Celtic, Brythonic, Old Welsh, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, Arthurian
Examples: Lachlann, Brigid, Gwydion, Brochmail, Myrddin, Taliesin, Emrys, Gerallt, Ianto, Rhiannon
Reasoning: This leans into the dark fantasy elements of Valdraeth, as Celtic British mythology has many of these themes. It also provides an opposing side to the French Arthurian elements of Avereaux, due to the Mabinogion and other Welsh origins of a lot of that mythos.
Surname Options: With the storytelling/reputational elements of this nation, some surnames are epithets for great deeds, which in turn may become the surnames of entire households:
For example – “Taliesin Swiftstep” “Rhiannon the Hammer” “Brigid Darkspeaker”
Until that point, a generational name with a preposition which indicates gender “ap” to mean ‘son of’, “ferch” to mean ‘daughter of’, “aer” “mac” and “fitz” as a gender-neutral preposition meaning ‘scion of’ or ‘child of’.
For example – “Taliesin ferch Myrddin”, “Gwydion mac Brochmail”, “Emrys ap Gerallt”
The Gift of Names
Names are treasures, you get your first as a gift, and the rest you win along the way.
The first name a person has is given to them by their guardians on their first birthday.
The second is the name of the parent, guardian or mentor who has set them on their path, won after a coming of age trial where a young person is sent out onto their first adventure with few supplies and expected to bring back a tale, which signifies the person as an adult and ties their future story into their hometown. Others are earned through deeds and reputations, and tell people small parts of your story and personality.
Someone may win an epithet of ‘the cunning’ for outsmarting a particularly tricksy foe, or ‘the foolish’ for getting into too much trouble and needing to be bailed out too often. Other names are more poetic – “Spearhead” for someone at the forefront, “Wyvernheart” for someone who has defeated a draconic monster in battle and rallied their fellows to the cause.
Well won names may involve ceremonies where the name is officially bestowed upon a person. And bad names may be laid at someone’s feet like a curse.
Whilst names are always enshrined in story and record, they are ultimately upheld by the community surrounding a person, so travel far enough and the village you started in wont be of any consequence, and you might be the bravest back home, but this name may lose its significance when you enter the city and meet people who have done far greater deeds.
Group Structures
Courts
The Refined Ladies, Lords, and Ledans may avail themselves of their courtly retinue in the lands of Haven. Having a Castellan or two around to attend to practical matters is always sensible, but bringing your Courtiers along can be a fair display of your importance, and having an extra hand well versed in the ways of intrigue… can always be of use.
Names usually run along the lines of “The Court of X”, using the name of a famous hero they have a connection to, reference to a story that they have rallied around, or a living Courtier that is the leader of their group, eg “The Court of Morfi Mountslayer”, “The Hounds of Heilyn Court”.
Cantrefs
When a thing needs doing by the folk of Valdraeth they gather representative groups with the skills need to do it. The people of Valdraeth are very aware of their environment and while nobility may give you access and privilege, it cannot replace knowledge from those who know the weird wildlands.
While the nobility of Valdraeth are important (or at least consider themselves so) the nation is made of a myriad of people going about simpler but just as important lives. They make the world work and are those who investigate the wilds to get ingredients to heal the folk in their village, rather than for its importance in a grand quest or the renown it can bring to their Family. Cantrefs are the name for the many villages and towns that exist beyond the Courts for administrative purposes, from the smallest hamlet to a bustling town. Anyone coming to haven to represent their home town, whether by themself or as part of a group, would refer to themselves by the geography of where they’ve set off from.
Names usually run along the lines of “The Cantref of X”, where the name of the village or town they are from as the identifier. Town names are varied, some referencing local stories, others more descriptive, eg “The Cantref of Sows Crossing”, “The Cantref of Rhydions Stand”, or “Blue Mill Cantref”.
Welsh, Irish, Scottish gaelic and other celtic/brythonic placename elements could be useful here – eg. “The Cantref of Strathmore”, The Cantref of Gwynsford”
Circles
Players interested in magic or knowledge may wish to form circles.
Circles are made up of Warlocks, Witches, and sometimes even Lorekeeps or Bards, all with a shared goal in mind of discovering new and useful knowledge, or retrieving forgotten secrets of the past.
Circle names usually run along the lines of “The Circle of X”, but are as varied as Cantrefs and Courts – there are those that are named after a heroic founder, others after a living leader, others after a story that brings them together. Eg. “The Circle of the Broken Wheel”, “The Red Kite Rising Circle”.
Example groups
A large group of attendees wish to play a Court with a structured organisation. They are led by a few Refined and Courtiers who are intending to pursue the social politics required for their goals. They are aiming to recover and restore their Courts lands lost since the corrupted attack so these players will be looking to steer the Courts effort towards these things. Alongside this several players are planning to be Castellans. They intend to hit the ground and put in the boot leather to find all the things the Refined need to succeed.
A small group of players are all interested in the weaving system and decide to start a Circle called the Wanderers of the Hedge. They are seeking lost magical secrets and intend to find out anything they can about the Hedge. They intend to work together as weavers and have chosen a mix of the Warlock and Witch archetypes depending on personal preference to allow them to roleplay differing viewpoints on how to go about their plan.
A solo player is interested in playing a lone magician with some healing skills. They decide to be one of very few survivors of a Corrupted attack on their Cantref, the village of Dun Innis, seeking to help the war effort with their abilities in surgery and scholarship.
A solo player is attending as Stalwart. They are interested in fighting, plan to link up with any groups they click with on the battlefield and within Haven while remaining unaffiliated with any one Court or group