Nation Design Doc

Design Doc for themes and nomenclature of nations and culture to keep things consistent. This information is subject to change. If you would like to add something, feel free. If you would like to change something, please discuss with other writers about your take on a nation and your ideas. Notes have been added next to regions to let you know with whom to discuss changes.

Balic
Names: just mash sounds together until they work. Until it's from a different culture, or a specific subculture within Balic, avoid names with real words in them. However, landforms (mountain ranges, lakes, rivers, forests) nearly always have a descriptive modifier to them (Withering Woods, Ironcrag Mountains). [Jon]

City style: varies

Blackleaf
Names: Orcish sounding names for new places, or Thayan names for old places. Some places might have two names as the Blackleaf overtake Thayan land with little regard for their history. [Jon]

City style: stone or wooden fortresses or fortified settlements. Simplistic, and defensive. Settlements are rarely multi-storey.

Darguun
Names: Dargunni citizens are largely an uncreative lot. They name things as they see them or for what happened (Thousand Cliffs, Kelesen's Blunder, Fire Mountain). Just imagine you are a goblin scout trying to describe the area you saw. [Jon]

City style: stone or wooden fortresses or fortified settlements. Simplistic, and defensive. Settlements are rarely multi-storey. Several sprawling stone keeps as well as many smaller cliffside hovels. Little organization.

Dreaming Lands
Names: beyond Sanctuary, there are no named areas, what with the constantly shifting terrain. [Jon]

Elven Lands
Names: traditional Elven naming methods [Steph], [Trev]

Greybank
Names: Changeling names are traditionally one syllable. Family names are usually titles or something that means "son/daughter of" in various languages, or are titles (such as Freeman, Miller, Gardener, etc) as people are primarily nomadic outside of the city and picked up the languages of wherever they stayed. Old noble blood will be indicated by an inherited astrological name (think constellations).

City Style: Greybank is basically accounted for, but there ARE outlying towns and villages on the island. Mountain towns tend to be small and follow the same "strata" theme as the capital city, with the bottom level made of stone coloured with murals and filled by those not in government, and the higher level whitewashed and reserved for elders/sages/council leaders. Villages are traditional western-European style, communally run. [Steph]

Lazaretto
Names: old Latin or Italian names. Less fancy and descriptive than Silver Flame so as to highlight the difference in the cultures. [Jon]

City style: mostly stone, very organized. Paved stone roads connect cities, often within cities as well.

Moorlands
Names: descriptive and simple. The permanent residents don't need to be creative. They say it as it is. [Jon]

City style: mostly wood, built on hammocks or stilted platforms, usually next to or around trees for added support. Many walkways.

The North
Names: tribe names and areas shown to explorers by the tribes are based on Inuktitut. Other places are named however explorers would name them (varies from region to region).[Jon]

The Plains
Names: descriptive and simple, but with a storybook flair. Usually two words combined to give an idea of the town. Things like Riverrun, Hardhome, Elmborough. Think England countryside. [Jon]

City style: Simple wooden and stone houses and farms. Sprawling towns, dirt paths and roads.

The Silver Flame
Names: old Latin and Italian names. Keep things fancy and descriptive if need be. Make words sound nice, or Google Translate some meaningful words to make a name. Nearly all important old buildings, specifically churches and large government buildings, will have their own names. [Jon]

City style: Mostly stone for churches and government buildings around which towns are built. Wood and stone for other buildings. Marble, granite, and other fancier stone used when able. Large cities have walls, and some have layers of walls to divide upper/lower class. Distinct districts, and lots of clear renovation and reconstruction of older buildings.

Thay
Names: Trev, this is up to you. Thay is a canonical place in Forgotten Realms, so you need to decide how true we keep things to the original. I haven't read through it all, so I will fill in the gaps with new stuff, but I need your baseline. [Jon]

City style: Packed tight in mesas with tight streets and chaotic-but-organized buildings. Many spires and upwards construction, highly decorated with form sometimes superseding fucntion. Floating islands and off-mesa areas are more sprawling and less structured in design.

Úrsteini
Names: Icelandic is theme. Google Translate some words, or mash sounds together until they sound Icelandic. Through is some á, ð, ú, þ, æ, and all those other letters every now and then to reinforce the theme. Look up pronunciation first of course. [Jon]

City style: Highly organized in central cities, buildings made of stone and metal mostly. Organized roads and paths with walkways providing alternative travel in busy areas. Function takes precedent. Outer areas varying in structure and organization.

Whitesun
Names: Arabic. Everything is named. Cities, provinces, districts, sand pits. Most locals name the areas around them, then those names become permanent. [Jon]

Tightly packed sandstone and stone. Structures constantly destroyed, rebuilt, and built around and on top of each other. Large empty areas for markets.

Dwarven Clans and Holds
Names: Old holds are named in a traditional manner (two descriptive words e.g. Ironhammer, Stormheart), newer holds have a gaelic theme. [Kaji]