Sexuality in Liminal

Humans & Halflings

X

The Mingled

Half-elf, half-orc, tiefling, changeling, genasi

Feyborn

Elf, eladrin, gnome, drow

• Blossom Lovers and Root Lovers:
• Harmalidil: Young feyborn often form small groups of close compatriots and lovers. The term harmalidil roughly means "treasured lovers", and it describes these small social groups perfectly. They often evolve their own miniature traditions and cultures within the group, and most are formed by similar-aged feyborn and last until responsibilities and simple age cause them to drift apart. Even so, the fond memories and lingering affection usually maintain long-standing bonds between those members, and often inform how they interact, even later in life. Many eladrin tales are written of those political or magical rivals who were once lovers in the same harmalidil. Among those outside the Feywild who have adopted this tradition, they are called "love-pacts," and sometimes embraced as life-long groups (understandable to Feywild sensibilities, for most pacts among the feyborn last about the average span of humans).
  • Harmalidil'en: There are a few pacts called harmalidil'en, or "great harmlidil" - these are groups that have existed for multiple generations, older members taking their leave, and younger members joining over the decades. Such "great pacts" invariably have their own very powerful memberships, and those who once belonged to them actively sometimes arrange to "come home" to be among sweet lovers who welcome them back, sheltering them from the weight of their responsibilities for a time.

Dwarves

Dwarves approach sex and sexuality about as pragmatically as they do any other aspect of their lives. Dwarves approach their relationships as private comforts, rather than casual, public things - public displays of affection are extremely uncommon among them, save in those rare situations where it is considered appropriate. Only about one in every five dwarven children are female, so approximately half of dwarven folk remain unpaired. Some males develop a ribald fascination with sex as a result, enjoying their time at brothels or pairing off with members of other races; others simply curb their interest with a focus on their vocation (and a touch of "bachelor's pepper," as culinary-grade saltpeter is called in dwarven society). Dwarven acceptance of males pairing off sexually is also quite pragmatic, and sex between male dwarves is considered neither shameful nor even necessarily having anything to do with romantic love.

• The Dwarf-Rite: The dwarf-rite is a ritual that bonds two dwarves (male, in traditional dwarven culture) together in a bond of love, an exception to the normal dwarven attitude on homosexual pairings. Dwarven society has developed a place for paired-off males who share a vocation. The term for these pairs is gudr in Dwarven, which doesn't have a good translation in Common (though it is sometimes translated as "brother"); this is usually paired with a term that describes the vocation they share. So, aszgudr are "shield-brothers," the term for dwarven warrior-lovers, and kholgudr are "forge-brothers." Traditionally, because these paired off dwarven men are considered to channel all of their energy toward their projects, assisting and challenging one another in turns, there is a cultural asociation in dwarven society with a special level of skill mastery by those who are gudr-bound. This tradition is more common than same-sex pair-bonds in other cultures, but still in a minority in dwarven culture. Dwarves are very protective of this tradition, however, and don't stand for the mockery of outsiders in regards to it. Even so, they don't tend to discuss the tradition much (out of respect, rather than shame).
  • It should be noted that this rite is forbidden to women who love other women, due to the traditional necessity of female dwarves as breeding mothers (a position that has caused no small measure of strife for those poor dwarf-women who do not wish that life for themselves).
• Pillow-Houses: The dwarven reticence to engage in open displays of affection is set aside within the confines of the zarmauul, or "pillow houses." These are places of open licentious behavior. They are usually quite lavish and comfortable, providing a fine place for lovers to express themselves intimately in an environment where it is culturally acceptable to do so. Such environs also provide those without partners a place to engage sexually with others as well - it is considered baseline appropriate to watch others engage in coitus and masturbate while doing so.
  • Pillow Invitations: Though it hasn't always been the case in dwarven society, pillow-houses have also developed another tradition: the "pillow invitation." Couples who choose to do so may invite onlookers into their lovemaking, if they see fit. Because dwarven society doesn't have the sort of outlets for intimacy with females that many other races have, the pillow invitation is often one of the few methods by which the many unpaired men of dwarven society have intimate contact with women. In the days after such an encounter, those dwarves who were invited to partake usually make a point of sending gifts to the lady who so favored them, and treating her husband with deference and friendliness.

Dragonborn & Kobolds

X

Orcs

X

Goblinkind

Goblin, hobgoblin, bugbear

Shadar-Kai

X

Gith

X

Gnolls

X

Mountainborn

Goliaths, minotaurs

Wilderfolk

Shifters, wilden

Automatona

Shardminds, warforged