Region Naming III

Nightfall draped the elf forest in a soft velvet glow. Fireflies blinked lazily through the air as the stars began to scatter across the heavens. Inside Lucretia's main hall, warm light spilled from enchanted lanterns hanging like glowing fruit along the ceiling beams.

Lucretia sat at her oversized desk carved from living wood, her legs tucked beneath her, and a warm berry tea steaming beside her. She unrolled the scroll Fuhiken had submitted earlier.

She had asked for creativity. What she got... was something else entirely.

"Dwargo"

Lucretia traced the word with a fingertip. "Simple. Strong. Very dwarven." She smiled with quiet approval. "Kyle again, I assume." She marked it with a solid check and wrote beside it: Approved for mountain region.

"Alkarian Highforge Citadel of the Molten Kings"

Her brows climbed. "Fahleena, clearly. This could be a whole poem, or a new religion." She added: Too long for a map, perfect for a legend.

"Muffinland"

Lucretia paused, sipped her tea slowly, and sighed. "Sakura." She wrote gently: Only if the forest is entirely edible.

"Obsidian Nexus of Hammerfall Prime"

She narrowed her eyes in thought. "That sounds like a cursed forge or a missing city in a dungeon crawl. Gigih again?" She tapped her pen thoughtfully. Maybe use for a dungeon name.

"Machinia"

"Hmm," Lucretia murmured. "A little too industrial-sounding, but it has structure. For humans, it fits." She gave it a simple nod and wrote: Functional. Approved.

"Celestialis of the Searing Crucible of Progression and Steel-Bound Oaths of Mortality's Edge"

Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again. "Fahleena, how do you breathe between syllables?" She scribbled: Needs abbreviation. Possibly a book title.

"Toastville"

She covered her face with her hands. "Sakura again." Then wrote: Delightful nonsense. Denied.

"Chronostrata"

She tilted her head. "Actually... that's kind of elegant." She tapped it twice. "Mystic and ancient. Could be a region near time-aligned mana wells." She added: Hold for future use.

"Thraghurn"

Lucretia nodded. "Hmm. That has a sturdy ring to it. Sounds like the name of a rugged mountain or a grumpy old troll. I like it." She made a neat little check mark beside it.

"The Ravaged Dominion of the Crimson-Blood Howlers Under the Eternal Dread Sun"

Her pen stopped mid-air. Lucretia blinked once. Then again. "...Did someone summon a demon during the naming session?"

She muttered, "Fahleena," and sighed. "I asked for fun, not a prophecy of world-ending calamity." Still, she underlined it, twice, just in case it was a real location someday. Divine foresight had taught her not to rule things out.

"Tor'ma'rukh Zarneth"

Lucretia tilted her head. "Gigih, were you sleep-casting again?" She copied the name with practiced care. "Maybe this one can be used for a volcano or... a cursed library?"

"Verdastra"

She smiled. "Now that sounds pretty. Earthy. Peaceful. Kyle really does have a knack when he's not blowing things up." She placed a tidy star beside the name.

"Sylvanblood Sanctuary of Whiskered Valor"

A snort of laughter escaped her lips. "Whiskered valor? Really?" She shook her head but smiled. "It does have cat energy though. Might be a good name for a beastfolk arena. Or a very dramatic pillow fort."

"Chocoberry Fields"

Lucretia raised her brows. "Sakura, I presume." She scribbled next to it: Too delicious to be geographical. Then paused and added a note: Potential dessert name for upcoming elf festival.

"Vell'quinalis"

She pronounced it slowly. The lantern above her flickered. "Ah. That's definitely a weather spell. Or maybe a bard's favorite word. Gigih again?" She sighed fondly.

"Nythvare"

Lucretia tapped her pen on the desk. "Mysterious. Has a haunting tone. Sounds like a place you visit once and never again without protection." She gave it a double check mark. "Perfect for the goblins."

"Tenebris Hollow of Whispering Grudges and Forgotten Pacts"

Lucretia slowly turned her gaze toward the scroll as if it had personally offended her. "Fahleena. Again." She wrote: Possibly haunted. Avoid after sunset.

"Ghaz'nuloth"

She squinted at the runes. "This is not even a language from this world." After a moment of deep thought, she added a side note: Potential new monster species? Then circled it. Twice.

"Aeltharan"

Lucretia relaxed. "Ahh. That's nice. Graceful. Almost elvish in its rhythm. Fits centaurs well." She added a golden asterisk.

"The Endless Gallop Plain of the Thundering Hooflords of Skyward Honor"

She leaned back in her chair, exhaling through her nose in a laugh. "Why does everything Fahleena names sound like a boss fight?" Still, she couldn't deny it had flair. She annotated: Title of a future bard epic.

"Haycake Prairie"

She blinked slowly. "...What?"

Then a beat.

"Sakura."

She scribbled: Possibly rename bakery.

"Sar'kalreth"

"Gigih," she said aloud, "you really need a hobby besides chanting in eldritch tongues." She drew a spiral beside it and wrote: If the abyss opens here, blame Gigih.

At the bottom of the scroll was a final note:

Bonus quiz: What's the name of the white cow?

Lucretia narrowed her eyes.

HOLY COW!

The words were scrawled in giant, enthusiastic script, each letter seemingly written by a different sibling.

Lucretia stared at it. Then, as if surrendering to the inevitability of divine irony, she leaned back and sipped her tea. "......."

MOOOOOO

The cow let out a gentle moo that echoed like the closing bell of a ridiculous trial.

With a quiet smile, Lucretia rolled the scroll back up and placed it on the shelf labeled 'Gifts of Madness.' Then she reached for a fresh sheet of paper.

Time to draw the official map. With chibi doodles. Naturally.

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