Consorts

There is no surer path to success for a dark elf male than the path of consort to a Priestess of Ligeoa.

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The Battle for Male Status

Amongst the Dark Elves the plight of males is not a happy one. Forced into hard labor or high risk soldiering, they are expected to serve their assigned functions, then die either while doing so, or when their ability to perform these functions is permanently impaired. A rigid socialization and punishment/reward system is magically enforced by the priestesses and ensures that they comply with expectations and remain in subjugation.
The overall vulnerability of the population to extinction and the biological necessity to have males for the females to have sex with in order to have children provides an opportunity for males to rise in social status and transcend the normal positions accorded to them. Males selected for breeding with high ranking females fill the position of consort, and competition among males for these positions is fierce as consorts are afforded not just higher status, but assured housing, food, education and opportunities to branch out into professions and with privileges that are normally only held by females. Females are not restricted to sex with these consorts, and high ranking females often have several consorts at a time.

Insider Advantage in a Deadly Race

Males born to females of high rank or prime sons, particularly those born to the Priestesses of Ligeoa are groomed from birth to becomes consorts and so have a distinct advantage over males who are born to females of lower status. While all females and males are trained to the degrees necessary to fulfill their assigned professional responsibilities, males who are prime sons are afforded a higher level of educational opportunity and attend special academies where they are taught reading, writing, mathematics, theology, history, economics, magic, and most critically arts to please females both in and out of the bedroom. Naturally, these advantages are specifically designed to increase the appeal of a male to females as these prime sons are intended to be used as political pawns to cement clan alliances.
Males who are of lower birth still have the opportunity to enter the ranks of consorts, but only succeed if they provide a unique experience for the females, or offer multiple improvements to the genetic composition of the female's offspring. Intelligence, powerful magic, strength and beauty are all attractive features in the runoff for consort positions.
Unfortunately, for many males, the competition to become a consort is short lived. It is not unusual for males who are seen as a threat to entrenched interests to be sabotaged and killed through assassination and poison, and this is often done at the order of the high ranking mother or sister for a favored son or brother. A high ranking birth mother offers no guarantee of safety, and often highly born sons are the most targeted individuals and the first to die. Those who live through the selection process are typically much smarter, more skilled in weapons use, and more ruthless and aggressive in defending themselves and their interests.

Beating the Odds

Consorts ultimately are selected by high ranking females for themselves, or for a female by her clan Matriarch. The females control the frequency of sexual activity with the consort, but consorts expect to engage in sex frequently with the female to whom they belong and others of her choosing. The frequency and intimacy of the interactions between high ranking females and their consorts lends an enormous amount of power to males that otherwise is impossible for them to acquire.  Consorts who are interesting or entertaining, or who offer skills outside the bedroom, particularly in political savvy, magic, and military expertise can retain their active status as consort for a period well beyond the normal 2-3 years. Talented consorts can wield enormous power as trusted advisors, particularly those who belong to clan Matriarchs who are also priestesses of the goddess Ligeoa.  Females tend to change consorts every few years replacing them with other males who offer new and interesting genetic material for their offspring, but even this short period for consorts who offer no more than sex is a serious upgrade to normal existence for males in the society.
The advantages of becoming a consort are undeniable and long lived. Even cast off consorts acquire sufficient wealth and status to live a longer and more comfortable life than their contemporaries, and may be recalled back into service at any time. Consorts are usually channeled into professions and occupations that are normally occupied by females such as banking or trade, or trained in commercial (non-clerical) magic for which they must have money to pay for training or have a female patron who will bear this cost for them. Most officers in the dark elf military are taken from the ranks of the consorts.   This path confers very high status on the male, for not only does it require consort skills, but a native intelligence and skill in warfare as well as a female patron who will pay for the advanced training that is essential for a military officer.

The Sterilis Electio - Marginalized by Choice

In stark contrast to the fierce competition for male elevation in status to the position of consort, some females reject their high status positions which are based on their ability and track record of having offspring. Instead, prior to becoming pregnant with their first child, they renounce their femininity to become sterilis electio. Such females are demoted and seamlessly treated as males even to being referred to by male names and pronouns, and being subjected to the same intricate behavioral requirements, punishments and subjugation as males.
Many sterilis electio join clans with strong military arms and take up soldiering. Given that soldiering is a male responsibility and is prohibited for fertile females who are too important and vulnerable to risk in battle, the desire to become a soldier and potentially an officer is a likely motivating factor for these females. The penalty of loss of high status is significantly diminished for these females when their clan is wealthy and successful and therefore the status of males in these clans is elevated above the common experience. Regardless, females are not compelled to explain the reasons for their decisions. The dark elves consider the reasons that drive such choices irrelevant to the consequences of the choice made. They are driven by survival and show as little consideration for females who choose this path as they do for males, females past breeding age, and the infirm.

2165262721 by Warm_Tail

Some females do not willingly give up their status as females, but after a hundred years, all females are evaluated and reduced in status to the position of sterilis and treated as male if they are not currently pregnant or have not yet produced live offspring. These females are known as the sterilis coactus.
There is a return path to high status and privilege for sterilis females; they simply must become pregnant and birth live children. Typically, sterilis coactus will engage in liberal sexual activity attemtping to return to high status, while sterilis electio eschew sexual activity, as, if they ever do become pregnant, intentionally or not, they are immediately stripped of their decision to become sterilis electio and must engage in reproduction. Unlike females who have never been sterilis electio, they are forced into sexual activity against their will if they do not meet certain standards for having or attempting to have, a minimum number of live born children.