- - The Warroom - -

Tattoos: Introduction

Brandon cursed as his sword was once again deflected by the tattooed brute in front of him. How this unarmored brute had resisted damage thus far was a mystery, He was sure he had hit him solidly on that last swing but his blade had turned away from the skin as if it were steel. The barbarian advnced again, the large tattoo on his chest was lgowing blue. He raised his heavy axe and swung. Brandon watched with detached fascination as the barbarian cleaved through his upraised sword and drove the axe deep into his chest. Those watching the battle exchanged coins for foolish bets. Only a few observant watchers noticed the barbarians tattoo fade from existence.

Introduction:
Tattoos are an evolution of ancient runic magic. They harness magic into their designs and impart it unto the person whom wears one. This knowledge is far from common but many young mages have seen the potential for financial gain and so the number of inkslingers is on the rise.

Inkslingers come in all shapes in sizes. Some are reputable and have a small library of common tattoos from which a cutter may choose. Their facilities and tools are clean and well kept. The opposite extreme are the back alley cutters who hock tattoos like cheap ceramic vases. Their techniques are questionable at best and a sod should make sure the tattoo works befor releasing his jink.

Tattoos are an attractive option to many adventurers. They are economical when compared to buying many magic items and have the distinct advantage of being concealable. Unlike other magic items, tattoos can add their bonuses together so multiple protection tattoos will make one harder to hit. Although the inherent magic of the tattoos prevents a person from wearing more than three at any given time, certain tattoos dissappear after several uses. This allows a cutter to customize his tattoos for each new adventure. A berk who's foolish enough to put on three permanent tattoos, will find himself in need of a powerful mage of remove the enchanments to make room for new ones.

Inkslingers:
Inkslingers are a new group of mages whom specialize in tattoo magic. They are skilled artists and enchanters. Inkslingers are most common in SIGIL, where the trade first gained its infamy from a well known inkslinger called Fell. His skills gained the attention of several enterprising mages who began duplicating his work. Tyrel Thistlethorne (hm; M16), Yoshi Yu'tu (tm; M16), and Harkens Blastmer (hm; M19) are the illegitimate founding fathers of this booming trade. The three mages have their own shops and each has trained several apprentices. The work they do is fast and less powerful than the tattooes of Fell, but they are improving. A few of the apprentices have left SIGIL, despite the booming tattoo economy and set up shop in other planes. Only one artist is known to have travelled to the Prime, Nebenzer Thool (hm; M6/T4) an artistic young mage has set up shop in Waterdeep and has already established a steady clientel.

The inkslinger profession is very new and it is impossible for anyone to train themselves as there are very few written texts from which to learn. This results in the trade being an apprenticed based system. The founders have formed a guild within SIGIL in an attempt to help thier art grow as well as maintaining a monopoly. More information about the Inkslinger kit can be found in the Proving Grounds.

...on to Tools of the Trade