Scars of the Mountain Elves

Practiced since their founding, Mountain Elves practice ritual scarification, etching scar signs for clans, completed rites of passage, and other important life events the wearer or their clan wishes all others to know about. Though the signs and shorthand can vary slightly from clan to clan the major scars tend to be the same throughout them all.
It is not uncommon for important elders and historians of the clans to record the past and present events as scars on themselves, turning themselves into walking history itself.

History

The practice of ritual scarification comes from the first mountain elves who had no resources or ability to reliably create records of their history and signs of identity and standing. Their warriors would simply recall past battles from the scars left behind and one would eventually get the idea of using ritual scarification to record one's identity and achievements. From there it quickly spread to the other clans, making it the core tradition it is today. 
Though many clans are now more established and capable of making or at least acquiring tools for writing and recording things, the ritual scarification and oral history traditions are so deeply woven into their culture that they are preferred and still practiced.

Components and tools

While the scarification can be performed with any sharp object the preferred tool for it is a stone knife skillfully crafted by one of the elders and gifted to every mountain elf as completion for their first hunt. Should one lose this knife or it not be available many turn to their own personal weapons or the one of a trusted comrade in arms

Participants

Typically excluding the Scar Sign of the clan that is performed by the main elder or chief of the wearer's clan, the scars are performed by the wearer under the guidance of an elder, and if one is not able to properly perform the scar for any reason or simply cannot reach it they may have the elder handle the process instead. For those who leave their homeland and clan, it is not uncommon for them to ask a trusted comrade in arms to fulfill the elder's role.

Observance

Generally, the common scars performed by the clans of the Mountain Elves are:

• The Scar Sign of the clan they belong to
• Rite of Passage: First Hunt
• Rite of Passage: Reaching Adulthood
• Marriage
• Death of Parent(s)
• Death of Sibling(s)
• Death of Spouse

Other types of scars that vary depending on the clan and wearer include but are not limited to:

• Victories in Battle
• Birth of Children
• Personal Accomplishments
• Life long dreams 

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