WotBS Dasseni Nobles... What's In a Name?

[emeraldbeacon]

I'm trying to make the nobles of Dassen a bit more fleshed out, giving them more than just the family name of their lands. I'm not sure if there's already anything in the modules giving them names, but wanted to ask for ideas or suggestions for the lineup. So far I have...

• King Alric Steppengard - I wanted something that sounded regal and strong, something that wouldn;t hint at the slow deterioration of his mind.
• Lord Dashgoban - One of the players is his nephew, and chose a name related to stone (Alabaster, "Bast" for short, specifically). I'd kind of like to keep that thread going with him. Shale? Onyx? Granite?
• Lady Dene - Wealthy but militarily weak, Lady Dene should probably have a "fluffy" name that implies a lack of real power. I'm leaning towards something vaguely French? (also, how would you pronounce her name... "Deen" or "Deh-nay"?)
• Duke Michael Gallo - A good strong, ordinary name, for the one Lord of Dassen with a clear head on his shoulders.
• Lord Iz - The good natured, kind hearted lord at the core of Dassen should probably have a name that sounds like a strong, trustworthy guy... I'm kind of thinking of a Scottish origin. Maybe Angus?
• Lord Megadon - I'm afraid that the players will just start calling him Lord Megatron, so... should I just lean in to the Transformers references and let it happen?
• Lady Namin - The shrewd political player who's angling at Steppengard's hand in marriage, she also has lots of ties to the Shahalesti. Probably looking for a upperclass British sounding name.
• Lord Rego - Clumsy, boorish, and a poor steward of his land. I think Rego should have a kind of weasely name to him...
• Lady Timor - The cautious wizard of the north might have a name with an elvish twist to it, thanks to her family's ties, long ago, to the Taranesti of Innenotdar...

 

[emeraldbeacon]

And just as a fun exercise, I also designed national & regional flags for Dassen, complete with what the individual details of each flag mean...

 

[RangerWickett]

Lady Dene - Rich but weak, Lady Dene should probably have a "fluffy" name that implies a lack of real power. I'm leaning towards something vaguely French? (also, how would you pronounce her name... "Deen" or "Deh-nay"?)

The original author of the adventure (Lydia Dené, who unfortunately had to bow out after she helped devise the overall script) is a friend of mine from college, and she used both depending on whether she wanted to come across as fancy. So Dené sounds good for a noble.

 

[emeraldbeacon]

So the current set I'm thinking about...

• King Alric Steppengard (good anglo-saxon sounding name)
• Lord Onyx Dashgoban (a stone reference)
• Lady Lydia Dené (in honor of the module author)
• Duke Michael Gallo (traditional name)
• Lord Angus Iz (stalwart and hearty name)
• Lord Galvan Megadon (Megatron --> Galvatron)
• Lady Navétta Namin ("navé" being the elven word for "shrewd")
• Lord Vuld Rego (a brutish name for a brutish leader)
• Lady Brienne Timor (loosely meaning "high, exalted")

 

[Bill T.]

Lady Lylandra Dene, in honor of contributors to this very forum. (Lady Lydia Dene, Lylandra's grandmother, died shortly before the events of my campaign).

Lylandra posted several (printed) pages of information on the Dasseni nobles to this forum. It was pretty overwhelming for my group, so you might want to abridge it depending on your group's play style, but it was great, well-thought out information.

 

[RangerWickett]

Lady Lylandra Dene, in honor of contributors to this very forum. (Lady Lydia Dene, Lylandra's grandmother, died shortly before the events of my campaign).

Lylandra posted several (printed) pages of information on the Dasseni nobles to this forum. It was pretty overwhelming for my group, so you might want to abridge it depending on your group's play style, but it was great, well-thought out information.

Do you have a link to that? I vaguely recall it.

 

[Fuzzybear]

Do you have a link to that? I vaguely recall it.

I think this is where it starts.

 

[emeraldbeacon]

Out of curiosity, if you had to attach an animal to the livery of the various lords, what would you choose? Particular, I'm thinking about Duke Gallo. Thus far, I've kept the sphinx for Steppengard, and assigned a wolf to Dashgoban (for reasons). What would be suitable for the Shield of Dassen... A turtle or armadillo (for their armored shell)? A beaver (for their skills in building walls)? A hawk (for their watchful nature)? A badger (for digging skills and persistent nature)?

The reason: My live group is about to undertake the Battle of Otharil Vale, and they're right on the verge of enough victory points to earn a decisive victory, rather than a truce. If they do, I'd like to actually GIVE them something as a prize or reward, like a medal that signifies their knighthood. I think I can craft something effective, but I need some kind of suitable symbology for his lordship...

 

[RangerWickett]

Out of curiosity, if you had to attach an animal to the livery of the various lords, what would you choose? Particular, I'm thinking about Duke Gallo. Thus far, I've kept the sphinx for Steppengard, and assigned a wolf to Dashgoban (for reasons). What would be suitable for the Shield of Dassen... A turtle or armadillo (for their armored shell)? A beaver (for their skills in building walls)? A hawk (for their watchful nature)? A badger (for digging skills and persistent nature)?

The reason: My live group is about to undertake the Battle of Otharil Vale, and they're right on the verge of enough victory points to earn a decisive victory, rather than a truce. If they do, I'd like to actually GIVE them something as a prize or reward, like a medal that signifies their knighthood. I think I can craft something effective, but I need some kind of suitable symbology for his lordship...

Well, gallo is Spanish for rooster, which weirdly fits the inspiration of the NPC. I have a friend whose last name is Gallogly, and I decided on whim to name the Lord after him.

And in the first game I ever played with him, he played a fighter who wanted to be a paladin, who would punish the wicked by tarring and feathering them, so he always kept a supply of chicken feathers. It was a weird game

Anyway, sure, a rooster heralds the dawn, and perhaps it would fit to crow a warning when the kingdom is being invaded.

 

[emeraldbeacon]

A Rooster would be cool! Then when the heroes win the Battle of Otharil Vale, they can be inducted into the Order of the Co-

....um... we'll workshop the name.