Other Aspects of Materna's Culture

Dueling

The art of dueling is not entirely rare in the world of Materna. It is estimated that one out of every twenty males will be involved in at least one duel during their lives, as either a principle, front, or second. Women rarely get involved in duels, even as seconds.

Duels fall under one of four categories: hand-to-hand combat, known as a peasants' duel, a brawl, or 'fighting like a man'; weapons combat, known as a knight's or gentlemen's duel; mixed weapons and magic combat, known as a mage's duel; and strictly magic combat, known as a wizard's duel. For a weapons or mixed combat duel, the weapon is chosen by the challenged.

Duels happen when a person receives what they perceive as an attack on their honor or the honor of someone in their life. The challenger will either hit the challenged with a glove or gauntlet or throw down a glove or gauntlet before them. These two people are known as the "principles." Each will select a "second," or a friend to act as a witness and potential go-between for negotiating the details of the duel. If there is no second, it is not considered a duel. There must also be an agreed-upon period of at least an hour between the issuing of the challenge and the duel to be considered a duel. Many locales also require the witness of a disinterested third party for it to be considered a duel to ensure there is no deceit on one or both sides. Duels must be limited to one principle on either side to be considered a duel. Sometimes, if one or both of the participants are of royalty, women, or somehow injured between the challenge and the duel, a frontman may be chosen to fight the duel in one or both of their places, though this is only done if both parties consent.

Rejecting a challenge to a duel is generally considered a shameful act of cowardice. Being considered a coward might lead to social shaming, the friends of the other party beating or flogging the coward (though not to the death), a Bootlicking Display, and in rare instances a Coward's Coutillian. In most provinces, these methods of punishing the coward (other than social shaming) are considered illegal. However, most governments turn a blind eye to these extralegal methods of duel enforcement, as they are socially acceptable and, in most instances, are more forms of humiliation that do not cause any long-term injuries. In lawful duels, the coward is only required to pay a fine, which goes entirely to the government. Because of this, most people do not consider the government punishment of cowards satisfactory and will still inflict extralegal punishments.

There are certain grounds upon which a duel may be honorably rejected. The most common reason is differences in social standing. Those of lower social status are considered too lowly to solicit combat from a person of higher social standing. Social standing in such instances is determined not only by the status of nobility/royalty or lack thereof, but also by factors such as occupation, parentage, or even race (certain races might consider it an insult to have individuals of certain other races challenge them, such as elves regarding non-elven or non-fae races). Other suitable reasons to reject a duel might be injury or disability or one of the parties being excessively old or young. Some duels might be rejected if the perceived offense is unfounded, but this can only be done if the general public can be persuaded of such. Otherwise, the attempted withdrawer will be labeled as a coward.

Having or lacking magic is generally not considered a reason to forego a duel. If one party has magic, while the other does not, the dueling is simply required to be either hand-to-hand combat or weapons combat. Extreme differences in race, (such as a centaur and a bipedal, or a giant and normal-sized person, etc.) are generally not considered an acceptable reason to forfeit a duel unless the bigger race considers the other race either as inferior or a joke (such as a giant with a gnome), or if the racial differences prevent them from using the same kind of terrain (such as a human and merman).

If both parties agree on withdrawal, the duel can be avoided without either party being considered a coward. Most negotiations give stipulations for the challenger or challenged to come to an honorable withdrawal. Such stipulations typically include apologies or sums of money being paid, but can also include acts of subjugation or humiliation. If one of the parties fulfills the stipulations, it is considered dishonorable to pursue the duel further. Any attempt to pursue the duel further is considered a criminal act by law, unless a new offense is made to give reason for another duel.

Dueling is not usually done to the death; most are done to incapacitation. However, duels can also be done until first hit, first to draw blood, given a certain time frame, or numerous other possibilities. Duels to the death are seldom actually done to the death, as opponents will stop short of a killing blow and ask the opponent to yield. If the opponent yields, the duel is officially won. If the opponent does not yield, the duel must be completed to the death or unconsciousness. If one of the participants loses consciousness in a duel to the death, it is generally assumed that the opponent could kill the other if he wanted to, allowing him to be the obvious winner. It is generally looked down upon, and even considered outright murder in certain cultures if he does follow through with killing an unresponsive opponent, even in a duel to the death, and even in a duel to the death where an opponent previously rejected yielding. Because of these common practices, actual death in dueling is rare.

Magical duels to the death are considered to be the most dangerous. This is because, in a magic duel, it is less likely that a genuine attempt on someone's life results in incapacitation, it will rather either kill or fail to incapacitate. Additionally, witnesses, passersby, and surroundings might be subject to rogue blasts, causing other casualties or collateral damage. Because of this, some provinces outright ban all "Wizard's Duels". If a Wizarding Duel is requested, they usually have limits such as time, shot count, or energy level/boltage, unless both principles have spells specially intended to incapacitate, in which case the agreed-upon spells may be inspected by each party.

Dueling is only considered legal if it is registered and a fee is paid before the duel is started. The registration must list the principle and secondary of both sides, and a witness if the locale requires it. A location and justification for the duel must be specified on the registration form, along with the agreed-upon stipulations of the duel. Then the duel must be carried out with either a healer present or at a location within a ten-minute carrying distance of a healer. The town clerk or magistrate will review the reason for the duel and may reject it if they deem the perceived slight to be frivolous. They may also reject the duel if they perceive the stipulations to present too great a risk to the principles or to those in the vicinity of the duel. There can be no appeals made if the duel is deemed unjustified. If the type or stipulations of the duel are rejected, the parties can submit a new form, paying the fee once again, until the official is satisfied. It is not unheard of for greedy clerks or magistrates to make unnecessary ad hoc requirements the first time or two to collect additional registration fees.

To avoid fees, most duels are not conducted legally. Participants usually follow all the local requirements of duels, but will seldom fill out the form and pay the fee. If one of the parties is killed or injured in a way that cannot go unnoticed, the seconds will then file the paperwork. They may get away with this by reporting the starting time to be an hour later, as though the duel had not already occurred.

While it is technically illegal to discriminate against women as dueling principles, women rarely get involved in duels due to extreme cultural pressures. Culturally, it is considered the duty of the men in a woman's life to duel on her behalf if her honor has been slighted. While a woman can challenge or be challenged, it is considered a viable reason in most locales for a duel to be rejected if it is between a man and a woman. A frontman must be enlisted for the duel to be accepted. Exceptions to this sentiment may be made for women who have shown considerable fighting prowess or excessive physical aggressiveness in the past. It is not unheard of in these types of locales for the audience of such a duel to get agitated if they perceive the man to be too aggressive towards the woman. When this happens, the audience will interfere in the duel on the woman's behalf. Because of this, most principles will only agree to the duel under the stipulation of limited or no audience besides the required seconds and third-party witness.

Other locales hold different perspectives on women dueling. These locales will not allow rejection on the basis of gender. Such locales are often unforgiving to women who get cold feet after issuing a challenge and will punish the woman by forcing her to fulfill the stipulations for withdrawal, having her perform a Bootlicking Display, or, on rare occasions, giving her a Woman Coward's Coutillian.

Bootlicking Display

A Bootlicking Display is a form of humiliation imposed when one group deems an offense is made. As a consequence of the offense, the offended party requires the offending party to lick their boot/hoof. The party may require the offender(s) to lick one person's boots or the boots of everyone in their entourage. The party may require simply one or two solid licks, or for the offender(s) to entirely clean the top of their shoe with their tongue. If the entire shoe is cleaned by the tongue, this is generally done only for the primary recipient of the offense and not the entire party. The offender(s) is almost never required to lick the bottom of the shoe.

Bootlicking might be required either by threat of force or by the party of the offended physically dragging and pushing the offender(s) face into the shoe until the licking is done.

Bootlicking is typically done only to those the offended considers inferior, as those who are their equals are dealt with through duels. Bootlicking Displays can also be done to those who reject duels without reasonable grounds. They are also done to women or on behalf of women instead of a duel. They are also often done to women in response to the women issuing and then withdrawing a challenge to a duel.

Coward's Coutillian

The term "Coward's Coutillian" originates from rural central Croulia, in a time when Common was the typical language of the masses, while the nobility spoke Croulian. The term "Coutillian" was applied to make light of the affair, and joke about it as if they were holding an upper-class soiree. With the advent of the Porta Lunae, this term spread to other locations of Materna while the execution was altered to fit local customs. Because of this, a Coward's Coutillian greatly varies from place to place. Depending on the locale, the "coward" is either stripped to the undergarments or dressed in an animal costume or women's clothing. They are then forced to dance or give another type of performance on a stage. The coward always receives a formal invitation to this affair. Different locales have different methods of pressuring or forcing the coward to accept the invitation if the coward is reluctant to accept. Abductions have also been known to occur.

Coward's Coutillians are uncommon in most places, but the term is well-known. If they are done, they are reserved for men who are deemed cowards. A man might be considered a coward by rejecting a duel without good reason; physically abusing their wife/girlfriend; abandoning children in a dangerous place; being a conman; or failing to perform a socially implied duty like participating in a fire brigade; etc.

Coward's Coutillians, while illegal, are seldom prosecuted. If any government action is taken against them, it is to send guards to break up the Coutillian. Arrests are only made for those who do not depart promptly, and then the prison charge is only mob unruliness or public intoxication. Assault charges are only pursued if the victim is nobility, royalty, a government official, or a prominent person. In cases of nobility or royalty, treason charges are also sometimes applied, resulting in the execution of all participants.

In areas where Coward's Coutillians are completely ignored by local authorities, they have been known to become more outrageous and even at times violent. For this reason, Coward's Coutillians, while not initially illegal, became illegal and therefore, less common. Citizens have been known to appeal to authorities if they deem a group to be too accessive, frequent, or widespread with their use of "Coutillians."

Coward's Coutillians are almost exclusively done to men. However, there have been instances of what is referred to as a Woman Coward's Coutillian. Woman Coward's Coutillians are only ever done to women for rejecting a duel; abandoning children in a dangerous place; making an allegedly false rape allegation against a prominent person; or using sex or sex appeal to manipulate men into violent conflict without having perceived romantic attachments to those men.

A Woman Coward's Coutillian involves stripping the woman naked and parading her through the crowd. Then she is dragged onto a stage and forced to get down on her hands and knees while the leading or offended parties take turns spanking her with a paddle or flogging her. They are overtly sexual in nature and are likely to devolve into gang rape of the female in question, even if it was not the original intention of the perpetrators. Woman Coward's Coutillians are exceptionally rare, with most offended persons opting for a Bootlicking Display.

Gender Norms in Occupation

According to Altruist laws, discrimination and differentiation based on sex is illegal. However, the populace at large is patriarchal and treats men and women differently. This is especially true in the middle and lower classes. Upper classes, while more egalitarian, still hold a staunch patriarchal outlook on name transfer, inheritance, titles, and leadership in the upper echelons.

Men dominate professions, occupations, and jobs involving heavy manual labor. They dominate construction, thatching, butchery, sewage and waste management, mercenariness and guarding/escort, judiciary and law enforcement, sailing and fishery, transportation, finances and accounting, farming, stonework, jeweling, carpentry, and metalwork. Men also have a marginally higher representation in healing and other magic-dominated fields, with the exception of copywriting. They also have a marginally higher representation in craftsmanship, artisanry, artistry, musicianry, mercantilism, bureaucratic work, management, stewardry, printing, writing, bakery, orchardry, and animal husbandry. This includes paid and unpaid labor.

Women dominate professions, occupations, and jobs involving service and domestic labor. They dominate childcare, elderly care, disability care, housewifery and household management, domestic cleaning, clothes-washing, hospitality, education, waitressing and hosting, embroidery and lacework, retail assistants, non-jeweling ornament production, fashion, cosmetics, and herbology. Women also have a marginally higher representation in horticulture, gardening, herbalism, tailoring, ropemaking, cloth production, event planning, customer service, cookery, pottery, and bookkeeping. This includes paid and unpaid labor.

It is to be noted that men hold seventy percent of business-owning or paid positions. This is not just because of unpaid childcare and housewifery, but also because women frequently act in supporting roles to their husbands. Married couples frequently share professions, such as ropemaking, tailoring, mercantilism, animal husbandry, etc. In these cases, the man will more commonly be registered as the owner or chief artisan, with the woman either assisting in production or just managing and selling the wares/production/labor, without formal pay or registration. In rural communities, men will engage in large-scale farming and orchardry for yearly income and taxes, while women engage in unpaid smaller-scale gardening for food, herbs, and medicine for individuals and families, and the occasional unregistered small-scale earnings.

The most popular hires of upper-class domestic services, such as chiefs, estate party planners, etc. as well as horse riding and athletic instructors, are dominated largely by women or homosexual men. This Is because, historically speaking, upper-class men do not want their wives and daughters to sleep with servants or leisure instructors. Because of this, servants who commonly interact with "the ladies of the house," have been either women or homosexual or older married heterosexual men. Other servants, such as gardeners, stable boys, manservants, etc. whose interactions with the women are more limited are generally heterosexual. However, the professions of servants and leisure instructors who are men who more commonly interact with the wealthiest of women, have over time, become almost exclusively homosexual. This is true, even in households where the men trust their wives. Because of the historical reasoning for hiring homosexual men, these industries have attracted and favored homosexual men in training. Experts garner special attention to trainees and apprentices who share sexual relationships with them, causing homosexual men to rise in ability compared to women and heterosexual men in the industry.

Over time this cycle has rendered higher and higher quality homosexual candidates, to the point that wealthy families seek to hire them, assuming that they are the best. This is not to say that every man in these industries is homosexual, but that homosexual candidates are more commonly advanced to working with wealthier families, while heterosexual men either work for businesses or less wealthy families.

Among the homosexual workers, their homosexuality is never openly acknowledged, with the men euphemistically referred to as "eunuchs," and their romantic partners referred to as "good friends." Wealthy families will allow them to sleep in the same room as their partners, even giving them a large bed to share. This is only done for partners who work in the same household, as "special guests" (either male or female) of servants are not permitted. Couples, therefore (just as married heterosexual couples), request they be hired with their partner, to which most households oblige, finances permitting. However, their status as a couple is never openly acknowledged. All displays of affection, both physical and verbal, must be confined to their bedrooms, other private areas, or homosexual clubs and brothels to be unseen by family, guests, or other servants.

Gender Norms in Social Interactions

The upper classes hold a somewhat snarky and unforgiving attitude toward egalitarianism, particularly regarding lower-class women. Competitions and tournaments they host do not differentiate between men and women in competitive divisions. As a result, women seldom rise to the top in sports and duels. They are also unforgiving to lower-class women struggling with heavy manual labor, combat, etc, and will not help them or give them special favors or considerations. Upper classes feign egalitarianism to tout moral superiority, and when it suits them in social and business interactions.

In private, the upper classes hold a more patriarchal outlook. Fathers tend to be more physically protective of their daughters' safety and discourage promiscuity (though it is rare for them to expect total abstinence before marriage from their daughters) or are indifferent to promiscuous behavior. Some mothers might coach their daughters to have strategic liaisons for social climbing, but in general, they also discourage wanton behavior that might lead to social embarrassment.

With their sons, upper-class fathers are more permissive with unsupervised travel, late-night routs, and dangerous hobbies. They are also more encouraging of promiscuity and sexual relationships of their sons, with some fathers taking their sons to brothels or giving them funds to maintain a mistress (sometimes multiple). Whether the mothers are permissive, discouraging, or indifferent to any or all of these behaviors depends on the demeanor of the individual mother. In general though, they are not explicitly encouraging such behaviors, and seek to discourage or hide any behaviors or tendencies that might lead to social embarrassment.

Title-holding families prefer passing their titles onto their sons instead of their daughters. Estates and control of major business ventures are likewise usually passed to sons over daughters. It is not uncommon though for wealthy families with multiple houses, businesses, and investment ventures to place some under their wives', children's, and sometimes even mistresses' names to launder money and reduce the progressive tax burden placed on multiple assets ownership.

For the middle and lower classes, men are generally more chivalrous towards women. Gender roles are more defined and traditional. While laws enforce egalitarianism, middle and lower-class men often feel bad for women who fall on the wrong side of that enforcement (such as military conscription, prison sentences, etc). Others use it to their advantage, especially to evade child support.

For courtship and romantic relationships among all classes, traditional gender roles are maintained. Men typically pursue the women, court them, pay for things, etc, and women cook, clean, and care for their men. In marriage, the woman almost always takes on the man's name or will hyphenate her name with his. Men seldom take on the woman's name, except when the woman comes from a more prestigious family.

Middle and lower classes are also discouraging of or indifferent to promiscuous behavior from their daughters, with certain cultures expecting total virginity before marriage (namely devotees of Solstefar). Some middle or lower-class mothers might encourage daughters to make strategic sexual liaisons to socially climb or secure marriage or a financial future. A few may even encourage their daughters to become mistresses of wealthy or influential men for similar reasons. However, this behavior is uncommon as becoming a mistress (especially to a married man) is widely considered a great shame that brings social shunning of both the woman and her family (except among dryads, and certain uppity, socially climbing lower-class families).

Whether fathers encourage promiscuous behavior in their sons is relegated to the individual personality of the particular father, with some encouraging it, many discouraging it, and many indifferent to it. It is rare for middle and lower-class parents to expect their sons to be entirely (or mostly) abstinent before marriage. Culturally men who are still virgins by the time they are in their early to mid-twenties are regarded with derision. Most parents expect their sons to settle down into marriage between twenty and thirty-five (or by the time they are forty for longer-life species and fifty for elves).

Most middle and lower-class families expect their daughters to be married by the time they are thirty (or thirty-five for longer-life species, and forty for elves). Among all socioeconomic classes, it is considered an overall embarrassment to mothers and their families for their children to be born outside of wedlock, with the exception of dryads. Despite there being no law to enforce childcare or support from unwed fathers, it is generally also considered dishonorable for a man to completely abandon his child. Still, middle and lower-class men frequently escape any social stigma of not contributing by either moving to a different city or pretending that the child is not theirs. Upper-class men escape it by refusing to acknowledge the woman or child.

Substance Use

The use of addictive substances is uncommon. This, however, is not due to the lack of access to these substances, but rather the ease of access rendering it too dangerous. Because of druidic nature magic, plants that grow these substances can be bred to be stronger. They can also be grown at a rapid rate, to such an extent that consumption is essentially unlimited and often either free or insanely cheap. Due to this phenomenon, people who become addicted to mind-altering substances, without intervention, usually die of overdose or malnutrition within six months to two years. This has led the vast majority of people to be wary of ingesting these substances, except for maybe the occasional celebratory one-off use.

Because of strict curfew and tenet laws, those who are addicted to substances are regulated to one of three locations: being cared for in a home by sober relatives, living in a community of similarly addicted people in the woods, or dwelling in the underground sewers or catacombs. Those who live in addicted communities in the woods or catacombs are often lethargic and in squalor, living off of mushrooms and weeds for sustenance as they fuel a constant high with the community's choice of substances. Those in such communities linger for no more than a year or two before they succumb to the drugs, elements, unhygienic living conditions, or lack of nutrition. The governments are generally unconcerned about persons living in such situations, as long as they pay their taxes and appear for any forced conscription notice.

As such addictive substances are so deadly, most people with chronic addictive issues are alcoholics. Since alcohol takes a certain amount of time to process outside of the crop's growth, alcohol, while still plentiful, is therefore limited in nature and requires work or funds to access. This limits the amount of alcohol an alcoholic can consume, bringing about a slower death of years or decades, allowing for more people to become addicted to it.

There is also a portion of people who are habitual hemp users, typically through smoking. Hemp is commonly grown for clothing and rope production, with smoking leaves as one of the byproducts. This hemp is low in mind-altering properties, as strains that are not low in these properties have a tendency to lead to the same problems of other addictive substances. The common hemp is mainly smoked by persons who suffer from arthritis and other forms of minor chronic pain. Others, typically men, smoke it for leisure, in order to imbue a sense of calm while conversing with others (also typically men).

Certain cults living in the woods may use mind-altering substances in their rituals or as a means of bonding with other members or potential members. These kinds of substance use are forbidden by conventional devotees of the pantheon of gods and goddesses, and therefore not a part of any common sect.

Brothels

Brothels are legal across all of Materna, in both Altruist and non-Altruist countries. In Altruist-allied countries, the minimum age for workers and clients is sixteen, except for high elves, where the age is twenty-five. For non-Altruist countries, the age varies by both province and race. Laws regarding brothels in non-Altruist countries vary by province. Laws in Altruist countries are standard across all countries, and for this reason, this passage will focus on laws and customs of brothel use in Altruist countries.

For sex-oriented businesses, there are nine categories, all of which are subject to the Vice Tax and prohibit the attendance of persons under sixteen (or twenty-five for elves). The first two categories are paraphernalia shops and separated striptease displays, which fall under Class 1 of the Vice Tax. The paraphernalia shops may be a part of another sex-oriented business without incurring a secondary Vice Tax (though they will pay the Vice Tax Classification of the highest level for the business as a whole). Paraphernalia shops are also subject to the Luxury Tax in addition to the Vice Tax. Separated Strip Tease Displays (also referred to as "peep shows") cannot have any physical contact between "performers" and clients. A physical barrier must be present, such as a wall, stage, or cage to separate the "performers" from clients to ensure they are compliant with the Vice Tax Level 1 Classification of no touching. If there are no barriers present, the business will automatically be escalated to the Level 2 Classification, even if no touching is present. The Separated Strip Tease Display classification also applies to indecent art if the art is only viewed. If the art is purchased, it falls under paraphernalia classifications.

Vice Tax Level 2 Classification applies to an Integrated Striptease Display. Integrated Strip Tease Display involves touching between the performer and client but forbids genital interactions of any kind.

Vice Tax Level 3 Classification applies to the categories of Prostitution Business Catering to Normal Bipedal Clients and Expanded Species Clients, known as brothels. Brothels catering to normal Bipedal Clients exclude cyclops, giants, centaurs, aescals, harpies, naga, merfolk, and sirens. Brothels with Expanded Species Clients do not necessarily include all the species on the species lists that are normally excluded. Different Expanded Species Clients must list the allowed species on a sign or placard clearly visible near every entrance. All brothels must have a sign or placard with a list of either approved or prohibited acts, as well as a list or placard of the costs of different acts, displayed somewhere before the client either pays or begins their session. If a client's session is visible to persons other than the prostitute or brothel manager/supervisor or security guard, the client must be informed as to who and give consent to the display.

Brothels must have at least one healer on hand for every twenty prostitutes working on the clock. Brothels must heal client and prostitute injuries free of charge, as long the client follows the rules specified by the brothel. If the client does not follow the rules, they are liable for all injuries procured during the session. The brothel may also press charges of battery or assault against the client if they deem it necessary. Brothels must prioritize client healing or prostitute healing, even if the client was at fault. Brothels with Expanded Species Clients must pay insurance for injury or death. Prostitutes/Clients or their families must be compensated for death or extensive injuries.

Clients who have sessions with prostitutes other than dryads (since they are disease-resistant) must be tested for sexually transmitted diseases following their session. If they are found with a disease, they must be treated for the disease through magic healing. The testing for diseases can be charged to the client, but the treatment for any diseases must be provided free of charge. All prostitutes must be tested at the end of their shift for sexually transmitted diseases and treated, free of charge. Prostitutes may not be given shifts longer than thirty-six hours and must have at least an eight-hour break between shifts, not including time needed to treat injuries or diseases. Brothels with Expanded Species Clients must additionally test for and treat interspecies diseases.

Vice Tax Level 4 Classification applies to four categories: Violent Prositute Businesses for Normal Bipedal Clients and for Expanded Species Clients, and Perverse Prostitute Businesses for Normal Bipedal Clients and for Expanded Species Clients. These businesses must register their particular practices under their business license to ensure they are not going beyond their purview and also have necessary healing spells on hand. These brothels are required to have both grundsten* and a physician on hand at all times of operation, in addition to a healer per ten prostitutes on the clock at work. These requirements are in addition to whatever requirements are stipulated by regular brothels. However, any healing costs, other than the time of the physician or healer, are paid by the client.

Sex-oriented businesses can only operate on certain streets/districts designated by the local government (however, all local governments must have at least one designated block allowing for such businesses in any city of more than twenty-thousand people). All practices of sex-oriented businesses must take place within the walls of their business, and cannot have any advertisement, artwork, or signage outside of their business, other than the name of their business and/or logo designating their building. The name and/or logo cannot be anything obscene.

Certain businesses may obtain permits for off-site workers or sales, however, these permits are given out on a case-by-case basis. Workers/managers cannot solicit clients or sales in public. Clients must make appointments at the business premises. While workers can accompany or converse with clients in public, sessions or sales cannot take place in public locations or with persons under sixteen present (or twenty-five for elves). Workers must carry their permits on them whenever they go out to work. Workers must have a guard within shouting distance of any sessions or sales. Level 4 Classification business's off-site workers also must have a physician or healer within shouting distance of any sessions.

To avoid taxes, many sex-oriented businesses will have back rooms where higher taxed acts are performed. Underaged prostitutes or clients are not uncommon, as long as their underage status is not immediately obvious. Most brothels do not check ages of questionable persons on purpose to increase profits while skirting around potential criminal charges. If it is discovered that a brothel is prostituting underage workers or serving underage clients, the brothel owner and manager, as well as any other responsible persons, are criminally liable and will serve time. However, the defense of lack of knowledge concerning the true age can be used if the age is not immediately obvious, and no legal documents were checked. In these cases, the brothel only has to pay a fine for failing to check legal documents to ascertain a questionable person's age.

Brothels that prostitute children are illegal. However, certain brothels have children in back rooms to service interested clients.

Culturally speaking, while brothels are legal, the profession and customers are generally looked down on. Prostitutes are often socially ostracized and many landlords will not rent to them. Prostitutes generally live in buildings owned by their employers. Women generally find men attending brothels as repugnant or pathetic. As such, men generally do not bring up such behaviors in mixed company. Even then, men only do so around male friends and acquaintances who are more comfortable talking about such things.

Among the upper-class and upper-middle-class, young men attending brothels or stripteases are often seen as one of many fun and somewhat normal degenerate activities that a young male bachelor might engage in. However, once he is older and/or married it is not condoned, except in certain male circles. Even amongst circles that are fine with adultery, the practice of regularly going to brothels is generally considered juvenile. In these circles, the preferred adultery method being getting a mistress, spending time with a courtisan, or having casual liaisons with inconsequential working women who make themselves available.

While there are brothels that have male prostitutes, these brothels are uncommon and usually only appear in very large cities. This is because many men interested in these brothels are hesitant to have acquaintances seeing them enter these facilities. For this reason, male prostitutes usually are a part of a mostly female worker brothel, available in private rooms on request by interested clients.

Women rarely attend brothels as clients. Women that want to pay for sex are more likely to have a gigolo, mister, or mistress.

*It is to be noted that limb severing for entertainment purposes was outlawed shortly after the start of the Premier War due to shortages in grundsten. Following the Quatrieme War, limb severing for entertainment purposes was legalized, but only in a handful of cities. In the vast majority of cities and provinces, it is still illegal. However, breaking bones for the purpose of entertainment has always been legal in all cities and provinces, provided the proper permits, classifications, and taxes are paid.

Agriculture

All farms are required to pay a tax of food according to the farmable acreage on their farm. Their local barony, county, or province specifies what food is demanded of them. This specification is usually based on the common or needed crops of the area and is the same for most farmers in the area. Other farms might be designated for orchards or alternative crops, and in those cases, their specified crop is what they must bring in.

If there is a shortage, the farmer may bring in wages for the missing bales or bushels at a price that is two to four times higher than the value of the missing bale/bushel depending on the province. The reason for this is to encourage farmers to pay taxes in food, thereby ensuring that the province has sufficient local food to sustain their population and animals.

Over seventy percent of farmland is owned by nobles or royals. As such, most farms, in addition to paying taxes, must also pay rent on the land. This rent is also paid in food, according to whatever crop they typically grow. Food collected in surplus to the population's needs is sold to other provinces in need or put in storage for times of famine.

Rural agricultural homes in Materna are typically at a lower level of magic technology than their urban counterparts. They are rarely integrated into water and sewage systems and must rely on wells or streams for their water, and outhouses for sewage removal. These wells and streams are typically manual rather than magical. Rural homes also rely on fires and homemade candles of animal fats rather than solsten lights. They often do not have issten cold boxes or issten ice boxes but will usually have silos or underground storage for food. Some have small ice boxes for some cold storage. This is the case, even for wealthy farmers, as the majority of farmers do not own their own land. Any magical or structural improvements to the land or any building on that land must be approved by the owner and local government and paid for by the farmer. That improvement is then owned by the owner of the land.

Food paid in taxes or rent is often picked up by the government instead or dropped off by the farmer, as many farmers lack the equipment necessary to transport that amount of product. It also allows for

If farmers have leftover product, after taxes and rent and what they need to reseed and for their own personal consumption, they bring it to local markets to sell or barter for other goods.

About forty percent of farmers renting land are druids, kitseeths, fiaseeths, or dryads. This is because their nature magic increases their potential potential crop yield by a factor of two to fourfold. The nature magic also helps heal plants that have minor injuries, are partially withered, or at the beginning stages of disease or blight (though such healing application takes multiple magic applications over an extended period for a large area of affected plants). Because of this, druidic magic users are taxed based on their entire land acreage instead of just the usable acreage. Most farms will have at least an acre or two nonfarmable, dedicated to houses, barns, storage facilities, and grazing land for animals. In addition to that, at least a fifth to a fourth of the acreage remains fallow each year in rotation to maintain the topsoil health. These acres would not be included in the calculation of non-druidic people's taxes, but are included for druidic farmers because of their increased abilities. This difference in tax and rent formulation is well-known and legal in all provinces in Materna.

As nature magic is so effective, many non-nature magic farmers use natursten to increase their growing potential and profits. However, natursten is still not in widespread use enough to replace Materna's reliance on druids and other nature-magic species. Many local governments willingly pay to relocate druidic families to their land to farm to help with food shortages. Most provinces have plenty of unused acreage to turn into farmland, and will readily sign agreements with druidic families to farm, without asking questions or requiring formal identification. Some landlords will even kick non-druids off their land and replace them with druid families to increase their profits.

Refridgeration and Food Storage

Issten can be used to create an "issten cold box" that acts as a refrigerator, and an "issten ice box" that acts as a freezer. Despite the existence of issten cold boxes and issten ice boxes, most homes do not have them. This is because of the high cost of these magic technologies. Issten cold and ice boxes are utilized mainly by the rich, most restaurants, and sometimes by the upper middle class.

Another form of refrigeration is an ice box/chest. Insulated wooden boxes have harvested ice blocks inserted in them to keep food cold. Ice boxes are used in restaurants that do not have issten cold/ice boxes. They are also used by the upper middle and middle classes, mortuaries, street vendors, people transporting goods that need to be kept cold, and also sometimes by the lower middle class. People who use ice boxes for their own personal use, typically have smaller boxes that do not hold much. Because of this, they use a combination of other food storage methods in addition to the ice box.

Underground storage is the most common method of food preservation. Rural, middle-class, upper-middle-class, and rich households that have basements or cellars all use this method of food preservation. Any restaurant that has access to a basement or cellar also utilizes this method. Warehouses also use the underground to store food.

Other methods of non-refrigerated storage are also common. This includes pickling, drying, salting and curing, smoking, fermenting, soaking in alcohol, sealing in barrels, utilizing spices or sugar/honey, etc. to preserve perishable food. Silos and other forms of dry storage are used for storing grains and other non-perishable foods.

Jinxes

Whenever someone has an unusual or unlikely run of bad luck it is referred to as a jinx. While it is true that certain actions might bring upon divine or magically induced curses, most jinxes are seen as superstitious. Many people have various superstitions in regard to what will bring upon or counteract jinxes. The most common of them is to not talk make a presumptuous statement, or speak of a possible bad omen. The other is not to be overly showy or flashy with wealth or good fortune in front of the unfortunate (such as flaunting jewels or fine clothes in front of the destitute or publically showing off a boyfriend/girlfriend in front of their most recent paramour, speak of an infertile couples lack of ability to have children while celebrating one's own children, etc.). These are more or less ubiquitous across Materna, though some places assign these things more weight than others. Among the upper nobility and highly educated superstitions are not as highly regarded as among lower class and rural persons.

There are numerous other superstitions, that are unique according to their regions, races, or local subcultures. One culture might view something as something that brings about a jinx, while other cultures do not associate that action/thing with jinxes. Some of these things viewed as jinxes are passing under a ladder, wearing a wedding dress from a failed or young-widowed marriage, drinking alcohol or eating in one's wedding dress before the ceremony, letting a dog (or another animal) eat off of a dining table, throwing trash out of a window, wearing a hat backward, walking under a bridge, planting beans before wheat, wearing socks with holes, seeing a snake inside one's house, wearing winter clothes before the first snow, etc. It is to be noted that this list is not an exhaustive list of things viewed as superstitious by various communities. It is also noted that superstitions are not inherently universally known. So not only may one culture not view something as superstitious when a foreign culture does, but that other culture might not even be aware that the foreign culture views that action in such regard. While some superstitions are more well-known among non-believing cultures, not all superstitions are known beyond their believing population.

Just as certain cultures have their superstitions surrounding various activities, cultures also have their various ways of counteracting superstitious events. Some of these things are but are not limited to throwing salt over one's shoulder; walking backward around one's house three times; touching the top of the doorframe; sprinkling ashes around one's house, cart, or a jinxed area or person; burning an effigy; keeping a parcel of dried flowers and herbs inside one's pocket; wearing one's coat backward for a day; washing one's hair with rose water three times; etc. Many individuals concerned about having a jinx may also go to their local priest/priestess for a cleansing ritual to help rid themselves of that jinx.

Jinxes are not the only form of superstition believed or acted on by the people of Materna.

Cosmetics

Cosmetic usage among