Virtue Names, Puritan-style names
Examples: “Faith-In-Darkness (Faith)”, “Strength-In-Numbers (Strength)”, “Magnanimous-In-Victory (Mag)”, “From-Small-Acorns-Great-Oaks-Grow (Oaks)” , “The-Celebrant-Brings-Forth-The-Harvest (Harvest)”, “In-Silence-We-Hear-The-Gods (Silence)”, “Hope-To-The-End” (Hope)
Reasoning: This nation has the largest opportunity for poetic flair, as it is built out of lyrics, moral sayings and hope-filled statements that can be made up by the player, to work alongside some of the hyper-religious elements of Syradonia. Some names are very easy to develop in this way, such as traditional Virtue Names such as Charity, Constance, Harmony, Earnest etc, others would require a bit more thought, but it’s a big pool to choose from as we can make up our own sayings, prayers and proverbs. Usually Syradonians have a word or two from their name that are used as a nickname by close friends and family.
Surname Options: Syradonians largely find surnames cumbersome. When needed they use their Domus/Household as a signifier.
Group Structures
With space at a premium in the underground city, there is a rigidity to the way people live and the standard arrangement is with housing surrounding a central Church in each district. Each of these districts is built in veneration of one of the twelve Gods of the Elandrian Pantheon, with shared housing around them. The population of that district is expected to put some of their faith in that God, in order to maintain the balance of their society – if one God falls out of favour entirely it could spell disaster in unknown ways.
Housing is also provided by the state, in the form of the Domus. A Domus is a shared house, usually built in a square with an atrium at the centre that holds a shrine, and often a small mushroom garden or area for contemplation. Around it are rooms to suit the inhabitants and offer privacy, with shared workshops, kitchens and other amenities. The inhabitants of a Domus are usually referred to collectively as a Domus as well, as in a household. Some are family units of various generations, others groups of Syradonians of similar age who are making their way in their careers together. Others apply to the Orders to form their own Domus, perhaps in pursuit of a new business venture or to be able to train in arms more regularly. Some Domii are put together by a church or other government organisation of their own workers, but most are from a mixture of Orders; this is thought to encourage a mixture of attitudes and points of view, and generally to encourage cooperation between the Orders.
As a person in Syradonia grows up, the norm is to start out in a family Domus with their parents or other guardians, and the other members of that Domus as a kind of extended family. Often these people are referred to as kin even if there is no direct relation. Once they have come of age, Syradonians tend to move in with others their own age, or in a Domus that caters to their profession specifically. The areas around the barracks near the entrance to the city have many Domii that are entirely filled with Apostles and other warriors, and those closest to the Forge District have many bustling Domii for artisans learning their craft day and night. Tyrians also take part in this system, leaving their Domus for extended periods of time to travel while leaving the rest of the household to manage the day to day work of procuring Syradonian trade goods for their trade network.
A Syradonian coming to Haven would have a Domus back home of some kind, even if they are the only person from it represented on the field.
Names of Domii usually follow simple parameters of an adjective and noun, followed by the district in which the Domus is based, which usually demonstrates the God that is most interesting or important to the group; some describing the work done inside, others perhaps picked from a book of strange animals in far flung lands. A Domus made up of priests often includes the word “fellowship”, and a craft-based Domus “workshop”, but there is freedom beyond that to put names together.
The Gods are:
1. The Jester
2. The Hearth
3. The Muse
4. The Smith
5. The Reaper
6. The Warrior
7. The Guardian
8. The Scholar
9. The Shadow
10. The Traveler
11. The Justicar
12. The Celebrant
Example groups
A group of attendees wish to play a group of Apostles dedicated to the same God. They decide to form a Domus. The majority of the group play Apostles in heavy armour and intend to fight for their nation. One of the Apostles leads the group and is advised in various matters by a Sacrist who is their group healer.
They decide that as a group they defend one of the smaller Bulwarks in Syradonia and so called their Domus Guardians Bulwark as they all follow the Guardian.
A group of attendees decide to make a Domus group, but play characters with a variety of interests. They decide to form a group called the Red Kite Hall of the Jester, a Domus made up of Syradonians who grew up together and all work for different Orders. The two martially-minded members decide to play Hewers who work together in the same mine, and another is a Sagus who works alongside them, as they are interested in exploration and treasure hunting more than fighting. The remaining members of their group think it would be fun to set up a coffee shop, so they decide they are new Tyrians trying to start a venture together. They are not particularly interested in Religion, but pick the Jester-Under-The-Mountain as the district they are from, considering the coffee shop as a place for entertainment.
A solo player is interested in enchanting so decides to play a Ferrum. They don’t want to begin play with a group so have created a Domus called the Gilded Workshop who stay in Syradonia while they seek their fortune at Haven. They intend to ply their trade and search for opportunities to build new items while interacting with a myriad of people. They may link up with a Domus later if they find a group that fits their outlook but are happy to bounce between various groups for now and keep their character’s vision.