvings. The tattoos were most common among individuals who were proficient in spellcasting. These tattoos were applied to their scales and bone plates.
 * Wild dwarf: Tattoos were believed common among the wild dwarves who were reputed to be bloodthirsty savages, even though that reputation was likely an exaggeration. The Chultan wild dwarves tattoed their bodies in extensive bright-colored patterns.
 * Wild elf: Among the Tel-quessir, tatooing was most commonly seen among wild elves, or Sy'Tel'Quessir, the least organizaed and most primitive nomadic elven culture.
 * Uthgardt: The barbarian folk of the North Faerûn who worshiped Uthgar, belonged to different animal totem tribes. Males of these mountainous humans were known to tattoo themselves with the images of their tribes' totems.

Zakhara, the Land of Fate
Purity was a virtue of great value in the Land of Fate. Many human and non-human Zakharan women wore veils, exposing little of their bodies to casual observers. As such, eyes, hands, and feet were objects of beauty in Zakhara, to be decorated. Women sometimes chose to tattoo their foreheads with simple designs appealing to the eye. Tribeswomen of Al-Badian valued vanity with tattooing being the height of bodily decoration. They often tattooed not just theor foreheads but also cheeks, chest, calves, hands, and feet. Tattoos were visually pleasing patterns of lines, crossmarks and dots with each tribe prefering a design unique to them.

Mamluks of Zakhara wore their military ranks and organization affiliations tattooed on their faces. They often consisted of lines, patterns on their cheeks, circles. The more status and power they had, the more sophisticated the tattoos were. Imitating or faking these tattoos was a grave offense in the Mamluk society. Mamluks who were disgraced or committed severe crimes had their facial tattoos forcefully and painfully removed with pumice brushes. Veils were not allowed in the Mamluk slave-soldier society as they obscured the facial tattoos. Recently created undead Zakharan crypt servants often wore their Mamluk face tattoos.

Religion
Talona: Facial tattoos were popular among the worshipers of the Mother of all PLagues. Her worshipers imitated the goddess' tattooed face by covering their own with ritual tattoos and scarification.

Organizations

 * Knights of the Hawk of Ravens Bluff were awarded a Hawk Tattoo as one of the highest honors of the Order. The tattoo was that of a hawk in flight and could be placed anyhwere on knight's body. Only bearers of Hawk Tattoos were allowed to petition to join the elite knightly unit - the Hawk Brotherhood.

Tattoos & Magic

 * Geomancy: Tisan Balshareska, the Sunderer of Dreams was the most powerful Zakharan geomancer, had her hands, arms, legs, neck, and face decorated with enchanted golden tattoos. These decorations were geoglyphs, magical tattoos that granted Tisan Balshareska permanent protections of several spells. These geoglyphs functinoed as a combination of permanency and alacrity sells. Tisan's geoglyphs were imbued with protection from lifeproof, comprehend languages, detect invisibility, protection from normal missiles, read magic, tongues, and wizard sight. When in use, geoglyphs glowed with white, gold, or red radiance.
 * Neth tattoo, was an ancient magic created in the Empire of Netheril. Neth tattoos were enchanted dwarings that were inscribed on target's forearms or necks. These tattoos discharged their magical effect at wearer's will. The tattoo was a living and flowing image that was determined by the recipient.
 * Tattoo of power: This spell belonged to alteration and evocation schools of magic and foudn use in the land of Zakhara. This spell allowed the caster to implant sells onto the target's skin. The spell contained withing the enchanted tattoo could be released with a simple touch and a command word. Once exhausted, the tattoo faded away. This type of magic tattoo had its limitations. The first being the surface needed - the more powerful was the tattooed spell, the mose space it neede on the target's skin. Thr second limitation was the fact taht a single creature could only carry up to four tattoos of power. The creation of tattoos of power was done via physicall tattooing and the caster needed to be proficient in the art.

History
In the Hammer of the, Iriaebor in the Western Heartlands became afflicted by the Spotted Plague that took the lives of twenty people before being contained by the city's priests. The investigation concluded that the disease was of magical nature and likely was connected to heavily tattooed Talonite worshipers that passed the city shortly before the outbreak. Several more outbreaks eventually led to a panic in the city of Procampur. There, a woman who claimed to be a sailor with facial tattoos was accused of being a plague-spreading Talonite and was killed by a mob.

Notable Tattooed Individuals

 * Eli yn Adnan el Beza'', the Sultan of Calimport's Wizard Ward in the 14 century DR. The politician was tattoed with both mundane and enchanted sigils from Thay. He has an image of a red wyvern on his shaved head.
 * Hogley, a dwarven member of the Iron Throne whose thick mane of hair hid forcefully tattooed sigils of his old Thayan masters.
 * Omiiv Fandarfall, a Shadow Thieves operative known as "The Eclipse" for the partial tattoo of an eclipse on his cheeck, active in the late-14 century DR.
 * Phamrh Aelorothi, the half-elf-tiefling patriarch of House Aelorothi decorated his body with enchanted tattoos.
 * Varbrace Zaalen, a muscular fighter who proudly wore his tattoo of Tempus's holy symbol on his left bicep who frequented the Dripping Dagger in Waterdeep in the late-14 century DR.
 * Ziss al-Waran, was a lizardfolk merchant of the city of Huzuz circa 1367 DR. Her green scaily skin was decoraated with several geometric-shaped tattoos.

Notable Tattoo Parlors

 * Ehaevaera's Beauty Rooms, a female-only beauty salon in the city of Scornubel, the Western Heartlands. The establishment offered its customers hairstyling, manicures, body painting, perfumed baths, massages, and tattoos.
 * Elonia's Beauty Shoppe, a salon that offered a wide variety of beautician sevices, including tattooing. The parlor was popular gossiping spot for folk of all genders.
 * Talon's Tattoo Parlor, a tattoo artist's shop in the city of Raven's Bluff, ran by a half-ogre Talon Darkoak. The parlor was popular among the sailors of the Inner Sea in the late-14 century DR. Some whispered about Talon's remarkable skills in creating enchanted tattoos.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Ruined Kingdoms &bull; How the Mighty Are Fallen
 * Novels
 * Azure Bonds &bull; Song of the Saurials &bull; Red Magic &bull; The Shield of Weeping Ghosts
 * Video Games
 * Curse of the Azure Bonds &bull; Baldur's Gate series (Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal &bull; Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition) &bull; Neverwinter Nights series (Neverwinter Nights &bull; Neverwinter Nights: Pirates of the Sword Coast &bull; Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford)