Editing Magical Realm Cyoa/Avalon (section)

===Culture===
Avalon's culture is very dissonant from Earth's culture, and new citizens often experience a powerful culture shock when arriving.

Most notable, perhaps, is the distinct lack of sexuality in the culture. This is not to say that people do not dress to impress. Indeed, fashions can become quite over-the-top at times (often stumbling into the realms of JRPG or anime fashion, probably due to the influence of Avalon's creator), but sexual promiscuity is viewed with what might be best described as amusement. It's not unheard of, but is generally considered childish and nonsensical. This is due to the distinct presence of Fate in Avalon. Love isn't something one searches for through trial and error, it is a promise that one waits to see fulfilled. Sex is simply viewed as a reflection of this emotion, and performing the act with someone besides your Soul Mate is seen as frivolous and slightly rude to your eventual spouse. Most people find said Soul Mate some time during puberty, although some find them earlier or later than this. Newcomers to Avalon may take longer, as either another Newcomer with suitable compatibility must be found or they must wait for a native Soul Mate to be born. Usually, a Newcomer can expect a roughly fifteen year wait to find said Soul Mate, and may find themselves taking part in Earth-style relationships with other Newcomers or in other worlds in the mean time. Sometimes, these relationships evolve in to permanent ones through the machinations of Fate, although the mechanism it uses is unclear.

There is no central government, although the Realm Lord and his court often assist in the mediation of intercity disputes, worldwide issues, and certain other matters (not to mention providing personal boons to those who approach him for help). There are also no large corporations (working 9 to 5 is a way to make a living, but no one actually needs to make a living, so that's not a thing), and city governments are extremely noninvasive, mostly just settling small personal disputes and contractual issues (any city government that tries to overstep itself gets brought down by either its people, vigilantes, or the Realm Lord).

In terms of cultural interests and such, the populace has three primary interests: the spiritual, the creative, and the adventurous. The most spiritual either take positions within religious groups or became magi. The more creative become artists of some form or another, ranging from bards to sculptors to blacksmiths to game designers. Finally, the most adventurous become adventurers (unsurprisingly), explore Avalon, and challenge the many Dungeons throughout it. There is not a strict divide, however. Everyone knows ''some'' magic, everyone can fight, and everyone has basic expertise in at least a few of the arts.

There are festivals yearly, where people gather together to show of their creations, take part in tournaments of various sorts, and generally have a good time. These occur on, roughly, the winter solstice (although whether it is actually wintry or not is mostly up to whoever manages the event). The shining jewel of the Winter Festival is the "Holy Grail War."

====The Holy Grail War====
Named so by Hierus Goldsmith, in a tribute to the fictional tournament depicted in the works of Nasu, the Holy Grail War is a yearly tournament where seven citizens, chosen by Avalon itself, fight each other to the death. They are each accompanied by a so-called Servant, a Spirit granted a body for the duration of the War. Usually, these Spirits are either Celests or members of the Departed.

Whoever wins the Tournament receives a suitable prize. The Spirit in question is granted a permanent body by the Realm Lord, allowing Celests to directly intervene in the world and the Departed to return to life. The Human winner is granted a single wish of their choice by Hierus. This wish has few limits, including the resurrection of the dead and the creation of new life. The only restriction is a prohibition on actively Evil wishes (i.e. enslavement/mind control of someone else, the death of an enemy, the creation of a natural disaster, etc.)

After winning the Tournament, however, the winners have one more task ahead of them. They must drink from the Grail (an enchanted cup which absorbs and harnesses all of the power the competitors expend during the Tournament), thus gaining powers beyond the limits of normal Avalonians. By doing so, they are granted a limited form of godhood (they're still less powerful than the Realm Lord, but are roughly equal to Court members in power). Beyond the increased power granted by this, they also receive numerous other benefits, most notably a greatly intensified bond with Avalon. This allows them to directly draw upon the power of Avalon itself, when acting in its interests.

Having joined the Pantheon of Heroes, they must then travel through the Looking Glass to Underland and defeat the Jabberwock. While it may not be killed this way, its power is diminished sufficiently to keep it contained until the next year. By this method, the Jabberwock may theoretically contained indefinitely.

====Economy and Trade====
Avalon lacks a traditional large scale economy, primarily because one is not needed. Physical necessities are non-existent, and simple transmutation spells can be used to create a suitable dwelling for any citizen. Thus, daily employment is not something individuals take part in out of necessity. Large businesses are likewise nonexistent, as a personal can gain more satisfaction from independent efforts that by working under the employ of others.

That is not to say that money and trade to not exist. The currency of Avalon is Mana, an essential energy that all objects can be broken down into using alchemy. This energy can be used to create anything and everything, theoretically, but the alchemist must understand that which they are trying to create.

As an example, any alchemist can create gold from Mana. A hypothetical substance that generates a passive gravitational field, however, is almost impossible to create if you don't have a sample.

The beauty of Avalon is that virtually anything can be found there. Anything a person can think of may be found sufficient effort, although actively malevolent substances and entities can't be found in Avalon, but rather in Underland. This means that there is a high demand for samples of exotic materials (which may then be analyzed and reproduced using alchemy), and vast amounts of Mana will often be traded away for such.

Another major economic demand is for finished products. Raw materials are plentiful, and basic needs can be met at little to no cost using magic, but magical devices and works of art (including the visual arts, games, literature, food, and music) still require creative effort and thus are valued immensely by a society which may readily meet all of its actual ''needs''.

The last major demand is knowledge. While the public schools and universities provide a basic knowledge of most everything, certain fields are best studied at the feet of their masters, and apprenticeships are a matter of course in life. There is also a healthy market for secrets, both of the world and the people that inhabit it.

====Societal Structure====
The Avalonian populace live either in the wilderness or in one of the floating city-states. Those who live on the surface don't really have to deal with the concept of law, excepting a few strict edict put in place by the Realm Lord, which are rarely an issue anyway. City occupants, however, have a larger set of laws they must obey, which is determined by the City Council. These laws primarily focus on maintaining the city and order within it, but may also reflect the general philosophy of its citizens. Some cities, for example, restrict certain forms of magic. Others have a ban on gambling. Citizens who are dissatisfied with a city's laws usually just move (often by physically relocating their home magically).

City Councils are elected from among the populace, and exist in varying sizes. They are reelected every two years, with no limitation on the number of terms that any citizen may serve on the Council. These Councils are generally wise enough to keep their laws from becoming oppressive, as citizens are prone to dealing with such groups very directly.

Finally, the highest power is the Court of the Realm. This group of immortals is lead by the Realm Lord, and serves to protect, defend, and support Avalon. The actual identities of Court Members are unknown to most of the populace, and even the Court's Enforcers, who leave the Capital fairly often, are mysterious to most of the populace. They are known to possess abilities and tools that are foreign to most of Avalon, and some claim that they are somehow Eldritch in nature, being visibly otherworldly and out of place. Much of this is dismissed as rumor, but the truth is still unclear.

The Realm Lord himself is quite well known, in contrast to the rest. He is often seen wandering through cities, making conversation with passerby and observing the various works of art throughout said cities. He is known to await citizens in his throne room between the hours of three and seven pm each day (although the locals use a different time system), granting boons of various kinds to those who need it. He is also known to offer help to any he meets in his wanderings, although he sometimes deems situations to be too personal for his intervention, in which case he leaves advice instead of a solution. He is viewed well by the people, although some groups wish he would more strictly control goings on in society. Challenging him, however, is seen as both ridiculous and impossible, considering the extreme power of the Court. His own capabilities are unknown, although he has been seen to control the weather, heal the injured, and levitate, among other, rumored, abilities.