Au Ra
The curved horns and beautifully patterned scales that characterize the Au Ra oft give rise to speculation that this Hyur-like race native to the Far Eastern continent of Othard are, in fact, the progeny of dragons.
This, however, has long been disputed, with scholars citing several distinct differences in the two races as evidence of decidedly dissimilar roots – the first and foremost being the enhanced hearing and spatial recognition granted by an Au Ra's cranial projections (traits not attributed to draconian horns), and the second being the gross disproportion in body mass between Auri males and females (again, a trait widely unseen in dragons).
Auri Naming Conventions
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Au Ra - Raen
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Auri creation myth tells of a Dawn Father and a Dusk Mother from whom all Au Ra are descended. The Raen believe their veins run thick with the blood of the former – their brilliant white scales and iron wills serving as proof of this divine lineage.
Unlike their sister clan, the Xaela, who bloody the land with their endless tribal conflict, the Raen have embraced a life of tranquility and solitude, long abandoning the nomadic lifestyle of their ancestors to settle the deep valleys of Othard's mountainous eastern reaches. Only on rare occasions will one emerge from the valley mists to seek adventure in realms afar.
Raen names are based on Japanese names that were prevalent between the 16th and 18th centuries. Old Japanese names had meaning, and because of that, so do Raen names. Hozan is from 宝山, meaning “treasure mountain.” Yugiri is from 夕霧, meaning “evening mist.” So, simply taking some Japanese phonemes and combining them is not an option.
Male Raen Forenames:
ウンザン（雲山） Unzan (lit. cloud mountain)
カイエン（海燕） Kaien (lit. sea swallow -> storm petrel)
イッセ（一畝） Isse (lit. an ancient distance measuring approx. 30 steps)
ギョウセイ（暁星） Gyosei (lit. the dawn star)
フウゲツ（風月） Fugetsu (lit. wind moon -> a beautiful scene in nature)
For the most part, they have a strong link to things in nature which are believed to be strong, agile, or even uncontrollable. Farmers and fishers will take the names one step further and implement some form of their profession as well, 荒海 Kokai (lit. rough seas) being an example of this.
Female Raen Forenames:
Many female names are based off of plants, weather, birds, or the seasons─words that represent beauty and kindness in the Doman society. Here a few examples:
アジサイ（紫陽花） Ajisai (lit. Hydrangea)
イザヨイ（十六夜） Izayoi (lit. 16th night -> the 16/17th night of the 8th moon)
クモキリ（雲切） Kumokiri (lit. cloud cutter -> a type of orchid)
コハル（小春） Koharu (lit. small spring -> an Indian summer)
It goes without saying that the rules stated above are not set in stone. While it is not common, it is not entirely unheard of for a female Raen to have a name that might represent a powerful storm, or for a male to have a name that means “beautiful rose.”
Just as is the case with most of the other races, the Raen also have surnames (family names). Unlike their Auri ancestors who employed clan names as surnames, the now-clanless Raen have adopted a more complex practice. Families of the warrior class (and generally the ruling class) are the only people “allowed” surnames in Doma, and they will often take surnames that displayed their battle prowess or position within an army.
Some examples of this are as follows:
ブヘン（武辺） Buhen (lit. fight valiantly in battle)
ユヅカ（弓束） Yuzuka (lit. bow bundle -> quiver)
グンジ（軍侍） Gunji (lit. army samurai/warrior -> soldier)
ヤツルギ（八剣） Yatsurugi (lit. eight blades)
オビナタ（帯刀） Obinata (lit. blades on waist -> carrying two blades meant one was a warrior)
Though the names are not recognized by the ruling class, families of the merchant and peasant classes will still give themselves surnames as to make their everyday lives easier─the names reflecting their professions.
Some examples are:
モトカワ（原皮） → 猟師や革細工職人など
Motokawa (lit. origin skin) Used by hunters and tanners
ヌシヤ（塗師屋） → 漆器職人や漆器商人など
Nushiya (lit. paint master store) Used by lacquer painters and sellers of lacquered goods
ナエウリ（苗売）→ 農民や苗を売る商人など
Naeuri (lit. seedling seller) Used by farmers and sellers of seedlings
カサヌイ（笠縫） → 笠を作る職人など
Kasanui (lit. umbrella weaver) Used by umbrella makers
トリオイ（鳥追） → 農民や猟師など
Torioi (lit. bird chaser) Used by farmers and hunters
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Au Ra - Xaela
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The Xaela believe their veins run thick with the blood of the Dusk Mother – their lustrous black scales and fiery wills serving as proof of this divine lineage.
Unlike their sister clan, the Raen, who lead solitary lives hidden behind the savage peaks of Othard's eastern reaches, the Xaela are free spirits who roam the vast western steppe in close-knit tribes hunting, gathering, and warring as their ancestors have for countless generations.
Xaela names are based on Mongolian names/words used in the 15th century.
Male Xaela Forenames:
Ambagai
Chiledu
Tagadhur
Khudus
Ozbeg
Female Xaela Forenames:
Khojin
Mide
Alun
Dagasi
Ogul
Unlike Raen names, where the spellings are pretty much fixed, and there are no real variations for a single name, individual Xaela names come with multiple spellings, all of them acceptable. The Xaela, being nomadic, live lives that are one part solitary (when traveling as a clan) and one part community (when they interact with other clans they come across in their migrations). Because of this, similar names are used throughout the Othardian steppe, but they often feature slightly different spellings due to evolving separately in isolated clans. Also a factor is that, until recently, writing was almost non-existent amongst the tribes─written language simply not a necessity in the nomadic lifestyle.
While the Raen abandoned the method of using clan names as their surnames when they abandoned the nomadic lifestyle of their ancestors, the Xaela continue the tradition. This means that, for the most part, Xaela surnames are the names of one of 51 existing clans.
The Othardian steppe is a vast region, therefore, every so often, one may come across a Xaela with a surname that is not found on the list of 51. This may mean that they are from a clan that was recently destroyed or absorbed. It may mean that they are of a new tribe that was formed by members leaving another. It may mean they are of a tribe that remained hidden in the northern mountains.
This, however, has long been disputed, with scholars citing several distinct differences in the two races as evidence of decidedly dissimilar roots – the first and foremost being the enhanced hearing and spatial recognition granted by an Au Ra's cranial projections (traits not attributed to draconian horns), and the second being the gross disproportion in body mass between Auri males and females (again, a trait widely unseen in dragons).
Auri Naming Conventions
–––––––––––––
Au Ra - Raen
–––––––––––––
Auri creation myth tells of a Dawn Father and a Dusk Mother from whom all Au Ra are descended. The Raen believe their veins run thick with the blood of the former – their brilliant white scales and iron wills serving as proof of this divine lineage.
Unlike their sister clan, the Xaela, who bloody the land with their endless tribal conflict, the Raen have embraced a life of tranquility and solitude, long abandoning the nomadic lifestyle of their ancestors to settle the deep valleys of Othard's mountainous eastern reaches. Only on rare occasions will one emerge from the valley mists to seek adventure in realms afar.
Raen names are based on Japanese names that were prevalent between the 16th and 18th centuries. Old Japanese names had meaning, and because of that, so do Raen names. Hozan is from 宝山, meaning “treasure mountain.” Yugiri is from 夕霧, meaning “evening mist.” So, simply taking some Japanese phonemes and combining them is not an option.
Male Raen Forenames:
ウンザン（雲山） Unzan (lit. cloud mountain)
カイエン（海燕） Kaien (lit. sea swallow -> storm petrel)
イッセ（一畝） Isse (lit. an ancient distance measuring approx. 30 steps)
ギョウセイ（暁星） Gyosei (lit. the dawn star)
フウゲツ（風月） Fugetsu (lit. wind moon -> a beautiful scene in nature)
For the most part, they have a strong link to things in nature which are believed to be strong, agile, or even uncontrollable. Farmers and fishers will take the names one step further and implement some form of their profession as well, 荒海 Kokai (lit. rough seas) being an example of this.
Female Raen Forenames:
Many female names are based off of plants, weather, birds, or the seasons─words that represent beauty and kindness in the Doman society. Here a few examples:
アジサイ（紫陽花） Ajisai (lit. Hydrangea)
イザヨイ（十六夜） Izayoi (lit. 16th night -> the 16/17th night of the 8th moon)
クモキリ（雲切） Kumokiri (lit. cloud cutter -> a type of orchid)
コハル（小春） Koharu (lit. small spring -> an Indian summer)
It goes without saying that the rules stated above are not set in stone. While it is not common, it is not entirely unheard of for a female Raen to have a name that might represent a powerful storm, or for a male to have a name that means “beautiful rose.”
Just as is the case with most of the other races, the Raen also have surnames (family names). Unlike their Auri ancestors who employed clan names as surnames, the now-clanless Raen have adopted a more complex practice. Families of the warrior class (and generally the ruling class) are the only people “allowed” surnames in Doma, and they will often take surnames that displayed their battle prowess or position within an army.
Some examples of this are as follows:
ブヘン（武辺） Buhen (lit. fight valiantly in battle)
ユヅカ（弓束） Yuzuka (lit. bow bundle -> quiver)
グンジ（軍侍） Gunji (lit. army samurai/warrior -> soldier)
ヤツルギ（八剣） Yatsurugi (lit. eight blades)
オビナタ（帯刀） Obinata (lit. blades on waist -> carrying two blades meant one was a warrior)
Though the names are not recognized by the ruling class, families of the merchant and peasant classes will still give themselves surnames as to make their everyday lives easier─the names reflecting their professions.
Some examples are:
モトカワ（原皮） → 猟師や革細工職人など
Motokawa (lit. origin skin) Used by hunters and tanners
ヌシヤ（塗師屋） → 漆器職人や漆器商人など
Nushiya (lit. paint master store) Used by lacquer painters and sellers of lacquered goods
ナエウリ（苗売）→ 農民や苗を売る商人など
Naeuri (lit. seedling seller) Used by farmers and sellers of seedlings
カサヌイ（笠縫） → 笠を作る職人など
Kasanui (lit. umbrella weaver) Used by umbrella makers
トリオイ（鳥追） → 農民や猟師など
Torioi (lit. bird chaser) Used by farmers and hunters
–––––––––––––
Au Ra - Xaela
–––––––––––––
The Xaela believe their veins run thick with the blood of the Dusk Mother – their lustrous black scales and fiery wills serving as proof of this divine lineage.
Unlike their sister clan, the Raen, who lead solitary lives hidden behind the savage peaks of Othard's eastern reaches, the Xaela are free spirits who roam the vast western steppe in close-knit tribes hunting, gathering, and warring as their ancestors have for countless generations.
Xaela names are based on Mongolian names/words used in the 15th century.
Male Xaela Forenames:
Ambagai
Chiledu
Tagadhur
Khudus
Ozbeg
Female Xaela Forenames:
Khojin
Mide
Alun
Dagasi
Ogul
Unlike Raen names, where the spellings are pretty much fixed, and there are no real variations for a single name, individual Xaela names come with multiple spellings, all of them acceptable. The Xaela, being nomadic, live lives that are one part solitary (when traveling as a clan) and one part community (when they interact with other clans they come across in their migrations). Because of this, similar names are used throughout the Othardian steppe, but they often feature slightly different spellings due to evolving separately in isolated clans. Also a factor is that, until recently, writing was almost non-existent amongst the tribes─written language simply not a necessity in the nomadic lifestyle.
While the Raen abandoned the method of using clan names as their surnames when they abandoned the nomadic lifestyle of their ancestors, the Xaela continue the tradition. This means that, for the most part, Xaela surnames are the names of one of 51 existing clans.
The Othardian steppe is a vast region, therefore, every so often, one may come across a Xaela with a surname that is not found on the list of 51. This may mean that they are from a clan that was recently destroyed or absorbed. It may mean that they are of a new tribe that was formed by members leaving another. It may mean they are of a tribe that remained hidden in the northern mountains.
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