Common Names

Names in the Archipelago are usually made up of one or more real words. Names that don’t mean anything are often reserved for pets and livestock, though it’s not unheard of to come across someone with a “made-up” name. If you meet someone in your travels, their name will probably be made up of some combination of the following:

• A musical word.
• A celestial word.
• A sea or weather word.
• The name of a beast found locally.
• The name of a bird or fish.
• The name of a plant.
• The name of a gemstone.
• A colour.
• A value such as honour or duty.

Examples: Alder, Auger, Aurora, Beryl, Bindweed, Brand, Bream, Briar, Calliope, Char, Coral, Crake, Dawn, Elver, Fairwind, Fathom, Fuchsia, Gamble, Greygale, Hemlock, Lilydrift, Littleash, Mead, Melody, Mossfern, Pearl, Pike, Ripple, River, Robin, Rookstaff, Rose, Rowan, Shoal, Tangle, Thistle, Thorn, Umberwake, Verdigris, Vetch, Whelm, Willow, Wisp, Wolfweed, Wren, Yarrow, Zephyr

Hewn Names

In the subterranean realms of the Hewn, names based on minerals or gemstones are so popular as to be almost universal. Some of the younger generation have broken with that tradition by taking on “surface names” in recent times, though.

Examples: Agate, Amber, Bismuth, Brimstone, Citrine, Clay, Feldspar, Flint, Gabbro, Galena, Garnet, Gneiss, Jasper, Jet, Larimar, Micah, Onyx, Opal, Pearl, Peridot, Quartz, Ruby, Shale, Slate, Topaz

Strider Names

Striders raised in the traditional seclusion of the enclaves don’t name their children at all. When they need to be called something they go by a usename, which is usually bestowed upon them by another. These usenames are tend to be based (sincerely or ironically) on a physical characteristic, some kind of personality quirk, or a facet of their reputation. Some striders instead choose to name themselves after something they appreciate.

Examples: Able, Bottlewasp, Everlost, Hightower, Longshanks, Mender, Morning Dew, Murmur, Old Ironeyes, One-Eye, River Rushing, Saltbeard, Scowl, Silver, Softie, Stonefist, Stormchaser, Sunbeam, Tangle, Thunderbrow, Unyielding Earth

Ancient Names

When you do find stranger names, they tend to be holdovers from older times: ancient words that have been passed down over generations, their original meanings long forgotten. Some unusual names are even runes in the language of magic, warped over time into mundane forms bereft of their arcane potency.

Examples: Aihal, Allor, Arha, Ayeth, Danai, Emer, Ensha, Erreth, Essiri, Ioeth, Marik, Naru, Kossil, Sellen, Serret, Tenar, Therru