The Name of a Thing is the Whole of a Thing

Within a thing's True Name is its past, present, and possible futures. Within its Name is all that it is and all that it could be. Experiences, beliefs, thoughts, feelings, body. Soul. Everything that a thing is.

A True Name is the most powerful thing in existence.

The relationship a thing has to its Name varies by the thing. A fairy's True Name can be taken or lost more easily than a Divine's. A Divine's True Name cannot be knowingly spoken without giving that Divine power over the speaker.

Altering a Name alters the thing. Damaging a Name damages the thing.

Ordinal Powers

Kamatuuran

Nameshifting

Namecasting

Common Names

False Names

Spirit Names

Fairy and Goblin Names

Divine Names

The Name of a Divine has incredible power. As such, their True Names are kept hidden from all but their most devout and trusted followers. Their Names, however, are out there, in ancient books, scrolls, on the walls of caves older than continents, in the depths of the sea, or the core of the world. It is possible to learn a Divine Name, and then to use it. But one must be careful.

Even to know a Divine Name is to allow that Divine to have some power over you. If one is a follower of the Divine and knows their Name, they are given rank in the Divine Courts, known as a Secretary. If a person knows the Name of a Divine and is not a follower, or if the Divine dislikes them, the Divine will seek to get them to speak the Name to alter the relationship, to make them forget the Name by getting them to spell it backward in their mind, or to influence them to be dead, incapactitated, or otherwise unable to access the power of the Divine. Some Divines find anyone who knows their Name to be a useful target of manipulation.

If a person knowingly and intentionally speaks the Name of a Divine aloud, and if one is a follower of the Divine, they become a Dedicate. If, however, the speaker is not a follower, or if the Divine does not wish to have a Dedicate, the Divine may take control of the speaker and make them a Thrall.

Unlike other Names, if a Divine Name is said mistakenly and unknowingly, it will have an impact, but not the same as one if said intentionally and knowingly. Instead of

The Unnameable