The Eliarant
The Eliarant is a group of courtesans, usually made mostly or completely of men, who work exclusively for the Queen of Nairiume, her household, and distinguished guests. They are fathers of palace children and also serve other social roles in the court of Nairiume.
Career
Qualifications
All members of the Eliarant must meet rigorous standards physically, mentally, and morally before being permitted to join. These standards are not common knowledge and only those tasked with protecting the royal household ever truly know the full extent of them.
Career Progression
The height of the Eliarant career is to be selected as a father for a royal child. This requires a man in the Eliarant to truly stand out from the others, as there may be upwards of twenty-five men in the Eliarant at any one time. Regardless of whether or not a man becomes a royal father, all members of the Eliarant usually remain within it until they reach an age where retirement is advisable. During their careers they spend a great deal of intimate time with members of the royal family, and to be a frequent lover of any member of the family is almost as highly regarded as becoming a royal father.
Payment & Reimbursement
Members of the Eliarant have all of their needs met by palace staff, from food and clothing to personal entertainment and jewelry. Whatever hobbies or personal enrichmant they wish to engage in when not performing their duties is provided for by the royal family. All members of the Eliarant are also given rooms in a large house that is lavishly appointed, with a dining hall, sitting rooms, bedrooms, a bathing chamber, music chamber, and library. The house also includes a lush courtyard and a rooftop balcony. In this way, members of the Eliarant have little need for other payment, though a moderate sum is provided annually for personal use. Upon retirement, members of the Eliarant are given a house in the city and an annual pension for living expenses. Fathers of royal children receive a larger sum unpon retirement and are often invited back to the palace for social functions as honored guests. They are also encouraged to remain in contact with their children throughout their lives.
Other Benefits
Working for the royal family not only means that all living expenses are covered, but there is also the possibility to become a member of the court by forming long-term intimate relationships with royal family members. Though not uncommon, it does not happen for all members of the Eliarant. The retirement package is also greatly beneficial for most.
Perception
Purpose
The Eliarant serves to meet the intimate needs of the royal family and to provide trusted fathers for royal children. It reduces the risk of royal children being conceived outside the palace, therefore reducing scandal and possible blackmail or other demands from unrecognized children or their parents. It also allows for one trusted brothel to be used by the royal family without concerns for safety or financial loss, as the Eliarant House is run by the palace itself. While such issues are not unheard of even with the Eliarant in place, they are still more infrequent than it is believed they would be otherwise.
Social Status
To become a member of the Eliarant is a great honor, one longed for by many throughout Nairiume. The lifetime benefits and closeness with the royal family make the position highly desirable.
Demographics
Only those who can pass a rigorous test of physical fitness and beauty, intelligence, and moral character are accepted as a member of the Eliarant. As it is a position that can be held for decades, and only twenty-five members are housed at any given time in the palace, only a small number ever become members.
History
The Eliarant was established by Queen Benua in the Year 31 of the Third Era (TE). She was known to have had many male lovers from the moment she was old enough to desire one, and did not want to choose one man to serve as her consort. In order to legitimize her children from her various lovers, she created the Eliarant and settled her multiple lovers in the palace. Members of her court were unhappy with the arrangement, but the only compromise about its existence that could be reached was the establishment of a rigorous qualification examination for all lovers. When her daughters were of age she added younger men to the Eliarant for them, and a group of women were also selected for her sons.
Eventually, a separate house was built off the palace to house as many as twenty-five members of the Eliarant, and a rigorous system of qualification and training was put in place to manage the employment of the members. The majority of the Eliarant remained men, while a small number of women were accepted into the group from time to time. These women were not permitted to have children except after rigorous petitioning of the court, and even then were expected to leave the Eliarant and become permantly involved with the child's royal father. If another member of the Eliarant fathered a child with a female member, the mother would be removed from the Eliarant. All her needs would be met and she would be given a house and an annual pension, but she was no longer permitted to live or work among the Eliarant. The father would be permitted to visit and take part in the child's rearing, and was permitted to leave the Eliarant with a pension if he wished to make a life with his child and its mother.
Same-sex intimacy among members of the Eliarant and between the Eliarant and royal family members is often encouraged as a means of meeting certain needs without unwanted pregnancies. Even long-term relationships that develop are permitted, and many a member of the Eiarant has left the group to become a committed lover to a member of the royal family. The high esteem given to the Eliarant by the queen and her family has created a more open and welcoming society when it comes to sexuality and intimacy, especially in the capital city of Solaris.
Operations
Tools
Members of the Eliarant are trained in the proper use of all sorts of tools of pleasure, though most have preferences and some have more refined specializations than others. All is done to meet the needs of their employers in the royal family.
Workplace
While members of Eliarant live within the house created for them at the palace, their work for the royal family members is usually conducted within royal chambers.
Provided Services
The Eliarant provides all manner of services to meet the intimate needs of the royal family. They are also available to become fathers of royal children. Members are also highly regarded for their gifts of conversation and are also available for companionship outside of the bedchamber. They often take part in banquets and ceremonies as they are considered members of the palace community.
Dangers & Hazards
There are few hazards to the position. Healers are regularly employed to look for, treat, and prevent diseases. Many methods are employed to prevent unplanned pregnancies, as well. There is also a strict code of respect in which all Eliarant members' preferences are respected by their partners, as well as the other way around. Mistreatment on the part of an Eliarant member results in immediate termination of employment with no pension or additional payment. Mistreatment of an Eliarant member results in the offender being banned from the Eliarant and, in serious cases, punished.
