Death By Childbirth

[DragonOfTheAerie]

That said, her family and her husband might suspect rape more quickly than an affair. That would lead to a very extreme punishment for the servant, and as before, she would try to protect him...that could go any of the directions we discussed before, her being on the receiving end of their attack...Ordinarily the servants punishment would be having his wings cut off, but the girl's family might attack him out of revenge in this case.

 

[FifthView]

It seems that the focus you put on genetic merit, the culture, mores, taboos, and so forth, is rather fertile ground for deciding how and why she dies.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

This is quite far in the future, though, and knowing THAT she dies is good enough for now. I wanted to eliminate death by childbirth as a viable option, so I'm going off topic by now.

 

[Reaver]

It seems that the focus you put on genetic merit, the culture, mores, taboos, and so forth, is rather fertile ground for deciding how and why she dies.

Five Rep points for using the word mores. I don't see it nearly enough on internet forums.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

I *have* been wondering how plausible it is that my couple would be *that* squeamish about intercourse when they've had it pounded into their heads that the whole point of their union is procreation. I definitely don't want to screw with character motivations to satisfy plot...

Also, if I *was* going to write a death-by-childbirth scene (probably won't, but you never know), how would I go about that? I still have no idea what it is about childbirth that can kill you.

 

[Ireth]

This might be of use: Puerperal Infection | Definition & Patient Education

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

Sorry to dredge this topic back up, but I had a thought...

Selective breeding can often cause health problems and even difficulties in procreation (in various types of animals, at least) The long history of strict selecting for certain traits and presumably lots of inbreeding among the high classes could explain a lot, including why childbirth could be dangerous for any number of reasons...Not sure if I could reasonably make a connection, but there are lots of possibilities.

Also, the mother in this scenario is rather young. I wonder if this is a risk factor...?

Anyway. Again, sorry to bring the topic back up.