Love under the sign of fire

"Women have the power here! Give yourself to men only to produce offspring - but refrain from loving them. They will repay your love with power over you."

Tika Ungo - Healer of the Safambi Order 4,353 BEC -

On Layida, the thousand-year-old matriarchy has developed some traditions that celebrate love, but are also closely related to the power role of Layid women. Not everyone sees men as equals. Women in higher positions in particular avoid loving themselves so as not to risk endangering their power. On the other hand, in the countryside and in the cities of the simple population, love is celebrated greatly.
The Layid colors of love are saffron yellow, orange and purple. Purple represents the power of love. Saffron yellow symbolizes sensuality, desire and pleasure. Orange means trust and warmth.

When Kiani arrived in Zimuniya for the annual love festival, the city was already gripped by a sensual lightness. Many amusements such as masked balls, heroic fights in the arena, dances or lyrical performances, all of which served only one purpose - to find love in all possible forms, awaited numerous guests from all parts of Layida.
Kiani sat in a sedan chair carried by four men. Through the curtains she could see the streets and houses without anyone seeing her. Scents of patchouli and orange blossom mixed with the smells of exotic spices. Rhythmic music played in the background, making Kiani want to dance. She stopped the sedan chair, got out and let the sounds carry her to the market square.
Several couples had already found each other there, hugging their bodies close to each other to the rhythm of the drums and dancing with each other in a trance-like state. On a stage stood a man who embodied the god of ardent love Jayadiba and performed a fire show. Kiani watched the scene from the edge until she grabbed the hand of a handsome Layikani and pulled it to his body. She followed his movements and let him guide her completely.
The stranger pulled Kiani further into the middle of the square. Pheromones danced invisibly through the air with the couples and allowed the couples to exchange caresses and kisses with each other. Kiani's dance partner stood behind her and kissed her neck and shoulders as he pressed her hips tightly against his body. Kiani's skin tingled and butterflies awoke inside her. But she knew that this was just a fleeting moment and just the start of her journey that might end in love.

All about love

Jayadibu is the god of ardent love. The 6th of Jayadimtu is considered a holiday for lovers. The houses are decorated with Layid flowers and many couples exchange vows on this day.

Jayadibu, the god of glowing love
by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

Zimuniya hosts the annual love festival in the month of Jayadimtu, which lasts several days and attracts many high-ranking Layikani to the city looking for a suitable husband for themselves or their daughters.

Festival of Love by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

Arranged marriages

"It takes an ember, not just a glow, to create fire."

Layidian idiom-

One might think that because of matriarchy, daughters are more respected than sons. But this is only partially true. Sons, as husbands, later look after their in-laws' farm. Unmarried daughters are called to practice fire magic.

Since only women with many firemarks have access to fire magic, the chosen ones are made sure that they have more firemarks than other men in their community. This means that sons can also represent a high position for their parents. If they have many port-wine stains on their temples, there is a good chance that their offspring and especially their daughters will also have many port-wine stains.

As a result, there are strong marriage policies and arranged marriages in old noble lines. Parents can negotiate high dowries for their sons. Since their sons move into the wife's household, the dowry enables them to make a living later if they do not have their own daughters to marry off.

During the wedding ceremony, the mothers of the bride and groom ask to say “I do”. If one of the mothers has already died, the role is taken over by an older sister or aunt.

Tiala stood next to her sister Mabika, holding her hand, the nails of which dug into Tiala's skin. Mabika's face was covered by a saffron-colored veil and was only to be lifted by her groom shortly before the wedding night. But Tiala's sore hand told her that her sister was worried. She had never seen her future husband before. The marriage and dowry had been negotiated by Mabika's mother and future mother-in-law and after a year of ritual preparations for the marriage, Mabika would be married today.
The wedding took place in the courtyard of the parents' house, which was decorated with lots of yellow, purple and orange flowers and garlands. In the middle of the courtyard lay a few spotted camel skins, on which stood a padded bench. A canopy with scarves in the same colors provided the future couple with shade from the hot sun. The parents of the bride and groom and relatives stood around the canopy.
Tiala led her sister under the canopy and placed Mabika's hands in the groom's. He pulled one hand to his chest and one hand to the cheek of his face. The groom's mother then asked: "Do you accept our gift?", to which Mabika replied: "In honor of Jayadibu, the god of ardent love, thank your house." affirmed. Next, Mabika's mother asked the same question, however this time the groom's mother responded with the same answer. This marked the marriage ceremony and the husband was accepted into Tiala's family.

Layidian Marriage by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

Polygamy

"The more golden the chest, the more colorful the flames."

LaySpran idiom-

Polygamy is also widespread among the Layikani and has two main advantages. Firstly, a Layikani's prestige increases as she must have great wealth if she can have multiple husbands.
In addition, she often does not know who the father of one of her children is. This means that neither men nor children are favored or have a higher status than others, avoiding problems of succession or other rivalries.

Remedy against love

Despite the ongoing matriarchy, the firewalker species has never managed to prevent or even completely eliminate the oxytocyne released during the act.
For this reason, there are some spells to avoid succumbing to love. Unfortunately, they have the disadvantage that they have to be used over and over again since they cannot be manifested as a permanent spell.
In addition, Laykani are trained to switch off their love feelings. But this takes years of practice. Many Layini flip the switch once in their lives and never activate it again. They believe that activation triggers a love rush with high addictive potential after years of abstinence.

Desire

“Think with your heart and love with your mind.”

LaySpran idiom-

After the Spark symbiosis, Layikani who have ascended to Layini are no longer able to become pregnant and care for offspring. For them, the focus is purely on physical desire when it comes to getting involved with a man, because love would influence their magical abilities.
Many Layini can control their feelings for men. However, this does not mean that they do not have compassion, quite the opposite. Compassion guides her use of fire magic. But feelings for a man block this compassion and paralyze her strength.

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In response to DaniAdventures' unofficial challenge

Romantic Adventures - Meetcutes & Matchmaking