I think names in fiction are really important for getting a good sense of immersion in the setting. So no PC's named Buffalo Bill or Snake Plissken allowed in my fantasy RPG campaigns...
The same with names of things, NPCs and places in APs. If a name doesn't work I change it. Compounding this is the fact that we don't play in English (but in Swedish), so many names that have a meaning in the English language got to be changed, lest it all becomes a weird mix of languages. And of course, sometimes fantasy names mean something else in our language - usually something silly :) This can all take quite a bit of work, but I translate all handouts anyway so might as well do the names.
Anyway, I'm now prepping for our next campaign, which will be Hell's Rebels. Going through all the names that need to be changed/translated, I've stumbled on a real biggie. Thrune. From the very British "th" sound at the beginning, the American back-mouthed "r", to the "une" suffix - well, it just doesn't work.
And it is such an important name for the AP! However, I can't think of any good replacement. Nothing. Stumped. So I'm hoping the community might please help me - maybe someone thought the same as I did, or just has a great alternative in their fantasy name repertoire :)
I'd prefer one that is more "Cheliax-sounding" (Thrune sounds like the name of a British quaint little village to me), so Italian/Spanish-inspired, and has to fit with Barzillai, Abrogail, so preferably with few syllables. And yes, I've been repeat-clicking all the online fantasy name generators I could find...
What about Brogali, from Abrogail 1, first monarch of house Thrune?
Borgia. ;)
Well, the name Thrune has an association with thorns, so if you wanted to go with a similar thematic translation, the swedish word for Thorn or a similar word might be a good bet.
Don't know how you would transcribe that in Swedish, but how about something sounding like "Troon" or "Troon-uh"?
Well, the name Thrune has an association with thorns, so if you wanted to go with a similar thematic translation, the Swedish word for Thorn or a similar word might be a good bet.
Good point (heh), thorn is "törne" in Swedish (at IKEA: "where can I find the 'Törne' please?" :). Could work though, thanks.
Borgia. ;)
Ha! But maybe something similar.
How strange. I'm British and it sounds like a great name for an evil noble family to me :p
To me it sounds straight out of Downton Abbey. "I say, that Edward Thrune fellow has proven himself quite the gentleman" :) My main problem with it though is how it becomes a real tongue-twister in our pronunciation - unless we'd say it in English. Which becomes silly.
Don't know how you would transcribe that in Swedish, but how about something sounding like "Troon" or "Troon-uh"?
I was thinking of that, then it would be "tron" (which means "throne" which is cool) but I'm cautious about "Barzillai Tron: Legacy" japes. You know how players are if (or rather, when) they find something funny about a name...
What about Brogali, from Abrogail 1, first monarch of house Thrune?
That's great. A bit Italian-sounding, alludes to the nasty Borgias, and matches Abrogail and Barzillai. Thanks!
Don't know how you would transcribe that in Swedish, but how about something sounding like "Troon" or "Troon-uh"?I was thinking of that, then it would be "tron" (which means "throne" which is cool) but I'm cautious about "Barzillai Tron: Legacy" japes. You know how players are if (or rather, when) they find something funny about a name...
I tried to transcribe that pseudo-phonetically for English.
So "Troon" rhymes with "harpoon".
I tried to transcribe that pseudo-phonetically for English.
So "Troon" rhymes with "harpoon".
"Tron" in Swedish does have a long o, so it would be pronounced similar to harpoon (and not the movie). So I guess I'm mostly paranoid. Barzillai Tron could work - it doesn't sound Chelish though, but neither does Thrune in my opinion.
At least he's not called Lars or Johan :) (some names that I'm sure sounds exotic to American ears fall flat on their faces here - it won't do to have a fearsome giant chief called the same as a player's real life dad. No critique against Paizo's authors - it's an American game, of course).
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Tell me about it. The supposedly terrifying bulette is actually a German word for a fried meat ball...
Honestly, even in American English there isn't much consistency with names in Golarion. Lots of people seem think that Cheliax is vaguely Italian/Spanish/Catholic/Gothic but that's probably more based on "fannon" than anything you can really point to that is in writing. As a GM, I used to really try to make fantasy countries analogs of real ones, but it doesn't really fit a lot of the time.
For every Kantaria (which sounds vaguely like a Romance language) you can find a Longacre (which is straight up English countryside) and a Pezzack (which sounds like a made up word).
I've come to the point that I just don't stress it too much. I don't honestly think Paizo has a style guide for this and isn't trying to make names in Cheliax sound like anything other than what the writer in charge of any given project thinks sounds cool/dark/heavy.
They're all made up words.
Tell me about it. The supposedly terrifying bulette is actually a German word for a fried meat ball...
Even in English, that word doesn't sound scary. Not without a companion monster called a "gunn" at least...
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They're all made up words.
Every word is a made-up word.
I went the other way. My Cheliax is more of a diabolically influenced, evil-leaning version of the British Empire, so the names, attitudes (and NPC accents) tend to be reflective of that.
So in my version of the Inner Sea, their rivalry with Andoran and the Shackles plays on (and emphasises the worst traits of) comparisons to the British during the American revolution, and the situation in the Carribean during the Golden Age of Sail.