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This is not intended to be perverse, or just a referendum on furries, though... yeah.
How do different regions and cultures react to couples/polycules that cross ancestral lines?
Like, I imagine in Cheliax it's full on illegal in any degree, including with elves and orcs. and the only reason infernal nephillim are tolerated is because you don't actually have to have relations with the infernal being to have a nephillim. But I would assume everyone gossips that you did anyway.
I imagine in somewhere like the 5 Kings mountains or Kyonin the Dwarves/Elves socially look down on it, though don't ban it, but react with a "dude, They're a third of your age, that's kind of creepy" vibe.
Andoran and Absalom I think believe they're accepting and don't care, certainly no laws, but see a human with a hobgoblin, or tengu, or other more... un-human ancestry and people will give weird looks and whisper.
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In my Strength of Thousands game, the player character Wilfred Eugenus Rosehill-Aglag is a dromaar (half-orc). A woman of Taldoran royalty was fascinated by orcs and had a liaison with one, resulting in Wilfred's birth. Fortunately, in my campaign Taldor simply sends all half-royal bastard children into paladin training. Wilfred was no different from the fully-human illegitimate children, except that in adulthood they sent him far far away to the Magaambya Academy in the Mwangi Expanse to finish his education.
The Magaambya has a dromaar teacher named Zuma. His parents were probably married because he has a dromaar sister, too. Another teacher Izem Mezitani is aasimar, but his backstory calls him half-Andoren, half-Garundi.
I created a tiefling as a classmate in Strength of Thousands with a backstory about her culture's reaction. Her father is an alijae elf. Alijae are cleaning up the demonic energies in the Nagisa, the White City, which was built millennia ago by demon summoners. The father fell into temptation and contracted with a succubus as his secret wife. The succubus birthed a daughter, his secret was discovered, and he and his family escaped to Rahadoum where his wife disguised herself as another elf. The daughter had to wear a Masquerade Scarf whenever she left the house. Her great-aunt Lesedi, a Magaambya teacher, sponsored her to attend the Magaambya, viewing her father's mistake as not her fault. The young tiefling lady still sometimes disguises herself as a full elf. The 3rd module introduces two other tiefling students.
The main issue with Versatile Heritage people is that players create them as PCs. Thus, we cannot have them so shunned that the townsfolk's reaction will interfere with the campaign's plot. "Sorry, no tieflings are allowed in town." On the other hand, being shunned in their hometown might be why those characters became adventurers.
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real life prejudice is like that. Certain areas are worse than others, not every town in the deep south is a sundown town.
They came from a place where it was much worse, but even in this place they can still get looks of disgust or mistrust, or fascination.
Like I imagine that there are some who find otherwise human looking folk with these traits appealing.
Orcs and elves, and Dwarves, and even halflings and gnomes are "close enough" to each other that no one really bats an eye in most locations when mixed pairs of them are scene. but what about a Leshy and a Gnome. A Human and a Hobgoblin? an Orc and and a Tengu?
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Yeah, I was wondering about this too from the implications of the other thread. Where does the bigotry begin or does it? Bigotry's a useful tool for conflict, yet I doubt grognards want to return to AD&D with its chart of acceptance/tolerance/hatred that can only sow too much conflict, as in plot-wrecking/plot-less discord.
[spoiler=Flashback] I played in a D&D tournament w/ pregens where one guy with a Dwarf used their racial hatred of Elves (which didn't exist to that degree anyway) as an excuse to attack a group that had the drop on us (and was intending to give us a quest, not fight). Those who couldn't use magic to hide died swiftly. Groan. [spoiler/]
It feels like Paizo has intentionally avoided bigotry for decades, even defied it (esp. re: gender & sexuality). I embrace that they do since who wants their escapism marred with real-world issues we might struggle with every day. And so the more mammalian "others" (mostly the green guys), got redemption arcs that humanized them and their struggles to justify better inclusion. Half-Orcs & Half-Elves get proper names for their Ancestries to avoid the hybrid stigma (even as I remain ignorant of them!). Golarion gets grim, but heroes have opportunities to rectify wrongs, and it's hard for a quest to solve social issues like that.
So I'd say the default is there are no cultural reactions to inter-Ancestral romance, no barriers to such RPing inherent in Golarion's design. This is much like how parties can have the most bizarre combinations of PCs yet are more likely to raise eyebrows for their gear. Strangeness is so normal and accepted (outside of isolated spots of course) that I think adding romance would only raise physiological curiosity more than disgust (assuming the Ancestries in question were fully accepted to begin with). Two fully recognized mature agents falling in love? Go for it. The parents might pressure them to adopt though.
As for specific places like Taldor & Cheliax, maybe Brevoy and places in Tian, I'd think the implication on mixing levels of wealth/nobility or wasting a valuable political commodity like marriage/bloodline would carry more weight. "Of course you may date a tree, honey, as long as they're a well-connected, wealthy tree." So in Cheliax, a powerful estate would likely despise their child having relations with a Halfling due to implied poverty, but that might mirror their dislike for a human whose poverty was overt. I also think this is why they dislike fiendish Nephilim, most will lack social gravitas.
This doesn't prevent adding as much such discord as one likes of course. I still expect to see a Diplomacy bonus if playing the same Ancestry as the isolated tribe, or penalty if playing a PC resembling their enemies, which in turn would alter their judgments of romance. Heck, if they see a "liked" Ancestry dating a "disliked" one, that might even help them empathize when trying to negotiate peace.
And I do have a Leshy-Elf hybrid I hope to play one day. :-) One might say she's a Wood Elf. :-P
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This started from a story I started writing that has turned into a romance between a Taldan nobleman (son of a Baron) and a Oprak Hobgoblin sargeant (lieutenant by the time of the arrangement) who met and struck up a friendship during an international effort for a (semi-successful) assault on Tar-Baphon's tower. His father wants a trade deal with Oprak for minerals, and her superiors think it is a good way to increase the legitimacy of Oprak on the Avistatni stage.
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Elves and Dwarves? In Golarion I figured it was Orcs and Dwarves, since the Dwarves displaed the Orcs during the Quest for Sky.
While yes, there will be some tension from judgy Taldan nobles over her being a Hobgoblin (but more over of common birth) His father is fairly progressive and could care less so long as A: the marriage secures the family resources, and B: his son gets along well with the woman. Oh, and C: she can bear an heir.)
I'm taking a very French approach to this. they aren't expected to be in love (though that is what I plan to happen) or be exclusive to each other, but they are supposed to put on that front, and she has to bear his heir, which she's nervous about because she's a career woman and never even considered child bearing.
Oh, I"m using the terms man and woman regardless of ancestry because they don't mean HUMAN, so :P
Her major drama is the frustration that she's in a catch 22, she objected to this assignment before coming, now if she doesn't marry, best case scenario it's suspected she failed on purpose and it mars her chances for advancement. And marrying basically moves her from her engineering corps, which she loved, to diplomatic, which is going to stall out her career completely.
He's trying to learn to be an effective leader, and an attentive partner to someone who has very different ideas of what that means and Trying to figure out how strong his feelings for her are.
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Modifying my earlier assertions that places like Andoran and Ravounel would be more accepting. They are LEGALLY definitely more accepting, but all across Avistan I think there is some degree of human-normalcy, and the further an ancestry strays away from human appearance, the more frowned judged the coupling with a human or human like ancestry is.
I think this because of two things.
1: The church of Aroden. He was, among other titles, the god of HUMANITY.
2: He was also the god of two empires, Taldor and Old Cheliax. Empires will often use their gods to push their faith, so I think it likely that those two countries, and lands previously occupied by them, likely have a very judgy stance on inter-ancestral relationships, again, especially if one or both are far from the Human-default assumption.
Don't get me wrong, in Ravounel and Andoran, it is uncouth to say things like this out-loud, but most (especially the older generations) whisper and give looks.
Absolom is spared this as Aroden did not actually care about Human Supremacy, and they were in constant trade with other parts of the world that didn't hold those beliefs.
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Reproduction was kind of brushed over when it's a major component in establishing and spreading a growing culture (which in turn pushes out others). Contrast with the brevity of cultures that encouraged abstinence or anti-natalism; there have been many, yet so few persist. While magical alternatives are plausible, cultures that (want to) flourish would push making babies the old-fashioned way as it maximizes output.
There's also the pressure to spread one's culture other ways, like by marrying outsiders who get integrated, which might encourage inter-Ancestral romance, which might lead to more robust surrogacy & adoption programs than on Earth. There are many positions in such ebbs and flows of development & pressure, so you have many options for your tale.
Of course, lots of Ancestries can breed or could breed for the sake of your story if you want to plaster over such things. It's a heavy theme IMO, so I'd advise either leaning into it or skirting it altogether. A casual treatment might be inappropriate when the issue reflects on the lived experiences of many people on Earth.
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Ervuug is tall for a hobgoblin woman, which makes her about average height for a human. She has lean muscle, she's not bulk like those in the infantry, as she serves in the engineering corps. She has the wide ovular goblinoid head and lamplike yellow eyes. Like most Hobgoblins in Oprak's military she takes pride in her sharp white healthy teeth. She carries a war hammer to start with, but after stealing, and reverse engineering, a pistol off of a deceased Alkenstar militia member, she uses that as her primary weapon, having given the plans to her superiors. She has light green skin, and dark green hair, that she keeps tied in a utilitarian bun. Since her commission to Lieutenant, she wears her officer's dress uniform as her formal wear The only concession she's made to her impending Taladan station is to wear a laurel wreath, though she has taken a liking to some of the Taldan casual wear. Sturdy boots with higher than necessary heels. She keeps her face in a trained glower, not aggressive, but distinctly unimpressed. Except when she is with Everrick. His tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve rubs off on her when they are alone together. and she can be more expressive. Despite his small head, beady eyes, and child-like teeth, Ervuug does have to admit... Everrick has a cute butt.
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Everrick Is handsome, by human standards. he has a dark complexion owning to his mother's Kelesh heritage. he has a small goatee, the Local fashion among aristocrats. He has his father's progressive heart, but not his father's ruthless focus. His father has tasked him with the management of two small towns essentially giving him the title of Viscount, within the County his father controls. he uses a basket hilt rapier as his primary weapon, though most who fight him would actually say his primary weapon are his deceptive eyes, darting one way, then another, a juke, feint, and he's under your guard. Of course those are in formal, structured duels. Thanks to his time in Weeks Run Tunnel, he knows full well he has much to learn before he can be considered a real threat. He see s Ervuug and likes the way she speaks, direct, honest. Too many people in his life, including his parents, play political games, and while he knows he too will need to eventually play them, he enjoys having someone he can just know. He actually likes her sparkling yellow eyes, though he does find her TEETH a bit intimidating.
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As character descriptions for RPing, GMing, or for the author to work from those are fine, but I'm unsure the relevance here. Did you want to begin a new post? Not that I know of a Forum section for PF/Lost Omens fiction, but I hope there's one or something adjacent. Maybe this is the best one...hmm. Maybe Pathfinder Infinite forums?
As a reader it's like you're trying to capture their personalities and relationship in a snapshot which flattens their actual story. Nearly all of that will need to be spliced within an actual narrative to impact us, complete with POV vibes and vocabulary (plus of course all the other story elements). Which is to say this venue might be inadequate for feedback on such specifics, given that such specificity is often secondary or even tertiary to a story which in turn requires more depth and engagement.
But best of luck with your story! Hope you find your audience.
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This human-hobgoblin semi-political romance reminds me of the end of David Brin's The Uplift War. That story is set in his Uplift series, in which the alien civilization that rules the Five Galaxies has strict rules about warfare (do not destroy planets or their ecosystems). When the Gubru aliens invade a human colony planet, the human Robert Oneagle and the tymbrimi Athaclena lead the resistance of neo-chimpanzees (gene-modified intelligent chimpanzees). At the end, the two friends marry each other for political reasons, despite being biologically incompatible for offspring. They figure that their children will come from liaisons with members of their own species, not too big of an issue in a setting where different aliens have different mating patterns.
The Michael Whelan art at Uplift War shows Athaclena among some neo-chimpanzees and neo-gorillas. Tymbrimi are humanoids with limited shape-changing abilities, and she is trying to look as human as possible within those limits.
In Pathfinder 2nd Edition Remastered, offspring between a human and a hobgoblin is possible, which puts a different twist on the matter. But the prejudice against a human-hobgoblin crossbreed won't be any worse than the prejudice against half-orcs, also called dromaar.
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So the rules (and the setting) exist largely for the writers and the players to tell literally whatever sort of story they want to tell. So I don't really see a reason to really set guidelines for this sort of thing without a specific story to be told.
Like if the players want to have a Dwarf and Orc romance and have that to be a problem they need to get past, then sure. If they want to have the exact same romance and have everybody just shrug and go on with their business, then that's what I would do.
The thing about prejudice in a fictional setting is that it's not really that much fun most of the time.
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Having read the Player's Guide for the Myth-Speaker AP, I expect the reaction in Iblydos is along the lines of "Nobody Cares".
I know there are people who like to Fight the Prejudice in their RPGs, and that there are also people who Don't Want the Prejudice in their RPGs. As long as everyone can figure something out, then that's good.
I also recall a gossipy Varisian town's reaction to an Empyrian human: everyone lusted after her, or wanted to make lucky charms out of her hair, and she felt nobody respected her as a person. (At least that's how it might be written for 2e)
The only one who listened to her honestly set her down an evil path...