notanobject | Headcanon: Favors and Oaths

Oaths are a pretty big deal in Ringford, and now I will try to theorize on why that is. Starting with some observations on economics.

Curiously, Ringford doesn’t seem to HAVE a system of currency like some of the other countries. They don’t mint their own coins like Ragnanival, Titania, OR Valentine, though they seem to have at least some understanding of trade and regularly deal with merchants.

This makes me theorize that the economics in Ringford are a bit… different. And are tied less towards a standard currency and leaning more towards a bartering system, at least as the roots to what they have now. Where basically a person with more resources, more items that they could trade with, would have more power. And it eventually evolved into the idea that just getting into the good graces of such a person would be a huge advantage, as said grace-holder would also be holding favors that they could cash in at a later date. Money from other countries is eventually brought into this, though coins are simply another commodity instead of a major keystone.

(So yeah, Ringford has a very, VERY rough and weird concept of invisible currency and credit. If you tilt your head sideways and squint. And in short runs on a glorified IOU system.)

Added to this, is the fact that the inhabitants of Ringford have A LOT of magic running through them. Said magic may be used to enforce deals and make them stick just that little bit more. Also if someone breaks their word, it could mean both magical AND social backlash, as the word breaker can not be trusted to honor their deals, and has burned a lot of bridges among their contacts. In breaking their word, they’ve likely painted a target on their head for arcane curses, and open game for others with grudges against them to act on said grudges without much fear of reprisal.

This makes offering oaths, wishes, etc, a pretty major aspect in Ringford society. (And why Mercedes, for instance, doesn’t back out of kissing a frog.)

Figures such as Melvin or Elfaria likely have a huge degree of clout, just because in helping them out or exchanging a favor means A) the helper has been noticed by someone with a large degree of power, and THAT in turns elevates the helper’s own status and B) even if the helper isn’t given concrete rewards for doing something for an elevated figure, they still have that IOU that they can likely use later, or just gather to increase their own standing.

In short the economics of Ringford are a massive mess of favors, and what those favors mean for someone of status.

SO. What the hell does all this economics talk have to do with Oswald?

Mainly, it’s an element of the society he grew up in. Oswald comes from a place where giving one’s word and honoring one’s debts is an EXTREMELY important element. Society being what it is, though, there are a few workarounds; it can very much be a matter of exact words. (For instance, Melvin never really LIED to Oswald after all, just danced around some uncomfortable truths. And much as Oswald might want to deny it, this has an impact on his own dealings with Odin, where Oswald pulls some exact wording maneuvers his father would be proud of.)

Oswald, from a very early age, gets taught on the ideas of favors, and their impact. It might be one facet of why he’s so loyal to Melvin, as Oswald has a debt he can never repay, and may never WANT to repay. Serving Melvin gives Oswald at least some grounding in Ringford, where he’s otherwise an oddity at best.

Even when Oswald breaks free of Ringford, the concept of oaths is still important to him. He makes a deal with Onyx, and even though he KNOWS Onyx isn’t his friend, and would happily see Oswald dead, Oswald still honors his part of the bargain. Not doing so, and breaking his word, is unthinkable to Oswald. Even if Oswald has no loyalties to Ringford any longer, the idea of honoring his own words is still a key part of his own psychology.