The Unpickables

"You're picking an Unpickable? Just... Why the... Aren't you bullied enough already?"

Most of the Imps born and left within the confines of a breeding citadel have no name, only a serial number carved into their chests. They earn and choose their own names after their fifth year, in the arenas known as Name-Pits. The tournaments within the arena create a ranking, enabling the Demons to choose a name. The parents, if they chose to sheperd their spawn, can suggest a name from birth of course. However, for the majority of the mass-produced Imps, the Name-Pit's registry is the only way to fully exist. Some names are sought for, others less so. However, some first names have so tainted a history behind them, that few Demons dare inherit them, even long after the originator's death. They are called Unpickables.

These Unpickables are names so humiliating or so connected to despicable acts that their mere whisper is an offense. Few are the Demons, brave or tasteless, who purposely pick these names. Some do so in an heroic attempt to erase the wrongs it contains from the people's memories, others to borrow their sinister image, and of course. The recordings of the Name Pits have yet to erase them from History.

---

Amon :

From the bloodthirsty Demon Lord, Ar Amon, whose cruelty knew little bounds. His heartless decisions, his oppression of the weak, and his taste for Human children's blood, fanned the flames of rebellion in the formerly conquered Estearn realms. While none save other Demon Lords could and would stand up to him, he was not missed when the tide turned against him. His defeat came at the hands of Human peasant militias and a party of Heroes. This one defeat erased any previous victories from the minds. Even to this day he is blammed for partially urging the end of the Conquest (the Demon Empire's golden age) in the East.

Soon after this appeared leaked records that his former advisers kept about his ghoulish and sadistic behavior, even against innocent underlings, disgusted legions of readers. This reveal of his sins shamed the Ar clan for generations to come. A recent addition to the Unpickables, Demons who didn't know better then now feel very, very uncomfortable whenever Human ears of any origin happen to catch their fancy name.

Gapimenoth :

The famous criminal known as Gapimenoth wasn't always so despised. He was active as a thief and escape artist in the lower districts of many city-states, visiting brothels and stealing customers' trinkets. His crimes didn't prevent him from flirting with the staff, cementing his reputation. He escaped capture so many times that the Demon Legion itself was roused to apprehend him. At first, the citizens were amused by this phantom thief, until evidence emerged abouth him kidnapping young Imps to satiate his lower needs.

A last attempt to arrest him caught him literally red-handed, with the blood of his last victim on two of his fingers. The horrified legionnaires pulverised his face with their shileds and cut him into pieces. Once known for his beautiful visage, none wanted to catch a glympse of Gapimenoth again after this, let alone hear his name. Nowadays, the Demons prefer far shorter names, making this Unpickable even less of a pick.

Bo :

This Unpickable is an humbling lesson. Bo was once a famed General of the Conquest years, and many thought he was destined to evolve into a Demon Lord. The Western Realms of Menia, Arbeka, and the fallen Bunshin had very few insight about Demon culture when the Conquest reached their borders. In the earlier days, only Arbeka was hostile to the Empire's progress, while Menia sent ambassadors to mesure this new arrival. Pulled back from the Arbekan front lines in a rebuilt Bunshin Castle, Bo joined celebrations where Menian Humans and Imperial races were having a good time.

The feast reached its climax when Menian musicians made fun of one of Bo's victories in an attempt at humor. General Bo, unexpectedly, didn't take the jest lightly. After relieving himself in his cup discretly, violently shoved the contents deep in the speakers' throats, metal included. Old rivalries between clans brewed more conflict, the Menian bodyguards swords were raised, chaos ensued. In the end, a large amount of guests, Imperialss and Menian alike, were killed. The western perception of Demons became tainted beyond repair. The aftermath was so dire that Menia declared war in reparation for the offense.

It was a deep wound in the Empire's pride and the Conquest was stopped in the West. Some say Bo's deadly and disgusting tantrum was also the spark that lead to the foundation of the Van Republic. The once glorious General had turned his name into a tried and true Unpickable. After all, nobody wants to be named after a Demon dead with a Menian sword stuck on in his groin because he couldn't take a joke.

...