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+ Wind in the Flowers: Re-inventing a Game
+
+
+ Naming Conventions
+
+*R. Sean Borgstrom*
+March 6, 2002
+
+The principal characters of *Nobilis* come from all over the world. A
+fair number of the secondary characters come from outside the world
+entirely. The first edition had an unfortunate bias towards American and
+made-up names, which didn't properly reflect the setting's
+cosmopolitanism. Fortunately, the new edition has roughly twice the
+wordcount, which gave me plenty of space to redress this error.
+
+My primary resource for most of this was the Onomastikon
+<http://web.archive.org/web/19990429014413/http://www.fairacre.demon.co.uk/>;
+secondary resources included Gustav Davidson's excellent *A Dictionary
+of Angels* and the even more amazing Saul M. Olyan's *A Thousand
+Thousands Served Him: Exegesis and the Naming of Angels in Ancient
+Judaism*. I didn't get to actually use that last book much, but that
+/will/ change. It was very pleasant to sort through thousands of angel
+descriptions with traditional names when adding new angels or fallen
+angels to the game.
+
+In addition, I associate a sense of awe with the names and descriptions
+of classical angelology; I also drew on M. Davidson's book when I wished
+to discuss celestial phenomena, such as the things the Creator bound to
+make Creation. (For reference, these were Azbogah, the Radiance that
+Destroys the Unrighteous, in whose heart the Creator planted the tree of
+worlds; N'mosnikttiel, the Fire that Swallows Worlds, raw material for
+the creation of the angels; and Narsinha, the Lightning that Dances on
+the Surface of the Abyss, reshaped to create the wall around Creation.)
+
+Some specific setting features required careful thought as to their
+names. Ananda, discussed in a previous column <wind31jan02.html>,
+appeared as a concept long before he had a name. We needed something
+that would properly express the idea of "hope for the world". Bruce and
+I wrestled with this for some time before finding something properly
+suited to a conceptually key bright spot in the setting.
+
+Ultimately, we raided Madeline L'Engle, who probably raided Hindu names,
+for "that joy in existence without which the universe would fall apart
+and collapse". Alternatives---naming him in ways that reflected simpler
+joy, or beauty, or the darker side of his nature---didn't suffice to
+capture what that name can: that beauty is vital in this world.
+
+Similarly, the name of the divine entity embodying the Third Age (the
+current Age of the World) needed to say something fundamental about the
+setting. Here, I had more room for subtlety, as the Imperatrix of the
+Third Age is not a major character in the setting; I named her Attaris
+Ebrôt Appêka, in part for Attaris, the angel of winter. These are the
+closing days of the *Nobilis* world; either it will end entirely, or a
+new Spring will rise.
+
+*Nobilis* has vast numbers of sample characters, which gave me a fairly
+free hand doing some basic diversification. Augusta Valentina, Bran
+Gainor, Cornelia Jansdr, Dyemma Insakovs, Fayola Osiagobare, Halland
+Geirr and Ienari Namika-in are some of the new sample characters;
+Nephele Nikolaidhis and Helissent de Reymes appear in the sample
+campaign; Jori Hullis, Kip Narekatski, and Rannen Yedidyah are quoted as
+"authors" of various related fictional texts. A large number of Indian
+names (including a few Hindu gods and demons) appear in a frame story
+running through the book.
+
+Looking this over in retrospect, Chinese and Islamic names and probably
+a few others are underrepresented in the text; I should work on
+balancing that in the supplements. In any event, the basic design
+principle was very straightforward: try to scatter the new characters
+over a variety of nationalities, so that the game doesn't feel
+landlocked in America (or even England!)
+
+The most thoroughly foreign characters in *Nobilis* are the Excrucians,
+who rode into our reality from the Lands Beyond Creation. To name them
+properly, I needed a strong, regular naming convention with a distinctly
+alien flavor. Simply foreign names would not suffice. Establishing
+foreign names as alien, regardless of which nationality I chose, would
+undermine the basic concept that the Nobilis come from all over the
+world; that, in their context, European, African, Asian, and all other
+modern names are pretty much "local".
+
+If I were Tolkien, of course, the solution would be simple: invent a
+logically coherent language without direct derivation from any human
+tongue, and name the Excrucians in that. Failing to mysteriously turn
+into Tolkien when I twisted my power ring, I instead turned to history.
+
+The ancient world has some extremely cool names, some of which I have
+swiped for other uses---Idri-mi, Texcoyo, and Nabushezibanni among
+them---but the best-fitting names came primarily from medieval times.
+I'm not 100% certain why, but my theory is that the really ancient names
+have their own baggage. Even though I wouldn't recognize Nabushezibanni
+as a Hittite name offhand, it has associations of that whole
+Babylonian-region ancient world thing going on. Similarly, even if you
+don't guess that Texcoyo's an Aztec name, it probably evokes some
+ancient American tribal associations.
+
+Maybe that's just me.
+
+In any event, medieval Europe actually has some very interesting names
+that don't fall into the typical fantasy mold. The very first name to
+come out of this search was Genseric---a Vandal name, technically. I'm
+not that fond of characters without surnames; it feels incomplete to me,
+and somewhat like the characters are trying to be media stars. So I
+stole a last name from another barbarian tribe, the Dacii; thus,
+Genseric Dace.
+
+I rather liked the result, but soon enough I had to make more Excrucian
+names. Here, I ran into a problem: I had nine more Vandal names, all
+male, most of which sounded more or less like Genseric, and only a
+handful of other barbarian tribes from the right era. (Sueves, Avars,
+Alans, and Rugians.) I was not immediately thrilled with the names
+Gailamir Sueve, Gunderic Avar, Gaiseric Alan, and Hilderic Rugian.
+
+This forced a branching out into other names from medieval Europe:
+Orderic, a Frankish name; Raginhart, Germanic; Euphrasia and Marozia,
+Byzantine; Teja, Gothic; Scelto, Italian; and so forth. A few were
+atypical, if they sounded right; Phasael mery-Harumaph, for example, is
+assembled from a Palestinian first name, an Egyptian name-element, and
+the game term Harumaph, originally found in a web angelological reference.
+
+Finding last names was generally difficult at this stage of history. I
+had originally hoped to branch out from the basic concept used for
+Genseric Dace---whose surname was historically tribal rather than
+personal---and build most last names out of appropriate regions or
+social groups. Thus, Orderic Neustry, name drawn from Neustria.
+Ultimately, for lack of appropriately cool region names, I was forced to
+scrounge, using other first names from the period as surnames in order
+to build functional antagonist names such as Teja Heimerich, Euphrasia
+Savinot, and Raginhart Tribunas.
+
+All this, of course, reflects ultimately back on the setting. It subtly
+influenced me, writing new material on the Excrucians, to know that they
+take their bynames from Creation. It also affected my writing to know
+that they disdain modern appellations and sift history for names
+instead. I'm not wholly certain of the implications, but it changes the
+way I feel about them in my head; and such effects spread throughout the
+game.
+
+R. Sean
+
+
+ What do you think? <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88>
+
+Go to forum! <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88>
+ Go to Top <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88> | New Topic
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/post.php?f=88> | View Threads
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+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/search.php?f=88>
+
+ Topics Author Date Latest Reply
+ James and the Small Caps
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=81&t=81> (2) new Kibo
+08-20-2002 16:29 02-10-2003 01:23 new
+ Art <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=77&t=77> (1) new Lxndr
+04-26-2002 07:36 04-26-2002 07:36 new
+ The Original Nobilis Club
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=76&t=76> (3) new Bret Gillan
+04-17-2002 11:28 03-17-2003 17:48 new
+ Questions & Thoughts
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=64&t=64> (3) new Pyske
+03-20-2002 18:31 05-01-2003 13:03 new
+ Noble Buddhism?
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=61&t=61> (9) new Tlaloc
+03-20-2002 12:17 12-10-2004 01:20 new
+ Noble Suicide <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=58&t=58> (9) new
+Eric Christian Berg 03-20-2002 07:43 01-18-2005 16:27 new
+ Art Notes <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=54&t=54> (4) new R.
+Sean Borgstrom 03-14-2002 16:31 03-21-2002 03:44 new
+ Ack...you just lost my sale
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=45&t=45> (10) new SteveD
+03-14-2002 04:06 03-15-2002 06:29 new
+ Onomastikon working URL
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=36&t=36> (4) new Jorge
+Hernández 03-06-2002 12:51 08-20-2002 16:10 new
+ Why do angels change names ?
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=33&t=33> (10) new philippe
+tromeur 03-06-2002 10:13 12-10-2004 01:34 new
+ R. Sean, some examples?
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=32&t=32> (3) new Arref
+03-05-2002 08:17 03-13-2002 20:28 new
+ Sounds great, BUT...
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=28&t=28> (2) new Kane
+02-27-2002 16:43 02-27-2002 17:30 new
+ Sort of backwards?
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=21&t=21> (8) new Eric Finley
+02-20-2002 14:25 02-28-2002 09:35 new
+ Programmer nature slips out!
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=20&t=20> (2) new Sean
+McCarthy 02-20-2002 13:18 02-21-2002 10:30 new
+ Object Lesson Damage
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=15&t=15> (1) new Darren
+Miguez 02-13-2002 12:45 02-13-2002 12:45 new
+ How about this?
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=12&t=12> (2) new Kristian
+Lund 02-13-2002 11:30 02-14-2002 01:17 new
+ Now, this was strange!
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=9&t=9> (7) new access.denied
+02-13-2002 07:44 02-16-2002 21:44 new
+ Briefs on the other two?
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=5&t=5> (5) new Eric Finley
+01-31-2002 18:39 02-13-2002 10:36 new
+ Forum now works <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=4&t=4> (1) new
+Sandy Antunes 01-31-2002 17:36 01-31-2002 17:36 new
+ limited series <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=1&t=1> (2) new
+Sandy Antunes 01-21-2002 17:41 01-31-2002 17:36 new
+
+ Go to Top <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88> | New Topic
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/post.php?f=88> | View Threads
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88&collapse=0> | Search
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/search.php?f=88>
+
+ Newer Messages
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88&t=81&a=1&> | Older Messages
+<http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=88&t=1&a=2&>
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+ * Editing, Development, and Production
+ </news+reviews/columns/wind27mar02.html>
+ March 27, 2002
+ * Affiliations </news+reviews/columns/wind20mar02.html>
+ March 20, 2002
+ * How to be a Hollyhock God </news+reviews/columns/wind13mar02.html>
+ March 13, 2002
+ * Naming Conventions </news+reviews/columns/wind06mar02.html>
+ March 6, 2002
+ * Art Notes </news+reviews/columns/wind27feb02.html>
+ February 27, 2002
+ * Dynamic Nobilis </news+reviews/columns/wind20feb02.html>
+ February 20, 2002
+ * Systems Change </news+reviews/columns/wind13feb02.html>
+ February 13, 2002
+ * Treachery </news+reviews/columns/wind06feb02.html>
+ February 6, 2002
+ * The Emperor to Come </news+reviews/columns/wind31jan02.html>
+ January 31, 2002
+ * The Changing of the Guard </news+reviews/columns/wind21jan02.html>
+ January 21, 2002
+
+
+ Other columns </news+reviews/columns.html> at RPGnet
+
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