Onomancy and True Names

In the ancient days of creation, when the Urdragon formed the material from the primordial elemental forces, the words of creation has great power. It was through these words that the world was made. Those ancient words retain their power, even though few still know them, and all things in the world have a true name which, if spoken, grants power over that thing.


The most ancient of true names are spoken in the Minor Eldyrion, the primal language of magic and creation. Some of these names feature in magical incantations. Spells like Control Flame, or Mold Earth, incorporate the true names of fire and earth, respectively. The true names of such things are immutable and fixed. This extends to the plants and beasts of the land, air and sea as well. Spells which dominate such creatures likewise use their true names as part of their incantations.


Mortals also have true names that are granted to them at birth, but mortals are unique in that those names can change and evolve throughout their lives. As a child draws it's first breath it is granted a true name; the only being that knows this name is the Quicksilver Maiden, hidden in her sanctuary within the fairy realm. Many mortals live out their life with only this name, and for the vast majority of those mortals, they never become aware of it. Mortals who are christened, baptised, or otherwise dedicated to a particular deity or faith, however, are granted a new name by that deity, usually aligned with their chosen name. Some faiths send the newly dedicated mortal out into the world with this new name, while others counsel it be kept hidden.


A true name often incorporates significant aspects of the life of a mortal, and for this reason they may change and evolve in response to major life events. Swearing an oath to a great power and fulfilling that oath may see an epithet like "Oathkeeper" or "the Faithful" added to the true name of a mortal by their pateon deity.


True names granted by the gods are most often spoken in ancient dialects of Celestial, known only to the gods themselves and their servants. True Names are powerful, and even the uttering of them can be difficult or even dangerous for mortals. The more powerful a mortal being becomes, the more difficult their true name becomes to speak.


Mortals who dedicate themselves to new deities may sometimes undergo a change to their true name, and this is one strategy for a mortal whose true name has become known to take on a new one. This can be difficult, however, as many gods who are closely aligned will simply accept the true name from a previous deity as an offering and leave it unchanged. Mortals who wish to dedicate themselves to a new deity that was not closely aligned with their previois faith or outside of their current pantheon may not be accepted without performing an act of great sacrifice. A surer, but more dangerous way to change a true name is to swear a pact to a devil or demon. A mortal is required to know their true name and offer it to the fiend in dedication, but once it is given to a powerful enough fiend, that entity may offer you a new true name, but in doing the the mortal forfeits their soul to that entity.


At the point of death, when the spirit of a mortal passes beyond the material, their true name becomes fixed and cannot be changed. The true name of a mortal is important in the afterlife, as it is the mechanism by which their spirits are bound. If the true name of a mortal was dedicated to any particular deity then their spirit will pass to that domain to be judged. Should they be judged wanting, a deity may choose to tell the true name of the spirit to another deity they see as more aligned with the actions of the mortal in life, and their spirit will be bound instead to that deity. Spirits who were never dedicated to a religion instead pass to a peaceful slumber within the realm of the Fairy.


A mortal who does not know their true name and wishes to know it must detetmine which deity possesses it and entreat that deity to learn it. An archpriest of the appropriate deity may be able to intercede on their behalf in return for an appropriate offering. This offering must be significant - the return of an ancient relic, for instance, or an offering of tens of thousands of gold pieces. If the deity no longer possesses the true name of the petitioner, they may guide them to the deity that does. A deity will never disclose the true name of another. The Quicksilver Maiden is also not known to disclose true names, even to their owners.
A mortal who does not know their true name and wishes to know it must detetmine which deity possesses it and entreat that deity to learn it. An archpriest of the appropriate deity may be able to intercede on their behalf in return for an appropriate offering. This offering must be significant - the return of an ancient relic, for instance, or an offering of tens of thousands of gold pieces. If the deity no longer possesses the true name of the petitioner, they may guide them to the deity that does. A deity will never disclose the true name of another. The Quicksilver Maiden is also not known to disclose true names, even to their owners.


Mages who study Onomancy often realise the power inherent in a true name and if they have been baptised or dedicated to a religion, they may seek to apostate themselves in the hopes that this invalidates the true name they were dedicated with. Other mages are content to simply change their name to an alias, quietly working to erase records of their old identity in the hopes that their true name can simply fade from memory. Some magical schools or academies in fact require their apprentices to take on a new name as part of their service.


It is known that many powerful fiends, angels, and fey have true names and knowledge of those names can give mortals control over them. There exist folios that purport to give the true names of specific beings for the purpose of binding them to mortal control, although all practitioners of magic agree that such powers are dangerous in the extreme, and even with the power that knowledge of the true name of a fey spirit or an astralogue grants, most beings will continue to take every opportunity to resist, enslave, or kill their summoner. It is not known whether the gods have true names. Some suggest that they simply do not possess them; others propose that the Dragonform Gods lack them but those that have since ascended to godhood do possess them, and must keep them carefully hidden.


When you cast any spell from the schools of Conjuration, Enchantment, Transmutation, Necromancy, Abjuration, or Divination and you know the true name of your target, you may speak it as part of the spell and the target has disadvantage on its saving throw.