Naming Conventions

Aartiran Naming Conventions

Aartirans tend to use the traditional human conventions established across most human societies on Aagos:

For males: Name ap Father's name (optional ab Grandfather's name.) Most people don't use their grandfather's name in casual conversation, but more for recorded business or when interacting with important individuals.

Example- Aleiron ap Verin ab Darmen
(Aleiron, son of Verin, son of Darmen)

Women have only two changes: ferch, instead of ap, and the replacement of their father with their husband, when they take one.

Example- Feily ferch Miara
(Feily, daughter of Miara)

Should she marry Aleiron, she'd become Feily ferch Aleiron


Sayaki Naming Conventions

Sayaki are a sort of mix between the Aartiran conventions and the Skrel'eth conventions.

The general syntax is: Name father's-name(-or-husband's) clan-name

Example: Susakai Suzaku Ashikaga, or "Susakai, son/daughter/wife of Suzaku, of clan Ashikaga".

Noticing between daughter or wife, in the even of women, is usually a case of taking note as to how they dress, act, speak of the individual their second name belongs to, and how similar the names are.

Not including titles, Sayaki of noble birth receive the patronym "xi" before their clan name.

Example: Sakuzen Susakai xi Ashikaga, or "Sakuzen, son/daughter/wife of Susakai, and noble belonging to clan Ashikaga."

xi actually means "voice of", but means the same thing as "belonging to" in terms of naming conventions.

Skrel'eth Naming Conventions

Skrel'eth receive their adult names upon completion of their Litany, though they do not possess surnames. Instead, they use their clan name.

Example: Destrach of Clan Hoska'ach

Tir Naming Conventions

Tir do not actually possess a naming convention, as they live a very unstructured life. Some Tir choose to take the surname traditions of whatever culture they interact most with, some choose to go without entirely, and some simply pick a surname for themselves. The law is less free regarding this, however, and sometimes simply gives them one if they need one for recording purposes.

Important People of Seahaven

The King (Also the Southern Marquis, Marquis de Seahaven)

The King of Seahaven is always the person who possesses the title of Marquis de Seahaven, as the titles doubly inherit the right to own the land Seahaven proper is founded on, and the latter title charges he who holds it to protect the realm with their very life.

The current king of Seahaven is King Wisdom the VI, named so by the Head Priestess of the Tranquil Tide upon his coronation. Having led the realm for nearly two decades, he is still in a tentative position influentially, as his lifetime has seen the rise to power of several very skilled Merchant Lords. He genuinely wishes the best for his city, but his methods are often questioned by those effected by them.

He inherited the throne at the young age of ten, his father dead by sudden health complications, and the previous Watch Commander assigned as his regent. The city enjoyed a tough, but fair rule under the Azure Wolf regency, and just two years before the Cataclysm, the man handed rule over to his charge, the young King.

The King is currently single and heirless, subject to much rumour over the fate of the realm. The Azure Wolf still remains as his guardian, having resigned his post as Watch Commander to Jarel Armanis. Of late, talk of the King's health, eventual succession, and rule fills the streets, and some speculate that such worries, whether genuine or not, are started by the King's rivals for power.


"Azure Wolf" Mortison ap Merriv

The Azure Wolf, as Mortison ap Merriv has come to be known, is an aged defender of all that is right, having come into the world a little over 60 years ago, and began upholding his ideals just over 45 years ago. If there is a word to describe him, it would be "righteous". In all accounts of his attitude, one would hear that he is fair and just, but certainly not warm or kind. He is the epitome of absolute justice, and his days as Regent were a nightmare for criminals and deceivers.

He was the third Watch Commander of Seahaven, in his day, and suffered no brook, gave no quarter to those who would defy the will of the King. His time in that position saw the successful arrest and execution of two traitorous Merchant Lords, as well as the annihilation of several criminal groups. He eventually resigned the position to his close confidante, Jarel Armanis.

When the former King, Wisdom III, passed away due to sudden health complications, the nobles came together and assigned Mortison the post of Regent over the young King Wisdom IV, and it is speculated this was to get the man out of their business. Up until twelve years ago, when the throne was returned from Regent to Monarch, the Azure Wolf kept a fiercely tight guard on the realm's finances, security and prospering. After the current King took over, Mortison moved to the post as Captain of the King's Guard, where he remains today.


Watch Commander Jarel Armanis

When the Azure Wolf resigned, the duty to protect the realm, whether it wanted to be protected or not, fell to Jarel. Whereas Mortison was lawful without exception, Jarel Armanis is more focused on keeping things 'right' in Seahaven, whether lawful or not.

Mortison's removal as Watch Commander beckoned an age where criminals could once again breathe safely. Their opposition was the highly criticized 13-year-old Armanis, who was barely a man, let alone in a position to solidify his power as Watch Commander. However, he was a student of the Wolf's in more than just leadership skills, and the nobles quickly began to fear the boy as much as the master before him.

Armanis grew up with assassin's at his door, as Merchant Lords and criminals alike wanted his head on a pike. He was -too- good a replacement, as the aristocracy quickly found out. However, unlike Mortison, Jarel was willing to use less open methods to turn back the tide of dark. Deals were made, men hired, glasses of wine drank, and slowly but surely the city of Seahaven found itself in the care of its new Watch Commander.

The Merchant Lords fought back, demanding the King and his Regent remove this pompous fool from the post. But the King was pleased with the order in his city, and the Regent wasn't about to fire his own successor because he was doing good at his task.

Again, deals were made. The Merchant Lords found that their only hope was to fill the ranks of the Watch with men and women who were obedient to THEM, not to some higher purpose like Mortison and Jarel were.

This struggle continued through the Cataclysm and on into the present, without halting. In the year 1083, Jarel is still quite powerful and combating the efforts of the deceptive aristocracy without trouble. The Scarlet Touch, however, prove to be more difficult.

Four years ago (1079) Jarel issued an edict forbidding sacrifice of living creatures of any sort across the realm. While this meant a simple change in worship for some farmers and hunters, followers of the Dark Queen were hit hard by this. Morhiag is pleased by human and animal sacrifice, and so by making it illegal, Jarel had all but crippled them.

Most followers accepted this and found other methods to please the Dark Queen, but the Scarlet Touch is an assassin group comprised primarily of those who refuse to let their religious worship be dictated by a Watch Commander without any official authority in the matter.

Some say the Scarlet Touch are after his head, and even worse, the darkest rumors indicate a connection between the Scarlet Touch, the Merchant Lords, and even normal thieving rings...


Marquis de Wolfwood (the Eastern Marquis)

The Marquis de Wolfwood is a tall, muscled individual who has led a life of luxury. Forty-five years of age, he descends from the previous Marquis, a line long established by the second King of Seahaven, Benevolence I. The Marquis is one of very few landed nobles, possessing the land from the west of Milford, stretching east to the edges of the Wolfwood, and south to the coast. While it has always been his charge to protect Seahaven through careful watch over his realm, the Cataclysm made that necessity even more important.

Since the Darkness, the Marquis has become very withdrawn and the subject of many rumors, especially due to the unnatural efficiency of the Wolfwood in turning back the demons. Those who interact with the man say his eyes have turned a dim yellow, and his heart has been set aflame with determination.

He has only one daughter in his House, though it is speculated several bastards exist from his youthful years. His wife died from sickness some years ago, and that, too, is the subject of rumour.

General Shinto Saiyura xi Ashikaga (Also the Western Marquis, Marquis de Bregh)

When the Sayaki arrived on Heas just a little over five decades ago, they needed a strong, skilled leader to insure their successful integration to local governments and cultures. That leader was Shinto Saiyura xi Ashikaga. He was already widely known as a skilled tactician, from his days before the Great Retreat. Leader of the Ashikaga clan and one of the most skilled Shavaell Akir to ever live, he was a natural choice.

The Sayaki took less then three months to overrun the last Marquis de Bregh's forces, taking Bregh Meadows and the surrounding region for themselves. Shinto's negotiations with Seahaven provided the Sayaki with the fort-home of Kizuni Odawi, based almost entirely on a ceasefire to open warfare. It is only when the Cataclysm happened in 1075 that the Azure Wolf, sent by King Wisdom IV, met with the General, and negotiated for the Sayaki to receive fortifications to Kizuni Odawi, privileges in Seahaven's borders, and more, unknown elements of the treaty, in exchange for Shinto to lead his people in battle against the demons on the west. Both sides found this arrangement beneficial: The King of Seahaven now had his kingdom, decreased in size as it might be, completely sealed off from the demons, and Shinto now had a battle to lead his warrior brethren into, as well as a luxurious number of benefits from the only other true society on Heas.

Shinto is at least 85 years old, venerable by all standards possible, yet still healthy enough to battle demons on a regular basis, in addition to leading the rest of his kin. Those who witness him say he may even be a demon himself, with the ferocity of his blade and the, some would argue, supernatural way his battlecries encourage his fellow warriors to fight harder.

In recent years, the Rhythmist movement has set a deep crinkle in the General's brow. This perversion of the old ways is felt even harder by the wise old man, who has lived easily three times as many years as most Shavaell Akir ever see.


Marquis de Aruta (The Northern Marquis)

The last Marquis de Aruta was killed in action three years ago, in 1080, and has yet to be replaced. The Aruta Highlands are regarded somewhat suspiciously, as no one has made movement to replace him, but few venture north of the city even so. It is speculated that something dark has happened to the region, though no one will tell exactly what it might be.


Vivian ferch Vitor, "the Vivid Flower of Ylessa"

Vivian ferch Vitor is the beautiful young head of the Tranquil Tide. Only twenty-two, she received the position due to her attunement to Ylessa's edicts and her passionate way of going about life. Even priests older than her can't help but watch in awe at the way the Priestess goes about teaching newcomers to the Tide about the ways of the Oceanmother, and even in her youth, she is far wiser than most.

She seems to be generally good-willed, and is a trusted advisor the King in religious and emotional matters. As with all things important, she is the subject of much rumour. Gossipers comment how friendly she is with King Wisdom IV, even with their age difference, and some say that she may be the one to provide an heir for the realm. Those who know Vivian, however, assure that these rumours are just that, and that she is entirely well-intentioned regarding the Monarch of the realm.

The Dockmaster of Seahaven

The current Dockmaster of Seahaven is one Baris ap Barmone, formerly captain of a merchant vessel fleet, ruined by the Cataclysm. Stories of him had reached epic proportion even before his fortieth year, so when the last dockmaster passed away, the Azure Wolf whispered to the King's ear that perhaps Baris was a suitable candidate for the lofty position, charged with much responsibility and given some of the most powerful decision-making allowances in the entire realm, just under the King himself.

He has not disappointed, and the last five years have seen trade flourish even with the Darkness and the troubles it brings with it. Of all the important individuals in the city, he is the one least subject to rumour. One only hears past tales of glory regarding his sailing skills, including fending off a reported ship of Vek'pem Ahyre pirates, taking down a Leviathan that attacked his ship, and even encountering the Oceanmother herself, supposedly having taken the form of a mermaid to appear before him.