Marriage in EK is, unlike most other RPGs, an official system. A marriage may occur between any two characters, bar admins, regardless of gender thus allowing not only heterosexual, but also homosexual marriages. You may not, however, marry someone who is less than 75% of your level or who you are less than 75% of the level of. To marry you and your intended spouse must both contact an online RP mod, once the RP mod is sure that you both wish to go through with the marriage you have two options, a simple private marriage where the RP mod just sends the marriage command and you will be married, or a public marriage which consists of a ceremony in the roleplay channel where friends and relatives can witness. Once the ceremony is complete the RP mod will then send the command and you will be married. You may not marry any close relation.
The benefits of marriage (other than showing the one you love how you feel about them) are as follows:
- Access to your spouses kingdom including access to tax rate and repairs,
- Having children (if you are male marriage is the only way you can have children),
- Titles; if you are lower in rank to your spouse you will be advanced to the equivalent rank for your gender IF you meet the requirements for that rank (If you do not you will become the highest title that you are a high enough level for) similarly if there are no spaces for new knights of that title level you will become the highest level of knight that has an available knight slot,
- If one spouse has no kingdom and is increased in rank by the marriage then they will automatically take the nationality of their spouse, this over-rides any previous nationality,
- Sharing a surname; in a marriage there are two options: the wife can simply take their husband's surname or the husband can take the wife's surname. The couple to get married must specify to the RP mod that is going to perform the marriage who wishes to take their partners name,
- Structure effects; stat increasing structures affect spouses to the same amount as they do the owner of the kingdom that the structure is located in. The effects are not cumulative so if both parties have the same structure only the highest level one will be in effect (if both have the same structure at the same level they only get affected by their own structure),
- Giving gold; if you have a kingdom you may transfer gold to your spouse's treasury (if they have a kingdom).
- If your spouse has any children that do not have a second parent you may use the /sadopt command to adopt them.
- Rulers of a kigdom who marry are allowed double the amount of knights (24 instead of 12).
Divorce and Re-Marriage - Not yet implemented!
You may only be married to one person at any given time, you can however divorce. To divorce your spouse you must both contact an RP mod, once the RP mod has established this is what both of you wish then they will execute the divorce command, you will then be officially divorced.
The effects of a divorce are as follows:
- Both parties share their held gold equally,
- Both parties lose access to the other's kingdom control panel,
- Any increase in rank caused by the marriage will be reversed,
- Any surname change caused by the marriage will not be reversed,
- Both parties will no longer be affected by any stuctures their ex-spouse may have had.
Along with marriage, adoption forms the basis of EK families. To adopt a child you use the following chat command:
/adopt Player - Where 'Player' is replaced by the name of the player to be adopted. This command is permanent, it cannot be reversed, please make sure you are certain before you use the command.
You cannot adopt anyone already related to you or your spouse (if you have one) or anyone higher in level than you. The person you are to adopt must also be at least 50% of your level. You may also not adopt someone against their will as they have to accept the adoption before the process is completed.
The effects of adoption are:
- The parents gain access to their children's kingdoms including tax rate and repairs.
- The child gains access to their parents' kingdoms but does not get access to their kingdom control panel.
- If the parent's rank is Prince/Princess or above and the adopted child's rank is below Prince/Princess then the child is advanced to prince/princess.
- The child cannot advance to a rank above Prince/Princess, unless they are already King/Queen or above before the adoption, without marrying someone of higher rank.
- If the child has no kingdom but the parent that adopted them has a nationality then the child gets that nationality.
- If the child is in the service of another kingdom and one or both of their parents have a kingdom (or are a prince/princess) all ties to the previous kingdom will be severed.
- The child takes the surname of the parent(s), this will replace any previous surname.
- Stat increasing structures affect children 75% as much as they do the owner of the kingdom that the structure is located in. The effects are not cumulative so there will only be an effect if the player's parent(s) have a structure that will give an effect greater than their own structure of the same type.
- Giving gold; if you have a kingdom you may transfer gold to your parents and childeren's treasuries (if they have a kingdom).
Single female characters can adopt children but single male characters cannot (unless you can think of a way for a man to have a child!)
Due to the structure of the game in a marriage between two female characters the one who adopts is the 'mother' and the other is considered the 'father'. Similarly in a marriage between two males the one who adopts becomes the 'father' and the other becomes the 'mother'.