By Luka Tomasdottir, Vigil Scribe
The kodan of Still Waters Speaking are, in many
ways, a classic example of an isolated
community. So isolated, in fact, that I have not
actually been able to successfully visit them in
person. Instead, I must rely on the notes I took
during a series of fascinating conversations with
a kodan who called the settlement home.
That kodan, Aiding Thunder, relayed to me an
interesting fact that I had not noticed until he
brought it up to me: many of the kodan names in
Still Waters Speaking are dissimilar to other
kodan names. Though at first blush they appear
similar, there are some tangible differences to
consider that harken back to the oldest kodan
conventions.
For the kodan societies we are familiar with,
their names are pliable. They change depending
on circumstance and mood. They describe
singular things. There is no first or last name.
There may be three words to a name. Maybe
more. Maybe fewer.
While sitting beside a fire in Safewatch Vale
waiting for a storm to pass, Aiding Thunder
confided in me his fears that the kodan had
forgotten of the time when their names meant
more than a passing mood. He lamented that the
current naming conventions were popular with
only a handful of Sanctuaries that would
eventually become established in the Shiverpeaks,
and offered an impression of the kodan that the
races of the south would go on to extrapolate to
all of the kodan society.
But Aiding Thunder insisted that his people,
including many of the tribes that perished in the
far north during Jormag's rise, relied on a different
naming system entirely.
In Still Waters Speaking, a kodan's first name is
usually based on a characteristic. Not necessarily
one exhibited by the cub at the moment of
naming, but one wished by their family or tribe.
Humble. Stoic. Aiding. Noble. They refer to this
name as "Koda's Promise."
The second name is one of nature, referred to as
"Koda's Gift." Mountain. Thunder. Cloud. Cove. The
two names are combined into one, the promise
always preceding the gift.
This second name is not, I should clarify, a
surname or family name. Quite the contrary, the
kodan of Still Waters Speaking seem
disinterested in maintaining those family ties
through name. Their settlement is so small that
names are wholly unique, and family names are
unnecessary. However, Aiding Thunder initially
introduced himself not simply as "Aiding Thunder,"
but instead "Aiding Thunder, of Still Waters
Speaking."
And what of their leaders? They do not appear to
use the same naming convention once they
assume their position as Claw or Voice. Quite the
contrary: each position appears to have its own
convention. Aiding Thunder spoke of a Claw
named Cloudseeker and a Voice named Ushers-in-
Spring, which seem to defy the standard rules.
When I inquired about this, Aiding Thunder
promised to explain when we met again.
Sadly that time would never come to pass.
Shadow in the Ice: A Hunger for Knowledge — Discover 5 books around West Bjora Marches. (5
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