Ryth'yi

In times of old, before the City of Glaion had existed in it's full glory; before the city of Port De Renard had even set down their first foundations, before the humans had called themselves that, the goblins lived in the ashes of the Citadel. Forever to call their brood of skulls, home. Even back then the goblins practiced their Ceremony of Bhal, dripping ancient words in hot wax on the skin of their sleeping priestess while she communed with Bhal. Words of encouragement, words of hope, words of what they wished their new priestess to be.

Sometimes these would leave marks on their skin permanently, forever to remind the priestess of what the Family wished them to be, these words were the runes of Elder Fae, true power with true significance. These words would burn themselves into the mind and body of their priestess and grant her additional power, so the practice never stopped, even to this day. Ilgor having been covered in wax, some of these did burn her, on her left thigh the symbol of the clan, on her right hand a symbol of power, on her throat a small, nearly imperceptible symbol of wit placed there by Mother Kari.

Though, the ritual with their priestess is not the only practice, it just holds the most cultural impact. All goblins share a hereditary scar, baked into their soul. A connection broken, where Bhal had taken the original's place, lost to memory they have forgotten this crime, yet... the scar remains. Scars hold a weight in the clan and are respected at all times. Over time, these scars holding this cultural weight, it became a symbol of prowess, beauty, intrigue, a personal uniqueness, as all scars are unique to the individual, so too did their meanings.

Ritualistically, the goblins began to scar themselves to display their personalities in their own way. At first, this was done with great hesitation, a weight that was a burden to bear. To mark oneself with a personal truth, whether is meant anything to anyone beyond the self was irrelevant. The goblin would cut themselves with shallow marks over and over until a scar formed, these cuts would be done in an artistic style to convey what the goblin wished it would. The practice was grisly in the early history, fraught with infection, exsanguination, bone cutting. But, as time went on and the practice gained finesse, subtlety and nuance, the scaring tradition turning into a cultural artform.

The goblin or goblins would choose a symbol/concept/or simple a thing they liked and draw the original sketch in ash on their skin. They would then take a blade, traditionally it is obsidian flake, and make a single shallow cut (not enough to break through the entire epidermis, just enough to bleed) over the entire piece they desired. Once the cuts scabbed over and were nearly healed, they would repeat the process. Until the skin begins to form scar tissue, the process is repeated over and over.

To the goblins, pain is a fact of life. Life is not easy, never has been. They raid and steal for their resources, they are outcast from humanity and the other races. Their only home is the one they have made, life is not kind, and Bhal demands that they forge their lives this way to make them stronger. Pain is but another step in life, so the pain felt in marking oneself with what one desires, is seen as a matter of course. To live is to experience, and to the goblins, pain is that experience. Might as well choose what that pain is. Some enjoy the process, some find a catharsis in it, some endure it, and some will never do it.

In modern times, this process is highly scrutinized by the Priestess, Chief, and other healers of the clan. They will not stop you if you choose to take a Ryth'yi, but they will not allow you do more harm than necessary. The Priestess blesses all blades against infection, strong alchols are used to ward away infection as well. The Chief monitors the depth of the cuts, his hand on yours to dissuade cuts too deep, and the healers bandage and look after the scars afterward. There is little risk of life threatening results in the modern practice, but these were lessons hard learned.

Any goblin of any age may participate in a Ryth'yi. So long as they feel strong enough to mark their bodies with a piece, they will not be stopped. Though, to the goblins regret in the action is not something experienced. No matter the circumstance, or the message entailed, regret is never felt. For a Ryth'yi to the goblins is any scar, one not need to undergo the artistic variant to receive one, there are few goblins to ever exist that have not received a Ryth'yi, no one gets out of life unscared.