The Joining

Wedding ceremonies are relatively simple and stark affairs within House Eridanus, but there is some room for variety among them. A High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox officiant is present to conduct the ceremony to say a few words before The Joining officially occurs.

The Joining Ceremony

The ceremony begins with some simple words regarding the state of each party’s accounts and holdings. Some Eridanii will then elect to make a short speech of their own, typically outlining their hopes for the success of the union as well as any specific numerical or familial goals they may have set together.

While the introductory portion of the ceremony is relatively flexible, The Joining itself is the one requirement for Eridanii weddings. Each participant will present a deposit of an equal amount to be used to fund a joint account, which will be held in escrow by the local Rector and planetary government until one of the following conditions occurs:

1. A child is born or adopted. At which time, a portion of the funds in the escrow account will be withdrawn in order to pay the fees for the necessary paperwork to record a new Eridanii citizen and/or to record the married couple as the child’s lawful guardians.

2. All members of the marriage are deceased. If one member of the marriage dies before the other, the funds will continue to be held in escrow until the surviving member either remarries or dies as well. If the surviving member remarries, the escrow account from their original marriage will be dissolved and its funds distributed equally between the surviving member, any children from the marriage, and any immediate relatives (parents or siblings) of the deceased member. If the surviving member does not remarry, the escrow account will remain in their name until their death, at which point the funds will be added to their other assets for the reckoning.

see The Red Ledger for additional information on Eridanii funeral practices and the reckoning of accounts that occurs after death

3. The dissolution of the marriage. Should the parties determine that their marriage must come to an end, the escrow account will be closed and its funds distributed as follows: an equal share to each party in the marriage, and all interest accrued over the period of the marriage is forfeited to the Tiber Government.

This final condition for the closing of the marriage account generally encourages Eridanii of similar financial standings to seek one another out. However, this is merely a common occurrence and by no means a hard-and-fast rule. Thus, it is not unheard of for Eridanii nobles of vastly different means to decide to marry - though it is considered a risky venture. In these cases, the parties may bring unequal shares to be deposited during The Joining, or - in the most dire of circumstances - one party may decide to put forth the entire deposit. Because the financial risk and potential for loss is so great in these situations, marriages with unequal funding sources are unkindly known as “debtors’ marriages.” While these sorts of unions are frowned upon in real life, the Eriandii are fascinated by the idea of them, as evidenced by the wealth of literature and, particularly, plays which feature a “debtors’ marriage” couple who, despite their unequal footings, have chosen one another for reasons of love.

Arranged marriages are quite common among the nobility, though most families trust their members to make as sound financial judgments about whom to marry as they do about all other aspects of their lives.

Marriage between Nobles of House Eridanus and other Noble Houses

If an Eridanii Noble decides to marry a Noble of a different House, The Joining must still be performed and the marriage account created and maintained. The Joining need not be performed on Tiber, so long as the funds are expediently transferred to the Tiber Government for the creation of the account. Aside from this requirement, the Eridanii will not interfere with any other ceremonies or customs of the other House.

Anniversaries

Many Eridanii couples mark the anniversary of their unions by going to one of Tiber’s governmental banks in order to review the state of their marriage account and determine the amount of interest that has accrued. This interest is a numerical indicator of the couple’s continued commitment to one another - financial, familial, and romantic.

Marriage Among Commoners

The expensive process of The Joining is required only for Eridanii nobility. Commoners on Tiber perform a mock version of the ceremony, during which each party brings forth a symbolic ceremonial coin to serve as their “deposit.” These coins are generally commissioned by each party and may be embossed with a variety of symbols, ranging from the parties’ initials to an artistic approximation of the home they hope to share together. Once the ceremony is complete, these coins are returned to the couple, who keep them as mementos.