Nearly all public services are handled by the government and there is a lot of overhead leading to slowdowns and frustrations, but it is widely just accepted as a fact of life over something that should be questioned.
Emergency Services
- Police - Law enforcement, criminal investigation, maintenance of public order
- Fire and Rescue - fire suppression, technical rescue, and hazardous materials mitigation.
- Emergency Medical Services - emergency medical services and technical rescue.
- Maestros Affairs Offices - Can be mobilized as a local militia in instances of scherzando attacks on nearby areas
Utilities
All public utilities (water, trash, electricity, internet access, etc) is handled on a governmental level.
Education System
School for Maestros ages 5-15 years old is completely free and open to the public. From age 15-20 is what would be considered secondary education and optional. Resonators are also provided the same education as their maestro. In most cases Resonators are partnered with a Maestro who is the same age, plus or minus a year. It is common for middle class and higher families to adopt a resonator for their child upon their 5th birthday. In many schools around the world desks are two seaters to accommodate young maestros and their partners.
Secondary school can be earned into by government grants based on merit (usually hours of community service or other achievements.)
Adulthood
On Riterra, there are three legal stages a person can be considered: Minor, Young Adult, and Adult.
A minor is any person (Maestro or Resonator) below the age of fifteen. A minor who is five years or older may have a resonator under what's called a "Student's Permit", which has limits explained below. Minors are also prohibited from engaging in sexual acts, consuming controlled substances, etc. Minors are also required to attend regular schooling starting from age five until age fifteen.
A young adult are persons between the ages of fifteen and nineteen. Young Adult maestros have many more freedoms than minors:
- Ability to apply for and gain their full Resonator or Driver's license
- Engage in sexual activity (only with those in the Young Adult age bracket)
- Schooling is no longer mandatory
- Can leave home
- No longer bound by their parent's wishes or demands
There are also laws against the sexual exploitation of any persons under the age of twenty; these protections apply to both maestros and resonators. There are stiff penalties for sexual acts committed against Young Adults and Minors by Adults.
Full Adulthood is granted upon one's 20th birthday. At which point many restrictions are lifted. Adults can vote in elections, run for government office, and own land. Typically, those traveling maestros may continue their nomadic lifestyle in their early twenties, but most begin to settle down in their mid to late twenties, finding a permanent residence and getting a proper job within the community they've chosen.
As mentioned above upon one's fifteenth birthday, Maestros are free to travel on their own, though it is highly recommended they take a resonator with them. A lot of older maestros look out for traveling Maestro making sure they don't get into too much trouble on the road. These traveling maestros fall into two camps: the hunters and the competitors. The hunters usually try to amass a small fortune for themselves travelling about and fighting scherzando in an official capacity, whereas the competition focused Maestros will hop around local tournament scenes trying to make their way to regionals, then Nationals and finally Worlds if they're skilled enough. A lot of older maestros look back on these reckless days of their youths fondly.
Resonator Ownership and related Licenses
Any person may be linked with a resonator on an official capacity at any Maestro's Affairs Office. Those with Student permits will have their spells locked down to Piano rank and lower to limit the possibility of them being a public nuisance. Additionally, minors are only allowed to own one resonator, a restriction that is lifted once they obtain their full Resonator's License. One may obtain their official Resonator's License starting at age fifteen. This involves a written exam going over laws and policies related to resonator ownership and a test to rank aptitude of spell usage. Weak or low spell availability will limit what the maestro is able to do in both hunting and competitive environments for the safety of the maestro and resonator.
Licenses may be revoked if the maestro is found unfit to care for resonators they own and/or if they've been found guilty of criminal activity.