Vallaslin



Blood writing, or vallaslin in the elven language, is what the Dalish call the intricate facial tattoos worn by all adult clan members. When a Dalish elf comes of age, they prepare to gain the vallaslin by meditating on the gods and the ways of the Dalish, and by purifying the body and the skin. When the time comes, the Keeper of the clan applies the blood writing. This is done in complete silence. Cries of pain are taken as signs of weakness. If a young elf cannot tolerate the pain of the blood writing, they are deemed unready to undertake the responsibilities of an adult. The keeper may stop the ritual if they decide that the one gaining the vallaslin is not ready. Blood writing is at least in part a religious practice, and there are different designs of blood writing representing deities in the Elven Pantheon. However, it is not known whether the practice was associated with the worship of the gods in ancient Elvhenan or is a more recent development.

Many young Dalish receive their vallaslin when they are around 18 years of age, or so.

Designs
Thus far, three groups of Dalish have been encountered: those of the Dalish Elf Origin, those of Zathrian's clan in Nature of the Beast, and the ones found in the Exalted Plains in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Various designs of blood writing can be seen on their faces. There appear to be eight main designs, each of which comes in a simpler and a more complex version. Though similar to the main eight there are two unique designs that are used by Velanna/Seranni in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening and Merrill in Dragon Age II.

Dragon Age: Inquisition
The designs found in Dragon Age: Inquisition and their corresponding deities have been released.