Sexuality and marriage

Within Morgaea, there are several different views in regards to **sexuality and marriage**. Common to all groups is that marriage is not primarily regarded as a romantic affair, but a duty to one's family.

## Viewpoints

### Cleve

The Cleve do not marry for life, instead, they practice temporary marriages. During the wedding ceremony, the bride will sing a hymn to Thora of the Skies, while the groom attempts to undo a series of knots that the bride has tied in a long rope. The number of knots the groom undoes before the hymn ends determines the number of years that their marriage will last. Both the bride and the groom may try to affect the result of the ritual. For example, the bride can tie the knots very tightly, while the groom can decide to only untie a certain number of the knots before the hymn ends. The ceremony can be repeated multiple times to extend the duration of the marriage. Sexual relationships between unmarried people are also found acceptable.

### The Ministry

According to the Holy Tome, Sibylla had a spiritual marriage with the Watcher. As such, all Sibyllan priests are therefore symbolically wedded to the Watcher, and sworn to celibacy. In the eyes of the Ministry, marriage is both a celebration of tradition, and a practical decision. Through a favorable marriage, one can make valuable connections, improve one's social standing, and secure financial stability for oneself and one's family. Love is not necessary for a successful marriage, but is nonetheless desirable, as it makes the union stronger. The Ministry permits annulments, but not outright divorce.

### City Elves

Among city elves, marriage is a rite of passage, the single greatest thing that distinguishes children from adults. Elven children are usually matched by their parents, and the enclave elders, and the bride and groom often will not have met each other before the marriage ceremony. Betrothals are often made between families from different enclaves in order to promote inter-city trade and relations, as well as to bring new elves into the enclave community. Marriage ceremonies require the approval of the Ministry, and are officiated by Ministry priests. In a community where there is mostly little cause for celebration, a wedding is a tremendous affair, and the whole district will turn out to enjoy the feasting and dancing.

### The Sylvan

The Sylvan appear to be more in line with Nordish thinking, rather than other cultures like Maudet. This means that they tend to take relationships slowly, and seriously, with each other. Once they have come of age, they may choose a mate with whom to "bond" for life. Elves who bond may exchange small gifts with one another. Same-sex relationships also occur, but are frowned upon due to the inability to have children.

Some Sylvan clans also practice arranged marriages.

The Sylvan do not approve of interspecies romance, and this may result in exile from one's clan. This likely stems from the fact that children born of an elf and another species physically often take after the other species.

### Dwarves of Ondrathum

The dwarves of Ondrathum are noted for their polyamory, especially among the upper classes. While a dwarf has only one legal spouse, many nobles keep concubines, typically noble hunters, who are raised up to be part of the household and have their names recorded in the Memories. A dwarf's caste is determined by that of their same-sex parent, so many casteless offer themselves to nobles or to other higher caste dwarves as sexual partners in the hopes of producing a child of the noble's gender. As dwarven fertility is in a dangerous decline, due to chronic exposure to fiendish corruption, as well as because of constant war with them, any noble child is considered a blessing, and such offers are rarely turned down. If such a union produces a child of the commoner's gender, however, the infant will be rejected, as it would be part of the lower caste and an embarrassment to the higher caste parent's house if it's allowed to stay with them.

### Grey Order

Although Rangers of the Grey are not forbidden from marrying, it is rare for them to do so. Most Rangers dedicate their lives to fulfilling their duty, leaving them little time for pursuits such as family life; but it is still possible, if both parties commit seriously to the relationship.

Rangers of the Grey do enjoy a certain reputation for sexual prowess, however, due to the reputation of famed Ranger of the Grey, Erenod.

### Mages

Mages, because of their outsider status, are not bound to traditional social morals, and consequently enjoy greater sexual freedom than most, though the exact degree varies from Institution to Institution. Mages are discouraged, though not actually forbidden, from marrying and reproducing, however, as the offspring of mages are very likely to possess magical ability themselves. As such, there is forms of birth control readily available to mages, to discourage the propagation of magically gifted children. If a mage does produce a child, it is taken from the parents at birth and raised under the supervision of the Ministry.

Those children who prove to have magical ability are immediately transferred to an Institute of Magic in another country, where they are taught to control their powers away from their birth parents. Mages, and non-mages, who do not wish to be separated from their children will sometimes conceal them from the Ministry, and either train the child themselves, or hire an apostate as a tutor.

The Adamantium, on the other hand, celebrates the birth of mage-blood children.

### Maudet

Aristocrats in Maudet are notorious for their hedonism and extravagance, and sexual relations with multiple partners of either sex are not uncommon. Stigma can result in the relationship being shunned, or becoming a scandal of public knowledge within the nobility, such as like with elves or mages. The peasantry is much less tolerant of such behavior, at least in public. Emperor Maxence is rumored to have had an affair with his cousin Alain, which resulted in Alain being sent to Nordain to serve as its king, effectively banishing him from Maudet. The scandal surrounding their relationship was likely due to them being related, however, not because of the fact that they were both men.

### Orcimar

Orcimar do not marry, or choose romantic partners. An Orcimar's most important relationship is that with their colleagues. They do not generally associate mating with love, and recreational sex is treated as a simple biological need. They are capable of feeling and forming emotional bonds with one another, but do not express it sexually, as those who do are re-educated by the Zemar-Roulshum.

The Avhoukes keep detailed genealogical records and choose who will mate with whom. They do not allow cross-breeding between races, and familial bonds are not present in Orcimar society. Children are raised by the Avhoukes, evaluated, and assigned a job.

## Marriage Rituals

In Sibyllan society marriages are performed by Revered mothers.

Prospective grooms also enjoy bachelor parties prior to their weddings.

### Tests of worth

Among the Sylvan, young men must prove themselves as hunters and providers in order to be worthy to marry.

### Dowry

There is a dowry system used in Sibyllan courtship; three goats and a sheaf of wheat is dowry tradition.

Among the city elves the dowry tradition is even more important. Marriages are arranged between enclaves, and a dowry is paid to the enclave, which is losing a member, in order to compensate for the loss to the community.

Dwarves are also known to use a dowry system in their courtship.

### Matchmaking

Matchmaking is practiced in many cultures in Morgaea, from the socially engineered pairings of the Orcimar, to the arranged marriages of human nobility, to the matchmaking of the city elves. City elves in particular make use of matchmakers to locate mates in distant enclaves, as it helps to strengthen ties between them.

Hahrels in enclaves will also help to arrange marriages for those elves who have no parents, or a means to arrange a marriage on their behalf.

In the Adamantium, powerful mage families often orchestrate arranged marriages to improve the chances of having children with the potential to become "perfect" mages.

In Lysadore, it is acceptable for parents to arrange matches for their children.

### Vows

Both the Sylvan and Sibyllan cultures say vows during the marriage ceremony.

## Same-gender Relationships

Same-gender relations are generally considered strange in Nordain, but Nordishfolk don't consider it immoral, and place no particular stigma upon it. Maudesians regard homosexuality as a mere quirk of character, and the Lysadoren Ravens show a winking tolerance for relations with multiple partners of any gender. The Ministry does not seem to have an official view on the subject, and nowhere in Morgaea is it prohibited. The Orcimar seem to have no taboo on the gender of one's recreational sexual partners either, though it would be unthinkable to refuse to perform their procreative obligations for any reason, gender or otherwise.

There is pressure in certain circles, such as the elves, and the human nobility, to marry an opposite-gendered partner. Though this is motivated by pragmatism rather than morality; a homosexual couple cannot have biological children. For a diminished race like the dwarves, it is vital that every fertile individual produce offspring, and human noble families place great stock in the continuity of bloodlines in order to have clear heirs to noble titles and fortunes, and thus avoid the conflicts that often erupt when succession is not clear.

In the Adamantium, same-sex relationships between nobles are largely hidden. These relationships are encouraged with favored slaves.

## Interspecies

Interspecies relationships are possible, but frequently frowned upon by most societies. The fertility rate between two parents of different races are very low compared to that of the same race. In particular, elves are bound only to produce elven children with their own kind, because their offspring with a human would be Elf-blooded, generally appearing physically human. Similarly, this also happens with dwarves. Subsequently, elves mating with humans is considered traitorous by the rest of their kind, and any elf who conceives a child with a human risks expulsion from their community.

Children between a dwarf and a human is also said to be possible, and reported to have existed in the past, such as the child of Ysolet Cleve-Mother and the dwarven prince Barnur, though no such offspring has existed in ages. Dwarves are comparatively few in number, and those living underground are reclusive to outsiders; mating with other species would bring great shame to the dwarf, as well as their family because of the social stigma. In addition, the dwarven fertility rate is very low due to close proximity to the fiendish taint for many generations, making such a child even more unlikely.

Nobody in Morgaea has any idea what a Orcimar half-breed might look like, since the Avhoukes prohibit interspecies mating among Orcimar, and there is no evidence of interbreeding between Avrue-Graa and other races. However, there's no taboo against non-procreative sex with non-Orcimar.

## Prostitution

Brothels are legal in Nordain, Blackwall, and in the dwarven city of Ondrathum. Although they are not considered respectable institutions, it is no more taboo to visit them than a seedy tavern or gambling house.

## Other sexual practices

Kinks are not unheard of within Morgaea. Unconventional sexual practices such as exhibitionism, roleplay, and BDSM are all relatively commonplace. "Watchwords", or safe words are known to be employed in more intense sexual scenarios. Some mages are known to use magic in the bedroom. Chastity belts may also be used to limit sexual activity.

Love letters, especially of a risqué nature, are commonly exchanged between lovers, and erotic literature is enjoyed by many.