Spanish, Old Spanish, Portuguese, Basque, Galician
Examples: Catarina, Fortunato, Henrique, Luzia, Maximo, Antonio, Xavier, Nico, Velasco, Zorion
Reasoning: Continuing the Western European flavour of some aspects of the nation, Portavas uses Iberian names as standard for forenames.
Surname Options: Portavans are usually defined by their family, ship or trade house, and are named accordingly. The most common surname is defined by the ship a character sails as part of, or owns a share in if they do not sail personally. Some date back as far back as Portavas’ independence, with ownership passed down along with the surname. Ship naming convention is most regularly a noun and an adjective together; sometimes a noun that indicates a historic founder in cases where a group’s original ship is lost. “Di”, “De” and D'” are often used as prepositions, “D'” when preceeding a ship name that starts with a vowel.
For example – “Fortunato di Smiling Selkie”, “Maximo d’Antonio’s Watch”, “Luzia de Red Harpy”
Family names are not used by all, but follow the same Iberian styling, and are usually followed by the location in the nation where the family can be found – Elzano, Ravesso or Galene, for the floating Capital city of Elzano, the Port of Ravesso or the Galene Islands, the assumption being, that if no ship is named the family are far more static. Trade houses also follow this style when they are bigger than just one ship, and usually members take the name of their trade house’s base.
For example – “Catarina Alfonso d’Elzano”, “Xavier di Ravesso”, “Zorion Drago di Galene”
Groups Structure
Citizens belong to at least one, or maybe all three.
A Family is your immediate birth or adopted kin, often led by the elders or most respected members of the family. This can be the people who have traveled the most, those that have demonstrated good decision making, or ones that bring a desired mentality. It is up to a Family how they organize themselves, and each family is different.
A Ship is Captained by a ship’s owner, unless the job has been delegated such as in the case of those who own more than one ship. A Captain has final say in all decisions, and they have around them a crew. A Captain has usually worked their way through the lower ranks and knows a little bit about everything on the ship. They may have personal interests that drive them, or are governed by the person who owns their ship. Captains are in charge of handing out reward and punishment, but also act as a guiding hand in the lives of their crew. A trusted figure who is only as strong as those that they serve with. There are also other roles that are common aboard a ship, First Mates and Quartermasters, who are recognised positions of authority over their area of the ship. These are not archetypes, as they can be played in a myriad of ways, unlike Sand Scribes, Navigators and Shipwrights which are unique to Portavan ships.
Their First Mate is their stand in should the Captain be otherwise indisposed. They act as an apprentice for future Captaincy. They are not guaranteed to take Captaincy should the previous captain be removed, killed, or leave, but they have first consideration from the ship’s owner, or the heir to the vessel. In the case of a Family owned ship, the First Mate may even be the heir to the vessel. This is a position in name only, as a First Mate can take on other roles on the ship.
Quartermasters are in charge of keeping stock for food and resources on the ship. They have a talent for trade, being able to restock the ship for whatever is needed at the smallest cost. During discussions between the Captain and any third party traders, the Quartermaster is always on hand. They act as head of commercial business, maintain trade agreements, seek out new business and monitor the inventory of the crew. They do not hold the crew’s money like a treasurer, but they can be approached for a loan if needed. Negotiations with a good Quartermaster can see a Captain and crew become very rich, very quickly.
They work closely with the ship’s Sand Scribe, who is the keeper of the books, both financial and historical. They note down the exploits of the crew as well as the profits and pitfalls. They are crucial to keep good records and collect evidence of a ship’s travels. Distance traveled is a point of pride for all citizens. They also hold a role as ship’s priest. Acting as part bard, part lore keeper, they keep the crew from straying too far away from the light of the Patron God of the ship. Sand Scribes bless a ship upon its first launch, dedicating it to a Patron God. Some ships do not choose one God, and instead their Sand Scribe takes on a role as a moral compass.
The Navigator is the best paid role on a ship. They earn even more than the Captain and are often freelance magical operatives who spend contractual time on boats before moving on. They are often hired for specific trips or to chart unknown areas. Some Navigators choose to stay on specific ships or work of specific ship owners out of love, kinship, and comradery for the crew. Their use of magic is necessary when traversing the dangerous waters of Elandria.
Those Shipwrights who choose to take to the sea with a ship are part pilot, part mechanic. They steer the ship, but also keep it in working order. It takes a very delicate but firm hand to control a ship, and while people may come and go from the crew, such Shipwrights dedicate themselves to one ship, their knowledge of their specific vessel is unmatched. If a ship changes owners, the Shipwright will go with it. It’s considered bad luck for a ship to change Shipwright if they are still alive. Some say a Captain should voluntarily go down with a ship, but a Shipwright will shackle themselves to the mast.
Houses are the name given to Merchant organizations. These groups of like-minded individuals, some related by blood, others welcomed as official members, work together for a common goal. Their loyalty is just as strong for each other as a Family or a Ship. Led by an elected member, who can be challenged by a majority vote at any time and who sets the goals for the House and strives to grow and trade successfully to bring the House acclaim. These Houses often have friendly internal rivalries, but history is splattered with cautionary tales of Houses brought to ruin by individual greed and ambition. Houses carry with them pride, and to be welcomed as a member of a prestigious House is a dream for many citizens. Houses often own many Ships, but not all owners of Ships are members of Houses.
To pull a House out of destitution is seen as one of the greatest displays of capability a person can do, so many young citizens will try to make a name for themselves in the lower ranking Houses. If they are successful and show talent, higher ranking Houses may try to poach them but house loyalty is also important.
A citizen’s loyalties are often split between these three groups but some citizens are happy with their Family. Others have only a Ship or House after losing those they love. It can be a delicate balancing act, but so is business, and Family is often the business.
Example Groups
A group of attendees with varied interests wish to play a Portavian group with both martial and Guild interests. They decide to play a crew of a ship called the Scarlet Cactus, with members of the group taking the roles of Captain who is of the Swashbuckler archetype, a Sand Scribe and Navigator, with a friend interested in the Adventurers and Treasure Hunter’s Guild playing a Xenomagus relative. An additional member of the group is interested in trade and artisan elements of the game, so joins as a Shipwright attached to the crew.
A group of attendees is interested in weaving, potion-making and magical elements of the game, so create a Merchant House who have decided to be community-minded in its creation of magical goods. They have friends playing in Kairos, so figure out trade-links there from past travels to their nation.
A solo player is not much interested in fighting due to OC reasons, but wishes to play an ex-warrior with plenty of tales to tell. They create a Shell-Helm character who has gained a magical injury with a great story behind it and is dabbling in Fable Magic to make money, with the idea of joining up with other weavers when large performances are needed.
Another solo players is a keen fighter and so creates a character who is a Swashbuckler with the express goal of keeping healers safe on the field of battle. They are keen to get involved in military matters, and sign up to the Adventurer’s Guild to meet others of a like mind.