[Verdant] Marriage and Engagement

[MARRIAGE ON VERDANT/WHAT IS MARRIAGE?]
   Marriage is a rather antiquated ritual on Verdant, but one that is respected. Married trolls are legally recognized on Verdant--this is the only planet which grants 'marriage' a legal definition or recognition. The Church typically marries Trolls, due to the religious ties many traditional marriage ceremonies contain. In addition, the Church tends to have access to spirit communers, who are necessary for sealing engagement and wedding rings.

Marriage is not necessarily tied just to the quadrant system, though it certainly has romantic undertones. Trolls generally propose to their matesprit or moirails; depending on a kismessitude's balance, a troll may propose to a kismesis. There are even instances of auspistice marriage, in which both mediated parties dedicate their rings to the Auspistice in the event of one of their untimely deaths.
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[IS MARRIAGE ALWAYS TIED TO RELIGION?]
   No. Marriage has its roots in religion, but atheistic trolls often marry. The Church generally facilitates ceremonies, but does not have to be involved in a marriage ceremony for it to be considered legal. Marriage does have mystical elements, and the concept of sealing a soul into a stone/messing around with soulmates, the afterlife, spirits, etc may be too spiritually slanted for particularly skeptical trolls to handle.

[HOW MANY MARRIAGES CAN A PERSON HAVE AT ONE TIME? ]
   A person can only give a psionic/engagement ring to one person, period.

[CAN SOMEONE POSSIBLY BE MARRIED MULTIPLE TIMES, BE A WIDOWER OF MULTIPLE HUSBANDS/WIVES, AND THUS GAIN ALL OF THEIR PSIONICS?]
   This is definitely possible and in-universe has happened numerous times; this is why the Church eventually tightened restrictions on marriage contracts for particularly crafty (and possibly murderous) trolls. OOCLY YOU CANNOT DO THIS. It is IMPOSSIBLE TO BALANCE.

[WHAT IS AN ENGAGEMENT RING?]
   Engagement rings are thusly called due to the Fleet term of 'engagement'--a military engagement. The two parties agree to enter a contract in which they are formally obligated to cede a war trophy to the other in the instance of their death.

The war trophy--the engagement ring--is imbued with a mark of the wearer's soul in an incredibly complicated ritual. This mark ensures that upon the wearer's death, their psionics or unique physical abilities will be inherited by their engagement partner. The ring can ONLY BE WORN BY THEIR ENGAGEMENT PARTNER; their powers are not tied merely to the ring, but also to the person who wears it.

[DOES MY CHARACTER NEED TO WEAR THE RING TO USE THEIR DECEASED PARTNER'S ABILITIES?]
   The wearing of the ring is not necessary after roughly a perigee past the partner's death, as at this point the spirit has imprinted on the living partner and not merely the ring itself.

[CAN PARTNERS USE ONE ANOTHER'S PSIONIC OR CASTE-STRENGTH ABILITIES WHILE THEIR PARTNER IS ALIVE?]
   -NO-. Psionic inheritance and caste strength inheritance ONLY HAPPENS once the partner dies; rainbowdrinkers do not fulfill this requirement, nor do trolls that die and then come back to life in any other way.

[CAN MY CHARACTER COMMUNE WITH THEIR DEAD PARTNER DUE TO WEARING THEIR RING?]
   No. You can say that your character feels their presence, feels calmed or comforted by them, etcetera, but they cannot directly communicate with their dead partner. In addition, undue influence is not allowed: I.E., your character cannot receive bonuses to their focus or strength because 'their dead partner is cheering them on from the grave' or 'they can feel their presence'.

BLANKET WARNING: If your character is made exceptionally strong/unbalanced by inheriting a psionic ability or physical ability they will be nerfed/ability changed. Balancing guidelines placed below are precisely that, guidelines. If mods apply these guidelines and your character is still overpowered, moderator intervention/tweaking will take place.

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INHERITING CASTE-RELATED STRENGTH:

RULE 1:
Characters with deceased partners will inherit their partner's strength unless it exceeds theirs by more than 4 castes.
EX:
A Jadeblood dating a Cerulean would inherit Cerulean-level strength.

EX 2:
An Oliveblood dating a Violet would inherit Indigo/Blue-level strength (Olive, +Jade, +Teal, +Cerulean, +Indigo.)

RULE 2:
The maximum amount of 'caste strength' one can earn is their original caste + 4 castes.
EX:
A rustblood and a tyrian pair up. The rustblood inherits the Tyrian's strength and is now as strong as a Jadeblood.

RULE 3:
Characters with deceased partners of a caste lower than them do NOT inherit any type of caste strength advantages whatsoever.

RULE 4:
Caste strength inheritance must be OOCly approved by moderators and checked for balance issues in the Approvals channel. Above balancing suggestions can be dismissed if they do not adequately control a character's strength/overall power.

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INHERITING CASTE-RELATED PSIONICS:

RULE 1:
Chucklevoodoos cannot be inherited through an engagement ring/psionic inheritance.

RULE 2:
Castes Olive and above cannot perform psionic jaunts/inherit the ability to become a ship battery. They CAN, however, inherit the abilities associated with this; telekinesis, psionic beams (if deceased partner was able to), etc.

RULE 3:
Psionic inheritance must be OOCly approved by moderators and checked for balance issues in the Approvals channel. Above balancing suggestions can be dismissed if they do not adequately control a character's strength/overall power.

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SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES:
If a character only receives +2 Caste strength or less upon their partner's death, *and* receives no psionics from their partner, they may take this boon:
The spirit of your deceased loved one fills you with a fighting spirit when you enter deadly fights. +1 to Fighting rolls in fight with a risk of culling/death.

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ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

[DOES MARRIAGE NEED TO BE BASED ON LOVE OR HATE?]
   As stated earlier, no. Many marriages are based on the mutual benefits that both parties receive upon the other's death. Though most marriages are quadrant-based, marriage is well-known as a business tactic and political maneuver amongst the most well-bred of Trolls.

[CAN YOU GET DIVORCED?]
   A troll may only divorce their partner if it is proven that:
1. Their partner has either directly or indirectly attempted to kill them/have them killed.
2. Their partner is exerting undue influence over them and using the union to harm them in a generally-agreed-upon societally unacceptable way (abuse).
Distance, falling out of love with someone, and general mistrust are examples of 'grounds for divorce' that are not grounds for divorce at all. Cheating is not grounds for divorce. Marriage is taken as 'for life' and it is difficult to get a divorce under clause 2.

[WHAT HAPPENS TO RINGS IN CASE OF DIVORCE?]
   Rings are destroyed by a spirit communer and future engagements can proceed as follow.

[WHAT IF YOU'RE MARRIED TO SOMEONE YOU AREN'T IN A QUADRANT WITH? IS ROMANCE ALLOWABLE IN A MARRIAGE EVEN IF A TROLL HAS ALL FOUR QUADRANTS FILLED? DOES A MARRIAGE COUNT AS A 'FIFTH QUADRANT PASS'?]
   It depends. Plenty of trolls in history have used marriage as a means to gain an additional quadrant or to soothe vacillation by putting a ring on the murderous finger, so to speak. Marriage is seen as a mysterious and holy custom; it is sacred and the actions taken within it are seen as acceptable by Verdantians, who feel that marriage is the purest and most intimate form of a relationship: quite literally sharing your soul with someone.

Plenty of people have also went 'no homo, I'm just with you as friends'. Marriage is complicated and frustrating. Societally, by those of Verdant, you may not be judged for whatever you do within an engagement; however, people's feelings are personal and ever-changing, and your other quadrants may not respect your choices as much as, say, a traditionalist Jadeblood tender would.

   [WHAT DO ENGAGEMENT RINGS LOOK LIKE?]
Engagement rings can look however Trolls want them to look, within reason; however, there are some interesting cultural trends and stereotypes prevalent in ring ownership and creation. The notes below are mere generalizations.

METALS AND THEIR SUGGESTED MEANINGS:
PLATINUM: A precise union with focused, hardworking partners. Indicates wealth. Responsible.
GOLD: Traditional, romantic, warm, loving. Wholesome romance. Honest. Favored metal. Lucky.
WHITE GOLD: A refined union. Intimate and mysterious to others. Partners may seem aloof. Creative.
ROSE GOLD: Pale or flushed romance, comfort and warmth, connection throughout time. Inexplicable or serendipitous.
SILVER: Practical, steadfast, down-to-earth, magical, ashen or pale.
TUNGSTEN: Lethal, kismeses or deadly matesprits. Avoid. Danger, intense connection, blind focus.
BRONZE INLAY/COPPER TONES: Hearth, family, favored by Broodmothers and Jades, guardianship and community.

GEM COLORS (SOMETIMES STONES) AND THEIR SUGGESTED MEANINGS:
PINKS AND ORANGES: Flushed to pale romance.
BLACKS TO GRAYS: Ashen romance.
MOONSTONE: Holy romance/blessed romance.
PEARLS: Typically not the gem of focus/are secondary stones. Traditional settings for seadwellers.
JADE: Often set inside the band of married Broodmothers' rings, hidden.
DIAMONDS: Pale romance, focused romance, 'one and only' romance.
TYRIAN STONES: When secondary stones, indicate that the coupling was favorable to the Emperor/Empress--highest blessing possible. When primary stones, either indicate a Tyrian partner or a clear 'stay away' warning from the Emperor/Empress.
CASTE STONES: Color of the opposite partner's caste, traditional stone coloring.
IMPERIAL RED: Often read as a 'stay away'/protective partner.

GEM CUTS/SHAPES:
Briolette: Moiraillegiances, also an all-purpose 'classy' cut.
Square: Steadfast, thoughtful, no nonsense.
Octagon: Generally given to midblood castes. Responsibility and commitment.
Pear: Grief and delight. Tragedy and ecstasy.
Round: Neutral/reasonable/all-purpose cut.
Cabochon: Most often used on secondary stones, cut small in quadrant colors to indicate wearer's marriage type/romance or lack thereof.
Marquise: Creative, changing, mystical.

DO TROLLS TEND TO USE ENGAGEMENT RINGS AS ELABORATE DISPLAYS OF THEIR WEALTH/COMMITMENT/ARE THEY VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF EMOTIONAL BULGE MEASURING CONTESTS?
Yeah.

DO TROLLS WEAR WHITE ON THEIR WEDDING DAY?
Here are some color selection meanings, generalized. Keep in mind that these are general descriptors and that a troll may wear whatever they like on their Day of Reckoning. Manner of dress is generally Fleet Ball standard gowns and suits.

COLORS AND TYPICAL MEANING:

Imperial red is a bold choice often favored by Trolls dedicated entirely to the Fleet or the Empress/Emperor, though anyone may select the color. Older trolls (a hundred years or up) are more likely to choose Imperial red for their wedding garb, as are Fleet trolls. Imperial red is also seen as a 'dangerous' color, a sort of warning sign to stay away. As it is eyecatching, nearly eyesearing, trolls are unable to ignore the color. Those who wear Imperial red are viewed as 'unafraid'.

Wearing one's own caste color is generally done either by 'modern, forward-thinking' trolls, or highbloods who wish to represent their caste favorably during the ceremony. Wearing your own caste is considered a move of independence and individuality within partnership. Ashen weddings often feature trolls wearing their own caste color.

Wearing a partner's caste color is the most common choice and is seen to be a representation of one's devotion to their partner. Lowbloods and midbloods are likeliest to wear a partner's color. Wearing your partner's caste color can be considered romantic; nearly all matesprit weddings feature the two trolls wearing their partner's caste.

White is the favored color of those who believe in the existence of angels, accursed creatures of destruction and purification. Those who wear white may view themselves as tied spiritually to the capricious and cruel angels which pull the strings of Trolls' lives.. Others wear the color to signify simple lethality.

Black is generally worn by those entering a marriage on business terms. Black is associated with a detachment from romance, a focus on logic, and maintenance of the status quo. Black is also worn by those in 'Funeral Engagements', weddings which take place shortly before the expected death of one of the partners.

Purple is sometimes worn by faithful subjuggulators or those that are faithful and are -not- Purple caste. Often indicates mirthfulness, celebration of a holy day, the blessing of the Messiahs.

Associated quadrant colors are as follows: Matesprits are red, moirails are pink or cream, ashen is gray or black, kismesis is black, individual caste color, or dark red.