The Courtship (+)
History
In the "dark age" of Ys-Beneath-the-Waves, Ahes Dahut was alone, trapped in the empty city with only the ghosts of past memories for company. The conditions of her Ere-hud (geas) ensured she would remain alone unable to never again experience the "loving touch of Man". Driven by desperation, the compulsion of the Ere-Hud, and a shard of the Void deep in her heart, Ahes would call out from the sea on moonlit nights, luring listeners to the water with her magical song. Entranced, these unlucky souls would be compelled to attempt to go out to her or follow her beneath the waves, inevitably drowning and leaving Ahes alone once more, even more desperate for meaningful contact.
However, something changed with the arrival of Rozenn, a druid fleeing a warlord chieftain. Her magical training allowed her to resist the fatal call of Ahes and learn of the Princess's plight, but even she was unable to lift the Ere-Hud. However, she discovered that Ahes, with the power of Sovereignty over Ys, could subtly alter the meaning of the curse, creating The Oceansong, a powerful curse that would maintain the conditions of the ere-hud, but allow some relief from her crushing loneliness. When Rozenn was attacked and left for dead on the beach, she became the first recipient of the Oceansong, joining Ahes as The Marie-Morgaine. The two worked tirelessly in cultivating the spell, and eventually launched a campaign of abductions along the Ar Mor Bihan and the Odet River, growing into a small, but tight-knit clan.
As Ys grew the threats against it did as well, as both coastal communities of mortals and the feral The Finfolk , a rival race of void-corrupted merfolk, began to take steps to counter the fledgling clan. Resources were too scarce to support a large population growth on the level of the Odet Raids. The use of Oceansong was scaled back considerably, but was impossible to stop entirely. Ahes quickly discovered that the same compulsive longing that had driven her was passed along with the ere-hud in the Oceansong to all the Marie-Morgaine.
At the same time, however, newly turned Marie-Morgaine began to bring with them new cultural values, notably the romantic notion of "courtly love" a highly conventionalized conception of noble and chivalrous love, often unconsummated, between a knight and an unavailable noble. Courtly love was intended as an experience between erotic desire and spiritual fulfillment, a romantic outlet where relationships were determined by utilitarian gain, not personal attachment. The poems and songs also often placed women in positions of agency and power. The Marie-Morgaine, seeing parallels to their own condition, latched onto the concept with immense fervor and the ideal became enshrined as a unifying pillar of their cultural identity. The mermaids identified with the heroes and heroines of the tales, longing for love that was out of reach and began to emulate them, taking on both roles as they pined for the seemingly unattainable on the surface, or enticed lovers to do the same to them. This cultural shift dovetailed with the Oceansong and the need to bring in new knowledge, skills and numbers into the Clan and the highly ritualized "Courtship" was born from this "game of love".
Execution
The Courtship is a highly ritualized expression of courtly love, usually with the end goal of bringing a new Marie-Morgaine into Ys. This comes in several stages, all of which have specific requirements and conditions. It is interesting to note that the Marie-Morgaine do not bind themselves to one role, taking on both the role of the pining lover (the knight) and the object of idolization (the tower), depending on their personal preference. The latter is the more common of the two, but the former is quite popular as well.
The Courtship begins with attraction and is usually established via a gaze or even a fleeting glance. This is normally intended to be a shared, or at least an intentional, gaze but many younger Marie-Morgaine will not wait to confirm this in their excitement and begin courting an oblivious partner.
This is followed by a prolonged period of worshiping from afar. A Marie-Morgaine will position herself so as to be frequently seen by her chosen lover, but out of reach. This is usually done at specific times and places, such as a far-off rock at sunset, where the mermaid will sing and brush her hair. Care is taken to instill a sense of longing and a deeply personal connection in the viewer. The Marie-Morgaine will wait for the subject to be alone and vanish if others approach. Other times, a Marie-Morgaine will spy on her chosen lover from a safe distance. In addition to preparing the subject to continue the romance, this period also serves as a time for the Marie-Morgaine to assess the benefits of the partner and what they will bring to Ys.
After this "waiting", a declaration of passionate devotion is required, either from the lover, finally confronting the Marie-Morgaine, or the Marie-Morgaine herself if she has placed herself in the role of the knight.
This is immediately followed by a heartfelt, deeply emotional rejection of the declaration by the Tower. Often, the Marie-Morgaine will lament that her curse prevents the two from being together, or that the live in two different worlds. The Marie-Morgaine almost never mention any specifics about their ere-hud or the effects that pursuing the relationship may have on the mortal. This rejection is crucial. If a Marie-Morgaine Knight is confronted with an enthusiastic Tower, she will often switch her role and give the Tower's lamentation herself, full of melodrama.
The rejection should be followed by renewed wooing from the Knight, with oaths of eternal fealty and virtue, combined with lamentations of their lovesickness and approaching death from unsatisfied desire. This stage is very popular among the Marie-Morgaine, who will compose music and poetry about their star-crossed love, which is often shared among themselves in the halls of Ys. The Knight is then given tasks to complete, ranging from utilitarian concerns of the Marie-Morgaine to outlandish quests to prove their love. This can go on indefinitely without ever leading to the Oceansong, but this is very rare.
With their "quest" completed and their love continuously and vigorously declared, the Marie-Morgaine, whatever her role, will begin the final stage of the Courtship, the Oceansong. The preferred method is the song itself, although magically inexperienced Marie-Morgaine will attempt a more physical approach, exploiting a self-protective loophole in her ere-hud to accomplish the same goal. However, this has a very high chance of leading to the drowning of the subject. This is often a bewildering experience for the human.
The new mermaid is quickly spirited away to Ys to join her new sisters and be welcomed into the city in a ceremony called the Spring Tide, where both the Tower and the Knight are honored.
Components and tools
N/A. The Courtship and the Oceansong require no additional components, aside from the participants themselves. Instruments will sometimes be used to accompany the Oceansong or initial enchanting songs.
Participants
There are two key roles in the Courtship: The Tower, the object of affection, and the Knight, the pursuing lover. These roles are taken by the Marie-Morgaine and the human subject, but not specifically assigned to either.
However it is not uncommon for the Courtship to include another role, affectionately called "the Chorus". These are other Marie-Morgaine who provide support for the main participants, both emotionally or more practically. They ensure that the Courtship is not disturbed by outsiders and protect their sister from harm at the hands of the subject or outside threats, by lethal force if needed. They also take a more direct role, using their songs to subtly influence the human to be more receptive to the Courtship. They are unseen actors, however, and often take on this role while the subject sleeps or is otherwise unaware of their presence.
The Marie-Morgaine typically pay little attention to human social customs when undertaking the Courtship, including marriage and bethrothal, seeing a spouse or fiance as merely another obstacle to overcome, and in fact relish the opportunity out of petty jealousy. Usually, this involves stealing the subject from under their original lover, but some variation has been seen. If the bethrothed spouse meets with approval on their own and the Marie-Morgaine approve of the match, both humans may be targeted for separate courtship with steps taken to ensure that neither knows of the other's secret affair. Both are welcomed jointly in a Spring Tide ceremony.
Observance
There is no set time for a Courtship to commence or end, and they can take place in any season.
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