To create life, one requires both vér - blood - and léle - soul. Nature brings both together in the union of two, creating a new body and imbuing it with a new soul.
But infertility is not unheard of on Álmos. At every point in the island’s history there has been someone or something that the culture has blamed for it - in the time of magic, infertility was sometimes considered a risk that came with power. In the time of Tündes, blame changed depending on perspective. When magic became myth, infertility might be traced back to the sins of your ancestors, or instead, thought of as a punishment for upsetting the natural balance. Barren island, barren population.
Superstition and blame never gave those struggling families any comfort, as they tried, and failed, to conceive. In their grief, they leaned on trusted friends for support.
No-one can be sure of the first instance, but in time, a concept was written into the fabric of the land - that wolves who could not conceive naturally did not need to give up on their hope of having a family. With the help of a close family friend or trusted peer, their dream was still possible.
Thus, Álmos coined the terms - vértevas - the blood parent - and léletevas - the soul parent. More than just genetic donors, the vértevas were always well known to the family, enough to be trusted with the most precious of tasks: to help create new life where it could not traditionally be so. For many, it was a great honour to become a vértevas and more often than not, they would be considered an extended part of the family unit.
This system provides a surrogacy option for same sex couples or couples struggling to conceive naturally, in a way which is in keeping with the setting of Svajone’s world. While this system is relatively newly added to gameplay, the lore and the act of planning a family by non-traditional means is intended to be long established in island history, “grandfathered in” and not new or unusual to any characters.
While the following out of character explanation may use the terms surrogacy/surrogate and donor/donors, it is important to note that these are not terms known to the island population. You should use the terms below in character.
Vér is the prefix used for any parent who is biologically related to the resulting offspring.
Gender neutral: Vértevas
Feminine: Vérmother
Masculine: Vérfather
Léle is the prefix used for any parent who is not biologically related to the resulting offspring.
Gender neutral: Léletevas
Feminine: Lélemother
Masculine: Lélefather
An example of a female same-sex mated pair and a male donor using these terms:
Biological mother: Vérmother
Non Biological mother: Lélemother
Biological father: Vérfather
This system is not culturally used for eugenics. Surrogate/donor partners are not selected for their appearance or biological traits. They are close friends and trusted peers in whom the mated pair can confidently place their faith and allow access to this deeply personal aspect of their lives.
The decision to plan a family and participate in the non-traditional creation of one is a huge decision and it is not taken lightly by either the mated pair or the surrogate/donor.
It is perfectly acceptable for a player or a character to refuse to be a surrogate/donor. No player is obligated to accept a request and no player should be criticised for choosing not to participate. It is reasonable and fair to understand that not all characters are of the right mindset to act as a suitable surrogate/donor. Similarly, players or characters who struggle to step back and relinquish “ownership” of their biological relatives should not take up an offer to be a surrogate/donor.
Surrogates/donors must be active player characters. You cannot make up an NPC surrogate/donor.
This method of planning a family is very transparent. Resulting offspring are well aware of all three participants of their family, and will refer to them with the terms stated above.
It is also possible that offspring may call their two parents mother/father, mother/mother or father/father, and only use the terminology above for the appropriate biologically related surrogate/donor. This is down to your preference. The important thing to remember is that the surrogate/donor is always acknowledged.
If for some reason both parents died and left the litter orphaned, it is widely accepted that their surrogate/donor will assume the position of primary care-giver, given that they already play a role in the offspring’s lives. However, this is not a requirement, and if the offspring would be better placed with another guardian or the surrogate/donor is not in a comfortable position to raise them, they may be placed into the care of another wolf. This may be decided case by case.
Surrogates/donors do not have to pay any fees or costs to become a surrogate/donor. However, because the decision is so important, and because the surrogate/donor must always be well known to and trusted by the mated pair, the prospective family unit must complete a minimum number of submissions together to mark the progression of their bond and decision. This system is similar to the mates/flings registry.
There are two pathways, which differ only by the cost per puppy once completed.
Slowburn pathway: you need to complete 6 unique items to show the development of the relationship. For this option, each puppy costs 5 souls, to a maximum of 4 puppies per litter (unless you have a Magical Birthday Cake Slice).
Speedrun pathway: you need to complete 3 unique items to show the development of the relationship. For this option, each puppy costs 7 souls, to a maximum of 4 puppies per litter (unless you have a Magical Birthday Cake Slice).
All of the submissions must develop the relationship between the surrogate/donor and the mated pair. The surrogate/donor must be involved in all the submissions. The mated pair can be involved in any combination of submissions, as long as each of the pair are in at least one of the submissions each. This is a decision which affects all three parties closely and as such, all three should be represented.
Surrogates/donors don't need to be registered in the same way as mates, so you don't necessarily need to notify us when you complete your required number of submissions. However, when you note to purchase your litter, this is when you should include links to the development with the surrogate/donor.
Only the mated pair pay the litter/pup fees. They are considered, both in character and out of character, the legitimate parents of the litter.
Like all game systems, the surrogacy/donor system is offered in good faith as an additional story option, and must not be exploited.
Don’t use the surrogacy/donor system and then create a puppy which is clearly based on/heavily influenced by the design of the non-biological parent. You should still apply realism and logic to this system. It’s understandable and acceptable that there may be similarities because genetics are used so freely, but if both biological parents are black coated, the non-biological parent is golden coated, and the whole litter is golden coated… that’s pretty sus.
Don’t exploit this system as a surrogate/donor character with the aim of getting a “free puppy”. Or indeed, exploit it multiple times to get 20 free families all for the same character. Surrogates/donors remain close to the family but do not behave in the same capacity as a parent and don’t have any involvement in the upbringing of the child (with the exception of female surrogates for same sex male parents, who will need to wean the pups first).
Players should take care to consider their decisions and think carefully before entering into any agreement to become a surrogate/donor or selecting a character as a surrogate/donor for their mated pair. As stated above, surrogates/donors should always be trusted friends and peers, not just any random stranger. Please also remember that resulting offspring will be biologically related to the surrogate/donor, and as such, other relatives of your character should be informed so they can keep track of their own biological relations.
Can this system be used for a single parent to conceive pups?
No, this system is reserved for infertile or same sex pairs. Single parents can use the fling pathway from the traditional mates/flings rules, which allows them to reproduce without being mates or romantically involved.
If a surrogate/donor already has offspring from a previous relationship, what would the relationship be like between those offspring and the offspring resulting from the surrogacy/donor?
As a rule, it is generally the surrogate/donor only who is acknowledged in the offspring’s lives, not the surrogate/donor's entire blood family. Following this understanding, the new offspring would be acknowledged as blood relations but not considered as siblings. It is understood that the donor/surrogate provided a gift to the struggling parents, as opposed to extending their own family. It is possible that the two sets of offspring might never interact at all.
Can I do XYZ plot where my character falls in love with a character they don’t know is related to them via this system?
No. Incest isn’t cool, kids.