[Riverfall Location] Riverfall Ink

[Gossamer]

If one wanders along the second tier of the city, they might come upon a sign that reads Riverfall Ink, mounted above a door. Take a step inside and you will find yourself in the tattoo parlor run by Herrlock Ethu. The establishment had been built into the side of the cliff, but that didn't stop Herrlock. On the back wall, numerous sheets of paper are hung up with hundreds of different designs for tattoo, all hand-drawn and created by Herlock. A writing desk is also located near this wall, with two chairs on either side of the desk. If one had an idea for a tattoo that was not found on the wall, you would find yourself seated facing this desk as Herrlock created a drawing on the spot for you. This could take anywhere from a few chimes to several bells; you cannot rush greatness. The most prominent detail of the shop is the three stone slabs that stand about six feet tall. Flat on top, they appear to be almost like molars to a stone mouth. This is where the actual tattooing takes place. The slab allows the buyers to sit, or lay down, depending on the tattoo they buy. If you find yourself waiting, there are chairs scattered across the room that you can sit on. Herrlock doesn't even mind if you pull a chair up and observe him as he performs his masterpieces. Just don't get in his way or you might have a colored dot somewhere on your body that Herrlock will refuse to cover up. Herrlock can be found in this shop from opening to closing. Since Riverfall Ink is a one-room establishment, he will never be in the "back room." His most common places to be found are either applying ink to a customer or seated at his desk drawing up new designs.   Herrlock Name: Herrlock/Garad Ethu Race: Akalak DoB: 403 AV (109 years old) PoB: Riverfall Title: Head Tattoo Artist Skills: Tattooing 81, Business 59, Drawing 57, Unarmed Combat 43, Teaching 41, Weapon: Lakan 38 Gnosis: None Herrlock grew up with a quill in his hand, but he found his true calling in tattooing years ago. As a boy, he witnessed an Akalak being branded as a cerulean with the art form of tattoooing, and the rest can be considered history. Herrlock opened Riverfall Ink for use of the council to mark the Cerulean. But it didn't take long for Herrlock to notice the overall desire for tattoos from men and women all over the city. Riverfall Ink soon became a stop for visitors and residents to have art mark their skin. And Herrlock could not have been happier.   Price List Tattoos- Varies on size, design, and location. Inquiry for prices. Custom Design- 1 gm per design he creates for you on site Lakan Special- Herrlock has a passion for creating lakan tattoos, as they are each unqiue like the actual weapon. So after an Akalak survives the Rite of Passage, the adult Akalak may come into Riverfall Ink and Herrlock will tattoo the design of their lakan onto their skin. That way if they ever lose their lakan, they may always carry it around (only offered to Akalak who have passed Rite of Passage) Kuvan Citizenship Tattoos are done for free with a permission slip from the Labor Aide office showing a completed Kuvan Test. These are always the same design done on the underside of a right wrist.   Employment Options Riverfall Ink is a small, but prosperous business, so Herrlock hardly ever hires employees. But he is always eager to take apprentices under his wing to train him in the art of tattooing. Labor Aid may either point you here or one may can visit Riverfall Ink directly to question about apprenticeships. Just be prepared to show Herrlock either way. Kuvan Status Tattoo : * Location Credit goes to Horlamin

[Rosela]

Timestamp: 4th of Fall OOCSorry for the length! It just ran away with me... Her citizen test had nearly wiped her out that morning, but Rosela trudged forward to the Riverfall Ink shop. The whole day likely to be rough, but if her future riches required such a trial by fire, then so be it. It was on the second tier of the city, so she luckily didn’t have to go too far. Ticking off the bells of the day in her head, she tried to schedule out the rest of her day. If she was out of the tattoo place in a bell, she could go home, eat and nap, spend a few bells on her business plan, and deliver it to the Labor Aid before the end of the day. It cheered her up to have a firm schedule in place. The building itself was one of the many built directly into the face of the cliff and had an oddly grandiose style to it. Great columns and arches holding the cliff at bay framed a relatively small building. Pushing open the door, she was immediately drawn to the wall of drawings along the back. An Akalak, likely the proprietor Herrlock, looked up from the remains of a wrapped sandwich and Rosela’s manners propelled her to address him before investigating the drawings. As he swallowed, his eyes seemed to be more drawn to her arms than the rest of her, expression unreadable. Rosela cleared her throat and produced the signed citizenship authorization paper. ”Ahem, hi. I just took my citizenship thing, and I’m here for my mark?” She couldn’t keep a note of reluctance from her voice. ”Unless we can skip all that and you can just give me a paper that says I’m a Kuvan?” Her attempt at humor came out flat and the best she could accompany it with was a distressed half-smile. Crushing the wrapping paper from his sandwich, he tossed it nonchalantly into the wastebasket. He didn’t seem very sympathetic. ”Yea…I’m afraid not. No getting around it - it’s the law to have citizenship tattooed. Don’t worry it doesn’t hurt too bad.” He opened up a small black box and removed one of many small leather bags. “Go ahead and sit on one of the stones there. We’ll have you inked up and out of here in a couple chimes.” She slipped onto the first of the three massive stones in the center of the room and tried to occupy her mind with deciphering the drawings on the back wall. Many of them were unreadable designs of waves and speckles, looking suspiciously water-like. He sat down on the next stone, opening his leather kit. There was a needle-like knife inside, a brush, and a small container of black ink. Rosela swallowed nervously. Herrlock took her anxious stare in stride and smiled comfortingly, to no avail. “It really doesn’t hurt all that bad. Now, the law says it has to go under the wrist, but it doesn’t say which one. Any preferences?” Pursing her lips, Rosela opened her six hands and looked down at them. If she had to get this stupid thing, it’d better go where the least number of people would see it. Shifting around, she offered her left, bottom hand, staring again at the small knife. “This one…I guess.” “Good choice.” Grabbing her hand, he set it firmly on his knee, indicating that she should keep it there. Rosela had to look away has he pulled out the knife. She jumped as soon as she felt the cold metal touch her skin and he clucked reassuringly. “Easy now, you’ll feel a little pinch…” His hand grasped hers, and for a moment she wondered if he was trying to comfort her, before she felt the first tiny cut. Her hand attempted to jerk away, but was held fast. The tiny cut became many, continuous cuts, and Rosela squeezed her eyes shut against tears. It became almost a burning sensation that dragged across her wrist agonizingly slow. Her other hands opened and shut alternately, and her feet clenched together, toes working through her sandals. What kind of barbaric society required this? After what seemed like an eternity, counted by the big, fat tears that squeezed out of her eyes, he let go of her hand. It started to tremble as soon as he did and Rosela cracked an eye open. There were streaks of wiped blood and ink all over her wrist, framing a small tattoo of swirls and spots. “There we go. That’s the design for this season. Only people who arrive the same season as you will have that same design.” He added conversationally, raising his eyebrows as though it was meant to make her feel better. Rosela nodded and squeaked out a high, “Mmhm,” not trusting her voice. In quick, practiced strokes, he wrapped a bandage around her wrist and she immediately pulled it in to cradle it against her. “Keep this on for a few hours, but not much more than that. It’ll scab over at first, but if it looks like it’s getting infected, either come back here or see a healer.” “Mmhm.” “Aw come on now? I know it hurt, but once you get past that, they can be quite the fashion statement. A lot of men find women with tattoos very attractive.” He gave her that same raised-eyebrow-comforting look, and Rosela did her best to smile back. It came out more as a grimace. “Mmhm.” Giving him a nod and a weak wave, Rosela shuffled out, not caring at all that she didn’t get to see much of the back wall drawings.

[Caelum]

OOCKuvan status tattoo requirement post. Timestamp: 04 Winter 513 AV It was somewhat disconcerting to Herrlock that the shining ethaefal sat on his stone table in comfortable silence while being tattooed. It was not the blank faced stoicism typically seen on blooded, older Akalaks and the stray horseclan warriors who wandered into his shop. There was nothing blank or cool about Caelum's silence. It did not give the impression containment or maintaining. It was almost as if the man was actually perfectly content to sit here and get sliced over and over again with Herrlock's knife. Of course, Herrlock didn't realize it was entirely his fault. The tattoo artist did not enjoy hurting people. He was not someone who possessed an unhealthy relationship with pain and he rarely had opportunity to give the god Krysus any actual regard. The steady, stinging, bone rattling pain he was delivering to Caelum did nothing for him. It was a non issue. Herrlock also found nothing to desire about blood. They all had blood and blood beaded up and welled when he was practicing his art, but there was nothing especially scintillating about it. In fact, he found it a bit of a nuisance. It was messy and it got in the way of his work. Nontheless, it was a side effect that was impossible to work around. So he worked with it. The end. What Herrlock did enjoy, however, was tattooing. He reveled in his art. He relished every moment of tattooing, and it pleased him immeasurably to be able to tattoo new citizens of Riverfall. It made him feel almost like the city's gatekeeper, the last guardian, assessing and making certain that their fresh Kuvans were worthy. Every juicy bit of Herrlock's enjoyment was singing in Caelum's head, humming up from the knife at his wrist through the full stretch of his skeleton. His ranuri mark was practically reveling, utterly delighted to run in a constant course through Herrlock and into Caelum and out into Herrlock again, syncing the two in a happy loop of combined desire and fulfillment. It was so potent that the tattooing process itself took nearly twice as long as it would have otherwise, largely because Herrlock spent an abnormal amount of time assuring that every minute detail of the swirl-and-dots citizen design was rendered with exquisite care on the inside of the ethaefal's right wrist. When it was finally finished, Caelum blinked drugged, heavy-lidded eyes and offered the sated artist a slow smirk. His ride back to the Sanctuary that afternoon was riddled with aches and pains between his spar with the dreamer Alvikin and the constant burn in his wrist; but all in all, they were small prices to pay. And he knew it well.

[Adi Skyglow]

36 Spring 514 AV
8th Bell
OOCKuvan tattoo post.

The walk from the Kendoka Sasaran to Riverfall Ink wasn't long enough for Adi. She was scared silly of being cut open hundreds, even thousands of times just for a tattoo. Though the idea sounded fantastic in her head two bells ago, it became scarier and scarier as the tattoo parlor grew closer and closer.

Adi stepped inside Riverfall Ink with an apprehensive gulp and made her way towards the bulky man inside, whose shop was currently empty. He gestured to the nearest of several large stone slabs, where Adi hopped up to sit on the cool rock. Too nervous to trust herself to talk, Adi waved the slip of paper that proved she passed her citizenship test at him and offered him a weak smile. He seemed to understand what she meant immediately, striding towards her with a small bag in his hand.

The Akalak introduced himself as Herrlock, and took the sheet of paper from her, patting the woman's shoulder reassuringly. "First tattoo? I was nervous for my first one, too. Don't worry. I promise I'll keep it as quick as I possibly can." Adi blinked slowly and relaxed slightly, unclenching her jaw and slumping somewhat. She held out her left wrist for him, resting it palm up on her leg and watching the artist remove a scary-looking tool and some black ink from it.

Adi squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fist, waiting for him to start.

She kept her eyes closed almost a full chime before she opened them and her mouth, about to ask if he planned on starting anytime soon-when she noticed he was already working away at her wrist with the needle-like tool. This shocked her back into silence. Surprisingly, for her there was little pain-just a mildly irritation sensation that made her want to scratch her wrist raw and bloody.

Herrlock put an intense amount of passion and time into his work. It was obvious he truly loved what he was doing, knowledge that was comforting to Adi.

Before long-it took him almost a bell to complete the tattoo, but Adi was too engrossed in watching him and the ink on her wrist come together into a work of art to notice time go by-he was done and, wiping it a final time to clean off any remaining blood or ink, bandaging her wrist. "Keep that bandage on for a few bells. Come back to me or a healer if it turns shiny or swells up, and try not to completely submerge it. It should be fully healed within a fortnight."

She thanked him, added a smile, and turned to leave the tattoo artist's shop, resolving to return at some point to watch or even buy herself a tattoo.

[Trisa Miroy]

OOCApprenticeship pre-approved by Goss.

82nd of Summer, 516 AV

Trisa pressed her sketchbook against her chest, clinging onto it for dear life. She had spent the majority of the season relentlessly building and fine-tuning her portfolio. She wasn't sure if that was the thing to do when applying for an apprenticeship, but the young artist didn't have any other clue as to what else she could do.

What if there's a test? What if he makes me tattoo someone? Trisa tried to gulp down her anxieties as she stood in front of the shop, but questions buzzed through her head non-stop. This would be her first real job, and, thus, her first time applying for a job. As she looked down at the book clutched between her white knuckles, the door to the parlor opened.

"Trisa." Herrlock leaned out the doorway to look at one of his most loyal customers. A subtle smile crossed his face as he invited her in. "You coming in or not?" After a quick nod and a muttered apology, Trisa shuffled into the store. Herrlock eyed Trisa's sketchbook with curiousity as the pale girl stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. "What are you getting today?"

Trisa shook her head, took a deep breath, and attempted to give her most confident smile. "I'm actually not here for a tattoo." Her heart leapt into her throat as Herrlock crossed his arms. "I was actually wondering if you maybe had any openings for an apprentice?"

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