Bloodletting

Bloodletting is a traditional practice which had been common throughout the once-established Raven Tribe. Used in ceremonies which denote a promotion of some sort, it has been carried on different forms since the disband of the Raven Tribe sometime throughout the millennia.

History
It is said that bloodletting began as a form of medicine in order to allow infections to pass throughout the body at a quicker rate than what could be achieved naturally. Rumoured to have begun sometime around 1,875 Y.A, the practice has chronically returned throughout the ages in some form of another. It became particularly popular beneath the rule of a more modern Nunh, Z'Nahxzh, when he attempted to revive the traditional fascist and authoritarian regime first witnessed beneath R'sojih.

Practice
Bloodletting typically involves drawing blood from any area of the body in which the wound from where it is drawn is prominent and clearly visible to the naked eye. This is done for a varity of reasons: R'sojih stated that 'allowing a wound to be seen by all is testament to a man's courage, passion, and lust for the sight of blood; all other warriors shall cower before him, for what madman is wild enough to not only lose himself to the throes of the battlefield, but that of his own blood drunkenness off of it, as well?'.

For promotional ceremonies, it is said that daggers were the common tool used to draw blood. The most common site from which to draw blood in traditional bloodletting promotional ceremonies is from the centre of the palm or the right wrist in a horizontal cut circling around the entire circumference of the wrist. Under Z'Nahxzh, this changed slightly, with the cut instead typically being carved into the individual's chest in the symbol of the paramilitary they were attempting to join.

Traditionally, the skin is often shaved and then cleaned with water from a fresh spring or desert oasis. A gentle perfume is then sprayed on the flesh before the highest ranking commander available asks the individual undergoing the bloodletting to recite an oath, especially if they are being promoted to an established military rank. Following the oath, the cut is then made, and the individual is made to bleed out for a period of 2 minutes while a religious figure blesses the wound and collects the blood to make a warpaint out of later. Once the 2 minutes have passed, the individual is given a kiss on the wound by the religious prophet, and the wound is then cauterised.