An Interview with Ink d'Witch
by Sildus Whiteblade
When I first heard that I was going to be interviewing a tattoo artist, I was a bit concerned. I must confess to not really knowing much of anything about tattoos, so I decided that I'd be better off not showing my ineptitude by asking too many questions. Instead, I was hoping to get her to open up and tell some stories while I took notes and kept conversation. As it turned out, Ink had more stories to share than one sitting would allow. Things had turned out well, indeed.
The interview took place in Ink's workshop. I had never been in such a place; it was filled with instruments and tools that I had never seen before. On a table, there sat a rather frightening array of needle-tipped quills and some jars of colored ink. Also, she had several pages worth of stock tattoo designs that she could draw from the patterns. I kept my eye on the quills, but felt at ease talking with Ink.
For those of you who have had work done by Ink d'Witch, you know her as an artist of no small talent. However, the person behind the artwork is just as complex and intricate as the many designs she creates. Ink is a dark elf, born and raised outside of Ta'Faendryl, in a small village fairly near Rhoska-Tor. She was raised in more of a tribal setting than your average Faendryl. She comes from a family of tattoo artists, having been taught by her father, who in turn was taught by his mother.
When you look at Ink, the first thing you'll
likely notice is her distinctive tattoo. Covering most of her body 
is the image of
a fierce blue dragon, detailed richly and in full color. She refers to this dragon as
being 'the key to her soul.' In her clan, there is a belief that the tattoos are an
extension of the person. Thus, the shamans and warriors of a specific caste all get
tattoos much like the one she has. The belief is that in times of danger, or need, or high
rituals, the tattoo will come to life. "[The dragon's head] will lift from my chest,
raise over my head and then become my head. The wings will unfurl, the talons will be my
hands and feet." This transformation is only called on in what are referred to as
'powerful times.' Powerful times can take many forms, but are most often seen when
something is a threat to not only your physical body, but your spirit as well. Thus, the
tattoo becomes a guardian not only of the physical, but of the soul as well.
As part of her formal training, she was required to go out and see the world in which she lives. Instead of simply being a wanderer, she chose to ply her trade on the road. In her travels, she met up with another tattoo artist, a dwarf named Druggath Inkslinger. In fact, the two of them worked in a Juggernaut for awhile. As Ink only had training in the spiritual side of tattooing, Druggath taught her some of the more mundane arts. By this, I mean that Druggath was more skilled in creating some of the simpler tattoos like drawing a heart, or a ship's anchor, or even writing 'Mom' on somebody's arm. This not only added to her knowledge of the art in general, but made her even more desirable by would-be patrons in quite a few cities. When Druggath decided she had learned enough, he parted ways. Since then, Ink has done quite a bit of travelling.
One of her greatest works was performed on a sorcerer in Ta'Faendryl. It seems he was a summoner by trade, and wanted Ink to tattoo a design over his heart. He gave her very careful instructions on exactly how the tattoo was to be drawn, as it was a warding circle. The tattoo was to be the last line of defense for his soul in case a demon slipped his control. Obviously, Ink was very nervous about doing that sort of work. She spent 3 days drawing the runes on his chest. She never heard whether he was still around or not, but felt confident that even if he had died, her work had kept his soul intact. This seemed to sum up her beliefs of the power of tattoos the best.
As a duty to her and her work, I asked Ink if there was anything she'd like her patrons to bear in mind while they were waiting on her services. She got a chuckle out of the question, but she did give me a straightforward answer. First and foremost, remember that she's a person, just like the rest of you. Also, while she greatly enjoys having the opportunity to open a list and add something to someone's life, it tends to bother her when people assume that her services are their gods-given right. Just remember that as a business person, she can decide when and if she wants to visit. Having said that, she did note that her customers are generally pretty polite.
Having exhausted all my questions, I thanked Ink kindly for her time and packed up my quill and parchment. We exchanged parting comments, and I headed back to town to mull over what I had learned and to organize my notes.