Thydian Nobility Marriage Agreements
"For nobility, marriage is about working with someone. Yes, there are people who love each other and marry, but marriage is also a trade. Families are tied together by marriage, allied by blood and word. If your spouse's family is struggling, you are obligated to aide them. With nobles like us, that means we must support more than just a family. We support our spouse's family and those they support. Our marriages change the borders."
For Thydians, nobility have a role - to care for the people who live on lands they control. When nobility get married, they are binding their families and lands together. Marriage is a common way for new Arling to expand or gain allies.
Marriage is often considered to be a politcal trade. When a person of lower social standing "marries up," they present a trade for the family to consider before the marriage is approved. This is a popular way for older noble families who have fallen from economic grace to maintain the illusion of their status - marrying wealthier people of lower standing.
"You can generally trust a Thydian to keep their word, or at the least the spirit of their word. It's everyone else you have to be concerned out with their promises."
Thydian nobility are not as fond of playing with the exact words of laws as a whole, but the southern Arlings have begun writing down the terms of exchange when nobility are married as WordForPeopleWhoDistrustOutlandersButNotOutrightXenophiliaHere developed from the shifting borders with the Contested Lands, the Kingdom of Tormyra, and the Five Cities.
The terms of a marriage agreement generally include the basis of a dowry the wealthier family or families of the marriage will agree to pay towards the less wealthier. This can include specific plots of land, monetary wealth, buisiness wealth or involvement, military agreements, or trade deals. The wealthier family or families are often the ones being petitioned for their child or children's hand/s in marriage, so they have final say in what the payment will be.
"Arlings have risen and fallen with the exchange of vows and treaties. It's how Magnus the Red-Eyed gained Feroia.
Magnus' Marriage Agreement
Magnus gained the forces of Feroia to support his bid to become High King of Theydim through his marriage. From his marriage, he also gained his wife's allies, making his side of the Thydian Unification Wars grow through alliances and trades, starting with his wife's connections.
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