Marriages and Romance
Design Note
While it might be a genre staple, characters seeking favourable marriages for themselves and others is not a focal point here. If a character is unmarried, it is not an issue in the context of this setting. My focus as a gamerunner is on player characters' interactions with the world, its politics and its danger.
As per the policy note, marriage is somewhat restricted from happening anyway, because it can lead to characters ending up unplayed or unplayable.
People seeking political marriages to non-player characters is an entirely valid story goal.
However, if you want to play out a romance, feel free. There is no stigma in the setting relating to romance between people not married to each other.
Actual Setting Detail
On Elthos, marriage is a secular matter. No church has a hand in marriage; they might at most, in a few cases, bless a marriage. Nobles might marry for political or personal reasons. Only children born from a marriage between nobles can inherit in Elthos, but adult adoption happens in cases where a ruler has no issue.
In , where there are so few nobles, the nobility do not marry, but instead take common consorts. This can very much resemble a marriage in some cases. A child of a common consort must be recognised by a sufet to become an exalted noble; not all children are recognised.
Nowhere in the empire is there any societal stigma about romantic engagements between unmarried people. If one of the parties involved happens to be married, they are expected to be discreet.