In an attempt to make my game more immersive, I have been working on a set of naming conventions. I am going to start with setting the naming conventions of my own homebrew race first, but I intend to slowly work through all the races, establishing naming styles and conventions for each.
I will want my players to name characters using these conventions and naming styles, so I would like to get the opinion of others before I put them into my game. To give you an example, I will use one of my NPCs.
ser Tribuni Ye'cilla Nagita.
In order for you to understand the naming structure and conventions of the people however, you must first understand the nation itself.
THE NATION OF JUTRA
The Nation of Jutra encompases the entre Plytrie Steppe - also known as the Howling Plains. As its common name suggests, The Plytrie Steppe is an area of open grasslands and mountainous regions, that is constantly battered by lightning storms and savage winds. It is a dangerous and difficult place to live, that only extremely hardy can call home. The first people to conquer the steppe and make it their home, were a race of humanoids, although they were not human. They were in fact the descendants of race of humans who interbred with dragons, and typically, during the height of the Draconic Empire, would act as a labour force and the bulk of the draconian military.
When the empire of their former masters fell into ruin, thanks largely due to the giants war against dragonkind, the Kihlesa, with draconian resistance, and the strength of the dragons blood within their veins, conquered the steppe, subdued and tamed the beasts that roamed in its vastness, and built for themselves a nation.
The Ju',a tribe of the Kihlesa were the first to discover the steppe, the first to send out messengers to the other tribes, to beckon them to their new home, and so, while establishing their new nation, the Ju were honoured as the first tribe, and the nation was named after them - Jutra. The Khagan of Ju' was named as Khan, and all the other tribes swore their allegiances to him. Different tribes have risen and fallen since, but each new Khagan, has swore their allegiance to the Khan of the Ju' as their forebears before them, and as their descendants will do after them.
The Khan of the Ju' is also considered by the Kihlesa, to be the father of their nation, and so all tribes are children of the Ju'. Many outsiders often mistake this to mean that the people themselves are called Ju', and often refer to the people of the steppe, as, The Ju. It is a mistake to do so however. The people as a whole, as a race, are called, Kihlesa. However; as that is what their former draconian masters called them, few people ever refer to themselves as being such. Instead calling themselves either a child of the Ju', a child of the steppe, or when referring to all of their people, simply, The People.
It has been many generations since the founding of the Nation of Jutra. Many people no longer carry so much dragon blood with their veins, but they are still a very strong and hardy race. Mighty warriors and powerful sorcerers, and almost all have some draconian traits. Be it horns, patches of dragon scales, a tail, or all three. Also on rare occasions, the draconian ancestry of the Kihlesa will coalesce into a single child, with that child being born much more like their distant half dragon ancestors, full clad in dragon scales, with horns and a tail and immense strength, and enormous in size (mechanically still considered medium), even amongst their own people. This is more typical within the Ju' tribe, and such children usually go on to become the next Khan.
Such children are often thought to be born only when they are needed, when the Kihlesa will face a great threat to their existence, and require the guidance and strength of their ancestors to prevail. So, even though such children are greatly prized and honoured, their birth is also a cause of worry for the Kihlesa and much upheaval often follows.
The nation of Jutra is a tribal nation. Each tribe occupies a region of the steppe - this is their territory. Although there maybe multiple tribes within a single territory, each individual territory is ruled by a single dominant tribe. Dominant tribes are named like this:
Ju' family-name first-name (dominant ruling tribe of the nation) Su' family-name first-name (dominant in the south) Ye' family-name first-name (dominant in the east) Mu' family-name first-name (dominant in the west) Ne' family-name first-name (dominant in the north)
While none dominant tribes are named like this.
S' family-name first-name Y' family-name first-name M' family-name first-name N' family-name first-name J' family-name first-name etc. ..... throughout the alphabet. There are 27 of these split across the four regions.
Each of the non dominant tribes pay tribute to the dominant tribe of their respective regions.
There are only five dominant tribes, including the Ju'. Four main tribes, and the Ju'. The Ju' tribe is the ruling tribe who holds dominance over the entire steppe, and thus the entire Nation of Jutra. There are many subtribes as talked about above. The subtribes of each region owe their allegiance to and are ruled over by the Khagan of the dominant tribe of that region. Each dominant tribe owes allegiance to the ruling Ju' tribe. The Khagan of each dominant tribe, meet with the Khan of the Ju' tribe once a year to pay tribute and to hold court, discuss the future of the nation and settle any disputes.
To settle disputes between tribes, the Khagan of each tribe involved within the dispute will make their case to the Khan. The Khan will listen to each of the Khagan, and then make a decision about how the dispute will be solved. Once the Khan has made their decision, and the dispute has be solved through whatever means the Khan decided was the best way to do so, the matter is considered closed. Further squabbles over the same dispute, once the dispute has been dealt with by the court of the Khan, results in severe penalties being levied against those responsible, during the next meeting of the court. Penalties are many and varied and may include the seizure of property and territory, the execution of responsible tribe members, forcing one tribe to pay recompense to the other and so on, depending on what the Khan considers to be fair and just after listening to the Khagan.
The Kihlesa are a semi nomadic nation. With each tribe and subtribe moving from place to place within their respective territories as the seasons, such as they are on the steppe, progress. No tribe crosses the others territory, without first seeking permission from the dominant tribe of that territory. The exception to this rule is the Ju' tribe. As the Ju' are the ruling tribe of the steppe, they can go wherever they wish and cross whosoever boards and territory they wish, since the entire steppe is their territory, and thus, they are not bound by territorial boarders. In general however, if the Ju' tribe or their representatives need to cross a territorial boarder, they still seek the permission of the Khagan of the dominant tribe. Such permission is largely ceremonial however, and done to comply with tradition and good manners, as the Ju' tribe, or anyone acting in their stead, don't actually need permission to cross territorial boarders.
Despite the Nation of Jutra being semi nomadic, the Kihlesa are great mighty warriors and powerful sorcerers. They are particularly deadly while mounted, but even their foot soldiers should not be taken lightly. They are also a warrior people, whose prowess has been honed by nature and nurture, over countless generations. Each dominant tribe maintains their own standing military force, and each subtribe contriutes warriors to those ranks. The Khan, can also leverage the power of the entire Nation of Jutra against common foes or invaders.
The combined might of the united military forces of the nation of Jutra have seen off many attempts to annex the lands and territories of the Kihlesa by humans, elves, even some of the more monstrous races like orcs, trolls and giants. When you combine that with the inhibital terrain and the savage nature of the Plytrie Steppe, the Nation of Jutra is one of the most powerful and impregnable nations in the known world. Its people are also steeped in symbolism, myth and folklore that dates all the way back to height of the draconian empire, when dragons ruled the skies, and the lands.
Now that I have explained about the Nation of Jutra, the various tribes and those naming conventions and styles, I can explain about individual naming conventions. To do this, I am going to use the name of one of my NPCs
ser Tribuni Ye'cilla Nagita.
Lets take her name one part at a time and explain what each part means.
THE FIRST PART OF THE NAME
ser Tribuni - This is her profession and rank. ser shows that her profession is, warrior. She is a warrior within her tribe. The second part, Tribuni shows that she is not just a warrior of her tribe, but she is also part part of the nations standing military force, controlled by the Khan. She has also obtained the rank of Tribuni. She is head of the Praetorian Guard, a very high ranking military position. She is essentially the head of the personal bodyguard of the Khan. A position of great honour, that many would kill for.
THE SECOND PART OF HER NAME
Ye' - this is the tribe she belongs to. She comes from the Ye' tribe. One of the most powerful and influential tribes of the steppe. The Khagan of the Ye' tribe is a cousin of the Khan. As a daughter of the Khagan of the Ye' tribe, she is a blood relation of the Khan.
THE THIRD PART OF HER NAME
cilla - this is her family's name and marks her as a daughter of the Khagan of the Ye' tribe.
THE FOURTH PART OF HER NAME
Nagita - this is her given name. Her first name. It is a name that she has earned through her personal deeds and one that she is extremely proud of. When a child is born, they are giving a first name by their parents, but that name is just a childhood name. When they become adults, they go through an initiation ceremony, to become full fledged members of the tribe, and a true son or daughter of the steppe. Part of that ceremony is the giving of a new name, one that has been earned, and which will carry them forth into their new life as an adult. The childhood name then becomes something of a nickname, a pet name used only by that person's parents, siblings and closest friends.
To call an adult by their childhood name, unless under special circumstances, like you are their parent, or a close sibling or friend, is to give great offence, and would result in a challenge. Failure to challenge those who offend you is considered dishonorable. Thus, although the her childhood name will be known by others, now that she has her adult name, the name she had as a child, would no longer be used.
Childhood names are never used in any official capacity, other than to register the birth of the child with the tribes keeper of records. The registration of their birth is then amended with their adult name, once they have been given it.
So, from her name, we can instantly tell several things about her:
She is Kihlesa
She is from the Ye' tribe
She comes from the eastern part of the steppe
She is a direct descendant of the ruling family of the dominant Ye' tribe
She is a blood relation of the Khan and the ruling Ju' tribe.
We can also tell a few other things about her.
She is a warrior of her clan
She is part of the standing military force controlled by the Khan
She has a high ranking military position, within a semi nomadic nation of warriors.
From this we can make several inferences
She holds a position of trust within the court of the Khan
She is highly respected
She is a woman of immense martial skill
She is a student of war
She is generally highly regarded, being the head of the personal bodyguards of the Khan, holds political as well as military power.
I could go on giving more examples, but you see what i mean.
Of course, not every player and NPC will be like this, some will be much more simple, others might come from a subclan, so their naming structures would be slightly different. I have used one of my NPCs to fully show the naming styles and conventions that I am trying to make.
I hope that I have really explained myself enough for you to understand.
What do you think? Can I have your thoughts and opinions and as always, any constructive criticisms that you might have regarding my ideas?
On a purely philological level, I see absolutely nothing wrong with this. But keep in mind that names more than two simple words, especially ones that share a prefix/first letter with lots of other names, will be near-impossible for players to remember. That's why authors try to give every important character's name a different first letter. And very fantasy-ish names like these can be really hard to pronounce, so always say names out loud before you use them. Oh, and don't expect your players to remember or use any of this—they have lots of more important things to keep track of, and often so will you!
Personally, if I were you, I'd go for shorter, simpler names. (Maybe Mongolian names, since that seems to be the cultural analogue here.) Worldbuilding is fun, but if you want to use these names in a game, remember they need to be accessible to players who spend a lot less time thinking about the world than you do! It's too easy to get caught up in details and forget that your end goal is to play a fun adventure with friends.
Hi,
In an attempt to make my game more immersive, I have been working on a set of naming conventions. I am going to start with setting the naming conventions of my own homebrew race first, but I intend to slowly work through all the races, establishing naming styles and conventions for each.
I will want my players to name characters using these conventions and naming styles, so I would like to get the opinion of others before I put them into my game. To give you an example, I will use one of my NPCs.
In order for you to understand the naming structure and conventions of the people however, you must first understand the nation itself.
THE NATION OF JUTRA
The Nation of Jutra encompases the entre Plytrie Steppe - also known as the Howling Plains. As its common name suggests, The Plytrie Steppe is an area of open grasslands and mountainous regions, that is constantly battered by lightning storms and savage winds. It is a dangerous and difficult place to live, that only extremely hardy can call home. The first people to conquer the steppe and make it their home, were a race of humanoids, although they were not human. They were in fact the descendants of race of humans who interbred with dragons, and typically, during the height of the Draconic Empire, would act as a labour force and the bulk of the draconian military.
When the empire of their former masters fell into ruin, thanks largely due to the giants war against dragonkind, the Kihlesa, with draconian resistance, and the strength of the dragons blood within their veins, conquered the steppe, subdued and tamed the beasts that roamed in its vastness, and built for themselves a nation.
The Ju', a tribe of the Kihlesa were the first to discover the steppe, the first to send out messengers to the other tribes, to beckon them to their new home, and so, while establishing their new nation, the Ju were honoured as the first tribe, and the nation was named after them - Jutra. The Khagan of Ju' was named as Khan, and all the other tribes swore their allegiances to him. Different tribes have risen and fallen since, but each new Khagan, has swore their allegiance to the Khan of the Ju' as their forebears before them, and as their descendants will do after them.
The Khan of the Ju' is also considered by the Kihlesa, to be the father of their nation, and so all tribes are children of the Ju'. Many outsiders often mistake this to mean that the people themselves are called Ju', and often refer to the people of the steppe, as, The Ju. It is a mistake to do so however. The people as a whole, as a race, are called, Kihlesa. However; as that is what their former draconian masters called them, few people ever refer to themselves as being such. Instead calling themselves either a child of the Ju', a child of the steppe, or when referring to all of their people, simply, The People.
It has been many generations since the founding of the Nation of Jutra. Many people no longer carry so much dragon blood with their veins, but they are still a very strong and hardy race. Mighty warriors and powerful sorcerers, and almost all have some draconian traits. Be it horns, patches of dragon scales, a tail, or all three. Also on rare occasions, the draconian ancestry of the Kihlesa will coalesce into a single child, with that child being born much more like their distant half dragon ancestors, full clad in dragon scales, with horns and a tail and immense strength, and enormous in size (mechanically still considered medium), even amongst their own people. This is more typical within the Ju' tribe, and such children usually go on to become the next Khan.
Such children are often thought to be born only when they are needed, when the Kihlesa will face a great threat to their existence, and require the guidance and strength of their ancestors to prevail. So, even though such children are greatly prized and honoured, their birth is also a cause of worry for the Kihlesa and much upheaval often follows.
The nation of Jutra is a tribal nation. Each tribe occupies a region of the steppe - this is their territory. Although there maybe multiple tribes within a single territory, each individual territory is ruled by a single dominant tribe. Dominant tribes are named like this:
While none dominant tribes are named like this.
Each of the non dominant tribes pay tribute to the dominant tribe of their respective regions.
There are only five dominant tribes, including the Ju'. Four main tribes, and the Ju'. The Ju' tribe is the ruling tribe who holds dominance over the entire steppe, and thus the entire Nation of Jutra. There are many subtribes as talked about above. The subtribes of each region owe their allegiance to and are ruled over by the Khagan of the dominant tribe of that region. Each dominant tribe owes allegiance to the ruling Ju' tribe. The Khagan of each dominant tribe, meet with the Khan of the Ju' tribe once a year to pay tribute and to hold court, discuss the future of the nation and settle any disputes.
To settle disputes between tribes, the Khagan of each tribe involved within the dispute will make their case to the Khan. The Khan will listen to each of the Khagan, and then make a decision about how the dispute will be solved. Once the Khan has made their decision, and the dispute has be solved through whatever means the Khan decided was the best way to do so, the matter is considered closed. Further squabbles over the same dispute, once the dispute has been dealt with by the court of the Khan, results in severe penalties being levied against those responsible, during the next meeting of the court. Penalties are many and varied and may include the seizure of property and territory, the execution of responsible tribe members, forcing one tribe to pay recompense to the other and so on, depending on what the Khan considers to be fair and just after listening to the Khagan.
The Kihlesa are a semi nomadic nation. With each tribe and subtribe moving from place to place within their respective territories as the seasons, such as they are on the steppe, progress. No tribe crosses the others territory, without first seeking permission from the dominant tribe of that territory. The exception to this rule is the Ju' tribe. As the Ju' are the ruling tribe of the steppe, they can go wherever they wish and cross whosoever boards and territory they wish, since the entire steppe is their territory, and thus, they are not bound by territorial boarders. In general however, if the Ju' tribe or their representatives need to cross a territorial boarder, they still seek the permission of the Khagan of the dominant tribe. Such permission is largely ceremonial however, and done to comply with tradition and good manners, as the Ju' tribe, or anyone acting in their stead, don't actually need permission to cross territorial boarders.
Despite the Nation of Jutra being semi nomadic, the Kihlesa are great mighty warriors and powerful sorcerers. They are particularly deadly while mounted, but even their foot soldiers should not be taken lightly. They are also a warrior people, whose prowess has been honed by nature and nurture, over countless generations. Each dominant tribe maintains their own standing military force, and each subtribe contriutes warriors to those ranks. The Khan, can also leverage the power of the entire Nation of Jutra against common foes or invaders.
The combined might of the united military forces of the nation of Jutra have seen off many attempts to annex the lands and territories of the Kihlesa by humans, elves, even some of the more monstrous races like orcs, trolls and giants. When you combine that with the inhibital terrain and the savage nature of the Plytrie Steppe, the Nation of Jutra is one of the most powerful and impregnable nations in the known world. Its people are also steeped in symbolism, myth and folklore that dates all the way back to height of the draconian empire, when dragons ruled the skies, and the lands.
Now that I have explained about the Nation of Jutra, the various tribes and those naming conventions and styles, I can explain about individual naming conventions. To do this, I am going to use the name of one of my NPCs
Lets take her name one part at a time and explain what each part means.
THE FIRST PART OF THE NAME
ser Tribuni - This is her profession and rank. ser shows that her profession is, warrior. She is a warrior within her tribe. The second part, Tribuni shows that she is not just a warrior of her tribe, but she is also part part of the nations standing military force, controlled by the Khan. She has also obtained the rank of Tribuni. She is head of the Praetorian Guard, a very high ranking military position. She is essentially the head of the personal bodyguard of the Khan. A position of great honour, that many would kill for.
THE SECOND PART OF HER NAME
Ye' - this is the tribe she belongs to. She comes from the Ye' tribe. One of the most powerful and influential tribes of the steppe. The Khagan of the Ye' tribe is a cousin of the Khan. As a daughter of the Khagan of the Ye' tribe, she is a blood relation of the Khan.
THE THIRD PART OF HER NAME
cilla - this is her family's name and marks her as a daughter of the Khagan of the Ye' tribe.
THE FOURTH PART OF HER NAME
Nagita - this is her given name. Her first name. It is a name that she has earned through her personal deeds and one that she is extremely proud of. When a child is born, they are giving a first name by their parents, but that name is just a childhood name. When they become adults, they go through an initiation ceremony, to become full fledged members of the tribe, and a true son or daughter of the steppe. Part of that ceremony is the giving of a new name, one that has been earned, and which will carry them forth into their new life as an adult. The childhood name then becomes something of a nickname, a pet name used only by that person's parents, siblings and closest friends.
To call an adult by their childhood name, unless under special circumstances, like you are their parent, or a close sibling or friend, is to give great offence, and would result in a challenge. Failure to challenge those who offend you is considered dishonorable. Thus, although the her childhood name will be known by others, now that she has her adult name, the name she had as a child, would no longer be used.
Childhood names are never used in any official capacity, other than to register the birth of the child with the tribes keeper of records. The registration of their birth is then amended with their adult name, once they have been given it.
So, from her name, we can instantly tell several things about her:
We can also tell a few other things about her.
From this we can make several inferences
I could go on giving more examples, but you see what i mean.
Of course, not every player and NPC will be like this, some will be much more simple, others might come from a subclan, so their naming structures would be slightly different. I have used one of my NPCs to fully show the naming styles and conventions that I am trying to make.
I hope that I have really explained myself enough for you to understand.
What do you think? Can I have your thoughts and opinions and as always, any constructive criticisms that you might have regarding my ideas?
Thanks everyone,
XD
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
On a purely philological level, I see absolutely nothing wrong with this. But keep in mind that names more than two simple words, especially ones that share a prefix/first letter with lots of other names, will be near-impossible for players to remember. That's why authors try to give every important character's name a different first letter. And very fantasy-ish names like these can be really hard to pronounce, so always say names out loud before you use them. Oh, and don't expect your players to remember or use any of this—they have lots of more important things to keep track of, and often so will you!
Personally, if I were you, I'd go for shorter, simpler names. (Maybe Mongolian names, since that seems to be the cultural analogue here.) Worldbuilding is fun, but if you want to use these names in a game, remember they need to be accessible to players who spend a lot less time thinking about the world than you do! It's too easy to get caught up in details and forget that your end goal is to play a fun adventure with friends.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
It seems overly complicated and, like Naivara mentioned, very forgettable.