Kaelen naming guide¶
Locked
Kaelen names are built in the register of the three fixed names: Malakor, Oren and Vane. Use this page to name anyone new on the Kaelen side.
The sound¶
| Rule | Examples |
|---|---|
| Hard consonants: k, r, z, th, kh, d, and a rolled or doubled r | Malakor, Rhazen, Zaruth |
| Dark vowels: mostly a, o and u, with e and i for contrast | Borun, Hadrak, Oren |
| Closed endings: -or, -ak, -ar, -en, -ath, -uth, -ul, -esh, -ek | Malakor, Hadrak, Ishar, Rhazen, Gorath, Zaruth, Yarek |
| Length shows rank: emperors and princes have three syllables, and soldiers and commoners have one or two | Emperor Mordakar, Prince Hadrak, Belek of Ashmar, Vane |
| Apostrophes mark old Kilian compounds: philosophy, titles and sacred words, never ordinary people | Kar'esh (the Balance), Dur'makh (the Unravelling) |
A tangible comparison
Think of the difference between "Malakor" and "Malcolm". Both have the same first syllable, but -kor ends on a hard stop, like a door closing, while -colm trails off. Kaelen names should all end like the door closing.
Keep names distinct
The table rule still applies: no two characters share a first syllable and an ending. That's why the physician is Zehvar, not Zaruth's near-twin. Aldorian names starting with V (Vane, Vance, Vaelen, Valerius, Venn, Vesper) are already crowded, so new Kaelen names avoid V.
The western border¶
Locked (R-023) Mixed border villages like Ashmar have traded, married and fought across the mountains for generations, so names there come from both registers. A Kaelen-sounding Belek and an Aldorian-sounding Alyssa Kruger can grow up on the same street. What marks a border-born person as Kaelen is the accent and upbringing, not the name.
Places¶
Kaelen places use the same sounds, often ending in -ar, -ahn, -ul or -esh: Serahn (the capital), Ashmar (the border village) and Port Khazul (the southern port).
The Citadel's gates and halls keep their translated names, such as the Hall of Lanterns and the Hall of the Ninth Door. That's how Aldorians and the wiki refer to them.
Who's who¶
Every named Kaelen character, for checking new names against.
The court and the campaigns¶
| Name | Who |
|---|---|
| Malakor | Emperor, shot by Alyssa |
| Rhazen | The Regent, Malakor's uncle |
| Hadrak | Malakor's very old great-uncle |
| Borun | Malakor's frightened uncle |
| Vane | Grandmaster of the Lotus in Campaign One |
| Oren | Vane's personal Ledger-man, who defected |
| Sarith | The Kaelen captain who held the ridge under Stay |
| Gorath | Ghost-12 after Kira, the frontline brute carved with "NINE" |
| Mereth | The envoy buying grain in Westhaven |
| Zehvar | The 91-year-old physician to three Emperors |
| Ulrek | Keeper of the Thornwick notebook |
| Belek | Of Ashmar. Set a lantern on the river for Alyssa |
| Yarek | "The Counter", founder of the Lantern Road |
The imperial line and history¶
| Name | Who |
|---|---|
| Zaruth | The old Emperor, poisoned by Malakor |
| Ishar | The nine-year-old Emperor, Zaruth's only child |
| Kharos | The Elder Emperor, Zaruth's father |
| Azkarun | Kharos's and Hadrak's father |
| Ilvar | Malakor's father, of the cadet branch |
| Mordakar | The conqueror who founded the First Empire |
| Fenrak | His nephew and assassin |
| Selorin | The Emperor who made peace with Aldoria. The name means "peace" |
| Ekhar the Wounded | The Emperor who founded the Jade Lotus |
| Ixar | Malakor's Grandmaster after Campaign One |
Words¶
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Kar'esh | "The Balance", the Kaelen philosophy |
| Azhuran | "All beneath the sky", the Kaelen name for the world |
| Dur'makh | "The Unravelling", the Kaelen name for the Age of Ribbons |
| Sorath | "Heaven's favour", the right to rule, which a ruler can lose |
Outside the register¶
The Jade Lotus Numbers go by code-names (the Listener, the Hound, the Moth, the Edge, and the rest). Tristen and Kira are private aliases two Lotus children gave each other, not formal names. Kilian is the name of the ancient seaborne people Kaelen descends from.