Acknowledgements

Written by FriarFriday

I want to woo the person of my dreams. In your world, how do I go about this?

Are you a member of House in the Empire? House members go to the Courting House of Gray, for a companion, in a ritual called Acknowledgement. Acknowledgement in the Empire means a lot, but in a way, it is similar to marriage, where the member of Grey House acknowledges that he or she is now one with their suitor. Romance is very tricky in this Empire because while one may have many lovers, to be acknowledged is the highest honor, sadly an honor only reserved for the Houses. 

Just a regular Joe in the Empire?

Things are a lil more laid back for you buddy, not bound by the stuffy rules of nobility, you have the privilege of coupling with whom you wish, within reason of course. Magic and Faith abilities really drain the user, and seeing how the majority of the Empire are users of some sort, food is definitely the fastest way to someones heart. The use of majic and faith pulls alot of energy so the people of the Empire need to constantly replenish themselves and they do so with their consumption of food. So much so in fact, chefs are like sex symbols to them. I think you get the idea. No? Ok, so instead of flowers and poetry, present your sweet boo thang with a spread of food that would make a hobbit blush, and you will thank me later.  

History

The history of Acknowledgements, according to Imperial Scholars and Observers alike, began as a tradition to pay honor and respect to the Father and Mother of all magic users, The Forbidden Couple. The mother knowing that the Creator would become furious with her, decided to face His wrath and tell Him the truth. Praying to Him, she acknowledged her love for her mate, claiming him as her own, and the children that came from the coupling as her own. Moved by her honesty and motherhood, the Creator mandated, that even the offsprings of something as forbidden as the Mother and her Children, was still life. He marked them, and commanded that all who should hunt them, hunts life, will be punished as if they were hunting man. The Mother became known as the All Mother the First. Her name lost to history and time.

How it became reserved to the Houses?

Well allow me to first state, after the All Mother the Sixth, Mehdea, the Empire has been continuously assaulted by the Sons of Cain through the Colonies, most of which was originally Empire Territories, stewarded by the First Nations. Sons of Cain, in a self declared Destiny Manifest, either killed or enslaved the First Nations, drove them from their lands and immediately set their eyes on the Empire. With their inventions of the Firearm, the colonists were wiping out the numbers of magic users nearly to the point of genocide. Numbers were very few, down to a couple of extremely powerful and intelligent tribes and families of Magi. These became the Houses of the Empire after defending the Temple of the Mother, the throne and seat of their power reservoir. One tribe, the terrible and great tribe of Udah, developed a way to tap into their Dragon lineages, and invented a new way to express their rage. The damage was devastating. To not only both sides, but to the Earth itself. The Empire at great cost to itself and the surrounding territories, pushed the Sons of Cain back out of the Empire and reclaimed nearly half of the First Nation Territories. In order to preserve itself and its lineages, the Houses created a genetic database, detailing the blood line of each and every surviving descendant of the Forgiven Coupling. In order to prevent inbreeding and to produce a variety of children, the Acknowledgement Ceremony was a way to track the genetic line of offspring, as opposed to a way to pay homage or declare oneself bound to another. Surely and true, by the time All Mother Maika takes the throne, the ceremony, is stilled used to track offspring, yet now is more or less a way of legitimizing inheritances, and in some cases, the powerful and often times deadly derecho de nacimiento del dragón

Execution

An Acknowledgment, nowadays at least, comes by custom from the House of Grey, historically the reason why is argued over by the Observers and  Scholars. A member of a Imperial House, say, Santino, must be acknowledged by a member of the House of Grey. First by prayer to the Creator, secondly claiming the courter in the Temple of the Mother, thirdly, in public to their local Observer or Imperial Scholar. At anytime, should a fellow Magi wish to contend or deny the Acknowledgment, one is allowed to call a Dignity by Arms, a call out to the opposed and their entire house to a duel till submission or death. This happens often.

Observance

The Acknowledgements can happen at anytime, usually started by an Elder requesting to know from whose house one is from. Because of this, clever mates will present their partners to their House Elders, in order to have the relationship acknowledged without much resisting or resentments.

Primary Related Location

Aztlan