I think this is more conditioned by societal expectations -- and realities
> And of course a Man can 'Love' and leave whereas a woman often cannot.....or
> are we postulating a world where there is widespread magical/herbal
> contraceptive/abortificant usage?
I think we're postulating a society (to dwell on the Orlanthi some more) where the love and leave algorithm triggers a messy inter-clan lawsuit, or a Class A barny at the clan moot, depending exactly who it is you've knocked up... Not unlike the RW, really, though in this case replace the angry brothers with 1000 slighted people in the next valley.
I think that the Orlanthi do have some reasonably effective means of contraception, though. In fact I'm certain they do, as far as I'm concerned it's just a matter of how 'reasonably'. (Enough for people to make at least a modest distinction between recreational and procreational sex, anyway.)
> As to Humankti losing their fertility.......that might not be much of a
> issue to a professional soldier such as a roman Legionary (in for 15 years
> plus, and if his legion is campaigning having a barracks wife might not be
> practical) or a Professional Sword Thane...losing the ability would be more
> of a issue though!! But then Humakti are allmost as wierd as Christian
> Monks!
I think that's exactly the sense in which they lose their 'fertility': it's not (so much) that the big H. zaps your sperm (or ova), but that the life and nature of being a grimly-Aspected Weilder of Death... puts crimps in your social life. Or rather, yet again, that the two are so interlinked as to make the distinction meaninglessly hard to unravel.
Cheers,
Alex.
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