Sexuality, identity, and relationships

The diversity of humanity has been recognised and celebrated since time immemorial, and Arginese society equally includes people of a huge range of sexualities and identities. It would be considered rude in the extreme to draw undue attention to a person’s sexuality or identity or to suggest that it might make them somehow less capable or desirable.

Marriage within Arginet is an institution that exists as a bond between two or more people. There is no social expectation for a marriage in order to pursue an intimate relationship, so it is most often entered into as a sign of a long-lasting commitment. Ceremonies vary across the country and between traditions, but an exchange of rings or other tokens is most common, and a priest or the liege lord of one of the parties is generally called on to officiate. Although many people marry with a view to having children, it is well-established that producing offspring is distinct from marriage - reliable herbal contraception is widely available and there is no stigma attached to adoption or to having children outside of wedlock.

Matters are a little different for the nobility. Due to the high political stakes and the desire to produce blood heirs, noble marriages are come with an expectation of permanence and absolute fidelity. If a noble has no biological children they are socially required to designate an heir from within their own family, usually a niece or nephew, to ensure the bloodline is continued; this is the usual practice in same-sex marriages. Noble houses can become extinct if the title holder dies without issue and without having named a blood relation as heir, in which case the title reverts to the crown. They may also merge when heirs marry, thus accumulating titles (which may be of different ranks).