The Art of the Living Canvas

Adornment is the discipline of using a sentient being’s body as the canvas for artistic expression. It is the most personal and intimate of all art forms, a declaration of identity, belief, and history written directly onto the skin, shell, or chassis. This discipline covers everything from temporary ritual paint to permanent, life-altering modifications.

• Tier 1 (The Ephemeral Self): This is the art of temporary expression. [Ritual Body Paint] used for a ceremony, [Chalk Glyphs] drawn on a Golem’s chest before a battle, or [Bioluminescent Powders] applied for a festival. These provide temporary social buffs or ritual effects but fade over time.
• Tier 2 (The Inscribed Self): This is the art of permanence. It requires specialized tools ([Tattooing Needle], [Scarification Blade], [Laser Etcher]) and high skill. This includes [Tattoos], [Scarification], and the intricate [Chassis-Engraving] prized by Artisan. These are permanent modifications that add [Social Tags] to an agent ([Tattoo: Religious], [Scar: Intimidating]) and can serve as a permanent record of their accomplishments or factional allegiances.
• Tier 3 (The Symbiotic Self): The most advanced form of Adornment, blurring the line with Vessel-weaving. The artist cultivates [Living Symbiotic Pigments] that slowly move and shift on the skin, or grafts [Jewel-Beetles] onto a creature’s carapace. These adornments are alive, and may provide minor, permanent mechanical bonuses at the cost of requiring their own unique form of sustenance.