Marriage on Calengwag I: The Arawni Manner
Let us begin with the so-called 'Arawni Manner', a polygamous model centered around the concept of 'Liege' and 'Subject' and is perhaps an interesting microcosm of the societal thinking of many such regions and chiefly among the Aossi people. Put simply, it is generally believed that in any marriage there must be a single Liege and a number of Subject partners, all of whom are obedient to and supportive the Liege in return for the protection and generosity of their Liege until the death of the partners involved (or the taking of monastic or Seeker vows). Generally speaking, the number of Subject Wives or Husbands any single Liege holds is a reflection of status, success and of course power, ranging from the typical one or two of a peasant to the so-called 'Hundred Subject Marriage typical of imperial rulers. On the surface, this seems like an altogether typical reflection of the customs of some human cultural straits but, as usual, there is a great deal more complexity with the tradition than initially implied.
The first is the fact that the role of Liege and Subject is chosen. A Liege in the Arawni reckoning is the one who inherited their Liege-parent's titles, holdings and legacy which is always the first child to reach their tenth year in the reckoning of Calengwag (roughly 26 Terran years) and so deemed trustworthy of being fully human. All other children of Liege must be wed as Subjects or given to a monastic service, although it is a known habit to delay the marriage of the second eldest child until the new Liege has had at least two children in order to prevent a mishap in inheritance and the embarrassing divorce of the sibling. Although it is not unknown for the Eldest child of a family to formally adopt their next eldest sibling as their firstborn in order to just avoid the issue altogether. In short, it is the first child to reach the age of ten that may become the Liege in a marriage.
The second matter of complexity is how a Liege goes about the matter of selecting their Subjects. While the number of Subjects is heavily reliant on status and local context, it is generally agreed upon that an unusual number or lack thereof of Subjects is generally looked upon with suspicion as either a sign of undue ambition or, far worse, a contempt for one's lineage and a desire to see it fail. The matter of where to seek a marriage is also contextual but generally adheres to the demand that a marriage should be sought in both a different community and one that is several times removed from one's line of descent. As marriages are universally seen as the strongest form of contract on Calengwag, seeking a marriage with the same group within three generations of the previous is seen as a grave insult. This is due to the implication that said group need be reminded of their obligations or cannot be trusted to honour their oaths, indeed more than one Arawni play has an envoy coyly offering a marriage to a recalcitrant ally to shame them into action. It is also seen as bordering on incest to seek marriage too close to one's blood, a particular reek most Arawni are keen to avoid due to the darker legends surrounding the First Empire and still a popular slur among neighboring polities.
The third chief distinction is the manner of children wherein the Arawni are perhaps most like their fellow people of Calengwag in viewing childless marriage as no different to engagement. Due to the nature of their polygamous and political nature however, this can become a particularly onerous task for the Arawni Liege to fulfill, as the number of children a household can boast is directly proportional to their means of creating alliance and securing their legacies. In many cases, especially in the case of Liege-Wives or those Liege-Husbands are either unable or unwilling to sire Children-By-Blood, strenuous adoption efforts are the most common solution to this problem, whether by careful evaluation of bastards and poor relatives or more infamously by harvesting the children of their slain foes. Indeed, it is speculated that the inception of this most notable Arawni trait may have originated with Galtine of the Golden Dawn itself. The greater issue with children however is that the size of household is both required but does not run counter to the global expectation that all children should be raised to meet or exceed the legacy of the house, a matter which can lead to ruinous expenditures to the household if one is unwary.
Lastly is the matter of divorce among the Arawni. Namely in the peculiar inability of a Liege to dissolve a marriage once formed but in the general ability for a Subject to do so (albeit, at great cost to prestige). The onus is usually placed on a Liege to be able to provide for a Subject as best possible and for the Subject to support and show loyalty to the Liege in all things. Subjects are therefore generally free to retreat to the house of their Kin-Liege should they feel that their treatment is not proportional to their service, although any children are seen as the right of the Liege to keep and it is generally considered unacceptable to 'steal' the children of a Liege. Especially grave cases of mistreatment can and have been used to facilitate wars historically, sometimes under false pretenses, by covetous Kin-Lieges. It should be noted that Lieges themselves do not share this ability and must generally hold their Subjects until their time of death however, with the sole exception of a failed Blood-Testing ritual, whereupon the global-custom of a violent end to the marriage typically ensues.
Practically however, it is very rare for Subjects to abandon Lieges due to the considerable social stigma unless the Liege does something very public and shameful such as taking monastic vows and adopting a shaven head with facial brands. In these rare and extreme circumstances the entirety of their Subjects are more than free to leave. Some historical tragedies indeed show a Liege adopting such vows on the night before an expected death so as to their spare their beloved Subjects from being slain with them.
Components and tools
Marriage is associated with the wearing of a corded Necklace with a single etched ring for the Subject and an etched ring per Subject for the Liege. The Etching is usually the partner's name runes and the date of marriage.
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